If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It: How 25 Inspiring Individuals Found Their Dream Jobs

Some people know from a young age what it is they want to be when they grow up while others find their passion purely by accident. What the 25 individuals featured in If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It have in common is that, through hard work and overcoming obstacles, they have found success and fulfilment in meaningful professions.

The book begins with a brief explanation about the different types of education and training that are mentioned throughout the biographies, followed by a double-page spread for each of the featured individuals. These spreads consist of the person’s job-related bio which explains how they became interested in their chosen field, their education, and the day-to-day activities of the job, both positive and (occasionally) negative. Several text boxes provide additional information, such as related fields of study, spin-off jobs, tips from the pros (some of these are quite job-specific while others are more general), fun facts, and “Why Not Try?”, which encourages readers to participate in related activities. There are also text boxes which highlight the work of others in the field, both adults and youth, who are making a difference. For some youth, the spark was ignited by a science fair project while others found their niche by volunteering or even by happenstance. One example is New Zealander Riley Hathaway. Inspired by a school video project, Riley has explored the world’s oceans with her underwater cameraman father. Together, they have filmed videos for their amazing website entitled Young Ocean Explorers, bringing attention not only to fascinating sea life, but also to the plight of oceans.

The book has many strengths. Firstly, the jobs featured cover a wide range of professions, many of them quite unusual. Readers will learn about an ornithologist, a smokejumper, storm chaser, human rights lawyer, documentary photographer, stunt person, and gaming expert, to name just a few. Some of the people might even be familiar to readers, individuals such as Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, and ESPN’s Leah Hextall, the first woman to call play-by-play for the National Hockey League. Secondly, the individuals hail from different parts of the globe and are representative of different races, genders, cultures, physical abilities and sexual orientation. Thirdly, women are often featured in non-traditional jobs. Finally, the text boxes not only add visual interest but also provide motivational stories and tips for readers.

The book ends with a short list and description of possible future dream jobs and an explanation of technical versus “soft” skills (those skills which are transferable across careers and industries, namely communication, problem solving, creativity and adaptability).

Illustrations consist of colour photographs of the 25 featured individuals and the youth who are up-and-comers in their fields and cartoon-like drawings, all of which are presented in an attractive, eye-catching layout.

Extremely engaging, the stories in If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It are not only inspiring but will, perhaps, spark some readers to explore unique professions and, above all, to follow their dreams.