Careers That Don't Require You to Commute Farther Than Your Living Room Yahoo! Makes Waves by Banning Work-from-Home Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo!, caused quite a stir this week when she told her employees they would no longer be allowed to work at home. And in doing so, both sides of the always contentious debate have sprung into action either supporting Mayer's decision or lambasting it. Mayer and Yahoo! have said their policy is not a referendum on the wisdom of working at home, but simply what's best for the company. They feel nothing truly replaces face-time and person-to-person interac... view article details

Careers That Pay a Whole Lot Less Than You Think That's All They Make?! All through my childhood, I thought classroom teachers must make a million dollars a year. After all, look at how much they work both inside and out of the classroom. And consider the work they do -- shaping young minds. These are people who are depended on the world over to raise future generations of educated, employable adults. Some argue it is the most important job one can have in our society. But then I grew up and found out what the overwhelming majority of us have come to know -- teachers don't make a million do... view article details

Skilled Labor Jobs Provide a Financially Feasible Alternative to College Is College Worth the Money? "What are your plans after you graduate from high school?" For most recent graduates over the last few decades, the answer has been automatic and unequivocal -- college. With more and more jobs making a bachelor's degree a minimum requirement, there has never been a greater emphasis on higher education. And for the most part that's a good thing as more education is almost always better than less. But times are changing. First of all, the sheer increase in cost just to attend college has be... view article details

Putting Interests Like "Alligator Wrestling" Helps You Stand Out & Land Job Interviews Standing Out is Key Like many hiring managers across the country, several years back I was faced with a common scenario: A stack of resumes a mile high for a single job opening (in this case, an entry-level QA technician). First of all, the stats you hear are true -- you really do only have a few seconds to make an impression with your resume. As I quickly scanned the resume of an applicant named Joe, things were looking good. He had held jobs that were relevant to the position, he had a strong educationa... view article details

The strength of tomorrow's workers depends on parents today. Get a Job, Kid! Family togetherness is a wonderful thing, until your thirty-year old starts sending drink orders from the basement and commenting at breakfast that it "sure would be nice" if you’d remember to use fabric softener on his t-shirts. Toddlers make for cute anecdotes. An unshaved genius with great potential but no real direction except for the path to your refrigerator makes for awkward moments at neighborhood parties. So, start now. Potential is but an outline for your child’s future. Fill it in with the life skills that ... view article details

The Best Doesn't Always Win If only competition in the workplace mirrored the simplicity of Olympic swimming. Whoever does the best job and touches the wall first, wins. It's the winner who goes on to earn bonus money via endorsements, and your smiling face lands on a box of breakfast cereal! If only it were as easy as slamming that completed report in the boss’ hand and stepping right up on a big corner office desk for a playing of the National Anthem and an instant raise and promotion.But there’s no winning buzzer in your department (just the occasional annoying ringtone), and somet... view article details

Engagement is King Whether your audience is a roomful of caffeinated convention-goers or a lone gatekeeper to potential employment, your first task is engagement. Those initial seconds will either open a pathway or lay the first bricks of a wall — and unfortunately, it's easy to unwittingly build barriers.So how can you better forge connection with your audience instead?As a reformed speech class dropout who grew into public speaking and radio/TV interviews, I'm prime proof that engagement skills can be learned and improved upon. Presentations and interviews represent high-pressure co... view article details

You've Gotta Want It! Has your gym lock been repurposed for use as a paperweight? While it might be quite effective at holding down all those 'must read' memos, it looked better dangling from your gym locker. Remember? The gym? You first wandered in months ago. Hopeful. Resolved. You made promises. Signed papers. And bought a lock.Sure, it’s tough to fit in fitness. Especially in the dead of winter with crowded gyms full of people clinging to their New Year's resolutions and temperatures that make working out outside more than a little icy. Not to mention the fact that your job may re... view article details

Getting Respect from Bullies to Bosses Ever feel like the late comedian Rodney Dangerfield -- that no matter what you do at work you just 'can’t get no respect?'From the bully in the cubicle next to you to a boss who seems oblivious to your accomplishments to the people reporting to you who are loathe to make any tough decisions themselves, your day at the office carries more baggage than the annual Thanksgiving dinner at the in-laws. Yet every moment of the day when we are interacting with other human beings, there is an opportunity -- if not a pressing need -- to assert our influenc... view article details

Is Your Boss Actually Terrible? Everyone thinks they have a terrible boss, but how do you know if it's actually true.Do you like your job and company but dread your boss? Are you constantly taking the fall for your boss because of decisions you didn't even make? Do all of your coworkers agree with you regarding your assessment of your supervisor? Or could it be YOU who is the problem, not your boss?It's important to determine because most people don't quit jobs, they quit bosses. So if you can pinpoint your boss as the cause of the majority of your distress -- especially during the jo... view article details