About a month and a half ago, a letter arrived in the Opinion inbox, which expressed a certain viewpoint on the state of the section. In a nutshell, this reader believed that the content had become too serious and too concerned with issues outside of the realm of Binghamton University. The section, though, has stood its ground; free of fluff the columns have remained. Until this one.

As a gesture to the anti-substance fans out there, the kind opinion editor has opted to bring back this forum. That would be a spot that this former columnist has been gazing at ever since she transferred to alternative pastures. And while Op/Ed may have moved past the days of abstract rants about life, apathy and the color gray, this column blends the abstract with the tangible. The tangible specifically being a book that has taken up way too much space in our basement office.

Imagine walking into the office one day to find not just one life plan available to you but at least 50. And even better, all carefully packaged in one book! That’s right seniors, a new guide to life has been delivered for review: “What’s That Job And How The Hell Do I Get It?” by David Rosen.

Instead of judging this book by its cover, let’s judge it by its back cover, first section on the top. It reads “What Exactly Is This” — the “this” being the actual book. Three categories are listed, one catalogs different “cool” jobs, and another is a guide for people searching for a job they might like. Sure, in this department, the book is indeed “cool.” But the third intention, that this book can “explain in detail” what you need to do to actually get it (one of these “cool” jobs) raises a red flag.

What about mentioning that becoming a film director or fashion designer is part connections, part luck and part who knows? If this book could pull off turning the masses into Steven Spielberg, I’m sure it would be a best-seller on the level of the original guide on how you’re supposed to live your life, otherwise known as the Bible.

I wasn’t concerned about the future until that book was plopped on my desk in the Pipe Dream office. And consequently, both my office space and my head became cluttered.

We’ve spent the past four years reading books. Good books that instead of telling us what to do with our lives are supposed to inspire ideas. Various bio texts and “Moby Dick.” The subtle and not-so-subtle messages that our education has been sending us should be able to eventually point us in the right direction. And if they haven’t done the trick, how could a self-help book?

Right now, the fluff is what matters to me. Contrary to public opinion, I think it’s a lot easier to be serious. To write seriously, to date seriously, to friend seriously. If I know I want to be a writer, for example, I could spend four years here at Pipe Dream writing very serious pieces and probably get a fantastic job out of it.

Or, I could mix it up. Guides to the perfect job will still be around when I’m 30.