The FitBit Challenge

So, through my work, I received a 'FitBit'.  My entire company is part of a 'FitBit' challenge   This handy dandy little device measures my daily steps, miles traveled, calories burned, stairs climbed, and general activeness.  Additionally, it sends me happy little messages.  Gooooooaal Jaime!  Stepgeek Jaime!  Hug me Jaime!  Walk me Jaime!  Sometimes, when I'm peeing and it says 'Faster, Jaime!', it freaks me out!

Anyhow.  I think it's really quite accurate at noticing when I'm active vs. when I'm not.  Some days, when I feel like I've done nothing, well, it reaffirms it to me.  It lets me know I've barely burned any calories and hardly moved.  Not what I wanted to hear, but sometimes we all need a reality check, right?  I feel it's succeeded in motivating me to get up and move on those days when, otherwise, I would have been content with nothing.  I am liking this fun little device.

Update to come at the end of this challenge.

Quite The Award

And I will wear this with pride.

New Workspace

So as quite a few of my readers know, I now have a job that allows me to work from home at times.  Well, I can't go back to the farm after having been to Paris, let me tell you.  This is the best thing ever.

Anyhow.  Most of my work has happened from bed on these days, let me tell you.  It made me realize something important.  I need an actual workspace in my apt.  I mean, I have one right now, but it's not, well, serious.   It's kind of like the 'fireplace' in my apt.  For display, but can't actually be used.

Anyhow.  I decided to create a new workspace within my confines.

Here is the before (of both parts of my apartment):

And the after:

When I first set up my apartment, I displayed my diploma over my desk.  It seemed like the thing to do.  Like, the appropriate setting for it.  As I moved my desk over, I thought about moving my diploma with to give the area the right 'feng shui' if you will.  However, I kind of felt like, inadvertently, my desk ended up having the perfect picture framing the area to begin with.  I think we all know this pic says 'I am read for the workday'.

Your thoughts?

Bad Blogger.

Hi all.

So as you all know, yes, I have been a bad blogger.  I don't have an excuse.

Actually, I quasi-do.  I started a new job.  This is my first new job in four years.  I left the Sun-Times just shy of my four year anniversary.

Anyhow.  I know it is frowned upon to 'blog about work'.   I also know that one of my coworkers was very upfront and told me he'd discovered THIS BLOG by pregoogling my name when I was going through the application process.  Luckily, he said he'd discovered a post where I'd mentioned I'm the kind of person who likes to go out and occasionally have a beer, so he knew he liked me from that one.

With no further ado - a brief overview of the new job:

I really like it.   It's a much smaller company from what I'm used to (only 6 people in the Chicago office!!!), but it is a very comfortable working environment.  It is definitely interesting work.  Nice people.  Fully stocked fridge - which is a complete and totally new interesting benefit to me.  I will now be eating all my meals at the office.   Also - it is a very casual dress code - as in, there isn't one.  I'm sure if I were to channel my inner high school self (aka queen of the dress code violations) - I'd be able to inspire some ground rules, but I'm not going to push my luck.  I am so happy to wear jeans and a t-shirt daily.  I always dreamed of having a job where I could make use of  my entire wardrobe.  It weighed on me to have to dress in red and khaki when I was the cashier at Target.  See kids, keep reaching for the stars.  This brings new meaning to 'dress for the job you want'.  The job I want is CEO of a laid-back company - I am on the right path.  Anyhow.  I love it.  I was sad to leave my old role, but I definitely feel good about this career opportunity.

Now that I am getting settled (and fed), I should be able to dedicate more time and energy to said blog.  

How to Tell You've Made your Mark at a Company

This, right here, is why it's dangerous to facebook friend your coworkers and let them have access to your tagged photos.

Birthday Muffin

So my wonderful coworker, Judy, got me this lovely muffin for my bday.  I did not want to go back to work after having the day off, but this made it easier.  How cute is this?  She must know how much I love things with my name on it.

Editor's sidenote:  Please keeps Jaime's blog clean - no dirty jokes in response to this post.  Thank you, the management.

Currently Reading....

Save the Assistants.

I got it from Santa.  But it was a direct request.  

Here is her website:  www.savetheassistants.com

Anyhow.  After I received the book, I went to amazon to read the reviews on the subject matter.  A couple of people played it off as a book on how to be better at your job as an assistant - that kind of worried me.   I feel I have truly mastered my role.  

However, upon starting the book, I realized it was a great catch.  I like the sarcastic, direct, observatory writing style of the author (Lilit Marcus).  I highly, highly recommend it.  

