Archive for the ‘Blog’ Category

Do you long for a job where you can work in peace and quiet, without people constantly bugging you? If you’re not a people person, don’t feel like you have to pretend to be one to get a good job, says Nancy Ancowitz, a business communication coach and author of “Self-Promotion for Introverts®: The Quiet Guide to Getting Ahead.” “After all, who wants to interact with a waiter, salesperson, or doctor who would be happier playing the professional equivalent of Solitaire?” Ancowitz asks. “Not everyone thrives in a customer-facing role – particularly the customers you’re facing if you’re not a people person.” The good news is that you don’t necessarily have to be a people person to thrive in every career.

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Looking for a career that’s fun and pays the bills? Good news: There are a number of careers that involve fun, excitement, and creativity. But how can you find the right “fun” career that fits your personality? Curt Rosengren, a career coach, says that in order to find a job that fulfills your passion for fun, you have to know yourself and understand what makes you tick. “Ask yourself ‘what does fun mean to me’?” says Rosengren. “Then make a list of the things you love doing – work or play – and ask why you love it. Look for common underlying themes. Once you’ve established those, you can begin exploring paths that offer you the opportunity to experience those characteristics.”

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If you have a busy schedule, but still want to go back to school to earn your degree, online education could provide the flexibility you need. “The flexibility online education offers to working adults and those with kids is fantastic. You can put the kids to bed and stay up until two in the morning and still participate,” says Cathy Summa-Wolfe, director of communications at the College of Marin. But slack off, and this flexibility could become a nightmare. “We recommend that our students assess themselves on their own study habits before attempting online education,” says Summa-Wolfe. “Students who are most successful are those who have the ability to work independently and have at least a basic level of familiarity with technology.” But those habits aren’t the only keys to success in an online program. Read on to discover what it takes to make the grade in the world of online learning.

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It didn’t take long for Annette Staack to realize that making the decision to pursue a career as a registered nurse (RN) was the right one for her. “It was my calling,” says the energetic Staack. “With the first thermometer that I put into my first patient’s mouth, I loved it.” A 55-year-old mother of two adult children, Staack earned an associate’s degree in nursing from an Iowa community college when she was in her 20s. She says she decided to go to school because she had long had an interest in a career that would allow her to help others.

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