Review: When's Happy Hour? Work Hard So You Can Hardly Work
The betches are back, this time with their adulting guide When’s Happy Hour? Work Hard So You Can Hardly Work. Betches Media started out as a hilarious blog that discussed the modern millennial woman’s life, from mimosa-soaked brunches and blackout college parties to living in your parents’ basement while you get your $hit together. As a proud basic betch, I was pretty pumped to read this book. Peppered with quotes from your favorite betches throughout fiction and reality (imagine Susan B. Anthony and Charlotte from Sex and the City as your therapists), this book is dedicated to “making you the most successful, betchiest career woman you can be.”
Moon River
It’s definitely a visually striking book. Tiffany blue, a catchy title, and spilt wine? No one’s kicking this one off the Barnes & Noble top shelf. The betches know how to market to their audience well. The design is Instagramable af; just add a poolside view and pina colada and you’ve got your daily quota of double-taps. Either you’ll feel like you’re talking to your best friends over a bottle of wine, or you’ll be reminded of the times you came to work in your early twenties hungover (wait…I’m still doing that).
Boss Betch
But how does this career guide actually stack up? To their credit, the betches are completely transparent about how they fumbled into their business knowledge by building Betches Media from the ground up. The intersection of career women and feminism is literally the first chapter, and if you’re a young woman, it’s pretty fantastic that this is the foundation we’re building on from the start. We even finish with a primer of how to report sexual harassment in the workplace, deal with motherhood issues, and navigate a work-life balance in a world that expects us to do it all.
There’s plenty on how to find your ideal career, and the reality of having your “dream job” – work is still work, after all. There is also some light information on starting your own business, dealing with the pros and cons of different bosses, and learning how to network.
This is the real meat of the book, but the more valuable tips are those somewhat uncomfortable but necessary topics, like office gossip, makeup and clothing tips, and even talking like a professional career woman. Basically, the soft skills that make others take you more seriously.
Gold
Chapter 2 “Please Advise: WTF Should I Be Doing with My Life?” is where they really shine – it sounds a little hokey, but sometimes you need guidance on learning about yourself and what path you envision for your life. They discuss an important topic that so many of us forget or never learn: it’s okay to not want to grow up to be your boss. Success is what YOU want, not what you are SUPPOSED to want. Easier said than done, but too many of my peers and myself have fallen into this trap.
What’s my bottom line?
It’s fun, it’s cute, it’s cosmopolitan. When’s Happy Hour? is one book that is perfectly summed up by its cover. But the betches even say it themselves: if you’re already a little deeper into your career, they can try, but they can’t really help you. For most readers, you aren’t going to get much more than a chuckle and some feel-goods. But if you know a girl who is graduating high school or is in college? Absolute bingo! Throw that and $20 into a Roth IRA for them (or stick the cash in as a bookmark if you’re less nerdy than me) and send them on their way. It’s like your cool aunt is coming down with a pitcher of margaritas and an earful of f-bombs to dish out some no-nonsense career advice.
Final grade for the average reader: D (but give chapter 2 a read for a pep talk)
Final grade for your little sister: A
Gift-giving potential: graduation and birthdays, check!
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