My transition to suburban life continues. I bought my first car this week (at age 32). I am now, slowly, getting used to driving it. Cars seem to have become much more about creature comforts since I learned to drive in the early 1990s. At the dealership, I was getting a tutorial in running my vehicle from the sales person, and I swear, 90% of the instructions had to do with the audio system. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m not sure that a feature whereby I can learn what song is playing on the radio is a good idea in a huge metal object moving 60mph down a highway. Maybe we should, you know, watch the road?
Anyway, over at BNET this week, I had a few posts. CareerBuilder.com did a survey finding that 28% of employers are less likely to promote someone with a messy workspace. So I asked, “Is Your Messy Desk Messing Up Your Career?” I’ve always had a messy desk. One of the unsung benefits of self-employment, if you ask me. No one will judge me for it!
I also tackled the concept of digital clutter in a post called “Stop Organizing Emails. Start Living.” I maintain that most time spent filing emails is wasted. It gives people a sense of accomplishment when they haven’t actually done anything.
And finally, I asked “Are You Worth More or Less Than Average?” This post came out of a discussion over at DailyWorth. A social media editor knew that people in her industry were making $40,000, and she was making $32,500. So as part of negotiating a salary after a promotion, she was figuring out what to ask for. She asked for $37,000 and got close to that, but many comments raised the question of why she hadn’t asked for at least average, or perhaps more than average. It’s a good question. If you know roughly what other people in your field make, how do you decide if you should be paid more or less? Have you ever negotiated a salary or project fee? I’d love to hear stories!