I'm sorry, Nora, I didn't mean to imply that everyone with those characteristics just naturally gets up the chain. Not at all. I know far too many people who excel in their jobs and are still miserable.

Oh, not to worry java- I didn't think that was what you were implying. I'm in a fun self pity stage of my professional life and it doesn't take much for me to get going on that!!!

Oh, whew~! I was afraid I was coming off as a jerk.

No, not at all!

I got the most advancement in my suckiest job. I can't call it mentoring, because they were primarily trying to use existing resources to accomplish as much as possible. Even though they didn't pay me commensurate, they did let me change my title, and that flowed up with subsequent jobs. And the boss in my second suckiest job tried, he really did, but the glass ceiling was low and I was fscked.

Right now, I don't know if I want to shift titles. I've been senior at random different stuff since I was 23. The stuff I do that I'm not senior in yet, it's because it looks like a headache.

At one of my last jobs, they went out of their way to provide a career track that was technical and non-management and led to just about the same pay points, which was great. But that was before the economy crashed. I doubt I'll work like that again.

My current boss is very encouraging. At the very least I'd be happy to explore the boundaries of pay and responsibility of my current role. Or, you know, get a perm position.

You know, this makes me mad all over again about Universal Health Care. I think I would be working freelance in theatre right now if not for the thought of not having insurance, or having to pay my own I might even have stuck with it or gone back to it sooner. But with pre-existing mental health issues, plus being obese (and I was "overweight" classified at a size 6) I am a slae to the man of insurance, unless I find a partner.

I told my boss today (Republican) that the argument for universal healthcare should be that it would get more people starting business and getting growth going, because they would not be stuck in jobs!

In thinking about other fields, I feel extra lucky that that first receptionist job I got was in a tiny nonprofit, which I think made it easier to move over into a non-admin department. But that's just the first example of my job-related luck, which has been very good to me. Not that all of the jobs have been great, and not that I'm not a good employee, but I have been VERY lucky wrt getting jobs over the years.

Anyway, I come with a question for the hivemind: I have GOT to do laundry, forgot I am out of detergent, and can't bear to go to the store. A little google suggests these options that I have on hand: dish soap, shampoo, baking soda. What do you all vote for?

Baking soda~!

Shampoo is gentle and good for breaking down any greasy spots

Dish soap.

Sophia, you don't have to have a subject Master's degree to be an academic librarian, though in some cases it helps. I will warn you, though, that it is not a guaranteed job - despite some trend stories, there is actually an overpopulation of librarians right now. Also, you can do decently well (pay- and responsibility-wise) working as a paraprofessional in some libraries (and by decent pay, I mean academic-level decent). I would NOT go into serious debt for a library degree without some pre-existing experience in the field. Contacts get you jobs. Go talk to librarians where you work, and start the networking process there.

I haven't worked in many jobs, because I spent 6 years in grad school, but I have been fantastically lucky in my bosses & work cultures. Never anyone insane or evil, and some serious mentoring and support at my last workplace.

Ha! Poor Jesse got three different responses. We wouldn't be Buffistas otherwise.