The September Run-Around

The topic: How important is your first job?

When we published Allie Gray Freeland’s post about why your first job out of college is the most important of all, lots of Brazen readers reached out with their opinions.

In response, we published a post on why your first job out of college doesn’t matter, but the team you work with does, and another on all the lessons you’ll learn when you change careers.

Now we’d love to hear from you: Is your first job all that important to your long-term career? If yes, WHY? If you think the answer is a big fat no, what IS important to focus on during your first few years in the workforce?

How to participate: Write a post about this topic on your blog, and leave the link to that post below in the comments. Only one post per participant.

Once the deadline rolls around, we’ll pull all the submissions into one post here on Brazen Life, so you can see what your fellow Brazenites came up with (and get some promotion for your own blog, too).

Deadline: Sept. 30, 2012. That gives you two weeks! Then watch for your link in our next Run-Around post in October.

Ready to get writing? We can’t wait to see what you come up with!

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The post The Run-Around: How Important Is Your First Job? appeared first on Brazen Life.

But working for yourself also has some major financial drawbacks compared to working for someone else. And those disincentives are big enough to discourage some would-be entrepreneurs from creating their own jobs.

Which is a HUGE problem. Particularly in this struggling economy, don’t we want people to create jobs?

When I left my day job nine months ago to create my own career (I write ebooks and help small businesses with blogging and social media), my move freed up that full-time position for someone else. I created a job—and one that paid more than my 9-to-5. Then I hired a handful of part-timers to help me with my business, creating more jobs.

One full-time job plus several part-time positions might not seem like a lot in the grand scheme of things, but every bit helps. And with more people going the solopreneur route, it all adds up.

What if our government created financial INCENTIVES for the self-employed, rather than DISINCENTIVES?

Here are 3 big challenges to address:

1. Taxes

You have to earn MORE money when you work for yourself (as a sole proprietor) than when you work for a company to have the same amount of spendable income.

Why? Because sole proprietors pay a self-employment tax—more Social Security and Medicare than employees (not to mention covering your own health insurance, business expenses and more). It’s complicated, but this blog post lays it out in more detail.

The high cost of working for yourself often comes as a surprise to people who go off on their own for the first time. In fact, one would-be solopreneur told me how she left her full-time job, only to return to her previous employer once she realized just how difficult it would be to earn the same income on her own.

Just figuring out your taxes as a self-employed go-getter, even before paying them, is a huge hassle—red tape that takes up valuable time we could be using to build our business.

Speaking of taxes, freelancers should be able to deduct expenses for space we use for both our business AND our life. As the rule stands now, you’re only allowed to deduct for space that’s used purely for business. But as more people transition toward working from home, it’s just plain SMART to use a room in your house both as a relaxing space AND as an office. You should be rewarded, not punished, for being efficient.

2. Health insurance

A lot of self-employed folks go without—unless you’re married, of course, and can depend on your spouse’s company insurance to cover you. Nevermind that ambitious and career-minded young people (you know, the kind that create their own jobs) often wait longer to get married.

Some of us choose a high-deductible plan, which usually means foregoing preventative care because you have to pay out of pocket and waiting until something terrible happens to seek medical care. It seems risky, but it can also be the more practical option, given the high price of monthly health insurance premiums.

Then there are those of us who actually pay a monthly bill for our own insurance. Mine is more expensive than the basic plan because I’m a woman of childbearing age… and I’m actually not that unusual. A whole lot of women who start their own companies are at the age where they’d consider having kids.

Which brings up another financial obstacle for self-employed women: maternity leave. Since you won’t get a month (or three or six) of paid leave, you usually have to rely on savings if you want to step away from your business to care for your new baby even for a short time. Unfortunately, that in itself is reason enough for some women in the prime of their job-creating years to work for someone else’s company instead.

3. Retirement savings

Anyone who’s smart starts putting away money for retirement as early as possible, at least enough to max out your company match. This is important, essential, VITAL—the best thing you can do for yourself as a young professional. That’s what we’re told again and again, right?

Except when you work for yourself, no one matches your 401k contribution.

What if the government stepped in and paid the match for anyone who created a job?

What if they encouraged us to step up to the plate and make things happen, rather than waiting for a company to hire us?

If lawmakers are truly worried about jobs, they’ll start looking for ways to support those of us who are actually creating them.

Alexis Grant is managing editor of Brazen Life and author of Turn Your Side Hustle Into a Full-Time Business. She also offers a free newsletter on creating freedom in your career.

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The post Why the Government Should Make It Easier to Work for Yourself appeared first on Brazen Life.

Scientists now say your brain is still developing well into your 30s, according to The Wall Street Journal. That means it might make sense to wait until then to make big life decisions, right?

The Journal reports:

Recent research into how the brain develops suggests that people are better equipped to make major life decisions in their late 20s than earlier in the decade. The brain, once thought to be fully grown after puberty, is still evolving into its adult shape well into a person’s third decade, pruning away unused connections and strengthening those that remain, scientists say.

Yet many of us make life-altering decisions like who to marry or which career path to commit to in our 20s or even our teens. And at that point in our lives, our brains aren’t yet optimal, the neuroscientist who made this discovery, Jay Giedd, told the Journal. One of his quotes is a real doozy: “It’s a good thing that the 20s are becoming a time for self-discovery.” (Click here to read the full WSJ story.)

But if you wait until your late 20s or early 30s to choose a career or commit to a spouse, where does that leave you in your early-to-mid-20s? Is this just an excuse to avoid dedicating yourself to a career or person?

Is it better to make some sort of decision in your 20s, even if you end up changing course later? Or would you advise putting off big life decisions as long as possible?

