Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Journal.

Starving Artist Musings
I remember my senior year of high school vividly. It was a ruthless quest on my part for an untarnished GPA and a podium speech that would surely find itself woven into a Rom-Com screenplay one day. Most important of all was having an answer to the perpetual question, "Where are you going to college?" I'd almost be better off saying "I haven't decided yet" than rattling off an unknown institution. I'm fairly certain I chose my first university (yes, I said "first") purely based on my need for the approval of my elders, teachers, and peers.
By Candace Neal8 years ago in Journal
How to Climb the Career Ladder in 2018?
2018 is approaching fast, and it seems to be a good time to review your career goals. It is a good time for self-analysis and to ask questions like: "Am I at the position I wanted to be in my career?" or "Did I meet my career goals this year?" While some individuals might answer in positive to these questions, a majority of people are still unaware about where their career is heading. A few people might be concerned about scoring a promotion, but a major chunk of them would be trying to understand what went wrong and why their career has suddenly turned stagnant, despite putting all efforts. Once you have studied it and understood what not to repeat for the coming years, take the following steps to enhance your career.
By Eva Lee8 years ago in Journal
Working in TV Part 2
So you have decided to create that profile have you? Remember this is not like your usual CV, it doesn’t really matter what qualifications you got at school, whether you were head of the student union, or the need for references. Productions and agencies would like to know about the person that you are now so honesty and optimism are important. By all means mention your previous job roles or careers, no need to list employers etc, just mention that you were previously a chef, a barrister, a market trader, a police officer, anything really. In this world selections are often initially made from applicants who have real life experience in the roles being cast.
By Jo Wheatley8 years ago in Journal
Tech Week in the Theatre Realm
So I think we can all quickly name off famous actors from theatre. Hugh Jackman, Ben Platt, Josh Groban, and the list goes on and on and on. What about the tech crew, though? Can you name some people who have been involved with successful shows like Hamilton that worked as a stage manager? Or how about a lighting designer from the show Lion King on Broadway? It becomes a bit more difficult. These magnificent people that work behind the scenes are the true heroes of the theatre realm. And around a week or two before each show starts, lighting designers, stage producers, assistant stage producers, audio designers and choreographers of all shapes an sizes (and believe it or not, occasionally individuals take on two or more of these roles for a show on the local theatre level, HUGE shout out to them!) give up sleep, food, and sometimes healthy hygiene habits to make sure a show is ready by the time it is supposed to open. I'd like to dedicate this post to my beloved tech crews I've worked with and any one out there that has a tech person that they love and cherish. Let's talk about tech week in a show: specifically my experiences with set, sound and lighting.
By Kevin Rothlisberger8 years ago in Journal
Fire Your Boss and Free Yourself
You don't have to fire rounds at your employer's office, but how great would it feel if you could? I'm not suggesting either that you immediately call up your boss and tell him/her to shove their job up their backside and into the seventh circle of Hell.
By Steven J Davies8 years ago in Journal
A Job Is a Job
Getting a job can be both easy and difficult. To be honest, there are plenty of jobs, not many dream jobs, but there are jobs close to it. From life experience and getting to know people, finding the right (dream) job is a pain. If you know a person who isn’t working, their reason is that no one would hire them. It is because they aren’t looking for a job. Getting a job just to survive or paying a portion of the rent isn’t that difficult to find. Yes, it may suck for a while, just until you see something you like that's better. Even YouTubers still worked until they got a better offer.
By Erika Martinez8 years ago in Journal
5 Things to Avoid During Appraisal Discussions
With another financial year coming to an end, it is that time of the month when you are busy with filling appraisal forms or preparing a presentation of significant achievements. While the hiring managers resort to performance reviews given by the team leaders to decide whether you deserve a hike, a lot is still in your hands when it comes to getting a rise in paycheck. Whether you get a hefty rise or not is never dependent only on the performance report, but also on how you present yourself during the appraisal meeting. At the heart of this meeting would only be a single question: 'What you have done and how it contributed to the company's goals?' Giving precise answers can only help you get an inch closer to the list of employees who are going to get appraisals. This is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate why you deserve a hike but still many employees fail to make full use of it and end up committing the following mistakes.
By Eva Lee8 years ago in Journal
The Nanny Life
My day starts off like any others who work at 7:30 AM. I wake up and hope to have a good day and hope the two boys I take care of are going to behave and be happy. One boy is 3-years-old, the other is 7 months. They are my favorite. As I reach their house and walk in the door, most of the time they are both awake. They are so happy to see me. There are sometimes when only one is awake, usually the 7-month-old, but sometimes I get lucky and both of them are asleep. When they both sleep, I get an opportunity to clean and help organize the house, since both parents work and don't have time to clean all the time.
By Julia Miller8 years ago in Journal
Work on TV Part 1
After a busy career as a zoo keeper and then as a prison officer, I took the decision to change the pace of my life. Injuries had begun to take their toll and my caring duties at home now comprised 2 teenagers, my elderly mum, and 3 rescue dogs.
By Jo Wheatley8 years ago in Journal
Retail Killed Christmas
** Note: Not going to disclose which store I work at. Not that I'm going to be bashing my place of employment, just for my own peace.
By Danielle Murray8 years ago in Journal
6 Things I Learned Working in Retail. Top Story - December 2017.
It's the holiday season; a time where family and friends come together to celebrate their respective festivities, give and receive gifts, and take time to relax. It's also the time of year that people go into stores acting like everything is the associate's fault. I worked in retail for almost 2 years, and sure enough, every year for Black Friday and Christmas shopping people tend to fly off the handle. In my time working in sales, I've acquired quite a few realizations about people and this type of business in general.
By Savana Verret8 years ago in Journal
Best Careers for Introverts
Being introverted can make certain aspects of life more challenging than for people who enjoy being in front of crowds and strive in social scenarios. Instead of forcing themselves out of their comfort zone, and ultimately leading to an unhappy lifestyle, introverts should search for careers that adapt to their preferences.
By Kelsey Lange8 years ago in Journal