Fewer Young People Are Buying Homes I rent a charming apartment in a seaside town in Massachusetts for a reasonable price. 'Charming,' of course, is long-cherished real estate code for 'small,' and 'reasonable,' in this market, is not a modest sum. If I bought, I could probably get more space for my money (not to mention equity), but I lack the sterling credit and sizeable down payment that are essential to getting a mortgage these days. And so I find myself the apartment-dwelling epitome of an inauspicious trend: the marked decline in homeownership among young adults. Nationally, the... view article details

If hospitality is your cup of tea—and you don’t mind serving others—a career as a hotel manager may be perfect for you.Hotel managers oversee all aspects of hotel operations including staff, maintenance, convention and conference services, reservations, office administration, sales, purchasing, housekeeping, security, recreation, and food management. Depending on how many services a hotel provides, the manager can be responsible for everything from banquets to conventions. Managers also take into account marketing and financial management. They set room rates, approve expenditures and ensure t... view article details

Even though most states found themselves creating massive cuts in the last year, the budget gap is still too much for some to handle, leading them to decrease spending further. States such as Indiana and California have already announced a dramatic decrease in education budgets for the next year. Both states, especially California, had a hard year in 2009 trying to fill the debt gap. While California inflicted dramatic tuition increases that led to student protests and media scrutiny to make up for the budget, Indiana cut programs and limited faculty travel as a way of spending less, promisin... view article details

This week, Jack tackles a tough question many jobseekers encounter when going through the interview process. Namely, what should you do if you offer up your salary requirements too early in the process and end up on the outside looking in? Find out how to deal with this sticky situation in this week's mailbag question!QUESTION In my talks with HR, they indicated that I was the leading candidate for the job. They asked me my salary requirements and I gave them a mid-range number for the job. I also told them it was negotiable and that I was eager to discuss what the job entails. I could feel th... view article details

Positive Conflict in the Workplace If everyone agreed all the time, there would be no reason to consider different perspectives or look for new ways to handle situations. The best ideas often emerge from the creative problem-solving process that has to occur to reach conflict resolution. Here are five benefits of conflict in the workplace: 1. As team members work through conflicts, they are able to make progress toward accomplishing goals that need to be reached. This is true in terms of project-specific goals, as well as the goal of becoming a stronger, more unified team. Team members ... view article details

Dear Annette,Please help! I am in a small office, and two coworkers, one a man and one a woman, curse all the time. I really don't like it, but I can't change my cubicle space because I work closely with these people. How can I get them to stop using such ugly language without antagonizing them? Same to you, buddy Dear Buddy,Language is a tool for inclusion in culture, and in some workplaces expressions such as 'Hey, hockey puck! How on top of that are you?' might easily replace 'Are you on track with your deadline?' Yet it's never a good idea to suggest that your crisis communications strateg... view article details

Dear Annette,Twentysomethings have taken over the office where I have been working since they were in elementary school. It seems that everyone has a navel ring except me. Can I stay hip without subjecting myself to the needle?Experienced but InexperiencedDear Experienced,Many employees over a certain age feel anxious about the correlation between computers in the cradle and rings in the navel. Alas, and yet hooray: the future belongs to the children, and to the people who were children only recently.What you need is a reverse mentor: someone to escort you proudly into the new economy with das... view article details

Careers in Demand for the Future What will help wanted ads look like in two, five, ten years from now? And why should you care? As the world evolves, so do job trends and job descriptions. It’s important to structure your career so that your job will still be in demand in several years. This article explores seven professions, both emerging and long-standing, that offer the best careers for the future. Career #1: Healthcare According to recent Labor Department data, an aging population will put healthcare workers such as doctors, nurses, physical therapists, home health aids, and pharmacists... view article details

Somerset Maugham said, 'The unfortunate thing about this world is that good habits are so much easier to give up than bad ones.' Being constantly late and spending the majority of your work day playing computer games are bad habits that can put the kibosh on job advancement. But did you know that some bad habits actually have good effects? The following 12 habits may get a bad rap, but they may also have a positive impact on your career.Procrastinating Today's work culture expects us to multitask, run from one project to the next, and constantly... view article details

Leading up to Salary Negotiation Week, we surveyed more than 1,000 people on several different topics related to salary negotiation. We had readers answer some questions regarding their experiences asking for raises, and what they're afraid of when it comes to negotiating salary. Here is input from an actual Salary.com reader, and our subsequent advice.Job Title: Director of CreativeCity: DurangoState: COCurrent Salary: $48,000Last Raise: 10/2011Company Size: 50What is motivating you to ask for a raise? I negotiated my starting salary but have not asked for a raise since. I have proven results... view article details