What do you think?

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The post Should You Wait Until Your 30s to Choose a Career? appeared first on Brazen Life.

But Thought Catalog has published a list of things you shouldn’t do: 15 Ways 20-Somethings Ruin Their 20s.

Much of the list focuses on personal and life choices, like letting yourself get out of shape (cue The Biggest Loser), staying involved in destructive relationships and “taking pride in being widely considered a b-tch or a d-ck.”

But No. 6 relates directly to what we talk about here at Brazen, your professional life. The author writes:

6. Settling for a subpar job that makes you miserable

Hard work and dedication, no matter who the employer, are admirable traits. If you find yourself performing unhappily at a place, be certain that you’re just doing so as a means to get by until you can pursue your personal goals. Every opportunity to take a shot at your dream career should be greeted passionately by you. Too often people forget that the 20s are an ideal decade for trial and error. Test things out, then fail or succeed.

The last bullet is pretty great, too:

15. Spending large chunks of time dreaming about a utopic, perfect world in which everything is just peachy

Having high hopes and aspirations for the future is a great thing, it’s just important to draw the line of frequency somewhere. Picturing a fantasy land in which you own nice things, are surrounded by beautiful people and have Uncle Scrooge sized piles of money isn’t going to bring those things to fruition. The dreaming is the easy part, it’s the living that requires some heavy lifting and effort.

Here’s the full piece if you’re interested in the other 13 common ways to ruin your 20s.

What do you think? If you’re watching any of your friends ruin this Brazen decade, how are they doing it?

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The post The Best, Er, Worst Ways to Ruin Your 20s appeared first on Brazen Life.

Lifehacker’s got some ideas for you on how to stop snoozing and get yourself out of bed.

In addition to choosing an alarm clock that works for you, the author suggests that getting out of bed is actually about practice.

“Let’s be clear here: you can’t go from sleeping in until 11 a.m. everyday to happily waking up at 5 a.m. You’ll need to train and practice. That means resetting your inner clock and training yourself slowly over time,” the story reads. (Read the full piece here.)

The post has prompted an interesting discussion in the comments, so we thought we’d ask our community, too: How do you get yourself out of bed in the morning?

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The post Tips for Getting Your Butt Out of Bed So You Can Actually Get to Work on Time appeared first on Brazen Life.

Bring on Outside Magazine‘s 30 Best Places to Work in 2012. Outside says the list includes “enlightened companies [that] seek ambitious individuals who work hard, think big, and crave life-affirming careers, lunchtime bike rides, and soul-expanding travel.” And these companies have policies that actually encourage employees to “spend time with their families, give back to their communities, and fulfill their passion for adventure.”

Are you waving your arms like a crazy, um, job seeker? Yeah, we thought so.

At the top of the list is audio- and web-conferencing provider ReadyTalk, which is located in Denver and looking to hire account managers and salespeople. Emeryville, Calif.-based Clif Bar came in at No. 13; they’re hiring for a food-safety specialist position. And Goal Zero, based in Bluffdale, Utah, was ranked No. 21. The company, which boasts a climbing wall on site, has openings for a mechanical engineer and a web-marketing director.

That brings us to perhaps the most helpful feature of Outside‘s list: they let you know what types of workers each company is looking for. Well done, Outside!

If you’re on the hunt for a new a job, consider choosing one of these companies or another that seems like a good fit — and pitching them, even if you haven’t heard of any specific openings there. Tell the hiring manager why you’re awesome and how you can help the company meet its goals. That proactive style of job-hunting is often more effective than responding to online ads (along with hundreds or even thousands of other applicants).

Which of the companies on Outside‘s list appeal to you? Know of any other places to work that should’ve made the cut?

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The post Outside Magazine Announces 30 Best Places to Work in 2012 appeared first on Brazen Life.

But it’s not easy to save on an entry-level salary, when you’re trying to make it on your own for the first time, especially if you’ve gotta pay back student loans.

Besides, does it REALLY matter if you save this year? It’ll be fine if you start saving next year instead, right?

This infographic from Lifetuner does the “save now” mantra justice, showing exactly why you should make the extra effort to save THIS year. Check out how much more the 20-something worker (Mary) has saved by the time she turns 65. The benefits of compound growth are massive.

So here’s our question for you: Is it possible to save 10 percent of what you make when you’re a young professional? Are you managing it? Got any tips for your peers? Let us know in the comments!

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The post A Visual Explanation of Why You Should Save in Your 20s appeared first on Brazen Life.

The games only happen every two years — and the summer games every four years — so it’s only natural that we get excited, especially after such a fun opening ceremonies on Friday!

But are the Olympics distracting you this week? Interfering with your work? Keeping you from focusing on accomplishing your goals at the office?

And will that urge to just take a peek at online updates increase as the day and the week goes on?

We’d love to hear how you tame your Olympics-lovin’-self while at work. Do you catch up on your lunch break? Force yourself to wait until you get home? Are your co-workers also on an Olympics high?

Let us know what it’s like in your office!

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The post Are the Olympics Distracting You at Work? appeared first on Brazen Life.

Why Every Social Media Manager Should Be Under 25

Here’s an excerpt from the piece:

The key is that we learned to use social media socially before professionally, rather than vice versa or simultaneously. After all, it is called social media; the seemingly obvious importance of incorporating comforting social aspects into professional usage seems to go over several companies’ heads. To many people in the generations above us, Facebook and Twitter are just the latest ways of getting messages out there to the public, that also happen to be the best.

And here’s another interesting snippet:

Every time I see a job posting for a Social Media Manager/Associate/etc. and find the employer is looking for five to ten years of direct experience, I wonder why they don’t realize the candidates who are in fact best suited for the position actually aren’t old enough to have that much experience.

