Top Stories
Stories in Journal that you’ll love, handpicked by our team.
Changing Careers
I was never the type to have a five-year plan or clearly defined goals when it came to my career. I had one goal growing up which was to go to University, actively encouraged to do so by my parents although my decision was also influenced in part by the TV show A Different World. Silly but true. I even changed my choice of degree throughout the process as I started off wanting to study Journalism and then switched to Psychology and Criminology. But I was fortunate enough to be of the generation in which you could study something purely out of interest and not because it had to result in a job. I reasoned I would use those three years to explore the idea of being a probation officer or work in a completely different field (I ended up doing the latter).
By Melissa Abraham7 years ago in Journal
Let Your Voice Shine in Podcasting
Before a career in podcasting, I started off as a vlogger and blogger. I worked tirelessly and diligently as I would make videos and write entries to captivate one's attention. Vlogging and blogging did generate income and help me build my brand, but with the increasing number of bloggers and vloggers on various outlets, I became disenchanted and felt that I had to compete viciously in order to stay relevant.
By Merlin Mystique7 years ago in Journal
We Tried Burrow: The Modular Sofa in a Box Everyone's Talking About and It's Amazing
Fairly recently, my office moved—and with it, moved a lot of our goods. We kept some of the cute knick-knackeries of the former office, but truth be told, we couldn't stand the idea of keeping the furniture from the old office. The chairs were painfully uncomfortable, and the tables weren't even stable.
By Ossiana Tepfenhart8 years ago in Journal
I Tried J+S Blue Light Glasses and Here's How Much They Changed the Way I Work
As a newcomer to the workforce, I had no idea the effect staring at a computer screen all day would really have on my eyes. I mean, sure, I used my laptop a lot in college, but certainly not eight hours a day, five days a week. Needless to say, the transition has been jarring on my poor eyes (and body, but that's a whole other story). For months now I've been coming home every day and feeling like if I even so much as glance at another screen, my eyes will literally fall out of my head (it's fine, I'm fine). They simply can't handle the strain of staring at my computer screen any longer. The headaches and lack of sleep? I'm so over it.
By Chelsea Kendrick8 years ago in Journal
The Rise of Digital Publishing
What stands digital publishing apart? After working for several years as a literary agent for Christine Green, Natalie Butlin made the choice to resign when she felt that traditional firms were ignoring the inevitable impact of digital publishing. She is now a Publishing Executive at the digital publishing company, Bookouture.
By Ellie Reeves8 years ago in Journal
When Age Is a Problem at Work
A friend of mine had finally gotten into a comfortable groove with her boss who was an executive at the company where she worked. The both of them were close in age and had an understanding of how each other worked. Her boss retired and was quickly replaced by a man a couple of decades younger. Rumors rumbled that middle-aged and senior employees may be let go. My friend didn’t believe what she was hearing. Many of the co-workers, including herself, had been with the company for several years. Surely their experience and longevity would mean something. Then the new boss appeared to not warm up to her, and her co-workers were laid-off. She was one of the last to be let go.
By Hillari Hunter8 years ago in Journal
Vocal for Beginners
Vocal basics are easy to learn, even as a newbie. My advice, by the way, comes from someone new at this as well, but I have had to figure it out for myself. I am hoping to save you time and effort in getting your words read. First of all, read the resource section at Vocal. It is full of information about writing and how Vocal works. Don't be wreaked if a posting is turned down. Fix it until it is accepted. When I first started at Vocal, I read postings to see what type of stuff they published, but I didn't go far enough. Most of what I saw was a walk-down-memory-lane type stuff. I rewrote some stuff I had on a website I made up for my children full of memories of our good times and bad. They were schmaltzy, but they got published. However, nobody was reading them. So I got daring and started posting articles on the sciences I love. I got a few more people reading my words. I have never been on social media of any kind; no Facebook or tweeting at all. I joined both. But I have to say, I am still getting a handle on Twitter. The easiest one suggested by Vocal is StumbleUpon. Go to the site first and learn how to stumble before you post. There are many different categories under which to put your post. You want to determine which category will get you the most views. For instance, I posted an article on evolution. I could have put it under evolution or the more general topic of science. I chose the more general topic. Then, several weeks later, I posted it in evolution. Repostings like this can drive up your readership. I post articles from my science magazines and make sure I stumble other articles every day. It is painless, and I've read some really good stuff. Reddit is a lot more difficult for me because they have so many rules! Their family category doesn't allow any pictures, which leaves out anything suitable for Vocal because pictures are big on this site. The science category only accepts peer-reviewed articles, so that's a dead end for me. The rules are tough to work around and I get hundreds of more reads from StumbleUpon than I do at Reddit. Reddit readers also contact you, and they are not always kind. So your skin must be tough.
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Journal
