The Art of Being a PITA


Non-Fiction - Business/Finance
362 Pages
Reviewed on 04/29/2019
Buy on Amazon

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    Book Review

Reviewed by Christian Sia for Readers' Favorite

The Art of Being a PITA by Shanah Bell is a business book that starts with a disturbing truth, one that many young and older people still believe: "When I was younger, the message I was given was the same as everyone else from my generation. Success meant that you got a good, stable job, with a large company, had vacation days and benefits." But as the author navigated through life and did a variety of jobs, she came to the conclusion that she could be successful on her own terms and live life the way she wanted. In this book, she shares wisdom garnered over the years and offers powerful insights to readers, showing them how they can develop their creativity, hone skills, and break from the typical career paradigm that has been served them.

The author tells readers that they have the potential to break the vicious cycle of a nine-to-five workday, do the work they love the most, and have a lot of fun and flexibility managing their time while earning more. In this book, readers will find everything they need to do non-conventional jobs, experience financial freedom, and secure their future. The author weaves personal experiences into the writing and I particularly loved how she allows these experiences to instruct her writing.

The Art of Being a PITA by Shanah Bell is written in a simple, conversational style of writing that engages readers in a dialogue with themselves, and illuminates their choices when it comes to choosing a career path and the things they can do differently. Shanah Bell’s voice is compelling and she shares invaluable insights and wisdom to help anyone work on their terms and build their financial freedom without the uncertainty and the constraints of a corporate lifestyle.

Renee Guill

The Art of Being a Pita by Shanah Bell explains how you don't have to have a corporate career to be happy. Bell explains what you need to do is to find what makes you happy, and it doesn't have to be like everyone else. She goes into details of all the jobs she has had over the years and how she learned from them. She shows how you can have a decent paying job without a college degree. After each story about a job, she tells what she learned and she explains why she liked it or didn't like it. The author also explains how what she learned in her jobs has helped her in her marriage and in being a mother.

The Art of Being a Pita by Shanah Bell was an interesting read. I didn't realize that what I did in the past had a term to it, since I had a similar lifestyle. I liked how she explained why she liked each job and whether it was useful to her. Bell gave great tips too, such as not to leave a job without having one to go to, definitely necessary these days! I loved how she ended each story with highlights as to what she learned, whether it was good or bad. If you are thinking of starting over or you are a high schooler who is trying to figure out what you want to do, this book is a good way to start. The author does a great job showing that you don't have to be stuck in the corporate world to be happy. The Art of Being a Pita by Shanah Bell definitely offers readers food for thought.

K.C. Finn

The Art of Being a PITA is a work of non-fiction focused on the business world, penned by author Shanah Bell. Breaking with the traditional idea of workers being settled in a ‘job for life’, Shanah Bell’s personalized story guides readers through different stages of her life as she grafts and swaps and changes careers, building success from her fluidity and enriching her life experiences in the process. Written for those who may feel that their corporate experience is a life sentence hanging around their neck, Bell intends to show readers how a multi-layered existence can still bring success, and that stability in life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

As a self-employed entrepreneur myself, I really resonated with many of the life lessons and experiences which author Shanah Bell teaches during her journey. Bell writes in a straightforward style which is often autobiographical, but throughout the stories from her own experience, she always keeps an eye on the reader and shows them how these lessons could apply to their own lives. The book was well organized as the chapters of Bell’s life coincide with chapters on particular lessons we can learn. I also really enjoyed the fact that the book wasn’t entirely focused on money, but also on the time line of one’s life, the value of different experiences and the concept of looking back on your time on Earth with pride rather than regret. Overall, The Art of Being a PITA combines career advice with great tips for improved mental health and is well worth a read for people who feel they’re stuck in a rut.

Divine Zape

The Art of Being a PITA by Shanah Bell offers readers tools to challenge the status in business and corporate life and create the lifestyle they want. The author starts with a powerful premise, unveiling a misconception and an idea that has been fed to most people: the idea that one has to find a good job, do a 9-5 work schedule, and get a great salary to achieve financial freedom. While this idea has worked for many people, most employed folk find themselves working impossible hours, fighting stress, and barely making ends meet. For this author, it was not to be so. In her book, she teaches readers how to be creative and how to develop the skills required to do multiple jobs, work on their own terms, and determine how much they earn.

Here is a book for readers who want to experience financial freedom, escape from a stressful corporate work schedule, and create opportunities for happiness and personal growth. The strength of the book lies in the author’s ability to bring strong personal testimony into the writing, enabling readers to understand how she chooses to do things differently and offering insightful tips and actionable steps they can use to get where they want to be. Shanah Bell offers good ideas and proposes areas where readers can discover immense opportunities. The confidence that echoes through the writing derives from the author’s first-hand experiences. The Art of Being a PITA will make you want to stop your work to start something else. But hold on a minute; first listen to this author’s take on what you need to do for a seamless transition.

Gisela Dixon

The Art of Being a PITA by Shanah Bell is a non-fiction memoir and business book on how to make money through entrepreneurial gigs or freelancing and to live the life you truly want. In this book, Shanah talks from her own life and job experiences to inspire people to follow their dreams even if that means giving up a conventional 9-to-5 job lifestyle or financial stability of a regular pay check. The book covers basically Shanah’s entire job history and she dedicates one chapter each to every job she has ever worked at and the lessons she learned from it, which are applicable in work and life alike. During this process, she also talks about her own personality and upbringing as well as her family. There is also a short chapter at the end dedicated to some tips and techniques for basic financial stability and long-term planning.

I liked reading The Art of Being a PITA and felt that Shanah did a great job explaining her philosophy towards life which includes living life on her own terms as much as possible. I also loved reading about each of her job experiences and the lessons she learned from them. I feel this would be a great read for a youngster or college student to give them ideas on how to make money on the side and develop the spirit and mindset of an entrepreneur and to seize opportunities. Shanah writes in a straightforward, no-nonsense style that would be easily relatable to adults and teenagers alike, and provides many invaluable tips on the importance of adaptability and a certain amount of prioritizing and risk-taking. In the end, this book is ultimately about living life on your own terms, whatever that means for every individual person, and how to go about accomplishing it.