The post got so many people talking that NextGen also published a response.

Since the Brazen community is full of social media types, and many of you are 25 or older (plus plenty who are under 25!), we’d love to hear you weigh in.

What do YOU think?

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The post Should Social Media Managers Be Under 25? appeared first on Brazen Life.

The creator, Simone Fortunini, an online marketing manager, modeled the look of his resume on Google Analytics.

How cool is THAT?!

Business Insider writes:

Fortunini tells us that since his work experiences stem from online marketing and advertising campaigns, Google Analytics is a basic tool that those in his industry work with, and he wanted to create a resume illustrating his understanding in online marketing, graphic design abilities and HTML skills.

“My intent with this project is showing both the two sides of my professionality in digital: a good technological understanding and an online marketing knowledge,” Fortunini says. “Trying to analyze my professional path like a ‘web site performance’ has been hard, but helpful to get an objective point of view about current achievements and future goals.”

Want to see the resume? Click over to the full Business Insider piece.

Then stop back here and tell us what you think!

You might also take this a step further and ask yourself: If you were to turn your resume into a visual tool used by people in your target industry, what would it be?

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The post A Resume that Looks Like Google Analytics appeared first on Brazen Life.

But it made us wonder: Does GenY even WANT the 40-hour week back?

Or do we enjoy throwing ourselves into our startups, traditional jobs and adding a side hustle to our work load?

What do YOU think?

We’d love to hear from you in the comments: Are you in favor of bringing back the 40-hour work week?

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The post Do You Wish the 40-Hour Work Week Was Still the Norm? appeared first on Brazen Life.

Is it true?

Between the debt you probably have to take on to attend and the difficulty finding a job once you finally become a lawyer, is law school no longer a good investment?

A quick excerpt from the piece:

According to analysis from the Wall Street Journal released yesterday, only 55% of class of 2011 law school grads were employed full-time as lawyers nine months after graduation. The other 45% may be unemployed, working at Starbucks or starting their own law school hate blogs. Couple this with declining starting salaries (they fell $9000 between 2009 and 2010) and the fact that 85% of law school grads are facing an average debt load of $98 500 and you can see why law school as a career path has taken a public lambasting in recent years.

This bit is also telling:

The message that law school is no longer a sure bet when it comes to employment security and financial prosperity finally seems to be sinking in for potential students. In the last two years, the number of law school applicants has dropped by almost a quarter and the number of LSAT tests administered by the Law School Admissions Council has declined by 16%.

So what do you think?

Is this Forbes author right on? Or is she overlooking major benefits of law school? Would you consider applying?

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The post Is Law School (and Its Loans) a Bad Idea? appeared first on Brazen Life.

But when it comes to asking for advice, you might be among the many insight-seekers who are going about it the WRONG way. If you’re asking, “What advice do you have for me?” you’re shooting yourself in the foot.

Here’s why: the question isn’t specific enough.

It’s not specific enough for you to benefit because it’s not clear what you want to learn.

What should you do instead? You should ask more targeted questions, inquiries that will actually help you dig down into the nitty gritty of what has helped this role model of yours succeed.

You should ask questions like:

• What’s the one skill I should learn to make myself more marketable in [insert industry]

• Is there anything you didn’t do when you were my age that would’ve helped you better prepare for [insert career]?

• How did you use [insert industry tool] to help you [insert goal]?

But just asking generally “for advice” won’t get you anywhere.

Why you should ask specific questions

For one, asking general questions doesn’t guide the person you’re talking to, doesn’t give them any clue as to how they can best help you.

Asking good questions means you’ll get more out of the conversation. It means you’ll be more likely to walk away with action items, things you can do to get where you want to be.

But even worse, phrasing your question that way can actually ANNOY your could-be mentor. Why? Because it gives the impression you haven’t done your research. You haven’t done your research because you don’t know what you don’t know.

As someone who wants to help you, I expect you to use my time effectively, by knowing specifically what you’re hoping to gain from our conversation. (And if you end up learning something you didn’t expect, that’s a bonus.)

In other words, asking a targeted question shows you value my time.

One exception to this rule

There’s only ONE exception to this rule of not asking for general advice.

The exception is this: if you’re at the END of a conversation and have already asked specific questions to guide your career.

If you’ve already asked targeted questions — and hopefully received helpful, detailed answers — then you can ask one last question: “Do you have any other advice for me?” Or “Is there anything else that’s important that we haven’t talked about?”

When you ask a general question at the end of the conversation, it works like MAGIC.

Here’s why: since you’ve already guided your mentor toward helpful answers, he now has an idea of the type of information that benefits you. And now that he has an understanding of your goals, asking a general question that leaves the door open for ANY information often results in a brilliant answer.

This works because it gives him a chance to share with you the most helpful idea he has for your particular situation. And since you’re still learning about whatever that mentor knows about, you probably didn’t know enough to ASK about that specific detail.

Make sense?

So next time you ask for advice, make sure to do it the smart way. And let us know how it works for you.

Alexis Grant is managing editor of Brazen Life and author of How I Surpassed My Day Job Income in Just 6 Months of Self-Employment.

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The post The Big Mistake You’re Making When You Ask for Advice appeared first on Brazen Life.

Or maybe you’re on the other side of the fence, asking if you can do the brain-picking?

Check out this article from CNNMoney about how an increasing number of in-demand conversationalists are charging for brain-pick sessions.

