Displaying All Posts from March, 2010

The Importance of Doing What You Love

The Importance of Doing What You Love

Money is a great driving force. Let’s say that you are really good at doing two completely different things: pottery and astrophysics. You simply adore throwing pots, choosing the perfect glaze, and seeing the final product of what you make—but the pay is less than what you would like to live on. You are a whiz at physics and have the opportunity to take a post at some lab studying the stars and the pay is phenomenal! But here’s the catch, astrophysics bores you to tears. Which job do you take? Did you choose money or fun? Be honest.

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Maintaining a Good (Online) Reputation

Maintaining a Good (Online) Reputation

My web presence has gotten out of control. I just spent the last few hours pruning it down to something manageable. I still have to go through the accounts I’m keeping to make sure that everything is appropriate for any potential boss to see. I’ve made sure that anyone who isn’t a Friend on Facebook can’t see my pole dancing photos. They also don’t need to see photos of me in the hospital during labor (thank you, husband, for taking them to begin with), so I’ll be going through Flickr this weekend to put restrictions on some photo sets.

This may sound a little over the top, but a CareerBuilder.com survey found that 45 percent of employers use social networking sites to research job candidates (more than double from the year before). Industries that specialize in technology and sensitive information are most likely to screen job candidates via social networking sites or online search engines. If you’re indiscreet on Facebook, who’s to say you can hold your tongue about Top-Secret government programs?

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Memo:Random #27

Memo:Random #27

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11 Gadgets You Should Have on Your Office Wishlist

11 Gadgets You Should Have on Your Office Wishlist

Sometimes I get a case of the “gimmes.” I have a whole bunch of wish lists on Amazon.com for various different aspects of life: home, work, for the kid, Kitchen à la Alton Brown, and yes, I even have one called “for when I’m rich.” This is a list of what is currently on my work wish list. It’s a combination of fun things and useful things and one particular item that I want two of so I can have one at work AND home.

If you have any really great gadgets, tell us about it. I know I wouldn’t mind making my list a little longer.

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Live What You Love

Live What You Love

“The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.” – Christian (as played by Ewan McGregor), Moulin Rouge!

If you’re reading this there’s a good chance you fall into one of the following two categories:

  1. You don’t love what you’re doing and want to see if I have any insight into the topic…the title of the article brought you here.
  2. You used to love what you’re doing but are currently in doubt about it. You need a boost.
  3. You’re not loving your life and want to. Again, the title brought you here.

No matter which category you fall into, I hope by bringing you my own journey into “living what I love” will inspire you to aspire for the same.
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What You Owe Yourself

What You Owe Yourself

We’re all trying to make a better day, week, month, year and life for ourselves. We want this at work and at home. We all have different ways we’re trying to get there. It’s a difficult thing to do on an ongoing basis – and in all aspects of your life. The bottom line is there are certain things you owe yourself in order to make the “better” happen for yourself. Read More



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What Do You Do With an English Degree?

What Do You Do With an English Degree?

When I went to college, I knew exactly what I wanted to be: aerospace engineer. I had three scholarships with the engineering school and was looking forward to designing jet fighters and space shuttles, and possibly also flying my creations and becoming a Jedi. Unfortunately, I quickly found I didn’t enjoy the company of the students or professors in the engineering school and bounced over to *drum roll* criminology. However, I didn’t really think that through, so I soon after found myself moving to English literature, the only subject I really enjoyed and was very good at.

And then I had to figure out what to do with an English degree. Read More



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Making First-Class Tables in Word

Making First-Class Tables in Word

At some point in your life you will have to present a lot of data in a clear and concise manner. Once, I had to layout an entire book of tables full of stock information. It was boring, but there were a few steps that helped the work go really fast. If you haven’t done a lot of tables in Microsoft Word before, then this tutorial will take you through building one from scratch. I’ll throw in some of my tricks to make it go faster.

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Memo:Random #26

Memo:Random #26

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The Pursuit For Perfection

The Pursuit For Perfection

I spent quite a bit of time during my vacation watching the Olympics…I really got behind my home team doing so well across the board.

(Yes, I’m Canadian.)

All of the athletes really pulled together and put forth a herculean effort to make the most of their experience. This just didn’t apply to the Canadian athletes – it was a trend that held true for all participating athletes and nations. Working together for one common goal – to be the best at what they do best…and to do it for them and their country. This kind of thinking applies in the workplace as well.

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How to Handle Criticism at Work

How to Handle Criticism at Work

Unlike the rest of the world, I was born perfect. Nothing needed to be changed about me from the moment I arrived, and I expect, until the moment I leave. It’s a bit challenging to be this perfect, but it’s my cross to bear, and I try to do it quietly.

Unless you’re like me, perfect, you might find occasions where your coworkers, partners, bosses, or even customers offer their opinion on how you could improve. Sometimes these suggestions are helpful, and sometimes they are physically impossible (is there somewhere that the sun doesn’t shine?), but what you do with these suggestions, and how you go about handling them, can have quite an impact on your career.

I have seen many different ways for people to cope with criticism, and here are few that seemed to be the most effective. For them, not for me. Remember, I was born perfect.

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Learn From the People Around You

Learn From the People Around You

There’s more to work than just work. If you’re lucky, you’ll make some of your closest friends from your place of employment. There are many people whom I no longer work with but am still close to. I have learned some very valuable things from them. Here are a few tidbits:

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