pexels.com Personally, I’m amazed at the technology we have available to us. It’s astounding to have the power to retrieve almost any information and communicate in a thousand different ways using a device that fits in your pocket. There’s always something new on the horizon, and we can’t help but wait and wonder what technological marvels are coming next. The way I see it, there are seven major tech trends we’re in store for in 2017.

null It’s great to attend university to delve deeply into a field of study that you’re passionate about. But, at the end of the day, it’s also helpful to know that when you finish your years of higher education at a reputable institution, you will emerge with a degree that will give you a good chance of securing a job. Times Higher Education (THE), a U.K.

Shutterstock Dear Liz, I have a problem that I’m sure is not unique to me. I’m 37 and I finally have a job that gives me some financial stability. I earn enough money to pay my bills and put something away every month. The job appears to be stable and I like my co-workers. However, I am always at work. The company culture is like that. We have meetings scheduled at eight or nine p.m. and everybody is fine with it.

Shutterstock When someone from HR tapped me on the shoulder and invited me to join her for a private conversation, I knew what was coming. By the time I had my “We think you’re great, but you need to exit the premises right now” conversation, several former colleagues had already had the talk. In fact, two rounds of layoffs had preceded mine within the past 18 months or so. The first one didn’t affect my team directly.

Image via Pexels JP Livingston is a retiree living in New York City. She lives frugally, and she and her husband and dog share a 325-square-foot apartment. There’s just one key factor that separates her from the rest of the retired population of NYC: She retired at 28. JP (a pen name she goes under on her blog, TheMoneyHabit.org) graduated Harvard in 2009 and went on to work at an investment firm after graduation, but her investing interest was sparked long before college graduation.

Shutterstock Everybody goes to work for different reasons, but many people would agree that getting paid is one of the principal reasons for having a job. We all get paid, but we don’t always know as much as we should about our paychecks. Here are ten common questions and answers about your paycheck that everybody should know. 1. How do companies decide how much to pay their employees? There is no set process for determining how much to pay your employees.

Photo courtesy of Pexels.com Effective leaders motivate others. That’s a key tool of a leader who knows how to lead well. When a leader creates and maintains momentum by their ideas, their ingenuity, and their actions, the rest of their team falls naturally into their rhythm. And that’s when the great work is accomplished. But in any business, there are times when you are high on the mountaintops and times when you’re in the valley.

Shutterstock Work is a social place, but employers have been very slow to recognize it. We pretend that people go to work just to do their jobs, but for many people that’s not true. We get more out of our work than just a paycheck, when the environment is healthy. We get social interaction that we need, and we get to build up other people and they build us up, too. When the energy is good in your workplace, your co-workers can be like friends.

Photo credit: Shutterstock When you are promoted into a role where you are managing people, you don’t automatically become a leader. There are important distinctions between managing and leading people. Here are nine of the most important differences that set leaders apart: 1. Leaders create a vision, managers create goals. Leaders paint a picture of what they see as possible and inspire and engage their people in turning that vision into reality. They think beyond what individuals do.

Courtesy of Tim Gouw This is the second in a two-part series on managing your workload in between meetings. Read Part 1 how to decide if a meeting is worth your time. If you feel like you spend all of your time in meetings, you’re not exactly wrong. Employees spend 35% to 50% of their workweeks in meetings, which we all know often leaveslittle time to answer emails, work on projects or think strategically.