One way I have tried to get over unemployment was to teach adjunct at a local university, as a way of giving back to my community while earning some money to help out my self-esteem. This was, and is, no way to get rich. …

One thing that has prevented me in the past from asking friends for help is feeling like some kind of damsel in distress. This type of thinking — that I’m some kind of delicate flower that needs saving — has really done a number to my self-esteem over the years. …

It’s very strange talking now about the pre-pandemic job interview process in the DC area. Most of the time, you were on the phone with a recruiter first. Once you passed the recruiter screening, you had another phone call, this time usually with the company’s hiring manager. Only after at…

The Jonestown massacre happened when I was eight. Many of the victims came from the original People’s Temple in Bay Area, so for me this was all local news, and an ongoing story at that. It is so much more than the phrase “drinking the Kool-Aid” for me. If you…

If you have been a UX designer for any length of time, you may have had a recruiter call you about UX design positions at companies where they are just starting to invest in UX. If so, you have heard things like “you’ll be the first UX hire, but you…

A big reason why I am writing this series is to let other people know that getting laid off multiple times can and does happen. I have also had chronic depression for most of my life. Because of this, I know that depression tells you that you are the only…

If the Commonwealth of Virginia is known for one thing, it is funny place names. …

Years ago, when walking in an indoor space was considered a healthy thing to do, I was doing my lunchtime walk in what I call “the fancy mall”, or Tysons Galleria, the local home for Prada and Chanel and the brands that aspire to be just like them. I was…

Every weekend, I (still) get the Washington Post and I save the Second Glance puzzles for my husband. If you’re not familiar, those are the photo puzzles where you have to guess the 12 edits in the second photo. Most of the time, he gets 10 or 11, then gives…