Anyhow.  As mentioned above, Lilit has a website.  I really think she should hire me to work for her.  But not as her assistant.  Even though I trust she'll behave.

Back to School?

So a good amount of 20 somethings I know, at varying degrees of financial success, are thinking about going back to school.  Reason being, for the most part, they don't find their current careers to be exactly fulfilling.

Random observation - most people I know in the 35+ bracket find this to be an amusing '20 something thing' - it's a job, it doesn't have to be perfect or have meaning, it just needs to pay the bills.  The early 20 somethings are being almost hopelessly romantic about their careers; there will never be one to meet their expectations.

Anyhow.

A friend of mine mentioned that one shouldn't go back to school, it's not necessarily the key to getting a good job.  I find this to be an interesting and somewhat accurate point.  Some people end up in lines of work that have nothing to do with their degree/major.  Some lines of work require a very specific background, obviously, but other lines of work provide training specific to the industry that can only be learned through experience, rather than in a classroom.  That then lends itself to the age old question of 'how do I get experience if no one will give me a chance?'  I guess my question is - if there's a 20 something, or anyone, for that matter, who wants to change career paths - what is the best way to go about this?   Is it going back to school?  What are the other viable options?

Your thoughts?

Overheard in the Office

"I'm about to send you an email."

I hear this about 8 times a day.  Not always directed at me - I overhear it constantly in others' conversations as well.  

Not that there's anything wrong with it.  But is this REALLY something that requires a heads up?   Ooh, thanks, now I'll go mentally prepare to click read!  Is there a particular reason we're giving people a heads up before we email them?  Is a warning necessary?

There are Two Types of People in this World....

....those who sit on the computer all day whilst at work, and those who don't.

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but walk with me for a second here....

I was recently speaking with a good friend (who shall remain nameless).  She complained that she feels slightly out of the loop because she can't sit on gchat all day, as the rest of her girlfriends can.

I think of my high school girlfriends - our group of four.   Three of us are in the former group - one in the latter.  The one in the latter always complains she feels like she hasn't talked to us in forever and doesn't know what's going on as well as the others do.  This isn't really a big deal since we all still speak with each other on the phone or in person. 

Anyhow.  I can see this having a more profound effect on some other friendships and how they're shaped.  I am sure there are some more severe cases out there.  It is almost having as much of an effect as physical distance - even though we might keep in touch with friends in other states and still consider them out best friends, they aren't as much a part of our lives at times because of it.  Your thoughts?

Careers

So lately, as my friends and I enter various career paths and begin to climb the proverbial 'corporate ladder', if you will, I am faced with a question - do people choose their careers, or do they just end up on a certain path and continue going that way?

I remember once, early on in my working experience, having a VP of sales comment to me that he still didn't know what he wanted to do when he grew up.

Is this similar to the concept of SATC's taxi theory?  Men marry the woman who is there - people end up in the in the field of work that is 'there'.   How much is truly 'picking'?  I often times think of professional athletes - most of them started their sports when they were too young to decide it for themselves - their parents chose it for them.  Then, as they got good at it, they liked it so they stayed with it.  Do our careers really choose us?

I do believe 'professional blogger' has chosen me.  I just need the money to start rolling in.

For No Reason in Particular....

I'm looking forward to the release of this book.  Not sure why.

When I Grow Up....

So recently, I was speaking with an intelligent, successful friend about her current job (something in the financial sector). I asked her if she liked what she's currently doing better than her previously held position. Her response was something to the extent of: I like it enough; it's good/decent, but I don't know if this is what I'm really passionate about/what I really want to do with my career; I'm still not sure what I really want to do.

This reminded me of when I first started at my current company. I remember once during a meeting with the department VP, he asked me what I wanted to do 'when I grow up' (for lack of a better way of putting it). He went on to say 'it's all right if you don't know - I honestly don't really know what I want to do either'. I remember thinking 'well, you're 40, married with three kids, the primary breadwinner presumably, and you've been with this company 6 plus years in a VP position; I think this is it'.

So this leaves my question: does anyone know what he/she wants to do when he/she grows up? More importantly, is anyone doing it? (Sidenote: I realize there are a lot of people who do, indeed, know what they want to do an are doing it. A good amount of peole I know in the field of healthcare or education seem to be pretty satisfied with their career - or at least feel that it's what they want to be doing. I suppose this question is mostly geared toward the business sector.)