Here’s an excerpt:

Adrienne Graham, founder of EmpowerMe, a business-growth strategy company, grew so frustrated by the onslaught of lunch date requests that she wrote a book called, No You Can’t Pick My Brain, It Costs Too Much. Graham devised a few rules about if and when to share her expertise with others.

Graham will freely discuss why her knowledge is beneficial, what kinds of issues she thinks others are facing, but she stops short at actually telling people how they ought to go about solving their problems. “Anything that’s going to … help you with your bottom line or your profitability, that’s a consult for me,” she says. “That’s intellectual property that I give to my paying clients.” Graham charges clients $350 per hour for a strategy session.

So we’re wondering: Have you ever paid for a lunch date? Would you?

We’d also love to hear from Brazenites who’ve managed to charge when someone wanted to pick your brain. How’d you turn that freebie request into a money-maker?

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The post Should You Charge When Someone Wants to Pick Your Brain? appeared first on Brazen Life.

The author, Anne-Marie Slaughter, says it’s impossible for women to give their families the attention they want to give while also thriving in a high-powered career.

She writes:

Women of my generation have clung to the feminist credo we were raised with, even as our ranks have been steadily thinned by unresolvable tensions between family and career, because we are determined not to drop the flag for the next generation. But when many members of the younger generation have stopped listening, on the grounds that glibly repeating “you can have it all” is simply airbrushing reality, it is time to talk.

We pulled together some of the best commentary around the piece, so you can get a sense for all the different opinions on this topic:

• Elite Women Put a New Spin on an Old Debate (The New York Times)

• Fine, Women Can’t Have It All. Isn’t That Called Compromise? (Slate‘s XXFactor)

• Can Modern Women Have it All? (Salon)

• Photo response to the cover art (Jessica Valenti)

• Thinking Through The Atlantic’s Women Can’t Have It All Essay (Hey Elise)

• Interview with Anne-Marie Slaughter on Family and Career, and Actually Having Both (The Hairpin)

Have you read other thought-provoking responses to this piece? Leave us a link in the comments!

Or tell us what YOU think. Can women (or men!) have it all?

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The post Women Can’t Have It All — Or Can We? appeared first on Brazen Life.

Who could forget that famous speech Steve Jobs gave at Stanford? Or J.K. Rowling’s Harvard speech?

Here’s another to add to your list: author Neil Gaiman’s speech this year at the University of the Arts.

We heard about this from Tim Ferris, who called it “mandatory listening for anyone who hopes to be creatively successful.”

Our favorite line? “I didn’t have a career,” Gaiman said. “I just did the next thing on the list.”

Watch for some serious inspiration, and then tell us in the comments: What’s your favorite commencement speech?

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The post A Must-Watch Commencement Speech: Author Neil Gaiman on Creating Art appeared first on Brazen Life.

Whether your goal is to travel, volunteer, build a certain skill set or make money, this visual map will help you get there.

Even though summer is only a few days away, it’s not too late to find a way to make yours productive!

Check it out, and then let us know in the comments:

How are you planning to spend YOUR summer?

Presented By: BachelorsDegreeOnline.com

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The post Infographic Shows Smart Ways to Spend Your Summer appeared first on Brazen Life.

Check out the video below, in which Buddy Media CEO Michael Lazerow talks about how several brushes with death helped him get past fear to do some great things with his life. That includes launching Buddy Media, a social media company that sold to Salesforce.com for $689 million just hours before Lazerow told his story on YouTube.

We first learned of the video from Mashable, which wrote:

The clip is raw and emotional. However, throughout it, Lazerow doesn’t speak a single word. Instead, he tells his own remarkable story and a bit about the acquisition, via a keynote slideshow on his iPad. Lazerow, who has had a life-long heart condition is smiling during most of it, but he’s also clearly wiping away a tear or two as he reacts to some of what he’s sharing.

Here’s the four-minute video:

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The post Buddy Media Co-Founder Offers Powerful Video Message About Fear appeared first on Brazen Life.

The 22-year-old’s essay in the Yale Daily News is well-worth reading in full, but here’s an excerpt:

We’re so young. We’re so young. We’re twenty-two years old. We have so much time. There’s this sentiment I sometimes sense, creeping in our collective conscious as we lay alone after a party, or pack up our books when we give in and go out – that it is somehow too late. That others are somehow ahead. More accomplished, more specialized. More on the path to somehow saving the world, somehow creating or inventing or improving. That it’s too late now to BEGIN a beginning and we must settle for continuance, for commencement…

What we have to remember is that we can still do anything. We can change our minds. We can start over. Get a post-bac or try writing for the first time. The notion that it’s too late to do anything is comical. It’s hilarious. We’re graduating college. We’re so young. We can’t, we MUST not lose this sense of possibility because in the end, it’s all we have.

ABC News reports on the sad details of her death:

Keegan, an English major with a writing concentration, died May 26 when she and her boyfriend, Michael Gocksch, were en route  to Cape Cod. He lost control of the Lexus, hit  a guardrail, spun across the road to hit the opposite guardrail, then rolled  over twice. Gocksch was uninjured, but Keegan died at the scene.

More details about Keegan and her talents from TIME:

The promising young English major had been the president of the Yale Young Democrats and an active part of her college’s branch of the Occupy Wall Street movement. A promising writer, she had already penned articles for NPR and The New York Times and blogged for The New Yorker, where she was set to start work as an assistant to the general counsel in June.

Keegan’s piece, which is now making its rounds around the web, ends: “We’re in this together, 2012. Let’s make something happen to this world.”

Again, here’s the full essay.

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The post Yale Graduate Writes Beautiful Essay On Life, Then Dies in Tragic Accident appeared first on Brazen Life.

