Historically, there tends to be increased interest in returning to school during an economic downturn. Many laid off workers may choose to complete a degree program, pursue a new course of study, or perhaps attain an advanced degree. Current students may choose to remain in school to further their studies while they wait out the current economic storm. Choosing to return to school, regardless of the reason, is a big decision for adult learners and a practical way for some to help survive a recession. Continuing personal development is always a smart choice regardless of the economic environmen... view article details

A List of the Most Lucrative Professions of the Year Which Jobs Pay the Most? The good news is these jobs pay a whole lot of money. Unfortunately, you have to spend a lot of money on schooling and specialized education to nab one of those huge paychecks. Careercast is back with its annual list of highest paying jobs. Healthcare occupations rule the day for the most part, taking a whopping seven spots on the list. But even the ones that aren’t in the medical industry require many years of higher education and years of training. Which often means there is substantial debt that goes along with... view article details

Are You Showing Your Best Side Online? Pop quiz: What's the scariest thing you can do?A. Handle a barrel filled with angry rattlesnakes.B. Make hairpin turns in a tractor-trailer around a twisty mountain pass.C. Give an online video presentation.If you answered C, this story is for you. (I can't help with snakes or big rigs). Whether it’s your video debut on YouTube, a job interview on Skype, a meeting on WebEx, or a class online, how can you look and sound engaging while being authentic?Online presentations take many forms: sitting or standing; one person presenting to one, two, or a... view article details

Are You Prepared to Take the Leap? Starting a company is not for the risk averse or financially challenged. It can be an incredible drain on personal, financial and emotional resources -- not just yours, but anyone you take along with you for the ride. Ask whether you (and they) have the stamina for the years of sleepless nights, occasionally contentious board meetings, demanding clients, and fickle employees.What’s your motivation to start a business? Want to make the world a better place, or are you suffering from an ego-driven need to compete with a college rival? Is launching a co... view article details

Over its history, the temporary employment industry has evolved from using gopher-type seat-warmers to fill-in for vacationing administrative assistants, to placing highly skilled, valued, and courted contractors into managerial positions. Although job descriptions and qualifications have changed, temps are still considered part of the fringe labor market, since the temporary work force is just that: Temporary.Since 1990, the temporary work industry has grown five times more than national employment. In 2004 alone, the country has seen an increase of 230,000 jobs since this time last year, acc... view article details

Start With Confidence  Dealing with Realtors  House, Job, and Income  Finding the HouseWhen Renting is Better  Making the OfferWhen Buying is Better  Closing TimeIncome and Mortgage Size         Making the Offer Good real estate agents are invaluable when it comes time to make an offer on a house. Invariably the agent will provide you with a preprinted form of a purchase contract, which together you rework to fit your needs. The contract begins by identifying the focal points, buyer, seller, property location, brokers, etc., then quickly moves to the crux of the matter: the purchase price offe... view article details

How does the new generation of workers transform itself into leaders? In her new book, Becoming the Boss, Lindsey Pollak offers Generation Y readers advice to help them grow from team members to team leaders not only in the organizations they work for or the startups they run, but also personally, in managing their own careers. Pollak is here to share some of that advice, with special angles for introverts.NA: What got you to write Becoming the Boss?LP: I wrote my previous book, Getting from College to Career, to help young professionals succeed in landing their first jobs out of college. I ha... view article details

The Sequester, Job Search, and You A recent Gallup poll states 51% of Americans don’t know enough about the sequester to judge if it’s a good or bad thing for the economy or for themselves personally. I tend to take a more negative view. As a layperson, and a veteran resume writer, I hear from many people who feel the effects of the sequester and believe it’s a bad thing, even if those changes have not already taken place. It’s like waiting for the other proverbial shoe to drop: You know something bad is about to happen, you just don’t know when.This article spells out in layperson’s ... view article details

A few years ago, the Internal Revenue Service challenged the tax deductions a college professor took for losses he reported in his business as a book author.'They came in and said, 'OK, prove to us it's a business,'' recalled Joseph Newpol, a certified public accountant and tax attorney who advised the professor on how to deal with the IRS's scrutiny.'We showed them the history of his book writing activity and demonstrated that he didn't have income for several years,' recalled Newpol, who is also a professor in the tax and personal financial planning department at Bentley College in Waltham, ... view article details

In the early evening on a recent Thursday, Kiran Arora, a consultant at the compensation firm Watson & Wyatt Worldwide, was getting ready to leave for the weekend. No, it wasn't a holiday or a long weekend. Her work week runs Mondays through Thursdays. Arora traded in that one extra day each week to spend time with her family and her children.In a 2000 poll of more than 3,500 company executives by recruiting firm Management Recruiters International, Inc., 61 percent of the participants believed the 9-to-5 workday will disappear in the next 10 years.According to a 1998 study by the Employment P... view article details