Just one thing I would like to point out. Many of the suggestions I've seen here are about interesting books. These may give you insight into part of a profession, but I think we need to remember that these jobs also have boring parts or that the protagonist is exceptional. After all, most people won't read a book about an unremarkable person nor would someone write a book that includes all the boring bits. For example, most police/investigative work involves reading through papers, waiting, minor offenses, and other boring stuff that isn't sufficiently portrayed in media.
Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions
71–77 of 77 posts
Re: Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions
#72Dishwasher: One Man's Quest to Wash Dishes in All Fifty States by Pete Jordan. Definitely a different and entertaining read.
Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs - This is a short anthology that covers various professions was collected in the 90s. Interesting quick views of different people's work etc.
Re: Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions
#73For a bit of adventure, also Teddy Blue Abbot We Pointed Them North about the cattle drives of the late 19th Century, and Ivan Doig's In This House of Sky, about growing up as a sheep rancher's son in Montana, and about his father's upbringing and work.
Re: Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions
#74I found 'The Prize', a history of the development of the oil industry, by Daniel Yergin, to be fascinating. Perhaps closer to your request, 'Kitchen Confidential' by Anthony Bourdain comes the closest to describing life in a restaurant kitchen in a very entertaining way. (Source: Was once a dishwasher and cook in a couple places.) If you like Bourdain, his friend, Michael Ruhlman has several books on being, and becom…
On the kitchen thread, try Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell, which describes his experience as a dishwasher in 1930's Paris.
For an interesting study of casual labor in the gig economy for house painters in the 1910's, see The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell,
Re: Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions
#75I'm a software dev and run my own company but would love to run a japanese noodle restaurant one day (I'm caucasian haha). Any good recomdtns?
Re: Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions
#76On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
by Stephen King
Re: Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions
#77Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs https://www.amazon.com/Gig-Americans-Talk-About-Their/dp/060... It's basically a series of interviews with people across various industries talking about their jobs. Not exactly "memoir"-style but more of an anthology. Bullshit Jobs: A Theory by David Graeber https://www.amazon.com/Bullshit-Jobs-Theory-David-Graeber/dp... A personal favorite that I read alongside the first recomme…
With bullshit jobs, could you expand on finding meaningful work? It's something that has eaten me up the last while (non meaningful work and being unsure what direction to head to find it)
I've searched a few reviews of the book but largely seemed to focus on how many jobs are pointless rather than finding non pointless stuff