“They don’t put you in a class with people your age Mommy?” my daughter asked me when I returned from a local University on Saturday. I was there to take a practice test for a graduate school exam and it was worse than any nightmare I envisioned.

Everyone was twenty-minus in the classroom; the seats were horribly uncomfortable; the bubbles on the test grid were way smaller than I remembered; and the test questions made my head hurt. They were like those horrific questions you got in math class that some masochistic test editor came up with to toy with the world. “You have four pilots and four copilots, and four planes take off in a certain order, but we’re not going to tell you the order or which pilot goes with which copilot, but you’re still going to have to figure out the pairing and when they take off….”

Ugh!

It’s been years since I’ve taken a test of any kind, other than medical tests, and it was quite a rude awakening. Yes, CareerDiva is pondering going back to school. (more…)

If you haven’t heard about the latest American, take-this-job-and-shove-it hero, you will soon.

Steven Slater, a flight attendant for JetBlue, was so angry at a customer who hit him in the head with his luggage when the plane landed that he cursed him on the loud speaker, grabbed a beer, pulled the cord on the emergency-evacuation slide, jumped on and headed home.

He was soon arrested, but his story shines light on more than just disgruntled workers in this economy. Slater, 39, is a prime example of the hardships Generation X faces. You know, that group born roughly between 1961 and 1981 that no one really talks about. Lately it’s all about the struggling Baby Boomers and Gen Yers, but the plight for Gen Xers is just as bad, and many are at their wit’s end. (more…)

There’s is nothing worse than having a loved one who’s treated badly at work. Unfortunately, in this economic environment, fuses are short, people are over worked, and sometimes that causes hell for workers.

I typically write about how employees can deal with problems they face on the job, but lately some of you have been asking me how to help a loved going through this.

Becky emailed me recently about her older brother who is being bullied at work.

“My brother is being harassed on a daily basis in his workplace. He’s called a ‘fag’ regularly, is told to ’shut up’ and is constantly overall ridiculed, insulted, disrespected to say the least. He’s not gay but is single and, of course, in this world that’s enough to label you gay. His work environment is absolutely unbelievable. I guess there must be worst situations out there, but this one is pretty horrendous.”

She’s so upset over how her brother is being treated it’s starting to impact her own mental health because she has no clue how to help her brother. What to do? (more…)

There are a few things in life that get you instant credibility.

* Famous parents. If your dad was Martin Luther King, or your mom was Jane Goodall, you’d get it.
* An Ivy League degree. Having Harvard or Princeton on your resume gets you it. (My MSNBC column today is about this.)
* Tallness. Study after study shows that we just love tall people and respect them for little more than they are tall.
* Wealth. Let’s face it, if you’ve got lots of money you can pretty much command credibility. People just think, wrongly or rightly, if you’re rich you must have done something right.
* Awards. Admit it, if you knew a neighbor won a Nobel Peace Prize you’d invite her to dinner in a heart beat even if you knew nothing else about her. (I’ve been surprised how much credibility I gained after winning a SABEW award; and most people don’t even know what the hell it is.)

For the rest of us, garnering such instant credibility to help get us an interview, open doors, etc. is much harder. But do you need it? What about building respect and credibility? (more…)

What better time to rethink your career goals than during the holidays.

I’m serious. You’re seeing friends and family, sharing gifts and cheer. And for many of us it can be a time for self reflection.

I often think about the people I love so much who are no longer here. My inspiring, brilliant father; my loving and kind grandfather; and my tough-minded and warmhearted grandmother.

When I think of them, I’m inspired by the lives they led and I also realize how little time we all have. (more…)