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Career and Work

Laid Off, 2010 Edition

by Smithee

Last Thursday I lost my job without any warning. The small web design agency I was working for lost a couple of big contracts and they decided they couldn’t afford to keep me on as their only full-time User Experience Designer. This is extremely frustrating, not only because I liked most of my co-workers and ... Continue reading this article…

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Ten Tips for Entrepreneurs

by Luke Landes

I don’t like the term “entrepreneur.” It’s not because it comes from French, though the word does have an interesting etymology. The first time the word was used in English, borrowed from Old French, it meant a “manager or promoter of a theatrical production” (source). The word has a different meaning now. Anyone who runs ... Continue reading this article…

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What It Takes To Really Succeed

by Luke Landes

While half-watching the Primetime Emmy Awards last night, I considered what it must take to be the best in an industry. From what I could glean from the broadcast, and from what I’ve seen in my own life, winners share intense focus, hard work including sleepless nights, strong talent, moral support, and no tolerance of ... Continue reading this article…

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Philadelphia Wants Bloggers to Pay $300 Registration Fee

by Luke Landes

Though it was never intended initially, Consumerism Commentary and my writing is a business. I pay fees every year to ensure that the state in which I operate, New Jersey, is aware of my business. Business registration with the state is just one out of many possible fees governments charge entrepreneurs and small business owners. ... Continue reading this article…

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Should There Be a Limit on Copyrights?

by Smithee

I have a poll that I’m hoping you’ll take part in. Current U.S. law says that copyrights on most creative works (songs, movies, books, etc.) are valid until 70 years after the author’s death. It used to be 50 years, but when the 50 year mark was approaching, it was extended another 20. There’s no ... Continue reading this article…

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How to Not Get Hired: Drink or Hold Alcohol

by Luke Landes

My job interview for my current corporate position included, for some reason, discussion of visiting bars on the Jersey shore to listen to mediocre cover bands. While in my future manager’s office, we were not actually drinking. It’s a good thing there was no alcohol during the interview, because rather than winning the job, if ... Continue reading this article…

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Degrees With Low Salaries: How to Beat the Odds

by Luke Landes

Eleven years ago or so I began my career with my bachelor’s degree in hand. Once I stabilized a little, I had a job with one of the top organizations in the world. It was a non-profit organization, and despite its prestige, it was a non-profit organization with staffing nightmares and horrific cash flow. My ... Continue reading this article…

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Could You Be an Entrepreneur?

by Luke Landes

Somehow over the past several years, I’ve been increasingly finding myself in the position of an entrepreneur. Throughout my life, I have been a bit of a self-starter with the ability to inspire others to join my causes, whatever they may be. I’ve never considered myself an entrepreneur, however. I never thought I’d be using ... Continue reading this article…

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How To Do What You Love And Get Paid – $1,000 or More a Month

by Ramit Sethi

This is a guest article by Ramit Sethi, author of the best-selling personal finance book, I Will Teach You to Be Rich. He recently launched a new program, Earn1k, to help people earn more money on the side. To get a free mini-course on earning more, sign up here. Ramit will also be our guest ... Continue reading this article…

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Sometimes the Customer Isn’t Right

by Smithee

You’ve probably seen this sign hanging up in a shop or office: Rule 1: The customer is always right. Rule 2: If the customer is wrong, see Rule 1. This is not always right. I’ve had a lot of jobs I’ve been out of school and in the working world for thirteen years. That’s not ... Continue reading this article…

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Unemployment Benefits Extended

by Luke Landes

After some false starts, Congress has passed a bill to renew the extension to federal unemployment benefits. Federal benefits begin when state benefits end. With the extension in effect, jobless individuals qualify for benefits for a total of 99 weeks. The most recent extension expired on June 2, and this new bill extends the deadline ... Continue reading this article…

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Unemployed Job Applicants Are Turned Away Automatically

by Luke Landes

If you are currently looking for a job, you’re probably aware that it’s an employer’s market right now. There are many potential employees for each open position right now. This is making it difficult for recent college graduates, many of whom are likely to move home with their parents as they continue their job search. ... Continue reading this article…

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The Quest For a Balanced Life

by Luke Landes

A person feels most at peace with his or herself when the major aspects of life are balanced. We look at workaholics and overachievers and wonder about all the interesting or wonderful parts of life they may be missing. My first boss was a workaholic and overachiever, and he had trouble understanding that not everyone ... Continue reading this article…

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Women Earning More Than Men in These Jobs

by Luke Landes

Last week, in an article helping women ask for a raise, I mentioned that a pay gap still exists between men and women, even after adjusting for certain variables. Women leave the workforce more often than men to take care of children, for example. According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, nine cents of ... Continue reading this article…

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New Small Business Health Care Tax Credit

by Smithee

Yesterday the IRS issued the first set of rules for small businesses to benefit from a tax credit signed into law as part of the Affordable Care Act. Detailed guidelines with examples are available (PDF), but to summarize: the credit is available to small employers that pay at least half the cost of single coverage ... Continue reading this article…

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Suggestions For Women Seeking a Raise

by Luke Landes

The New York Times is running a feature designed to help women negotiate for and receive a raise from their employer. Even in today’s progressive society in the workplace, women earn less than men for the same job, even after controlling for factors like time away from the workforce for childcare. According to the article, ... Continue reading this article…

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How I Earn Side Income From (Mostly) Blogging

by Luke Landes

Subscribe to Consumerism Commentary by adding our RSS feed to your favorite reading software. As you know I’ve been writing for Consumerism Commentary since 2003. I’ve been blogging, or chronologically updating websites, since 1994 or 1995, at that time running a web server called “Winhttpd” from the computer in my dorm room. My university did ... Continue reading this article…

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Your Status Update Could Get You Rejected From Harvard

by Luke Landes

If you’re on Facebook, you might have seen the latest hoax. Hoaxes like these allow me to feel confident about my decision not to install any applications on Facebook or participate in any shady-looking groups. I ignore the endless petitions and attempts to find 1,000,000 fans for the latest trend. The latest hoax invites people ... Continue reading this article…

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Changing Your Life: From Contractor to the Farm

by SimplyForties

This is a guest article by SimplyForties, a 48-year-old single mother of a college-aged son, who is navigating her way through midlife and documenting it. Like a lot of people, I lost my job in the summer of 2009. I had a very lucrative position as an off-site paralegal for a retired Coast Guard commander ... Continue reading this article…

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Finding a Good Job in a Bad Economy: A Job Hunt Post-Mortem

by Revanche

This is a guest article by Revanche, a twenty-something west coast girl who writes about money at A Gai Shan Life. You’ve all heard that line about not burning professional bridges, right? That goes double or even triple for job interviews. I started my job hunt 20 months ago — as soon as there were ... Continue reading this article…

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