Find out when (not how) to ask for it.

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Glee girls gone w-w-w-w-wild. (And sexy.)

As a natural brunette, I have backed up the phrase, “blondes have more fun” with “boys date blondes, men date brunettes” and it has worked out great. So what if blondes have more fun? I’ll be the one pulling ahead down the road with my dapper Mr. Big and my killer job. Take that blondies! Real men want this dark mane. Ha!

But now I’m beginning to realize that maybe my brunette locks aren’t doing so much for me after all.  In a recent article it is stated that blonde women are paid 7% more than brunettes, red heads and even those people dabbling in the purples, pinks and blues. (OK, maybe those last few aren’t so surprising.) And if that isn’t enough bad news for those of us not blessed with Blake Lively’s luscious locks, it looks like blondes also tend to marry wealthier men.

WTF? Can’t you leave a little somethin’ somethin’ for the rest of us?

This better mean there are more people with blonde hair running around; that is the only explanation I can come up with. Or that it costs more to upkeep a blonde mane, so people can afford to dye their hair blonde after landing that amazing job. Or maybe blondes really do have more fun and land the successful business men who need a good time. Or maybe blondes never have fun and still make as much as everyone else does, and these statistics are about as authentic as The Hills. Read More »

The most difficult decision that comes your way post college graduation is not where you will be living or who you will be living with – it is what the hell you are going to do with your life.

For those of you lucky enough to have a job already, congrats. You are well on your way to a fulfilling life doing what you want to be doing. For the rest of you, and right now that is a lot of you, you have some big choices to make. Some huge questions to answer. And the most pressing and difficult is:

Take a job you love or take a job that pays well?

I found myself in a similar situation post college graduation. I wanted nothing more than to pick up, move to NYC and become a writer. I had dreams of covering red carpets and touring the country with my first book, all whilst wearing the sexiest pair of Jimmy Choos. I would take pictures with fans, discuss movie deals with Paramount pictures, and wow audiences with my talents.

And then I got my first job. That paid $25,000. Read More »

If you’re graduating this spring and you’ve managed to score a job you’re probably thanking god (if you still believe there is one) and thinking you’re super lucky. But think again. Because according to the WSJ, those currently entering the labor market won’t only be suffering from low-salary syndrome this year, but for, uh, ten more to come. Yes, ten years—or more!

See, supposedly if you graduate when the economy, uh, sucks (like in 2009), you’ll end up making about 100K less over the next 20 years than your bud (soon to be mortal enemy) who will graduate in better times. Why? WSJ says that even if the economy bounces back in a few years, while you’ve been working your butt off in the tiny firm no one has heard of, your luckier friend has just been hired at Bank of America. And now, although he’s two years your junior, he has more experience, a better resume, and a bit, or a ton, more moolah than you do. So while he will move steadily up the ladder, you will have a much harder time finding better and brighter pastures, and your wages may suffer (what seems like) eternally.

But hey, money doesn’t matter, right? Read More »

Is the spring semester half over already? Sadly, it’s true. And while some of our peers will be looking forward to spending the summer at one pool party after another, many of us are currently scouring job listings for summer internships.

Internships are a great way to add experience to your resume, make industry connections, and discover what kind of career path you really want to follow. While school’s in session, it can be hard to fit an internship into your schedule; in the summer, however, you can devote more hours to the gig.

Unfortunately, just because you sign up to work a 40-hour work week from May to August, it doesn’t mean you’re going to get paid like a fulltime employee. Read More »

Today’s Money Matters article in brought to you in part by… my recent trip to the gyno. Seriously. I was waiting to have my vajay inspected at full cost (I have no insurance, but I still gotta protect myself), and reading an issue of More magazine- a magazine aimed at women over 40. It was either that or Highlights for Children. WTF?

Anyway, More had a list of the top five growing careers out there. Yes, even the golden age of layoffs, some jobs are still safe. And it made me think back a few years, before the recession hit. When I first declared a major in English, the employment gurus were saying it was a great major, thanks to its versatility. Now, not so much. So, as you continue to rack up all of those student loans, ask yourself: is your major going to pay off after college?

Since I felt guilty about ripping a page out of a middle-aged-lady mag in the gynecologist’s office, I came home to research the most lucrative jobs, and while More only listed five, Boston.com predicts thirty careers that will flourish by 2016.  Here is a sampling of some of the careers that will get your education the most bang for your buck. Read More »

I have a friend who has a job thousands of people would kill for: he works in video games.

Whenever we’re out and he meets someone new, the conversation inevitably dissolves into a discussion of his job. Even those who hate video games (like me) want to know how he landed a position in such an elusive field.

And I thought, why not give you guys the benefit of his experience? So I interviewed him and, voila, here it is. May it be at least somewhat helpful.

If so, let me know–I’ll conduct some more of these suckers with people in other industries.

Okay, here’s the interview:

Hi, friend! What’s your name?

Ronnie Villanova.

And how old are you?

27.

What’s your current job title?

I’m an Associate Producer.

Oh, cool. And what kind of company do you work for?

It’s a video game company. They make and publish video games.

Wow, that sounds really interesting. Do you like it?

As fun and creative as people think video games might be, my actual job is very corporate and full of red tape, and hierarchies, and meetings, and Excel; lots of Excel. It’s sort of like The Office, except even more socially awkward. Read More »

At your job interview, you might think it’s your potential employer’s responsibility to ask you questions, not the other way around. Well—yes and no. They won’t be able to get a good idea of how you’ll perform if they don’t ask you questions, but finding a job is all about finding a good fit, and that means you should be posing some questions as well.That’s all fine and good, you might think to yourself, but what do I actually ask?

Good question (see—you’re on your way already!). First of all, stay away from asking about salary. I know the first thing on my mind when I go to a job interview is how much I’m going to get paid, but you can always negotiate that with the employer if you’re offered the job. One time when it is okay to ask about salary is if you’re really not sure whether the job or internship you’re interviewing for even pays (yes, sometimes it’s unclear). In that case, ask away.

It’s always a good idea to ask a question that isn’t really a question for the purpose of selling yourself. For example, you could say something like, “I love learning from a wide variety of people and cooperating with lots of different working styles. Is there an opportunity for me to do that here?” Since the answer is yes (duh), the employer will remember that an integral part of the job is really important to you. Read More »

With the writer’s strike still going strong, the WGA has denied invitations to prepare material for the Golden Globes on January 13 and the Oscars in February. If both events didn’t seem crappy enough last time, they should be craptacular this time around.

(See what happens when you don’t get pros to make jokes for you?)

This situation raises a red flag for the Oscars in particular. With Jon Stewart returning as host it’s assumed that he will have to “wing it” without any writer’s assistance. Sure, Stewart can handle a fair share of improvisation – but an entire show? That’s a tall order. Read More »

When I came to college, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with my future. So, being young and naïve I decided to major in English. My thought process: an English degree can get me into any grad program and basically get me any job I would ever want.

Turns out, I made a big (HUGE) mistake.

According to recent stats by some important people at the Wall Street Journal, a major in liberal arts is…well, worthless.

OK, maybe not worthless, but definitely not nearly as valuable as majoring something a little more 21st century. Just check out these stats for first year earnings in various fields:

Accounting: $46,000

Consulting: $47,000

Aerospace: $54,000

Engineering: $49,000

Retail: $34,000

Education: $30,000

Journalism: $23,000

Depressing, right? Well, it doesn’t have to be. Read More »