Books You Should Read Before You Graduate College

In the spring of 2017, I launched Nat Chat to share the stories of college students and recent graduates who had gone non-traditional routes. Immature people who had pursued entrepreneurship, art, cocky-education, long-term travel, and other exciting lifestyles not obvious to the typical college pupil.

1 theme that keeps coming up in the interviews is books that made a huge bear on on these higher graduates and students and gave them the motivation or tools to pursue these new lines of piece of work.

They're not the typical books you'll get recommended past your professor or for your summer reading, and they might not have been best-sellers or on the New York Times list. But each ane of them has helped someone change their thinking and the direction of their life in an of import way.

Now that I've released over 30 of these interviews, these are 18 of the must-read books that have stood out as being the all-time for college students, high school students, and any young adult trying to take more control of their life.

The 4-Hour Workweek past Tim Ferriss

Get it on Amazon. Read my notes.

Recommended in my episodes with Taylor Pearson, Scott Britton, and Justin Mares.

The 4-Hour Workweek has been a defining book for the last 10 years, showing anyone how anyone tin build lifestyle businesses, piece of work for themselves, and travel the world. It remains one of the all-time books on how to re-remember piece of work in the information historic period, and to break down the intimidating walls of entrepreneurship. It was extremely inspiring to me when I read it in higher, and it'southward come upwards time and time again as ane of the virtually impactful books on students who went not-traditional routes.

Mastery by Robert Greene

Get it on Amazon. Read my notes. Nat Chat Episode

Recommended in my episodes with Justin Mares, Lucas Miller, and Neil Soni.

Mastery is the all-time volume I've found on pedagogy yourself annihilation and going from novice to expert in any skill. Greene walks you through the stages of expertise as shown by some of history'south greatest experts, and gives you the pace-by-footstep toolkit you need to take the path to Mastery yourself. If y'all want an in-depth guide to learning new skills beyond the classroom, this is i of the best books you can find.

The End of Jobs by Taylor Pearson

Get it on Amazon.

Recommended in my episode with Taylor Pearson.

Taylor Pearson ditched the law school rail, ran off to Brazil, became a skilled digital marketer, and traveled the globe supporting himself with his new skills. Afterward spending time abroad getting immersed in the new world of world-traveling entrepreneurs and seeing the future of work, he wrote The End of Jobs to describe how our economic system is changing and why the one-time "safe task" model isn't just unreliable–simply downright dangerous. If yous still think information technology'southward a safe responsible idea to become work for a large visitor similar your peers, this book volition be an eye opener.

Human being'south Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

Go it on Amazon. Read my notes.

Recommended in my episodes with Taylor Pearson and Charlie Hoehn.

Viktor Frankl survived a Nazi internment camp during the Holocaust and came out with a new understanding of what drives flesh. His book, Man'south Search for Meaning, has been long revered as ane of the most insightful cocky-help books on what motivates us and how we tin can find meaning in our own lives. Many people who read it written report that information technology made them re-think what was important to them, and how they can live more in line with their values.

Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Get information technology on Amazon. Read my notes. Nat Chat Episode.

Recommended in my episodes with Neil Soni and Aaron Watson.

No book has influenced my thinking more than than Antifragile. It gives you a new, compact fashion to remember about so much of the earth effectually yous, and completely changes your thinking around what's risky, what'south safety, and how you tin protect yourself from sudden setbacks and breakdowns. It's a must-read for anyone who wants to exist in control of their life.

Principles by Ray Dalio

Become it on Amazon. Read my notes.

Recommended in my episodes with Taylor Pearson and Connor Grooms.

I beginning read Principles when it was a free PDF on the Bridgewater website, and excitedly re-read it when information technology was released as a standalone book. Dalio provides crystal clear thinking most how to guide your life through good principles, and how nosotros can all employ setbacks and failures as feedback to meliorate the machines of our lives. Even if you don't run a business or call up of yourself equally an entrepreneur, the thinking around how to improve your work and life will change how you lot live.

The Defining Decade by Dr. Meg Jay

Get it on Amazon. Read my notes.

Recommended in my episodes with Shelcy Joseph and Tasha Meys.

Widely regarded as one of the best books for people in their 20s, the Defining Decade will make you rethink many of the lifestyle choices mutual for people in their early adulthood. It will assist you escape from optimizing for liberty, and make y'all think more virtually investing in yourself, your relationships, your career, and your life. If y'all've always felt similar you "don't know what you're doing" in your 20s, this book is a must-read.

Recession Proof Graduate by Charlie Hoehn

Get it on Amazon.

Recommended in my episodes with Charlie Hoehn, Thomas Frank, and Zak Slayback.

Information technology may not exist 2008 anymore, merely Charlie Hoehn'due south guide to making yourself Recession Proof is useful in whatever economy. He covers how you can develop useful skills and reach out to entrepreneurs to work with them, and leverage those relationships into bigger and more than exciting projects. Considering he used these strategies to work for Tim Ferriss, Tucker Max, Ramit Sethi, and many others, he's a good person to listen to.

