What will make you feel like this?

It’s sad but true, but when it comes to jobs there is often a big disparity between what will make us rich and what will make us happy. Just ask all those recent grads making six figures at their finance jobs; I can guarantee most of them are not all smiles after 90-hour work weeks.

The problem (especially in this economy) is that people are more concerned with the ching ching than those warm fuzzies they get when they’re doing something they love. I totally get it; money is a great thing and I know from experience how crappy life is when you’re makin’ nothing. (I swear, I was about 2 quarters away from being homeless on the streets of NY at my first post-college job!) But what about your happiness? Does that count for anything?

This week I asked my writers – many of whom will be off looking for real jobs in the near future – to take a break from the bustle of their lives and think a little bit about their futures.

If happiness were the nationals currency, what job would make you rich?

Makes you think, doesn’t it?
What’s your answer? And how different is it from the path you’re actually on? Let us know in the comments! Read More »

Free Hugs, because the drugs ain't sellin'.

Tell me a word – any word you want -  and I will show you that the root of that word is Greek.

Let’s try, Philanthropist.

Not to be confused with “Full-On Rapist,” a philanthropist is a “lover of humanity.” A giver. A good person. A helping hand.

So what in the hell do you give someone who constantly loves to..uh..give?

Give the gifts that keep on giving! (And, no, I’m not talking about herpes. That is literally the opposite of a “Happy Holiday.”) Here are a few gifts that give:

The Visa GiveCard:
When your giftee is impossible to shop for, a gift card is really the only way to go. But instead of giving the generic gift card that takes less than three seconds of imagination, give them one that gives back.  The Visa GiveCard is a prepaid gift card where $5 of it is donated toward any of the 5,481 available charities your philanthropist buddy’s heart desires. The rest can be used as a regular gift card to anywhere accepting Visa.

M.A.C Viva Glam lipstick or lipglass – Every last stinkin’ cent goes to the M.A.C AIDS fund to help all people living with HIV and AIDS.  Your friend will look hot and feel good knowing someone else is benefiting from her beauty. Read More »

When I think of spring break, I usually imagine lounging on a beach in Mexico sipping some type of frozen cocktail by day and dancing at a nightclub with all my friends by night.

This March, instead of doing any of the above, I’ll be in New Orleans with 11 strangers, volunteering at an animal shelter that was damaged in Hurricane Katrina. We will be walking dogs, helping with some repairs, and doing some administrative work. At night, we’ll be sleeping in an old church that has been converted into temporary volunteer housing (into which I cannot bring my flat iron!!).

So why would I possibly want to spend my break waking up every morning (without a hangover) at 7:30 a.m. to work with people I don’t even know?

I can think of lots of reasons!

Meeting New People: I wanted to meet some new people and do something fun without having to pay the expensive price of a ticket to somewhere tropical. What better way to make some new friends? At least you know that they’re all going to be nice; I doubt mean people spend their free time volunteering. And while it might be a little awkward at first, after some dreaded icebreaker games and bonding over scooping dog poop together, I’m sure I will leave this week with awesome new friends and memories. Read More »

When I think of spring break, I usually imagine lounging on a beach in Mexico sipping some type of frozen cocktail by day and dancing at a nightclub with all my friends by night.

This March, instead of doing any of the above, I’ll be in New Orleans with 11 strangers, volunteering at an animal shelter that was damaged in Hurricane Katrina. We will be walking dogs, helping with some repairs, and doing some administrative work. At night, we’ll be sleeping in an old church that has been converted into temporary volunteer housing (into which I cannot bring my flat iron!!).

So why would I possibly want to spend my break waking up every morning (without a hangover) at 7:30 a.m. to work with people I don’t even know?

I can think of lots of reasons!

Meeting New People: I wanted to meet some new people and do something fun without having to pay the expensive price of a ticket to somewhere tropical. What better way to make some new friends? At least you know that they’re all going to be nice; I doubt mean people spend their free time volunteering. And while it might be a little awkward at first, after some dreaded icebreaker games and bonding over scooping dog poop together, I’m sure I will leave this week with awesome new friends and memories. Read More »