Career Development

"Demand for U.S. workers who speak foreign languages-especially Spanish and Chinese-should continue to grow over the next decade, but very few workers plan to study them, according to a newly released study by the University of Phoenix Research Institute."

"If you're like most entrepreneurs, you have a lengthy to-do list that never seems doable-no matter how many hours you work. But there's a reason you're not ticking off items, or maximizing results when you do. You've likely organized your task list by deadlines, and you're cranking away on the most pressing items first. A better, smarter approach is to prioritize your list by what matters most."

"While working as a spa coordinator at a luxury resort in Stowe, Vt., Laura Crandall got a sense that her boss was unhappy and thinking of moving on. So Ms. Crandall trained for her boss's job by volunteering for more work, pursuing mentorships and attending management seminars."

"Olympic athletes know a lot about sacrifice since most have had to juggle jobs and college with rigorous training schedules. And they often end up putting their professional lives on hold like speedskater Eric Heiden who scaled back on medical school. so he could become a professional road-racing cyclist. Freestyler Kirstie Marshall even had to go into debt to personally finance her own way onto the national team.But winning medals is just the end of the first act for the following seven Olympic athletes. All have gone onto successful post-Olympic careers, reinventing themselves to become doctors, lawyers, business owners and politicians. And they didn't simply discard one career for the next. They've been able to apply their experiences as athletes-the drive, goal-setting and dedication- to become better at their new jobs. "

: I'm in the process of changing my career and am looking for ways to be more productive. What do you think of the current popular methods discussed in books like Timothy Ferriss's "The 4-Hour Workweek" and David Allen's "Getting Things Done?"

"In the last few years, leadership programs have sprung up in remarkable numbers at colleges and universities across the country. Institutions as diverse as Creighton University, Arizona State University, and Highland Community College, in Illinois, now offer leadership training and opportunities to their students. Some universities and colleges, like Gonzaga and the City University of Seattle, have developed degree programs in leadership, and many more such programs are being planned. It seems that every university Web page and presidential message now highlights leadership opportunities for students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels."

"I met Dorothy Walker in my first year of Shades Valley High School, one of several schools in the Birmingham, Ala., area. Confident of little and terrified of much, I entered the honors section of her 10th-grade English class. Known to us simply as Mrs. Walker, she began by using the prescribed curriculum to shape and mold us as her students. Without my realizing it, she began teaching me a lesson that took me three graduate degrees, 24 years of service in higher education, and countless life experiences to understand: the enormous impact educators can have on their students."

College students work for different reasons. Many take jobs to pay tuition and related educational expenses. Others work to afford electronic gadgets (often ones that we, their professors, don't yet know exist). Regardless of the reasons, many professors and administrators consider students' working during college to be an unfortunate distraction from what should be their primary focus: their academic studies.

"Matthew Gonzales Sanchez calls it his "midterm crisis." Halfway through the first semester of his freshman year here at Our Lady of the Lake University, he considered dropping out. He had failed all of his midterms. "It scared me because, man, I was giving it my all," says Mr. Gonzales Sanchez, 22. "I thought, 'What am I doing wrong? They say college isn't for everybody, and maybe that's me - maybe I'm not one of those people who belongs in college.'""

"10 Things Your Boss Won't Tell You"

"College-admission letters are starting to roll in, but a growing number of students will decide instead to take a year off to try out potential careers or broaden their horizons. Gap-year activities range from doing volunteer work or taking classes, to working for pay, traveling or tackling outdoor adventures."

"Companies plan to raise their salary budgets a median of 2.8% in 2011 after giving median 2.4% raises in 2010, according to a survey by management consulting firm Hay Group."

"As the economy gradually recovers, some big U.S. companies are cranking up their recruiting and advertising thousands of job openings, ranging from retail clerks and nurses to bank tellers and experts in cloud computing."

Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements Through 2018 - PDF Full Report. Georgetown University - Center on Education and the Workforce

Workshops and training opportunities for NYC employees.

"I recently received a call to set up an interview for a job for which I applied a while back. This should be great news, but I'm starting to get nervous because I exaggerated a couple of my responsibilities on my résumé. What if questions about them get raised during the interview? Should I say something right at the beginning or just wait and see if they come up?"

"Welcome to the executive suite. But beware: Your smallest acts can cause big consequences."

"Social Media isn't just for staying in touch with former school classmates. There are ways to use social media to stand out from the competition. It does take some strategic thought, but it can really take you to the next level. Here are 3 simple ways to get started using social media to advance your brand."

"Since the shocks of corporate re-engineering and leveraged buyouts in the late 1980s, the watchword to employees has been take ownership of your own future. Instead of efforts to build bench strength, which had characterized talent development efforts since the 1950s, most organizations shortened talent planning time horizons and reduced learning and development investment, resorting instead to hiring talent on a just-in-time basis. "