Skills

Friday, November 27, 2009

  • Is "old" a dirty word?

    Marci Alboher, Working the New Economy’s Avatar

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    By Marci Alboher, Working the New Economy, on Tue Aug 11, 2009 10:33am PDT

    Shortly after writing the post, "Are your work habits making you look old?," with Pamela Redmond Satran, author of the book, "How Not to Act Old," I got an email from Barbara Raab, a friend who works in television.

    "What's wrong with acting "old" (a.k.a. one's actual age) at work?" she wrote. "I don't think you meant it to be ageist, but I really think this post IS ageist. You haven't told me WHY I should not look over 40 at work; you seem to take it as a given that seeming one's age, if that age is over 40, is something no one would actually want."

    She continued: "How about wearing tight jeans and a thong that shows? Or coming to work hung over? These are also things that young people do? Why did you buy into the whole notion of acting younger at work?"

    Barbara makes some excellent points. Being perceived as "old" in the workplace shouldn't be considered a bad thing. In fact, experienced (older, mature, choose your word) workers have tremendous value in the workplace and I didn't mean to suggest otherwise in that post. She's also correct  that younger people make huge missteps at work that can often be traced to their youth or inexperience.

    I wrote that post with full knowledge that ageism exists and that it is insidious. And those are the same reasons that Pamela Redmond Satran says motivated her to write her book, "How Not to Act Old."  Read More »

  • Adult internships: Are they legal?

    Marci Alboher, Working the New Economy’s Avatar

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    By Marci Alboher, Working the New Economy, on Mon May 4, 2009 5:23am PDT

    Getty Images

    Getty Images

    After writing about adult internships as a way to explore career change or freshen up your skills, I heard from several people asking why I didn’t cover the legal issues around these arrangements.  The main reason is that these issues are mostly of concern to employers, not to the people seeking internships. But since the question has been asked a few times -- and since it lets me flex some muscles I haven’t used for a while -- I decided it was worth answering.

    Regardless of which side of the deal you’re on, it is is a good idea for everyone to be aware of potential legal concerns.

    Read More »

  • Why i hate school.

    Anna’s Avatar

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    By Anna, on Wed Apr 22, 2009 3:49pm PDT

          I hate school because it dominates our life. Seriously. They say "children are our future." and "High school shapes the rest of your life." but I am seriously concerned if the future, if my life, is nothing but texbooks and endless, stressful… Read More »

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