I seem to remember when I graduated college - I pretty much was looking for any tolerable entry-level job in any line of work. Whenever I was asked what I wanted to do in terms of my career, my answer was always some variation of 'oh, definitely this!', not because it was accurate but because I wanted (well, needed) a job. I know, for a lot of my friends, it was the same. I think a lot of people in my age bracket got an entry-level starting-salary job in some field, took the job and worked hard to get promoted in order to make a livable salary, then when it came time to look for a new position at another company, he or she looked for work in the same field because 1) it was what he/she was qualified to do and 2) to maintain the same salary or better (seeing that starting over in an entry-level position in a new field might require one to take a paycut (not to mention the difficulties of getting into a new field when one doesn't have many qualifications, on paper, for the position).

Anyhow - is this how a lot of people ended up in their jobs? Is it that they ended up in some field because it's the one that hired them/gave them a chance, then they ended up with that as their career. Is this parallel to Sex and the City's taxi theory? Someone decides she needs a job, and her career ends up being the one that hires her at said time; a man decides he's ready to get married and the woman who is there at the time ends up being his wife?

I guess this could be similar to the question asked earlier about Mr. Right - is it better to go with the 'wrong career' than no career? Are there a lot of people in their 'careers' who feel as though they don't know what they are actually supposed to be doing? Is it possible to change careers in adulthood, with, say, all the responsibilities of adulthood? Is it possible to do so somewhat easily? Your thoughts?

My Dirty Secret Around the Office is Out....

They all think I'm a genius. I shouldn't ruin the illusion....

Something New I Learned Today....

"Do you want a scone with your latte?" is the new "Do you want fries with that?"

As in:

The graduate with a physics degree says, "How does that work?'
The graduate with an engineering degree says, "Why does that work?"
The graduate with a technical degree says, "I can make that work?"
The graduate with a liberal arts degree says, "Do you want fries with that?"

I will try to appropriately update my personal joke repertoire.

Where to Meet Someone, Part 2

Ok, so once, I did have an experience of meeting someone/getting asked out on the street. However...here's how it went.

I was walking down the street with a coworker/good friend (and regular blog reader). It was just after New Year's, I believe, and I had made a resolution to be more open-minded toward men who ask me out (it was "The Year of the Yes" for me, if you will). Anyhow.

A random jogger guy ran past us at some point. I saw him briefly. My friend and I happened to separate because she had to go to her car and I went back into the office. A couple minutes later, said friend calls my cell phone.

In short, this jogger guy approached her and asked for my number. A.Page, being the savvy friend that she is, told him she would take his number down and give it to me.

Long story short, it was the year of the yes, I was single, I gave him a call. I'll give you a brief synopsis of said phone conversation. (I have summarized for your sanity, dear reader.)

(A brief 'Hi, how's it going, etc.' takes place.)
Me: So what do you do? Where do you work?
His name was Phil: I work in advertising, at an agency.
Me: Oh cool, I work in advertising too. I work at XXXX. Which agency do you work at?
Phil: Uh, it's on Michigan Avenue. I'm not supposed to say.
Me: Huh?
Phil: They don't like it when we tell people where we work, you know.
(Ooookkkk....)
Me: So where do you live?
Phil: Chicago
Me: Which area? (All I was lookin' for a was a simple 'Lincoln Park' - not a specific street address.)
Phil: The city, in general.
Me: Uh, this is kind of weird.
Phil: You have to understand where I'm coming from, I don't really know you, my last girlfriend was the psycho....
Me: (Since I was getting irritated at this point, I figured I'd give him one final chance to strike out.) What's your last name?
Phil: Oh, there's no way I'm gonna tell you that.
Me: You think I'm possibly going to agree to meet you when you won't tell me the first thing about yourself?
Phil: Well, we can meet at a public place.
(LIKE THERE WAS EVER AN ALTERNATIVE OPTION.)
Me: CLICK.

Anyhow - long story short - something was obviously shady. So, I guess that brings me back to part 1 of this series - is it possible to meet a NORMAL person who turns into a legitimate relationship in this way? Does this happen?

Editor's sidenote: However unrealistic, I do believe that his employer is, for obvious reasons, ashamed of the individuals it hires and that hr may have, indeed, pulled him on the side and asked him never to divulge that he is, indeed, associated with them.

I'm So Proud!

The Chicago Sun-Times won the Golden Local Debates!

The Chicago Sun-Times is an example of fate in my life. I very very randomly at the last minute decided to go to a career fair back junior year of college (the alternative option was going to class, but going to the fair was an excused absence). I literally wrote my first resume (after googling 'how to write a resume') 15 minutes prior to said fair. Anyhow, long story short, fast-forward to an internship at the CST that summer. I was all ready to go back to Chili's for the third summer in a row, but life had other plans.

