The duties of a counselor are as multiple and various as the diverse populations they serve. From mental health facilities to your local high school to a police station, there is a counselor around with the kind of expertise to help anyone in need of listening or advice.Family and marriage therapists listen to individuals or groups of individuals who may be experiencing problems in their home life. They might offer advice for healthy behavior or more effective coping mechanisms.School guidance counselors advise students on how to transition into the next phases of their lives. They are expecte... view article details

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has significantly lowered the price of a world class education.Starting in the spring of 2012, the elite school will be making some of its most popular courses available online to anyone with an Internet connection and a desire to learn. The cost? Free.'The courses are going to be rigorous, are going to be to the MIT standard,' said Nate Nickerson, the school's director of communications.The new initiative, dubbed MITx, will have no admissions requirements or application process. Participants will be able to access course materials, interact with facul... view article details

Jackie and Tom are members of a software development team. The team is focused on a new application that is to be rolled out next month. Jackie is the senior member and feels responsible for the team’s reputation. She believes the current version doesn’t have enough bells and whistles. Tom believes their reputation will be more affected by the number of bugs still in the software, and thinks they should eliminate those before adding new features.If you were Jackie, which of the following would you say to Tom?'Tom, if you brainstorm with me, we’ll be able to quickly figure out the best features... view article details

Q: Heather, I read your article about dealing with office bullies and replied to one of the other people who commented. Could you please answer this question for me: 'Wouldn't asking about dispute resolution at an interview be as taboo as asking about the money they are willing to pay you?' Thank you,Michelle A: Excellent question, Michelle. I’d like to expand upon my prior email response to you.In June I took my three kids hiking throughout Colorado. Because we were doing high altitude hiking, we had to be prepared for the types of weather events and emergencies that can occur above 14,000 fe... view article details

Earning a higher education degree is a big investment. With all that money (and time) on the line, students may want to confirm that the entry level jobs they’re setting themselves up for tend to yield a good return on investment (ROI). Using Salary.com data, we found 10 jobs that have median level I salaries over $60,000. These jobs promise even bigger pay outs as employees climb the ranks. Read on to see if one of these jobs may be right for you to pursue: 1) Electrical Engineer I What you’ll earn to start: $68,171 What you’ll do: Assist with the design, development, and testing of electric... view article details

Higher education may be getting more expensive, but a college degree is necessary to compete for jobs in many industries. College should be healthy mix of passion and pragmatism, and it’s important to pursue the things you love while recognizing the fields that give you the best chance of finding a job upon graduation. According to research by CareerCast.com, here are the majors with the best career prospects. We also provided the median salaries of various jobs in each industry based on Salary.com data. 1) Accounting They say numbers don’t lie, but did you know they can also get you a job? T... view article details

Be Careful with Your Brand Many job seekers attempt to use a functional format to emphasize specific skills or to cover up problems with the resume, such as job gaps, brief employment periods, or multiple jobs in a short time period. Or you may be trying to brand yourself, in modern terms, with the functional approach. Personal branding is a great idea, but be aware, the functional resume is not the way to create your brand. Even though branding is a popular marketing concept for corporations, the transition to personal branding isn’t always as easy to establish. Brainstorm for a minu... view article details

Why are fully employed people job searching amidst a swell of negative job market news? Do employers know what Employees really want out of their jobs? Salary.com has conducted its 4th annual survey of employee job satisfaction to give insight into what really makes employees happy (and unhappy) in their jobs.Fear of Being Fired? You’re not alone. Most people are concerned about the current economy. Layoffs all around and those that have jobs wonder 'Am I next?' It may be a luxury to wonder compared to people struggling to pay their bills. But many employees are dealing with th... view article details

No One Knows Blue Collar Jobs Better than Mike Rowe At one point or another, you've probably seen someone performing a "dirty" job and said to yourself "You couldn't pay me enough to do that." But Mike Rowe, host of TV's Dirty Jobs, gets paid to do exactly that. And, in an interview with Salary.com last week, said he thinks more people should follow suit. Rowe says America is in the midst of a skilled labor shortage, as hundreds of thousands of available blue collar jobs go unfilled because workers lack the necessary training. But even more upsetting, Rowe said, is the attitude of many Amer... view article details

Is Transparency Good or Bad? Transparency is one of the most misunderstood concepts in executive circles. Clear to all ranks however, is the notion that a perceived lack of it can have a crippling effect on a leader’s reputation.Consider both current U.S. presidential candidate and incumbent, on the issue. When the latter, Barack Obama, took office, his Administration promised that it would be 'the most open and transparent in history.' All evidence to the contrary, say prominent critics who point to the government’s alleged disappointing track record in processing Freedom of Informat... view article details