Did you know that women (on average) earn 77 cents for every man’s dollar? Or that showing cleavage at work can affect your career? I’m still convinced that the internet can solve almost any problem and obviously is a great source of knowledge. The downfall that I know of to the internet’s great span of information is that it’s not always easy to find information that’s applicable to directly to us twentysomethings. This is why I like to have round-ups fairly regularly. I follow a number of informational resources and I’m always wanting to share my findings with my fellow GenPinkers.
Looking Back – Things I Wish I Had Known When I Was 18
Just because you can pay the minimum doesn’t mean you can afford the balance. It took me years to figure that out. For a long time I was a creditor’s dream come true. I carried a large balance on my credit cards, and faithfully paid the minimum balance by the due date every month. I thought I was doing great, because my credit score was great. I never thought to add up all the interest I was paying on my purchases.
What Are the Best Jobs for College Graduates Today?
To all graduates and all other twentysomethings who don’t know what you want to be when you grow up (myself included): follow your dreams, but find a career that pays well and has long term growth prospects. The more money you make, and the more secure a job you hold, the more time and freedom you will have to pursue your life outside of work. In today’s rapidly changing and uncertain economy, what fields are best?
6 Tips for Landing Your Dream Job
Twenty and thirty-somethings have more flexibility when it comes to test-driving different careers. The process of self-discovery is much easier when you’re unencumbered by family responsibilities and substantial financial burdens, and when you haven’t yet reached a level in a career where it’s tougher to turn back.
Life After School: Advice for New Graduates
“You’ve got to find your passion,” Celia says. “I changed my major six times. That’s okay. Everything you do leads you to the person you’re becoming. As long as you have some goals, you’ll be fine.”
Celia stressed that it’s important to think about the sort of life you want to live. Some of what she said reminded me of Tim Ferriss’ notion of lifestyle design, building your life and career around what you want to do.
Men Earn in Nine Months What You Earn in a Year
The gender pay gap is definitely not a thing of the past — the 77 cents that women make for every man’s dollar in this country is a sure sign that gender inequality continues to plague the workplace. To put things in perspective, men make the equivalent of a woman’s yearly salary by the time the first of September rolls around.
Cleavage Could be Asking For Trouble When Colleagues Are Involved
The WSJ article called “Risky Business: Décolletage At a Work Dinner” tells us that for a businesswoman, “There’s no greater crime than to show cleavage.” Jonscott Turco, a psychologist and consultant with Partners In Human Resources International, commented in the article saying, “They’re thinking it’s an empowering thing that they can be sexy and professional, but guys don’t see it that way. If she’s dressed sexy, that’s all they see.”
Have some great resources you’d like to share for twentysomethings of twenty-something women specifically? Send it to for:elysa on del.icio.us.
The cleavage issue is so frustrating for me. I am a semi busty girl and shirts that someone else can wear without any cleavage require a cami or something of the sort for me. I was recently at a reception for work and an older man was speaking to me and my cleavage. My shirt was not at all revealing and I had a cami underneath, but there was no method of pulling my shirt up far enough. It is frustrating to me that it is the woman’s responsibility to hide everything not the men’s responsibility to not be a perv.
Awesome post! The pay gap is the most frustrating thing to me!!! I feel like we’re going backwards!
Regarding the gap in wages…You have to keep in mind this is a national average. There are fewer professional women who are actually earning less than their counterparts, particularly in highly skilled jobs. Powerful women in the corporate world are on the rise. There are more women in top jobs then ever before and employers are embracing it. The truth is for 20 Somethings who are educated and driven the sky is the limit. My guess is that my male counterparts earn 50 cents to my $1. It has taken hard work to get there but we have the opportunity to make your own destiny now more than ever…men and women alike. I feel when stats like these are published it creates a very skewed picture of what is actually happening in the corporate world and create a disheartening picture where there isn’t one.
i’m a career counselor, and i use the ‘6 tips for landing your dream job’ in a lot of my workshops. i also got an email from a colleague yesterday titled ‘outraged,’ concerning men and women’s wage differences.
i really enjoyed your post, thank you.
I’m nearly 20 and just read the post about what an 18 year old should know. I am ashamed…and obviously v ignorant. What will become of me?