Category Archive

jobs

How do you stay positive in a job you hate?

I’m working in an office job that no longer interests me. While my resume is updated and I’m actively searching for a new position, these things can take a while. I’m looking for ways to change my perspective for the remainder of the time that I’m in this job, because 40 hours a week of feeling bitter doesn’t help anyone.

Biking to work: How to avoid being stinky when you don’t have a shower

I live about six miles from work and I really really want to bike. I mean, it wouldn’t take much longer to bike than it would to drive that distance. The trouble is that there is no shower at my office — so I would have to work stinky all day… and that’s not really going to fly. Does anybody have no-shower solutions, post-biking to work?

How can I keep up professional appearances at work, when my home life is a mess?

I am a recently graduated newlywed with an awesome job in my field. But I have a secret: due to finances, the husband and I are living with his mother, who is a chronic hoarder. Any suggestions on maintaining professionalism (at work and life in general) when your living space is working against you?

What happens when you’re an unwilling job reference?

My former boss (who I’m still on excellent terms with) put the call out to fill my old position. A good friend of mine applied for it. The problem is: I have serious doubts about her ability to do my former job, and I think my old boss should know that.

I think I’ve had three husbands: Navigating spousal career changes

Preacher’s wife. Teacher’s wife. Accountant’s wife. Huh? Yeah, I’ve been all three. And in the relatively short (five years) of marriage, I have found that with each career change my husband embarks on, I am challenged with re-learning how I perceive myself, my husband and our relationship.

Wàiguórén family dinner: how I preserve my identity while living abroad

My name is Nicole, or Nikki to my friends. But, every day for the last 15 months, my name has been 外国人 (Wàiguórén) — “Foreigner.” In America, I was the oldest sister to three brothers. I was the chick at the bar all by her happy self, reading a book while drinking beer. I was the girl who went pale at the thought of starting a conversation with a complete stranger (and for a rather dark-skinned African-American, that’s a feat). But here in China, my identity has come down to one word. Wàiguórén. Foreigner. Outsider. One who does not belong. But I’m also the one who, every few weeks, hosts a family dinner. For me, and I think for many of us, those family dinners are a safe space.

The perils and glories of being a stay-at-home-dad

Being a stay-at-home-dad can be an isolating experience sometimes. We don’t quite fit in with the stay-at-home-moms and we don’t quite fit in with the bread-winning dads. For me, isolation is the worst of homemaking’s perils. I know many moms feel isolated, too, but my guess is that the dads among us experience it more often…

How can an introvert thrive at work?

I have been at a great job for six months and have just had my second employee review. What came up is that my boss thinks I need to be more confident and assertive and forge better relationships with my colleagues. I am finding myself getting more introverted as I get older (pretty sure I was never this bad in school) and I have trouble initiating conversations with people. Do any homies have advice for dealing with being the introvert in the workplace?