When Early Isn't an Option How does a night owl who arrives at work after noon each day succeed in his career?The first story in this series covers the basics about a type of circadian rhythm disorder called delayed sleep phase syndrome (also DSPS, or delayed sleep), which half a million Americans suffer. In the second story, a writer with delayed sleep says she felt like death holding down a 9-to-5 job, and ultimately felt better when she began freelancing. In this third story, you’ll meet Tom Lemmon, a software engineer at a top Internet company in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Lemmon, ... view article details

You Do Have to Be a Rocket Scientist Listening to a rocket scientist talk about work is impressive, but tough for the scientifically challenged. It's not unlike having a conversation in a foreign language you barely know. Talk of black holes and exploding suns switches to gyroscopes and accelerometers before you've processed what you think you heard, let alone understood. But then, as the cliché suggests, it is rocket science. Keoki Jackson and Bob Polutchko knew they'd become rocket scientists from early on. "I was born on July 22nd, 1969," said Jackson. "Mom used to talk about watching the ... view article details

Job description Engineers research and develop solutions to technical needs in society. They design products, materials, machinery, factories, systems, structures, and much more. Their main work lies in ensuring efficiency, and working to constantly improve the quality of all aspects of life. They also analyze the impact their projects have had on the environment and society. Most engineers specialize in a certain area, there are more than 25 specialties recognized by professional engineering societies and each area has many divisions. Engineers will also sometimes choose to specialize in a s... view article details

It is a teacher's daunting task to add life to their student's school day by generating interest in all subject areas, even those that can be tedious for most students.         Job descriptionThe majority of teachers are primary and secondary school teachers. They generally choose a specific grade level or area of specialty in which to teach. Teachers are responsible for planning and then evaluating student performance. They are then responsible for promoting growth through providing additional assistance and meeting with parents and school staff to discuss student development and ways to impr... view article details

One of the most important goals of your performance review is to help you develop professionally. At the same time, the company will set goals for you to help it achieve its objectives. So at both an individual and corporate level, performance reviews are about future excellence as much as past accomplishment.If you help set your own goals, the chance of your meeting them will be higher. Think carefully about what you can realistically do to achieve your targets.Your action plan for professional development should provide answers to the following questions.What areas of your performance do you... view article details

Leadership Versus Management Do you know the difference between leadership and management? In Western economies, the lines between the two have become blurred. In her book, The Seven Keys of Charisma (1997), Joanna Kozubska says: “There are times when a leader needs good, systematic management skills and times when a manager must inspire people. We have to be able to do both.” This has significant implications for the way that leaders and managers should be developed. Originally, the difference between management and leadership arose based on the perception that management was about imple... view article details

Q. I have been running a small startup company for almost four years. Four of us are consulting to the company in various executive roles. I'm the founder and president, handling a wide range of duties, but mostly in business development. I have the skill set and experience of most directors of business development or higher positions. My role has also exposed me to areas in which business development professionals are not typically involved.In considering other employment opportunities, how do I know which executive level I qualify for given my diverse background? Will companies discount my s... view article details

Ellison Says, Stock OnlyA look at Oracle Corp's (ORCL) proxy statement filed September 11, 2000, reveals that CEO Lawrence Ellison will take all of his pay in stock options for four years.For the company's fiscal year ending May 31, 2000, Ellison was paid $208,000 in base salary and received no annual bonus. This is considerably less than he received in fiscal 1999: a base salary of $1 million and a bonus of $2.75 million. But before you start worrying about how the Ellisons are going to make ends meet, take a look at the next column on the summary compensation table. It shows that Larry Ellis... view article details

How to Set Career & Salary Goals You Can Achieve This Year New Year, New Goals Everyone knows the beginning of the year is the time for setting goals. Lose weight! Get in shape! Spend more time with friends and family! It’s also the time to set goals for your career. If you do, there’s a good chance you’ll become rich. Didn’t you hear about that study on goal setting? In his book What They Don’t Teach You At Harvard Business School, Mark McCormack tells of a study conducted with new graduates from the 1979 Harvard MBA program. In that year, the students were asked, "Have you set clear, writ... view article details

Improving Businesses All of us practice project management in our lives, whether we know it or not. We are all involved in planning and organizing our everyday tasks, career, and work responsibilities. In the business world, project management is a high level skill, and a demanding career choice. Project managers are key employees in every industry and all types of companies, all over the world. Project Management itself is rapidly becoming one of the most important processes within a company. The number of PMs has risen considerably as companies have begun to realize the valuable benefits the... view article details