I remember the panic that gripped me my senior year of college when I realized I had to find a job that would start my adult life. The complexities of the modern economy have made that search even more frightening, but Chris Palmer’s Now What, Grad? is a wonderful confidence booster. The book takes readers by the hand and guides them step-by-step through the most difficult parts of that transition. I love the emphasis on thinking first about what you really want and identifying those happy parts of your life that already hold clues to what you should be doing. Get out a note pad as you read the book and by the end you will have a to-do list that will get you up every morning, ready to move forward.

Jay Mathews, Washington Post columnist

Chris Palmer has written a fabulous must-have for anyone graduating, or embarking on their next steps: He manages to entertain, while providing not only practical tips for making important decisions, but a profoundly important moral framework for navigating the modern world. An inspiring contribution for this generation’s leaders-to-be.

Pamela Meyer, author, “Liespotting”

Chris Palmer is a devoted mentor to his students who graduate as much more than wet clay. Through a treasure trove of pragmatic tips, Palmer dispenses wisdom to all graduates to launch their adult lives with confidence and integrity. While encouraging big dreams, Palmer backs up his college grad manifesto with sensible guidance about how to achieve them. Meaningful career planning is just part of his alchemy. At its heart, this is a book about the architecture of a balanced life. The Palmer plan preaches healthy living, good eating, playful time, and dedication to family and friends. It’s all integrated into the challenge of a career that plays up individual strengths and passions. This book is a gift to all of us who want to tune up our lifestyles to be fully present for all the wonders of a well-lived life.

Roberta Baskin, award-winning investigative reporter

Chris Palmer’s Now What, Grad? helps students and recent graduates answer the title question with practical tips and useful stories drawn from his own rich career as well as from the lived experience of many of his students. Any new graduate reading this book with not only learn the nuts and bolts of finding a job and how to be an effective professional, but also how to live one’s life with meaning and purpose.

Cornelius M. Kerwin, president, American University