Career Paths for Engineers

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I’m an engineer with aspirations for making it to the top of the management pile at my 6000-person company.

Right now I’m in an amazing opportunity where I’m working directly with a vice president as his assistant.

How do I capitalize on this opportunity? What can I do to help launch myself from this point? I’ve done great things to get here, but I want to keep the momentum going.

My other question is do I need an MBA? Do you need a second masters degree to be promoted up the ladder? Or will my experience and abilities get me there? What if I want to move to another company, do I need an MBA?

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Using Social Media to Network

I’m writing an article for Real Simple magazine. Can you send me a few points about how to use social media to network more effectively?

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Jealous Co-workers

What can I do about a co-worker who is jealous of me? She is underhanded and conniving at work. Should I confront her?

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I Need a Mentor

I’m looking for a mentor. I’m Spanish and live in Barcelona. I write a Spanish blog aimed at a Spanish-speaking audience.

I don’t know what real chance I have asking someone I admire in the United States to mentor me. Should I ask popular people? I have some in mind who I would like as mentors, but I’m afraid they won’t even notice me because of their popularity. Should I look for more “normal” people?

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Semi-Starving Artist

I need help earning more money. I’m a workhorse, great at ideas, and a very creative artist. Self-employed artist for 11 years. I’m busy rebuilding my financial life post-divorce.

What I need is more income to support my good ideas. I’d like to be able to hire an assistant so I can do the idea making, while someone else makes the machine work. I’ve got a new business I’m busy launching as well.

I would like you to mentor me, or coach me toward this. I can offer you ART in trade. I’m rich in art, great at color.

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There’s No Money In My Future

I would like to say that I am interested in kick starting my career or starting a business. But that would be a lie.  My interests lie in writing, social work, community development and someday teaching theology on the seminary level.

However, the reality is that I’m scraping by, I have considerable college debt, and in the not so distant future will have parents to take care of.  I know little about business, how to get a good job and even less about start ups.

What would you suggest for a guy like me?

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Whistleblowing

I’m faced with a very fucked up work situation and I thought I would ask for your advice.
This just happened to me:

One of our counsellors comes up to me and ask me for some legal advice. We go into a private room and she tells me about a matter she’s having with the organization. she needs help. in the process, she discloses something the company is doing that is illegal. The company is not paying proper employee taxes to the government and the result is that when an employee is fired they will not have unemployment benefits.

The management justified this by saying, we have to do it because we have no money. but the employees are getting screwed over. Management says, “At least these people have jobs.” Also, management is lying to donors about how many people are working at the company, but at lease the work is getting done.

But I think the government needs to be informed of this illegal behavior so the employees can negotiate a resolution that is beneficial to them.

I’m just not certain what to do. Do you have any advice?

Thanks for reading my lengthy email. The first thing I noticed when I came here was how little our Director seems to care about her employees.

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