If you’re social-media-savvy, you’re staring in the face of opportunity; so many brands, both big and small, need help growing their online community.

But even if you know you want to use your social media skills to make money, it’s not always clear where to start.

Since launching my ebook How to Build a Part-Time Social Media Business, I’ve talked with lots of young professionals who want to make this move, whether to earn money on the side of their day job or as a stepping stone to working for themselves full time. Those who are held up often feel stymied by the same issues.

So let’s talk about those popular obstacles and how to overcome them:

Obstacle #1: Deciding which services to provide

Social media consultants run the gamut, from coaching clients to creating strategies to actually implementing those strategies. Others run classes or webinars, and others sell products that help clients help themselves. Which type of services do you want to provide? Where on this spectrum do you fit in?

A big part of this is deciding who to target. Saying you’ll “work with anyone who needs it” may keep you from closing any doors, but also deprives you of finding a niche — and that’s usually where the money’s at.

If you try to appeal to everyone, you’ll appeal to no one. Target clients by topic — travel, for example, or finance — based off your skills and interests. Or target by type of client, looking to work with non-profits, for example, or individual writers.

Once you’ve got this down, create a page on your blog about your services (here’s an example). Even if you don’t include prices on your site, being clear about what you offer will go a long way.

Obstacle #2: Figuring out what to charge

This is another piece that varies drastically, which is why it can be difficult to pinpoint how to approach it. How much you charge depends on your experience, what you’re offering and what the client can afford. Recent college graduates charge anywhere from $20-$100/hour.

For your first paying client or two, try to find a happy medium between how much you think they can afford and how much you’d like to make. Lean toward affordability at first if landing that client is essential to getting your business off the ground; you can always ask for more with your next client. In fact, transitioning to higher paid clients over time should be one of your long-term goals.

Also consider how many hours you’ll work for the client. If you’re working on an hourly basis, you can charge a fairly high rate for those few hours. If the client is retaining you month after month to implement their social media strategy, your hourly rate can be lower because you’re guaranteed a good number of hours. This second type of client — the recurring monthly client — is the best kind in my mind, because you know you’ll have that paycheck month after month.

Obstacle #3: Getting clients

Landing your first client could be the most difficult part of starting your own business — or, if serendipity is on your side, it could be the easiest.

The key here is to always be on the lookout for opportunities. Who within your network, or perhaps within one or two degrees of separation, could benefit from your skills? Which organizations that you’re involved with have a not-so-impressive online presence? Which businesses would reach their target demographic by making better use of online tools?

Pitch one of those brands, letting them know how you can help them reach their goals. But don’t expect to fill your pockets with cash from your first client. Instead, consider working for that client for free to gain experience, a recommendation and possibly referrals that will help you down the line. Once you’ve done a fabulous job for that client, it will be easier to land more.

If you’re past the point of working for free — and you should only work for free if it’s benefiting you significantly by, for example, helping you build your resume — the client search can be more challenging. In addition to going after possible clients, focus on helping them find you. Use your own online presence to market yourself, showcasing your value in this field so opportunities come to you. One of the best ways to do this is through a blog.

This is what I like to call “making your own luck.” The more value you provide online, the more people you connect with, the more you build your online community — the more likely that community will think of you when an opportunity arises that fits your skill set. If you continue to build that network and make it easy to find you, you’ll rarely be in the position where you have to look for clients.

What other challenges are keeping your from launching a social media business?

Alexis Grant, managing editor of Brazen Life and author of ebook How to Build a Part-Time Social Media Business, is offering a free Brazen webinar on making money off your social media skills. Sign up to join us!

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The post 3 Common Obstacles to Starting a Social Media Business and Why You Shouldn’t Let Them Stop You appeared first on Brazen Life.

Fox Business reports that most 20-something professionals say they WOULD date a colleague, according to a study from employee benefits provider Workplace Options. Older workers, however, generally say it’s a bad idea.

Here’s an excerpt from the story:

What’s the difference between the office and a singles bar? Well, nothing for some millennials.

According to a study by employee benefits provider Workplace Options, 84% of employees aged 18 to 29 say they would date a co-worker, and 71% say they think workplace romance is a positive thing that improves performance and morale. Their older colleagues disagree, as only 29% of those aged 46 to 65 say they’d consider dating someone they worked with, and 90% say it could do more harm than good.

Interested? Check out the entire story.

What do you think about office dating? Does your company have a no-dating rule? Would you ever act on that co-worker crush?

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The post Hey, Have You Seen This? Office Romance On the Rise appeared first on Brazen Life.

The Wall Street Journal reports on a study that shows you can put a dollar figure on happiness.

The bull’s eye? $75,000 a year.

That’s for everyday happiness though, not overall, year-over-year satisfaction (which continues to increase with your income, according to the study).

Details from the piece (or you can read it in full):

As people earn more money, their day-to-day happiness rises. Until you hit $75,000. After that, it is just more stuff, with no gain in happiness.

That doesn’t mean wealthy and ultrawealthy are equally happy. More money does boost people’s life assessment, all the way up the income ladder. People who earned $160,000 a year, for instance, reported more overall satisfaction than people earning $120,000, and so on.

“Giving people more income beyond 75K is not going to do much for their daily mood … but it is going to make them feel they have a better life,” Mr. Deaton told the Associated Press.

So what do you think? What’s YOUR perfect salary for happiness?

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Wrong.

Fast-forward six months. Think your company will really implement any of the changes you suggested? Probably not.

Think a few people at that company might be mad at you for airing your grievances? Probably. No matter how professionally you presented them.

We like to think our superiors are mature enough to take criticism in stride, but the truth is, some aren’t. And you need even those immature bosses on your side as a reference down the road, especially if you’re hoping to move up the ladder in that industry.

