Saving 101

Seeking Financial and Job Security Beyond The 9-To-5: Mint’s Personal Finance Roundup

Written by Mint.com
Published Jan 24, 2011
4 min read
The views expressed on this blog are those of the bloggers, and not necessarily those of Intuit. Third-party blogger may have received compensation for their time and services. Click here to read full disclosure on third-party bloggers. This blog does not provide legal, financial, accounting or tax advice. The content on this blog is "as is" and carries no warranties. Intuit does not warrant or guarantee the accuracy, reliability, and completeness of the content on this blog. After 20 days, comments are closed on posts. Intuit may, but has no obligation to, monitor comments. Comments that include profanity or abusive language will not be posted. Click here to read full Terms of Service.

The global economy has brought about a lot of changes in the job and career landscape, rocking everything about work, careers and vocation. No longer is the office cube the center of our work space. It’s time to think outside of the box.

Then again, while some people are meant to live with a flexible work schedule, others are at their best on the 9-to-5. Some people’s skills and talents are meant to build the economy through standard venues; others may need to get more creative.

On this note, we give you this week’s roundup as a bird’s-eye view of your career options this 2011.

If you’ve ever thought about getting a Master’s Degree but put it off because you may be thinking of downsizing to cope with your expenses, maybe this will give you a double-take: 3 Ways A Master’s Degree Can Boost Your Career by Wise Bread. In it are the arguments that may help you decide whether to pursue higher education. Who knows, it may be the salary negotiation booster you need.

The Importance Of Salary Negotiation is something worth reflecting on, even if you’re satisfied with your current pay. If you are able to add value to your company’s bottom line, you may have some negotiating power. Get more ideas on how to get a raise from this article by Get Rich Slowly.

If you have fallen on tough times, your biggest opponent as of the moment may be unemployment-sparked depression. The article Unemployed? Beat Depression With These Tips by LearnVest may help pull you out of your funk and get you back on your feet. This article’s rationale may help you avoid or shake off the emotional downfall that may come with the stress of losing one’s job.

There are other things to think about if you’ve hit a snag in your career. For those of us who are facing a job loss, the immediate response is to tighten our belts. Some ideas can be found in the article I Just Lost My Job! How I’m Downsizing My Household Expenses by The Digerati Life. Taking some extra steps to cut costs when your income has been affected will help tide you over as you find new employment.

When you’re up and ready to get back to the working grind, you may want to review some tips on how to ace that interview. This may help keep your interview style in check: How Not to Land a Job: 18 Interview No-Nos by Money Talks News. Many of us have made these mistakes. Being aware of these missteps may help you sharpen your game.

The economy has made it challenging for some of us to get further in our careers at this time. Do you feel as though your career has backed you into a wall and that you no longer have any bargaining chips to spend? Don’t jump to conclusions, though. Personal Dividends asks the question: Will You Get a Raise in 2011? You may want to assess your employment situation first before going for Plan B. There are also several ideas here that suggest how you can create your own “raise” (i.e. make extra money).

Certainly, if a raise is out of reach, you may want to take matters into your own hands. For instance, you may want to check out a few other ways to make extra cash on the side. Here is another article on the subject: 7 Ways to Make Extra Money in 2011 by US News may help inspire you to try a few new things.

One more concern that Americans have about their jobs involves the possibility of losing their positions to outsourcing. In Companies That Are Hiring Overseas, So What Are You Doing About It? Darwin’s Finance shows us some ways that we can hedge ourselves at work, the best one being that we ensure and work towards broadening our skill sets to increase our value to our employers. If you lose your job despite having developed new skills, this can only enrich your resume and benefit you during your job search.

In the new economy, it’s all about making wise financial choices, and knowing where we stand at work. Soak and generate ideas, develop new skills and work hard and smart. If you do, you should survive the tides of change.

Silicon Valley Blogger (SVB) runs The Digerati Life and The Smarter Wallet, where she writes about general personal finance topics such as investing, budgeting, debt management and small business ideas.