Career Advice Blog

In elementary school we were all forced into the lunchroom to eat.  I can still smell the mix of odors: sauerkraut, apple sauce and sawdust (used to help clean up barf).  Ew.These days, workers should be so lucky.  Many people are sitting in  the cafeteria right now - their desk.  Among the psychological implications, you might remember from my post "Your Cubicle, The Petri Dish" why this is such a bad idea. There are plenty of ways to do lunch WRONG.You can spend too much, drink too much, be a total loner or fudge up the freakin' office fridge.A survey from the American Dietetic Association once found that 75 percent of office workers eat lunch at their desks as often as two or three times a week. C'mon people, you're not that important!I went through a lunch-at-my-desk stage.  And I will be the first to admit, it's usually built into your employer's culture.  It's hard to break the mold.  But there's hope.  I used … [Read more...] about CONTEST! Eat Lunch AWAY From Your Desk and WIN

I always walk that fine line between a blog about work and a blog that is about MY work.  That's why you'll rarely read about specific happenings.  But sometimes, I just can't hold back.Today, my company announced that we have a mascot.  Yes, a mascot.  In short, it's a freakin' cartoon character that communicates important security messages to us.  So now, I have to get e-mails from a fictional character reminding me to wear my company ID at all times.  Are you kidding me?And if the passive-aggressive nature of it all wasn't so aggravating, wait until I tell you how many hours of waste have gone into this project.First, a committee was formed to come up with a "plan." Then an internal contest was held looking for mascot ideas and a slogan.  Then the creative folks actually had to work for days to design the darn thing.  Then the committee had changes to the mascot.  Then HR had to write a whole memo explaining to us that the … [Read more...] about ARGH Alert! We Have a Company Mascot.

The Beatles sang ""You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" and there's a good chance that at work you "Hide Your Ideas Away."  You know the drill, your brain tells you that someone will either take credit for it, steal it for their own purpose or look at you like you have three heads.Regardless of the risks, if you want to really make a name for yourself, especially in a creative industry, you must give all of your idea away so that more come back to you.The Top 5 Things to Do With an Idea:- Share it- Believe it- Stick with it- Don't get emotional- Create it I remember once reading a quote by TV writer Stephen J. Cannell (Rockford Files, A-Team, Knight Rider, etc.) which explained that the odds of someone "taking" your idea and actually running with it is miniscule.  In fact, in his 30-year-plus career, it's never happened.  I'm not saying you shouldn't protect yourself, but there's a smart way to share your brilliance.As an … [Read more...] about Top 5 Things to Do With an Idea

Being miserable at work is easy, being happy takes a lot more work!  Here are some surefire ways to be unhappy!- Don't take lunch or any breaks- Arrive early, stay late- Add emotion into everything you do- Take everything personally- Shut out others by being bi-polar- Slack off then cram at the last second- Concentrate on how you're treated unfairly- Find out what your co-workers earn a year- Complain about everyone and everything- Concentrate on your failing health- Eat heavy, fatty, salty foods for lunch- Load up on caffeine...then crash- Think that you're the only capable one- Watch the clock- Dread meetings to the point of rage- Have conversations in your head - Don't be creative or question anything- Take shallow and short breaths- Tell yourself you're stuckSubscribe now.  Over the coming weeks we'll pick apart the list and look at why each item is a problem and what you can do to avoid workplace misery.  And of course, there are a million other ways to be … [Read more...] about 19 Ways to Be Miserable at Work

It seems that there are dozens people in my area at work that were born under the sign of Taurus.  It's been absolute birthday celebration overload.  Gluttony.  That got me thinking about past jobs and the many different ways offices usher in the annual event.  Some places pull out all the stops.  Currently, we get bagels, spreads, pies, cakes and the most depressing rendition of Happy Birthday ever.  It's a thoughtful gesture on everyone's part but the singing bit could be the most uncomfortable 18 seconds EVER.  Also, your cube gets "dressed up" with recycled streamers and banners - ensuring that anyone who didn't know it was your birthday - now does.In the past, I've worked at offices that have ignored birthdays (secretly, it never feels good), that have forced you to go out for an obligatory drink (after hours) or have a forced lunch outing where everyone chips in a few bucks to cover your meal (always awkward when the bill … [Read more...] about Office Birthday Mayhem

… [Read more...] about Former Marijuana Smuggler Needs a Job

Roger Clemens's latest contract is not only bad for baseball - it's bad for you.Now for those of you who know me, I was born with pinstripe blood.  However, as the years go on, and I find myself older then many of the players on the field, I've begin to distance myself from watching a bunch of grown men throw a ball.  For the most part, it's the excessive greed that turns me off.Case in point, the Yankees' resigning of Roger Clemens.  Granted, he's one one of the best to ever play the game.  However, does any human being deserve to make such a ridiculous sum of money?Stats to make you sick:- Contract is for $28 million-plus- $10,500 per pitch- $143,000 per inningThose numbers are based on conservative guesstimates.  It's quite possible the guy comes up lame after one inning and laughs all the way to the bank. Do you realize that this mere mortal can throw 10 pitches and make more money then most of this blogs' readers make in a year!?  Not to mention, many … [Read more...] about Clemens Strikes Out the Middle Class

New car smell. The latest electronic gadget.  A hot, dope girlfriend.  There's no denying that nothing brings joy (at least short-term satisfaction) like "NEW."  As we all learn the hard way, new turns into old - rather quickly.After having several conversations over the weekend with folks who have all started new jobs, I decided to put together a list of why a new job rocks.  There's always a glow in a persons' eye when they start a new gig.  Let's take a look at why:Hope springs eternal.  It's the beginning of a new chapter of your life and anything is possible.  This time around you'll get to blind them with your creativity and dazzle them with ingenuity - all while rising to all-time financial and personal heights in record time.  Hold onto the dream, cubemates!New blood. You co-workers are smart, funny and understanding.  Heck, they're even good looking and flirtastic!  They seem to all grasp the concept of work/life … [Read more...] about The Joys of a New Job

It really wouldn't be fair to call this blog a business, but that's not to say a lot of thought didn't go into the name.  Originally started as the Working Podcast, I decided I wanted a more generic name that would encompass more then just a podcast.  So after tossing around hundreds of names with Eric and Lyds (the best springboards ever),  JOBACLE was born.Why?  Being a "caeer related" Web site - it had the word job in it, it sounds like cubicle, and is a play on debacle - which work always is, right?  It's not genius but it's a short name that actually had a dot com available.  A new abstract word is good because it can get attention and get people asking questions.  The downside is that they have no clue what the hell you actually do.  I remember hearing Donald Trump in an interview once talking about how one of the smartest things he ever did was name everything after himself - thus making his name an entity.I'm a huge … [Read more...] about What the Heck Does JOBACLE Mean?

Some jobs are as exciting as you make them.  Others just suck.  When I think of boredom at work my initial thought is some poor downtrodden dude in the middle of the country manually screwing caps onto tubes of toothpaste.Back when I was slaving away at VH1 and FOX people's eyes would light up when I told them where I worked.  All they wanted to hear about were all the "famous people" I was meeting and seeing.  And I would always humor them while thinking in my head how boring it all was.  People are people.  Rock star, news anchor, fisherman - all the freakin' same.  The same small talk. The same greenroom grapes.  Yawn. I've moved away from that now and work at a place where "famous" people don't come streaming through the door. And guess what: it's still boring.  But I realize I could have it much worse.  Here are some "celeb" jobs I think are down right boring. Feel free to add to the … [Read more...] about The Most Boring "Celeb" Jobs