Which is why even if you’re leaving your job because it sucks, you should keep that truth to yourself — particularly if you’ve worked hard to build relationships at that workplace. Telling the truth seems like the right thing to do, but it’s not the best move for you or your career.

I like the analogy Andrew Rosen makes in his piece about how to break up with your job, that it’s similar to a romantic breakup. When we leave a person, we often have the urge to talk it out, explaining where the relationship went wrong. But the truth is, while that gut-spilling or over-explaining may make you feel better, your ex isn’t going to change because of it. In many cases, being truly honest will hurt and offend.

Now picture your employer as your soon-to-be ex. No matter how you hedge your complaints, no matter how constructive you frame your criticism, chances are someone at that organization will be mad at you for doing it. And that’s bad for your career.

(This is kind of like how Penelope Trunk says women shouldn’t report sexual harassment because it will likely hurt your career. Not exactly what we want to hear, but she has a point.)

Instead, hold your tongue, even if it’s against your nature. Put the focus on what’s ahead, and use that as your reason for leaving, telling your employer you’ve been offered an opportunity you simply can’t pass up. That saves you from having to say anything at all about the job you’re leaving, and it helps you stay honest, too.

And what if you’re asked specific questions about what it was like to work for that company?

Respond like you would if your mom asked you how you liked her meatloaf, and you didn’t want to hurt her feelings. Couch your answers. Offer positive feedback on what did work. Change the subject.

Because once you make a smooth exit, your frustration over your organization’s inefficiencies will fade into the distance, just like your ex when you’ve got a new crush. Then you can put all of that energy where it belongs — into your new job.

Do you agree or disagree? Why?

Alexis Grant is managing editor of Brazen Life. She blogs at The Traveling Writer.

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The post The Case for Lying in Your Exit Interview appeared first on Brazen Life.

But here’s a soft skill GenY has mastered far better than other generations: Millennials are generous. Particularly in professional situations, 20-somethings understand the value of helping others, that what goes around comes around, perhaps especially in an increasingly digital world.

Whenever I chat with new acquaintances who are interested in learning about me or my business, some look at the conversation as something that’s benefiting them. Regardless of whether I contacted them or they contacted me, they ask how-can-this-help-me questions.

But GenYers tend to approach these conversations differently. Yes, they’re eager to learn about how I’m selling digital guides online or helping small businesses with social media or whatever project they’re interested in. But they also ask how they can help me.

That question is essential. It establishes a mutually-beneficial relationship, giving me a reason to want to stay in touch. Even if there’s no immediate way for that person to help me succeed, knowing they’re open to the idea and will watch for opportunities to give me a boost turns a one-time conversation and one-sided relationship into a potentially long-term partnership, one I want to maintain.

Why do young, digitally-connected professionals get the concept of what goes around, comes around? Likely because it’s so closely tied to social media, another of GenY’s strong suits. Because social media isn’t just about using the tools. Sure, Millennials know how to schedule a tweet and create a flashy newsletter and grow a Facebook page. But social media revolves around connecting and cultivating communities, including your own one-on-one relationships — a skill that’s useful both in business and in life.

In other works, social media works best when you give rather than take, which means young professionals are getting an awful lot of practice at giving.

That’s the key here: giving, or helping others achieve their goals, is what will help you create powerful connections.

Millennials know that if they help someone make a new contact or reach a goal or build an audience, that person is likely to reciprocate in some way in the future. They understand that the best way to build a new relationship isn’t to take, but to give.

Of course, efforts at reciprocation have to be heart-felt; you have to express a genuine desire to help someone for them to want to help you back. But once you’ve done that — whether in person or online — you’ve made yourself far more appealing. Even if your reason for reaching out was selfish, tacking that all-important question, “How can I help you?” onto the conversation will take it to the next level.

So next time you want a favor from a contact, find a way to offer that magic line. Consider not only what they can do for you, but what you can do for them. Maybe that will help GenY shed the ugly entitled label and replace it with one that’s a little more shiny.

Alexis Grant is managing editor of Brazen Life. A solopreneur, she writes a weekly newsletter about how to transition from working for an employer to working for yourself.

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That’s why we’ve selected 20 young professionals to keep your eye on this year, go-getters under 35 who are pushing the envelope and influencing their industry — and sometimes even the world.

You may recognize a few of these names, but we made an effort to feature Millennials who aren’t regulars on watch lists, folks who are up-and-coming. Some are entrepreneurs, while others work for public companies, government or non-profits, often holding positions that are more senior than you’d expect for someone their age.

Many — but not all — have a strong personal brand. Most importantly, for each of the young people we’ve chosen, their best work is still ahead of them.

For future Brazen watch lists, we may implement a nomination process, but this list was compiled by us, the Brazen Life editors, incorporating suggestions from the Brazen community via our blog, Facebook and Twitter.

Of course, lots of young professionals are rockin’ it in one way or another, and it’s impossible to spotlight them all. But here’s our take on who will be influential in the coming year and beyond.

In random order, our picks for brazen young professionals to watch in 2012:

1. Simon Owens: As the director of editorial and outreach at JESS3, the company that makes awesome infographics for Google and Facebook, Owens represents a new breed of content marketer/journalist. And with JESS3’s impressive client list, we think some of his most dynamic strategies are yet to come.

2. Yifan Zhang: A recent Harvard graduate, Yifan founded Gym-Pact, a mobile app that motivates you to work out; it launches nationally on Jan. 1. Yifan also founded Styleta, a nonprofit fashion organization.

