Tag: work

STEM Students Refuse to Work at Google and Amazon Over Project Nimbus

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More than 1,100 self-identified STEM students and young workers from more than 120 universities have signed a pledge to not take jobs or internships at Google or Amazon until the companies end their involvement in Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion contract providing cloud computing services and infrastructure to the Israeli government.

The pledgers included undergraduate and graduate students from Stanford, UC Berkeley, the University of San Francisco, and San Francisco State University. Some students from those schools also participated in an anti–Project Nimbus rally on Wednesday outside Google’s San Francisco office with tech workers and activists.

Amazon and Google are top employers for graduates from top STEM schools, according to data from career service College Transitions, which was compiled using publicly available data from LinkedIn. According to the data, as of 2024, 485 UC Berkeley graduates and 216 Stanford graduates work at Google.

The pledge, which marks the latest backlash against Google and Amazon, was organized by No Tech for Apartheid (NOTA), a coalition of tech workers and activists from Muslim grassroots movement MPower Change and advocacy group Jewish Voice for Peace. Since 2021, NOTA has advocated for Google and Amazon to boycott and divest from Project Nimbus and any other work for the Israeli government.

“Palestinians are already harmed by Israeli surveillance and violence,” the pledge reads. “By expanding public cloud computing capacity and providing their state of the art technology to the Israeli occupation’s government and military, Amazon and Google are helping to make Israeli apartheid more efficient, more violent, and even deadlier for Palestinians.”

Sam, who asked to be identified only by his first name for fear of professional repercussions, says that he signed the letter as a 2023 graduate of Cornell University’s master’s program for computer science and recent member of the tech workforce.

He tells WIRED that he was moved to act after watching friends from graduate school who “think one way privately,” but then “went on to take careers in these Big Tech firms.”

“I know a lot of people who—not to say they have a price, but when somebody looks at a starting salary, it’ll test your principles a little bit,” Sam said.

Naomi Hardy-Njie, a communications major and computer science minor at the University of San Francisco, said she heard about the letter while participating at the school’s three-week encampment demanding disclosure and divestment from companies funding the war in Gaza.

Hardy-Njie said that she signed the letter because Google and Amazon executives have been reticent to address protesters’ demands. But change, she said, “has to start from the bottom up.”

NOTA has organized several actions targeting Project Nimbus over the past several months. Eddie Hatfield, a NOTA organizer, was fired from Google in March after he interrupted the Google Israel managing director at a Google-sponsored tech conference in New York. More than 50 Google workers were later fired following a sit-in protest against Project Nimbus in Google’s New York and Sunnyvale offices, which was also organized by NOTA.

Google has claimed that Project Nimbus is “not directed” at classified or military work, but various document leaks have tied the contract to work for Israel’s military. Google and Amazon did not immediately respond to WIRED’s request for comment.

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Caroline Haskins

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June 18, 2024
Photos: The first major wildfire of 2024 in Los Angeles County

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A wind-driven wildfire along Interstate 5 near the Grapevine exploded to more than 12,000 acres by early Sunday and had charted a path south toward the town of Castaic, prompting evacuations throughout the area, officials said. The Post fire, which originated Saturday in Gorman in northwestern Los Angeles County, was only 2% contained Sunday afternoon as high winds, low humidity and steep terrain hampered firefighting efforts.

Meanwhile, firefighters were battling another brush fire in the San Bernardino County community of Hesperia that broke out after 6 p.m. Saturday in the 18000 block of North Highway 173. That fire has burned more than 1,300 acres and was 20% contained.

The Post Fire

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

Fire crews battle a hot spot on Orwin road.

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

Fire crews battle a hot spot.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Crews conduct a burn-out operation Sunday near Hungry Valley Road.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Firefighters at work in Gorman.

(Eric Thayer / Associated Press)

Members of the Little Tujunga Hot Shots at work.

(Eric Thayer / Associated Press)

The Post fire advances on structures in Gorman.

As the fire spreads, experts are gauging the severity of this year’s fire season. A wet winter has nurtured a potentially heavy fuel load of thick grasses, which are drying as temperatures rise.

(Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)

As the fire spreads, experts are gauging the severity of this year’s fire season. A wet winter has nurtured a potentially heavy fuel load of thick grasses, which are drying as temperatures rise.

(Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)

A smoldering hillside is left behind by the Post fire.

The Lisa Fire

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

CalFire drops water from a helicopter to battle the wind driven Lisa fire from the air in a canyon east of Moreno Valley on Sunday in Beaumont. As of 6:45pm the fire had burned 867 acres.

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Robert Gauthier, Jason Armond, Gina Ferazzi, Times Photography Wire Services

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June 16, 2024
“Can I use a personal credit card for business expenses?”—and other small business questions, answered – MoneySense
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In this article, we’ll tackle the basics around managing small-business finances, including opening a dedicated bank account and applying for a business credit card.

6 reasons to separate your personal and business finances
1. Having a business bank account and business credit card makes it easier to track your cash flow and expenses for your work.
2. It keeps accounting costs down at tax time, since your accountant won’t have to spend time separating your personal and business income and expenses.
3. Business credit cards often come with helpful tools and services, such as higher credit limits, expense-tracking software and additional cards for employees.
4. Business credit cards often come with valuable rewards and perks.
5. Using a business credit card and paying it off each month can help you establish a credit history for your company. A good credit rating will help if you ever need to apply for a business loan or line of credit.
6. A dedicated business bank account communicates professionalism and credibility to your clients and vendors. And if you plan to incorporate your business, it must have a separate account.
5 FAQs about business accounts and credit cards

Below are five common questions from small-business owners.

Can I use a personal credit card for business expenses?

While you can use a personal credit card for business expenses, it’s not ideal. Just like with business bank accounts, business credit cards can help you run your business more efficiently. In addition to keeping your accounts separate, a good business credit card can offer all sorts of benefits like the ability to earn rewards, various types of insurance and access to valuable services. And as your business grows, separating your finances is good for your personal privacy, too.

What are the benefits of a business bank account?

Business bank accounts may offer features that you can’t get in a personal bank account. Some examples include merchant services that allow you to accept payments, access to specialized credit cards, business overdraft protection, or the ability to process funds in Canadian and U.S. dollars. Plus, having a separate account lets you build a credit history for your business, which will come in handy should you ever need a business loan to grow.

What do you need to open a business bank account and credit card?

Opening a business bank account and credit card in Canada is similar to what you’ve done with your personal accounts and cards. Different documents may be required, though, depending on the structure of your business and the product you’re applying for, but here’s a list of the documents to gather:
- Identification with your name, address and date of birth
- Social insurance number (SIN)
- Articles of incorporation/association, if applicable
- Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) business registration number
- Trade name registration, if applicable
Check what you’ll need with your financial institution before starting your application.

What should I look for in a business credit card?

The best business credit cards in Canada offer access to rewards, travel benefits and business-related perks (which you can use for business or pleasure!).

As an example, let’s look at the Scotiabank Passport^® Visa Infinite Business^† Card, a credit card that offers rewards and travel benefits that you can use for your business.
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Keph Senett

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June 5, 2024
WeWork Survived Bankruptcy. Now It Has to Make Coworking Pay Off

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WeWork is set to become a smaller—and potentially rightsized—company. Following a final hearing on its bankruptcy plan Thursday morning, the coworking pioneer will have fewer locations, a new influx of capital, and $4 billion in debt wiped from its books.

In a packed courtroom in Newark, New Jersey, Judge John Sherwood approved WeWork’s restructuring plan. WeWork expects to finally exit bankruptcy in mid-June. The plan also staved off a bid by WeWork’s controversial founder Adam Neumann, who had sought to buy back the company he’d founded before he was infamously ousted.

WeWork’s clean slate will coincide with a new era of working, one in which office workers have pushed back against returning to offices full-time; as of late 2023, nearly 20 percent of office space in the US sat vacant. Yet workers are also experiencing more loneliness, a problem that coworking companies argue they can address by bringing people together. WeWork’s reboot is a test of the future of coworking itself.