The Fine art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin

Become it on Amazon. Read my notes.

Recommended in my episode on Mastery and in my episode with Cory Ames.

The Art of Learning is one of the best resource on how y'all tin brand yourself a better self-educator. Josh Waitzkin learned to be i of the best chess players, tai chi practitioners, and jiu jitsu competitors in the world, and he'due south refined his learning strategy into this guide that anyone tin use in their lives.

Letters from a Stoic past Seneca

Get it on Amazon. Read my notes. Made You Call back Episode.

Recommended in my episode on Mastery and in my episode with Neil Soni.

One of the nigh popular and widely influential works of philosophy, Messages from a Stoic provides a guide to the good life by helping you realize what'southward in your control, what's out of your control, and what'southward worth directing your free energy towards. It's had a huge impact on my own thinking about what to care about in my life and how to live, and many guests have reported the same.

Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi and Tahl Raz

Become information technology on Amazon. Read my notes.

Recommended in my episode with Scott Britton.

One of the all-time things you tin practice for your futurity success is to start building your network, and Never Eat Alone is the timeless guide to doing it. Even if yous're non in sales, learning to starting time building relationships with people whose work or life you're interested in can pay off in unexpected ways, and it's fun! This was role of the inspiration for starting to practice second-degree dinners.

Awaken the Giant Inside past Tony Robbins

Become it on Amazon. Read my notes.

Recommended in my episodes with Zak Slayback and Tasha Meys.

Awaken the Giant Within has been ane of the most popular books on designing your life since it was get-go published in 1991. There's no meliorate volume to light a burn down nether your ass to be the best version of yourself that y'all can be, and it'due south loaded with practical exercises to aid you define your goals and get your life on a rail that you're passionate about.

Excellent Sheep by William Deresiewicz

Get information technology on Amazon. Read my notes.

Recommended in my episode on Mastery and in my episodes with Zak Slayback and Blake Boles. Episode on the book here.

Excellent Sheep is a must-read for anyone who cares nearly their grades. It brilliantly illustrates how well-nigh "summit students" are but high-performing sheep–jumping through the hoops of their parents, peers, schools, and society, and lack the ability to truly think for themselves. If y'all're reading this and thinking "I go skilful grades but I as well think for myself and am not jumping through hoops" thendefinitely read this book.

So Good They Can't Ignore You past Cal Newport

Get it on Amazon. Read my notes.

Recommended in my episodes with Justin Mares and Thomas Frank.

Don't follow your passion, learn to exist so proficient they can't ignore yous. That's the advice Cal Newport gives to anyone trying to pattern their career. Passion arises from developed skills, and well-nigh people who are "doing what they honey" got there by getting really practiced at something and becoming more passionate well-nigh information technology over fourth dimension. They didn't pick their passion so try to get a job in information technology. If you lot've been trying to "find your passion," this book will be a adept wakeup call.

Deep Piece of work by Cal Newport

Go it on Amazon. Read my notes.

Recommended in my episode on Mastery and in my episodes with Justin Mares, Thomas Frank, and Zak Slayback.

Ane of the best books on productivity out there. It explains the concept of "deep piece of work," how we all need extended periods of uninterrupted concentration, and provides some practical strategies for achieving that peace in the modern world. The lessons from the book are a large part of why I minimize notifications, don't go along social apps on my phone, and structure parts of my week with no meetings.

Superlative by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool

Get it on Amazon. Read my notes.

Recommended in my episode with Justin Mares.

Talent is a myth, and this book shows you why. Ericsson's research explains where the myth of talent comes from, and how anyone can use deliberate do to get ane of the all-time in their globe at their chosen discipline. With this book and Mastery, y'all'll have everything you lot need to systematically refine your skill set without college.

The Ability of Addiction by Charles Duhigg

Get it on Amazon. Read my notes.

Recommended in my episode with Lucas Miller.

Power of Addiction is the all-time book to give yous an introduction to designing skilful habits for your life, and breaking bad ones. Information technology changed how I thought nearly what was in and out of my control when I read it, and I've used it for everything from being more productive to waking up earlier to eating better to exercising regularly. At the core is a simple system: cue, routine, reward, that y'all can use to modify your automatic behaviors and even influence the behaviors of others.

Black Swan past Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Get it on Amazon. Read my notes.

Recommended in my episode on Antifragile and with Taylor Pearson.

If you want to understand why massive bad (and good) things happen that no ane sees coming, Blackness Swan is your guide. Information technology explains why we fail to predict shocks like the 2008 recession, why trying to avoid forest fires makes them worse, why buildings still fail to survive choppy conditions, and why so many of united states acquit like blissfully ignorant Turkey's before Thanksgiving. If you don't desire your head on the chopping cake adjacent fourth dimension something big goes wrong, this volume will help set up you.

You certainly don't accept to read all xviii of the books immediately, but they're all worth reading at some bespeak. Accept a look at which ones' summaries appeal the most to y'all, order i or two to start, and go along returning to the listing as you piece of work through it.

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Source: https://www.nateliason.com/blog/best-books-college-students