When I came back recently, it all started by me, at the very last minute, deciding to go to a former coworker's happy hour, which I really had to squeeze in amongst several other plans for the evening. Again, it really wasn't in my plan for the evening, but it was there I ran into my current boss and, as they say, the rest is history.

Sigh. It's good to know that, no matter what happens, the CST and I just keep finding our way to each other. I guess it must be my soulmate (hey, someone had to be).

Back to School

Spring Break (or 'furlough', if we're going for the technical term) is almost over. So sad. I accomplished a lot but not quite everything I want to do. I wish this was like Christmas Break (two weeks long), or summer vacation. Some would say I should be careful what I wish for, seeing this was unpaid time off. I do like my job and I did miss the people I work with. But the mental break was spectacular. :-) I didn't make any 'girls gone wild' tapes (they don't seem to be filming in Chicago this year), but I will soon. Persistence is key.

Even More on the Myers-Briggs, Mostly Because I Couldn't Find Much Scientific Research on the Lipstick Test

The best and worst careers for my personality type....

Best

1) Actor
2) Biochemist
3) Communications director
4) Database administrator
5) Engineer, computer
6) Information services developer
7) Logistics consultant
8) Media planner / buyer
9) Pharmaceutical sales person
10) Program director
11) Sales representative
12) Systems administrator
13) University president

Worst

1) Accountant
2) Child care provider
3) Dental assistant
4) Librarian
5) Nurse, registered
6) Teacher, elementary school


Thoughts, anyone? Next time anyone hears of an opening for a University President - please send it my way. Thank you!

Sidenote: I'm a little sad blogger didn't make the 'best' list....

More On the Myers-Briggs....Mostly Because I'm Bored

So, while at work, I decided to try to get to know my ENTJ-self a little bit better...here's what I found:

Careers for the NT "Rationals" (INTP, ENTP, INTJ, ENTJ)

Rationals are natural born scientists and engineers, and are referred to as "the knowledge seeking" person. Many ADD Rationals do OK in school (but may underachieve) and they often go on to college. One ENTP has a webpage which says something like "I quit high school to play in a rock band, and later went to Yale to study physics." NTs judge themselves based on their ability to perform (whether it be getting things done or coming up with solutions) and are therefore unusually prone to performance anxiety. ADD probably increases the chance of this happening, since it can interfere with the ability to get things done.

Be aware: once a subject is mastered, the NT is likely to move on. This is true even for NTs who are not ADD. Figure this into your thinking. Are there future lateral career moves you can make to maintain interest? A related, but somewhat different career? A different type of company to work for? Don't berate yourself because you put so much energy into becoming good at what you do, only to find yourself oddly depressed with your job. Expect it to happen and plan for it. Use your love of logic to figure out a chain of possible career or job moves rather than expecting to find one and stick to it.

In "Please Understand Me," David Keirsey says that "his early start and his persistence enable the NT to excel above the other styles in technology. And, as the intellectual ability of the NT increases, the tendency to seek the sciences, mathematics, philosophy, architecture, engineering -- indeed, anything complicated and exacting -- also increases. These occupations, therefore, are heavily populated by NTs."

An NT child with ADD might learn to dislike school and not go on to college. But of all types, the NTs probably benefit most from college, because an advanced degree allows them to pursue the complex subjects which interest them most.

The worst career for an NT is one involving routine, excessive rules, boredom, simplicity. NTs are known for breaking any rule which is illogical and which interferes with getting the job done. NTs are full of ideas. A career which does not allow the NT to utilize their creativity will soon become frustrating and boring.

Some more specifics from "Please Understand Me":

"ENTJs will usually rise to positions of responsibility and enjoy being executives."
"ENTPs are good at innovative projects and can administer them well if dull routine is not involved. They usually are outstanding teachers, continuously devising new participative ways to make learning exciting for the students."
"The INTP is the architect of a system and leaves it to others to be the builder and the applicator...They are, however, often excellent teachers, particularly for advanced students, although INTPs do not always enjoy much popularity, for they can be hard taskmasters."
INTJs "can be outstanding in scientific research and also outstanding as executives who generate a plethora of implementations of ideas."
The NT ADDer: In general, careers which are good for an NT are also good for an NT which is ADD. The specific setting or job is likely to make a difference. For example, a large company with a lot of red tape may be unbearable to a particular NT/ADD engineer, while starting up business might be quite satisfying. There are science jobs involving research and science jobs involving tons of paperwork. The real trick is in avoiding the job with lots of paperwork (or at least delegating that part of the job).