On a sunny Thursday morning at the Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles’ Universal City, bright blue, pink and yellow lights bounced on the walls and ceilings of grand ballroom. It looked more like a Hollywood nightclub. But here, a group of 20-something entrepreneurs was looking for the chance to network and share ideas for transforming the ever-evolving Web. Read the rest of this entry »
Are you a part of ‘Generation Meh?’
You might expect a 28-year-old blogger who writes about issues of relationships, career, finance, happiness and misfortune for the younger crowd in today’s wired society to be pretty plugged in. True, Maureen Henderson is well read, articulate on issues of politics and policy, and well traveled. But completely wired? Nope.
For the Love: Six young adults get professional about their passions
What is the American dream today? A half-century ago it was a white picket fence, 2.5 kids and a secure job to support them. Today it encompasses the hopes of a constantly changing America, and what constitutes a successful life is a definition that’s just as volatile. Ask five young people what they hope to accomplish as adults, and you’ll likely get five very different answers.
Knocking on the glass ceiling
Aja Kelleher is not an aggressive woman. Ambitious and assertive, yes. But aggressive is a bit harsh even though many men would, perhaps, paint her with that brush as she pushed her way up the corporate ladder as a woman and a minority in a field that is heavy with white men. Standing out and standing up for herself has served her well. More than 15 years of hard work have propelled Aja into a post as senior project manager for the Chicago office of a large investment firm making in the neighborhood of $100,000. Read the rest of this entry »
Like Mother, Like Daughter: Career
Three cultures. Two generations. One bond. This Shift series delves into the lives of mothers who came to the United States from other countries and the daughters they have raised here.
Dorina was the first person in her family to earn a degree, but she didn’t stop there. She went on to earn a master’s degree and is considering pursuing a PhD. She savors the independence of being an educated woman and describes a very different picture of a woman’s role in Mexico. Education is important to Christine and Agatha as well.
Forming community – online and offline
Coming of age in the 21 Century, my adolescent years were defined by experiences and interactions with the online communities I joined during my formative years. There’s been no denying the extreme power that the Internet and technology have had while I attended high school, college, and even graduate school today.
Confessions of an entrepreneur
After returning home recently from Los Angeles, I was brainstorming ways to convey the message of some of the individuals I met at Twiistup 6. Watch the confessions of an entrepreneur by Glenn Gutierrez and take a look inside the mind of a young Internet innovator.
How do you make young people care about personal finance?
For financial institutions, it’s essential to adapt to changes and technology to start important personal-finance and spending conversations with members of Generation Y.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, under the leadership of senior outreach program manager Alejo Torres, has started programs and initiatives targeting young people through interactive workshops, seminars and activities.
Trauma leads to roadtrip on this episode of The Detour Year
In this epic episode of The Detour Year, Jean Fitzgerald, 26, recounts the dramatic time after her mother died during Jean’s first job out of school. She went on a road trip across the country, during which she witnessed tragedy in Yosemite, had a turbulent love affair in Oregon and got stopped by border police near Canada.
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Financial advice for Generation Y, from a member of its own
At 22, Stephanie Collins is a New Yorker who graduated in May from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Armed with a Bachelor’s in Applied Arts and Science, she switched gears and now blogs full time, launching Poorerthanyou.com, a financial vehicle in which she researches and writes on topics ranging from economic advice for recent college graduates to job searching techniques to emerging from credit card debt. She receives emails from mothers and fathers seeking advice for their children, and young adults just entering the career world who have put her advice into practice.
Seven steps all recent college grads should take to achieve great financial and career success
Back in the spring of 2008, a few months shy of my graduation from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, it seemed I was one of a handful of graduates setting off with a plan. Well thought-out, and solid. I majored in journalism and minored in Spanish, and my plan included entering in graduate journalism school at Northwestern University’s Medill School last fall.
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Seoul attempts to ‘heel’ gender woes
Sewer grates. Cobblestone streets. Ice slicks. Traversing these urban hazards in a pair of heels isn’t easy. Just the other day, I was walking from the train station to the office along with a steady stream of laptop-carrying workers. I was just minding my own business in a pair of low heels when, wham! My sensible business-casual heel was stuck in a sewer grate and I was doing a one-foot hop to get it back on. Most women who wear heels probably have had a similar mishap so when I read this Time article about Seoul painting parking spots pink so women could cut down on the high heeled commute, I was all for it. However, it seems this pink paint is brushing over larger gender issues. Read the rest of this entry »
Former AmeriCorps VISTA member talks on The Detour Year
Listen to this week’s episode of The Detour Year, our weekly podcast exploring less-traditional post-college experiences. This week we interview Manjima Bose, 27, who spent a year working as an AmeriCorps VISTA member with a Chicago non-profit.
Pink collar jobs perpetuate wage gap between men and women
Midge Wilson, a professor of psychology at DePaul University, came of age when there were very few women in academia. The absence of female voices spurred a career focused on researching gender issues and racial discrimination. Wilson, now 57, talks about the wage gap between men and women and how ethnicity factors into the equation.
Lights. Camera. And plenty of action!
by Kiran Sood
I returned to Chicago Saturday night after my trip to Universal City in Los Angeles to attend Twiistup 6, a technology, media and entertainment conference. I spent three nights and four days speaking to – and networking with – those who are fast changing the face of communications. I was amazed at the background, experience, and determination of the twentysomethings who jammed the event.
