career posts

We've all got 'em; bad habits. In the workplace, bad habits could be keeping you from moving up in the company.

Drop these eight bad habits to help advance your career.

The dreaded tax time is upon us - but there are ways of making it less painful.

Keep your receipts and forms in one easy to access place and forget about filing out forms: in short, do digital.

One of the fastest growing categories of tax filing is online, via easy to use software such as TurboTax, UFile, Netfile and H&R Block at Home. It's made life easy for those of us who have little time and want to make sure we do it accurately.

While online software has plenty of foolproof ways to make sure we pay what we owe and get some discounts too, can it answer every tax question? Here's a list of things to consider when using online options to pay your taxes.

With the new year upon us, isn't it time to make a commitment to yourself?

For many of us, we use the new year to get ourselves organized - whether its job or life. And although we're committed to our careers and working the long hours to get ahead, sometimes we want some balance.

In Canada in 2011, a government survey found the average worker clocked in 36.4 hours per week and men worked longer than women, with 39.3 hours versus 33 hours.

Career website Glassdoor.com has surveyed and picked those companies that offer many amenities that make a live work balance something easily achievable for 2013.

These companies offer a variety of amenities that make work and life live harmoniously:

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Recently, I came across a cartoon that illustrated a man proposing to his girlfriend.
In the cartoon he tried to sweeten the deal by saying she could have children and blow her career opportunities.

Seriously? Is this still such a dire choice for women to have to make? According to the Vanier Institute of the Family, there are 3.9 million mothers in Canada with children under the age of 18 living with them. On average, women without children earn 12% more, and the more children a woman has the wider this gap becomes.

Give thanks to England's favourite writer William Shakespeare for making this word part of the collective lexicon for over five centuries: gossip.

In daily conversation, 66% of what we share with our other half, our work colleagues, our friends is considered gossip.

Who isn't checking for dirt on TMZ.com or keeping track of the whirl of information on who's dating who on People.com?

The documentary The Real Dirt on Gossip, airing November 8 on CBC Television's Doc Zone reveals that we seek it, we spread it and we're fixated on it. So what is gossip? Is it a good thing and does it drive our economy, as some would suggest?

It's no surprise that Dragon's Den has become a cultural buzzword and an influence in the Canadian world of business.

In the past three years since the debut of the series, the number of patent applications in Canada have hit 40,000 per year, making it a "motivator" for those budding entrepreneurs according to the Canadian Intellectual Property Office.

The only female Dragon, Arlene Dickinson, has been battling the boys, and she's been privy to the Dragon's effect on the business community in Canada.

Dickinson has now decided to expand her empire - and encourage all those wannabe entrepreneurs to go for it with the creation of YouInc.com.

Commuting to the office can soon become part of the list of remember when?

Instead of running to the bus stop or sitting in the car for the daily commute, the office of choice may be inside your own residence.

According to a recent survey of business owners, in 10 years they believe many offices will become virtual teams of online workers.

With the changes in technology thanks to the prevalence of high-speed WiFi and tools such as Skype, an office worker doesn't have to be in the cubicle outside the manager's door any longer.

For those looking for work from home options, here's a slideshow of those that pay the best:

SLIDESHOW: BEST WORK FROM HOME JOBS

It may be a man's world - but the women aren't just sitting around and doing nothing.

They've worked hard and played the game well to get to the top (and have families, and maintain homes.) Now there are several women who are leading top companies in finance, technology and other industries - and happily bringing home more than just the bacon.

Forbes, a publication fixated on all things money, has done some research on which women CEOs are on the A-list of earners. And don't think that we're just talking about hitting six figures - one of these women earns an annual salary topping $50 million.

The top 15 women who are bringing home the big bucks: (all numbers salary and bonuses for 2011):

SLIDESHOW: TOP 15 HIGHEST EARNING WOMEN EXECS

Are you the person who always wanted to be the DJ at the party? The person who had the massive music collection, and who, despite the move from albums, cassettes, CDs and now mp3s, owns all these formats?

But reality bites - this isn't a career. You go to school to learn to become a teacher, to work in business to become a dentist.

You don't go to school to become a DJ do you? That's a part-time job for weddings and parties.

The reality of the 21st century is that a DJ is now a full-time career - one that can put you on the A list and earning $100,000 per gig. According to Forbes.com, the modern-day DJ, one who can command the same kind of money as well-known bands, is big business.

In the past 12 months, reports Forbes, the kings of EDM - electronic dance music - have pulled in US$125 million, thanks to endorsements, merchandise and endless touring.

Unlike their musician counterparts, DJs travel with minimal equipment, a far cry from the touring entourage, and earn more than the 1/3 of gross ticket sales that rock stars typically make on the road.

So who are these spin kings? Click through the slideshow to find out...

SLIDESHOW: How Much Do Top DJs Make?