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

Dear Heather,I was recently laid off. It was kind of a shock, but the company let about 400 of us go. So, I'm hitting the job hunt knowing there are at least 50 (of the 400) others chasing the same job descriptions as I am. I've always worked in HR and have lots of skills, but my confidence is flagging a little. I've been involved in hiring and am trying to get my head around the fact that I was expendable. I find myself wondering if I picked the wrong career and should go back to school, but that seems impractical. Any suggestions on how I can better move forward from here?Lisa---------------... view article details

Part-time work offers employees the flexibility to stay at home with their children, care for relatives, go to school or have more time to themselves. These kinds of jobs are also a way to earn supplemental income throughout the year or on a temporary basis during the holidays. Whether you already have a job and you want to work part-time to supplement your income, or you just need extra money for the holidays, we have some suggestions for jobs that may suit your needs.Part-time Seasonal and Supplemental Jobs Before you start your search, consider the following: Use a... view article details

Graduating from college is a wonderful thing that should rightfully be celebrated. But in six months or so, that celebration will be substantially muted when college loan payments begin.Did you know the average 4-year undergraduate has $18,625 in student loan debt that will end up costing $25,720 between now and 2022? Being saddled with that kind of debt often leads to putting off major life decisions such as getting married, buying a house and starting a family. That's why Patrick Kandianis and the SimpleTuition.com team offers a SmarterBank account with SmarterBucks rewards. Basically how it... view article details

Q. What is the best way to respond, if a prospective employer asks for your salary history and salary expectations in your cover letter? My current salary is in a different industry from the one I am hoping to enter. In addition, I have recently completed graduate school and believe my salary should reflect this achievement. A. I can appreciate why you would be reluctant to state your salary expectations to a potential employer before the job offer. Before you disclose any information, here are three steps you may want to take. First, ask the recruiter for a job description of the position so ... view article details

You Might Want to Avoid These Jobs Years ago, Bobby McFerrin told us all to “don’t worry, be happy.” Clearly he wasn’t working in one of the careers on this list.The work website Careerbliss has come out with a survey detailing which careers feature workers who are the unhappiest. After analyzing more than 25,000 independent company reviews, these 10 jobs are the ones which feature the largest amounts of employee discontent. In order to compile these rankings, CareerBliss data evaluates the key factors that affect work happiness including: bosses, support and incentives, growth opport... view article details

Welcome to the World of Sleep Disorders Not everybody is cut out for the 9-to-5 workaday world.Mounting evidence demonstrates half a million Americans have biological reasons for needing to work alternative shifts. In this fourth story (read Part I, Part II, and Part III here) about delayed sleep phase syndrome (also DSPS, or delayed sleep), you’ll meet Julie Peggar, an ethnographer who suffers from this type of circadian rhythm disorder. Peggar, the president and chief storyteller at Gaze Ethnographic Consulting, Inc., shares insights from her world as a highly functional night owl w... view article details

Q. I'm an HR generalist. I've been with the same firm for five years, hired as an executive assistant to the president making $32k, one year later became administrative manager, then at the end of last year was promoted to HR manager, making $50k. I was promoted with the expectation that our company would grow rapidly. That reality has not taken place and although I have plenty to do in my role, I'm getting back the office management responsibilities I previously owned. I've handled five office lease expansions, telephones, benefits, new hires, orientations, terminations, etc. I have excelle... view article details

Thanksgiving: the season to be among loved ones, pilgirms, and a cornucopia or two. More importantly, this holiday provides a well-deserved respite for American workers across the country. But wait! While most employees have time off during the Thanksgiving holidays, unfortunately some employees are busier than ever.  Here are 5 job positions that work through this holiday, and their respective salaries. We've included the average salaries and ranges based on Salary.com data. 1) Retail Store Manager Average: $56,966 Salary Range: $49,819-$68,086 What you’ll do: Which poor unfortunate souls are... view article details

Seventy-two years ago, the house I grew up in was occupied by the DeLong family: a husband and wife, one son, two daughters. The husband worked as a salesman, his son as a clerk. None of the women held a job. The neighbors were laborers and waitresses and machinists. One industrious man worked 60-hour weeks at a poultry farm; another unfortunate resident had been unemployed for more than three years when census-takers knocked on his door in 1940. For many of us today, working means cubicles and computers and commutes. It means colleagues who have graduated high school, and many who have also f... view article details