I have a friend who has a job thousands of people would kill for: he works in video games.

Whenever we’re out and he meets someone new, the conversation inevitably dissolves into a discussion of his job. Even those who hate video games (like me) want to know how he landed a position in such an elusive field.

And I thought, why not give you guys the benefit of his experience? So I interviewed him and, voila, here it is. May it be at least somewhat helpful.

If so, let me know–I’ll conduct some more of these suckers with people in other industries.

Okay, here’s the interview:

Hi, friend! What’s your name?
Ronnie Villanova.

And how old are you?
27.

What’s your current job title?
I’m an Associate Producer.

Oh, cool. And what kind of company do you work for?
It’s a video game company. They make and publish video games.

Wow, that sounds really interesting. Do you like it?
As fun and creative as people think video games might be, my actual job is very corporate and full of red tape, and hierarchies, and meetings, and Excel; lots of Excel. It’s sort of like The Office, except even more socially awkward. Read More »

At your job interview, you might think it’s your potential employer’s responsibility to ask you questions, not the other way around. Well—yes and no. They won’t be able to get a good idea of how you’ll perform if they don’t ask you questions, but finding a job is all about finding a good fit, and that means you should be posing some questions as well.That’s all fine and good, you might think to yourself, but what do I actually ask?

Good question (see—you’re on your way already!). First of all, stay away from asking about salary. I know the first thing on my mind when I go to a job interview is how much I’m going to get paid, but you can always negotiate that with the employer if you’re offered the job. One time when it is okay to ask about salary is if you’re really not sure whether the job or internship you’re interviewing for even pays (yes, sometimes it’s unclear). In that case, ask away.

It’s always a good idea to ask a question that isn’t really a question for the purpose of selling yourself. For example, you could say something like, “I love learning from a wide variety of people and cooperating with lots of different working styles. Is there an opportunity for me to do that here?” Since the answer is yes (duh), the employer will remember that an integral part of the job is really important to you. Read More »

With the writer’s strike still going strong, the WGA has denied invitations to prepare material for the Golden Globes on January 13 and the Oscars in February. If both events didn’t seem crappy enough last time, they should be craptacular this time around.

(See what happens when you don’t get pros to make jokes for you?)

This situation raises a red flag for the Oscars in particular. With Jon Stewart returning as host it’s assumed that he will have to “wing it” without any writer’s assistance. Sure, Stewart can handle a fair share of improvisation - but an entire show? That’s a tall order. Read More »

When I came to college, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with my future. So, being young and naïve I decided to major in English. My thought process: an English degree can get me into any grad program and basically get me any job I would ever want.

Turns out, I made a big (HUGE) mistake.

According to recent stats by some important people at the Wall Street Journal, a major in liberal arts is…well, worthless.

OK, maybe not worthless, but definitely not nearly as valuable as majoring something a little more 21st century. Just check out these stats for first year earnings in various fields:

Accounting: $46,000
Consulting: $47,000
Aerospace: $54,000
Engineering: $49,000
Retail: $34,000
Education: $30,000
Journalism: $23,000

Depressing, right? Well, it doesn’t have to be. Read More »

I am a receptionist. I also like to add “administrative assistant” in there from time to time; but, let’s face it, I graduated college and now I answer phones. I mean I even wear a headset.

It’s slightly embarrassing; yet much more comfortable than the back of my earring jamming into my ear.

It isn’t like this is my first menial job; I’ve been working them since I was thirteen. Retail, Food Service, Nanny, Camp Counselor; I have done it all. And after I graduated college, I expected to go through a bout of menial jobs and laborious internships to get there (there being a real job with salary and benefits). I just never expected it to go on for this long.

I mean, I’m a writer, so I kind of expected this type of unemployment. But with a totally kick-ass resume and some awesome experience to back it up, a girl still can’t get a job. So I landed this, a long term temp reception gig at a pretty chill event production company.

And I actually really like it.

I know I won’t be a receptionist forever. I mean it’s what I do for now, not what I am. But so many times, talking to girls I graduated with or when meeting new people they always ask, “So… What do you do?” It took me a long time to be able to confidently say “I’m a writer and a receptionist.”

Sure, it isn’t glamorous and it sure as hell doesn’t have benefits, but I’ve learned a few things along the way. Read More »

Imagine combining the joys of Aladdin’s ‘Whole New World’ with the hedonism of Huxley’s ‘Brave New World‘, and you’ll be feeling pretty good about your post-college-in-my-own-apartment-sweet-life.

Well, not so fast: before you start buying cool things like brand new wine glasses and Franzia, follow these basic financial rules:

Make a Budget

First of all, if you own your own jet or flying car, stop reading this column immediately and buy me something awesome (like a flying car). If you are, however, with the rest of us, you might want to consider making a budget: a list of all planned expenses and revenues. First, put a set amount of your salary into a savings account (the ‘rainy day’ fund) that’s working towards saving six months of salary in case of emergencies or other mishaps. After you’ve set aside that amount, you can then allocate the rest of your total net income in a variety of ways. Remember, these are guidelines, not rules; the point is to make a plan and stick to it! Read More »

I know I’m worth it, but is my degree? College is numbingly expensive — I’m not even a senior and I’m already 50k in the hole. All this just so I can (probably) land a meager entry - level job when I graduate with my liberal arts degree. Yeah, you need to give a little to get a little, but I’ve lost count over how many times I’ve woken up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat, worrying about my loans.

Well, good news! Apparently, the value of a liberal arts degree is up. The average grad’s salary rounds to about $33,000 a year. That’s almost enough to live in New York City…

The situation is better for those with more mechanical minds (and degrees). Chemical engineering majors earn about $60,000 out of school, and computer science majors aren’t far behind.

And, of course, there’s my brother the petroleum engineer who, at 23, is earning more in a year than I will probably earn in my life. There may be blood in oil, but there is also money. Lots of money.

I rue the day I end up living in his basement. Read More »