3. Craig Kanalley: Instrumental in The Huffington Post’s social media efforts, Kanalley recently left that position to become NBC News’ social media editor. Since NBC owns the rights to broadcast the London games, we’re betting he’ll bring that same energy to the 2012 Olympics.

4. Amanda Hocking: After shocking the publishing world with her self-publishing success, Amanda, who writes young-adult books, landed a multiple-book, multimillion-dollar deal with St. Martin’s Press. Her first traditionally published books will be released in 2012.

5. Srinivas Rao: He’s host and co-founder of BlogcastFM, an audio show that features interviews with successful bloggers. The show recently landed its first partnership, so we’re expecting it to continue to grow next year.

6. Jenny Blake: Life coach and former Google employee, Jenny Blake recently released her Make Sh*t Happen Course. A master of Google templates, she’s now throwing herself into  solopreneurship.

7. Jeff Goins: Though he’s been blogging for less than a year, this writer has already made a splash in the blogging-about-writing niche. He recently landed a publishing deal for a book about finding your purpose, which is slated to come out in 2012.

8. Natan Edelsburg: This Sawhorse Media VP oversees Muck Rack, which tracks journalists on Twitter. He’s also a staff writer for the social TV blog Lost Remote. We’re psyched to look on as he grows the Shorty Awards, an Oscars for social media.

9. Natalie MacNeil: Founder of She Takes on the World, a blog for career-minded and entrepreneurial women, Natalie is also the co-founder of digital media firm Imaginarius. She recently won an Emmy for her online documentary, and plans to produce another digital movie in 2012.

10. Jon Favreau: The pressure will be on Obama’s speechwriter this year as the president comes up for re-election. Wonder if he’ll pull out anything great like he did in 2008?

11. Alex Horton: After serving a combat tour in Iraq, Alex gained the attention of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs through his blog; now he blogs for the department as a new media specialist.

12. Saya Hillman: This self-described accidental entrepreneur, who organizes unique, in-person events intended to help you meet new people (you’re encouraged to go solo), is rolling out more underground supper clubs and “fear experiments” in Chicago in 2012.

13. Derwin Dubose: A political strategist who works for North Carolina’s Lieutenant Governor, Derwin helps social-sector institutions navigate the intersection of policy, press and advocacy. Next year could be big for him, as he’s gearing up for a possible senior management campaign role or a move to the national policy level.

14. Jared Cohen: This author worked in policy-making at the State Department before becoming director of Google Ideas, a think/do tank. After asking Twitter to delay scheduled maintenance because of its role in the Iranian protests, we’re eager to see what big ideas he’ll bring this year.

15. Kate Kendall: A digital thinker, Kate’s creating a platform called Cloud Peeps, which connects brands with freelancers, including community managers. She’s also in the midst of expanding Australia-based The Fetch, a what’s-happening guide to your city’s business, digital and creative communities, to various cities around the world.

16. Josh Marcuse: Founder and president of Young Professionals in Foreign Policy, Josh was recently named an adjunct fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Next year is promising for YPFP under Josh’s leadership, and the organization expects to hit 10,000 members.

17. Jamie Bowerman: The Savannah College of Art and Design master’s candidate is on a mission to revolutionize the way we carry stuff. He has exceeded his fundraising goal on Kickstarter, so maybe 2012 will be the year his unique Bowerbag hits stores.

18. Simone Koo: The 2003 Georgetown grad is one of the youngest COOs at finance firm Morgan Stanley. Judging from how quickly this marathon runner has made her way on the career track, the sky’s the limit.

19. Chris Golden: A political enthusiast, Chris co-founded myImpact.org, an online platform with a heavy Twitter component that connects both national and community volunteers. The site is in beta, so watch for improvements and growth in 2012.

20. Shama Kabani: As CEO and founder of The Marketing Zen Group, Shama leads 25 full-time virtual employees to deliver social media and digital PR services for clients. The second edition of her book about using social media marketing for business is due out in January.

To make it easy for you to follow these young professionals, we’ve created a Twitter list that includes everyone with a handle.

Alexis Grant and Jaclyn Schiff are co-managing editors of Brazen Life. Alexis, a journalist and social media strategist, blogs at The Traveling Writer, and Jaclyn, a journalist/media consultant, writes and tweets about global health and media trends.

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Because when you’re trying to make it on your own for the first time, putting several hundred dollars or more each month toward paying off that expensive college education can be stifling, no matter how ambitious you are. That’s why some Millennials with the entrepreneurial spirit stay in traditional 9-to-5 jobs rather than starting their own businesses — businesses that would create jobs for our barely-recovering economy.

So Brazenites should be psyched to hear about a new opportunity from the Young Entrepreneur Council that will make it easier for 20-somethings bearing the weight of student loans to file for that LLC.

Starting Nov. 1, Millenials with smart, innovative ideas for startups can apply to the YEC’s new Gen Y Capital Partners, which will soon fund early-stage ventures. The $10-million fund plans to invest $15,000-$50,000 into businesses started by young people. And to help remove barriers for those young entrepreneurs, the program will also pay the founders’ federal student loan debt obligations for up to three years.

“The No. 1 problem for most young people is they don’t have the funds available to them to start a business,” said YEC founder Scott Gerber, who founded the video-production company Sizzle It!. “These programs are… opening the playing field and removing certain barriers to entry.”

The YEC program — which uses private funds, not federal money — corresponds with a new initiative by the White House to make it easier to manage the increasing burden of student loan debt by allowing new graduates to cap their loan payments at 10 percent, rather than the 15 percent allowed now.

That change was approved by Congress last year (though the original program was created by the Bush administration) and is set to go into effect in 2014. But the Obama administration has now proposed moving the effective date to late 2012. For that to happen, the Department of Education must first undergo a rule-making process to create the regulation.

