Internships: Not Just for Students Anymore

This NYT article confirms what many of us learned long ago. Curiosity and passion are your best bets when it comes to living your "best life." It might require a change in thinking to take on an internship at the age of 45 (or at 35 for that matter), but it's worth considering.

Alexandra Levit, author of “How’d You Score That Gig? A Guide to the Coolest Careers and How to Get Them” (Random House, 2008), said that whatever the reason for seeking a midcareer internship, the experience can be a career booster that energizes people for decades to come.

“Internships really are a great way to test new water and gain new skills,” said Ms. Levit, who is also president of Inspiration at Work, a career consulting firm in Chicago. “The benefit comes from immersion; doing is the best way to learn.”

Access the entire article here.

Corporate Blogging Discussion Available on TalkShoe

A panel of social media experts will discuss corporate blogging and the power of the medium at the next STC Indiana chapter meeting. You can listen to a live broadcast or access an audio podcast afterwards on TalkShoe.com.

Visit http://www.stc-indiana.org/ for details.

October's At-A-Glance Photo Contest Zoomed in on IIT Sculpture

This month’s photo showed American artist George Segal’s 1986 sculpture, Man on a Bench, located on IIT’s main Chicago campus. To make the challenge more difficult, we revealed just the head and shoulders silhouetted against Perlstein Hall's west windows. The figure--cast in bronze and seated on a park bench--is both specific and deliberately vague. Dramatically lit on an early fall morning, he is especially mysterious-looking.

IIT commissioned the work for the centennial of Mies van der Rohe’s birth. To take a look for yourself, visit Perlstein Hall on the west side of State Street, just north of 33rd Street, on the main campus.

Congratulations to this month’s winner, who will receive a $20 gift certificate from Amazon.com. You can find out who won by checking our website at http://www.stc-chicago.org.

Man on a Bench, by George Segal (Photo Credit: Zoe Spirra)

Technical Writing: It's Shocking

Yahoo! Education recently listed technical writing as a career with a surprising salary, averaging $62,780 (BLS, 2007):

Technical Writer
Writing is a labor of love for many, but for writers in technical fields, it's also the source of a healthy paycheck. Technical writers translate technical information for a mass audience, making them a crucial link between consumers and techie product and service providers. Their technical expertise earns them an extra $10,000 a year over the average writer's salary, according to some estimates.

The Lowdown: Writers typically hold a college bachelor's degree in communications, journalism, or English. Technical writers may increase their employability with courses or a degree in a technical field or a certificate in technical writing.

Labor of love? Healthy paycheck? As we head towards October's chapter meeting on education and employment, do you have any thoughts or concerns about your employability?