The current law, called the Income-Based Repayment Plan, allows borrowers who qualify based on their income and family size to limit monthly loan payments to 15 percent of their discretionary income. It also forgives all remaining debt after 25 years, while the new plan would forgive the balance of graduates’ debt after 20 years of payments. But few students know about this option, the White House said in a press release.

While the income-based plan is designed to help all graduates, the U.S. Small Business Administration has a website that explains how it specifically benefits young entrepreneurs. There’s a calculator on the site, but as an example, if your income is $30,000 annually, the monthly payment for your federal loan would be capped at $171. If you earn less than $20,000 a year — which, let’s face it, is totally feasible for young entrepreneurs just starting a business — your monthly payment $0. That’s right, $0.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur or not, it’s worth checking whether you qualify.

As for the YEC’s new program, they’re planning to invest in 100 Millennial startups during the next 3-5 years. Will yours be one of them?

Alexis Grant is managing editor of Brazen Life. A journalist by training, she shares her transition from working for an employer to working for herself at Solopreneur Secrets.

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The post NEWS: New Program Lifts Student Loan Burden for Young Entrepreneurs appeared first on Brazen Life.

Maybe you want to backpack through Asia. Or volunteer in an African village. Or go “tramping” in New Zealand or wine-tasting in France.

If you long to see the world, why aren’t you doing it?

For some of us, the challenge is money. For others, it’s convincing our family that we’ll be OK traveling around the world. But for most Brazenites, the answer is probably your career. You’ve only recently started working, so how can you possibly take months or even a year to travel?

It’s normal to worry about creating a gap on your resume or leaving your job only to face finding another when you get back. But what many dreamers don’t realize is that with a little planning, traveling abroad can enhance your resume, not ruin it.

Here’s how to take your Dream Trip AND boost your career:

Decide on a mission

Perhaps the strongest way to make your career break an asset is by choosing a Travel Mission. This is what you’ll accomplish or learn during your trip, an overall goal or focus for your break.

Though getting away from the grind of your job can be a goal, your mission should be bigger than that. Whatever you choose, make sure it’s about maximizing your potential for personal growth.

During my backpacking trip through Africa, for example, my main mission was to freelance for newspapers and magazines. Not only did I enjoy reporting those articles and earn some extra cash, the assignments also landed on my resume, complementing my work experience. “Freelanced from Africa” doesn’t look too shabby on a resume, right?

While this mission didn’t take over my trip – I had plenty of time to bask in the backpacker lifestyle – it gave me something to talk about with potential employers when I returned. It showed initiative and professional growth, and it made me a better writer.

Volunteer

Employers want to hire do-gooders. So why not use your trip as an opportunity to volunteer in a local community?

Doing unpaid work will help you gain skills, make new friends and contacts, and immerse yourself in a new culture. Plus, volunteering can give structure to your days, which can be comforting to independent travelers.

Just like your mission, volunteering can make your trip more meaningful. And guess what? If you spin it right, it might be meaningful to hiring managers, too.

Consider other career paths

Think of your career break as an opportunity to reflect on what you really want out of your job. After all, just because you left a job in one industry doesn’t mean you have to return to the same type of position.

Through your Mission or volunteering or simply having time to reflect, you may discover a new passion or develop the necessary skills to switch industries. In fact, if you’re stuck coming up with a Travel Mission, try using your trip to test drive aspects of a career you suspect you might enjoy.

For example, if you’re interested in working with kids, volunteer at an orphanage or school. If teaching intrigues you, try tutoring English in another country. Look for people who are doing what you want to do, and ask to tag along for a day.

Market yourself strategically

Upon returning from your trip, be creative about marketing your career break as a positive experience. Add your trip to your resume, but don’t simply write, “traveling” – and certainly don’t leave your travel time as a gap on that personal marketing document.

Instead, make your Mission the line item on your resume, and turn your experiences into tangible skills. Remember to go beyond soft skills, like maturity and perspective. What did you learn that will help the company you want to work for?

So don’t let your career stand in the way of your Big Trip. Go ahead and travel – and use those experiences to take your career to the next level. With a little creativity and a lot of planning, a break from the traditional workforce can help you see even more career success.

If you could go anywhere on a career break, where would it be?

Alexis Grant is a journalist, social media strategist and managing editor of Brazen Life. Check out her new eguide, How to Take a Career Break to Travel.

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The post How to Take That Dream Trip While Boosting Your Career appeared first on Brazen Life.

Project Manager at Charity: Water

This non-profit organization brings clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. As project manager, “you’ll help us fight the water crisis one project at a time,” the job description reads. “From large-scale events to new online features; you’ll see all types of campaigns through from start to finish. ”

The position is located in New York City, and applicants are expected to have three years of work experience and familiarity with project-management tools like Basecamp. Event experience is a plus.

For more details and to apply, check out Charity: Water’s jobs page.

Does your company or organization have an awesome job opening you want the Brazen community to know about? Email a link and description to alexis[at]brazencareerist.com.

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The post Sweet Job: Project Manager at Charity: Water appeared first on Brazen Life.

For nearly 2,000 U.S.-based professionals, the top three office peeves are:

1. Co-workers not taking ownership of their actions

2. Constant complainers

3. Dirty common areas (like when your cube-mate leaves the microwave splattered with her lunch)

Also notable on the list was “clothing that’s too revealing for the workplace.” That behavior annoyed 62 percent of women but only 29 percent of men.

So today we ask you: What’s your office pet peeve? Don’t hold back — Let ‘em fly!

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