“WeWork still believes that this is a viable business model,” says Sarah Foss, global head of legal and restructuring at Debtwire, a financial services company. “They’re exiting a much leaner company.”

WeWork filed for bankruptcy in November. Hammered by high interest rates and the Covid-19 pandemic, which started a work-from-home phenomenon, it was left with too many leases and too many hot desks and flexible office spaces it couldn’t fill. In 2023, lease costs made up two-thirds of its operating expenses.

WeWork had more than 500 global locations before it filed for bankruptcy, and will operate about 330 WeWorks going forward, about half of which will be in the US and Canada. That will save WeWork about $12 billion in rent obligations, cutting its rent costs in half, according to the company’s estimates. WeWork’s plan comes from amending or assuming many leases, and rejecting or negotiating to exit some 150 others. It prioritized reducing its footprint in areas where it had oversupply, either from occupying too many floors in the same building or having multiple locations in close proximity.

Many of these changes come as part of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings, but locations outside of the US and Canada are not part of that bundle. In other countries, WeWork has worked with landlords to renegotiate some of its leases, including those in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Manila, and Paris.

WeWork went to hundreds of landlords during the process to negotiate new lease terms or exits from buildings. Bankruptcy allows companies to renegotiate and reject leases outright, but the market conditions that now plague office landlords primed WeWork with advantages to negotiate better terms to stay in place. “They have all the leverage, knowing that we’re in a terrible time for landlords,” says Eric Haber, counsel at Wharton Property Advisors, a New York City office-leasing advisory firm. Now, a slimmer WeWork has a “streamlined configuration where they hope they can make money, but they have very optimistic projections,” Haber says. “Even with this much better setup, they still have to execute.”

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Amanda Hoover

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May 30, 2024
Earning, saving and spending money in Canada: A guide for new immigrants – MoneySense

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Getting started

To get started, here’s an overview of what you need to know about moving to Canada, working in Canada and building a good credit history.

The more you know about Canadian money, savings and housing, the better prepared you’ll be. You can even do certain steps—such as opening a bank account—before you arrive. Learn about this and other personal finance topics, including key details about preparing to buy a home in anywhere in Canada.

Finding a job and earning an income soon after arriving in Canada can contribute to your success. We explain who can legally work here, how to apply for a work permit, how to find credible job postings and what details to look for in a job offer. We also tell you about non-profit organizations that help immigrants find work, sign up for free English classes and more

Moving to Canada or new to the country? These six major cities have many job opportunities in different fields—plus we look at the cost of living in each.

From tech to health care, Canada offers plenty of jobs for newcomers—and many of them are included in national and provincial express entry immigration programs.

Once you move to Canada, it’s important to start building a good credit history—it will have a big impact on your future here. If you plan to borrow money to buy a home or a car, for example, lenders will look at your credit report to decide if they’ll loan you money and how much interest to charge you. Employers, landlords and even cellphone companies may check your credit report. We explain how to build your credit history and how to improve your credit score.

Some financial products in Canada are similar to what’s available in India, like fixed deposits and GICs. Check out our list.

We’ve rounded up 15 more MoneySense articles that provide personal finance tips for different life stages—from your first steps in Canada to getting established to planning for retirement.

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MoneySense Editors

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May 29, 2024
Atlas director says Jennifer Lopez’s dance skills were key to mech fights

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A lifetime of scarfing down sci-fi, video games, and comic books brought director Brad Peyton to the job of said lifetime: directing Jennifer Lopez in a frickin’ mech-suit movie. Signing on for Atlas, now streaming on Netflix, was an easy yes: With two big-budget Dwayne Johnson vehicles under his belt, Rampage and San Andreas, Peyton was no stranger to A-list-driven spectacle. Still, the film was an intimidating prospect for someone with a deep appreciation for mech suits, mech tanks, oversized mecha, and all the made-up classifications in between.

“I was very aware of what had come out ahead of me,” Peyton tells Polygon. The director cites James Cameron’s Aliens and Avatar as obvious but undeniable milestones in the art of on-screen mechs. He knew that the Titanfall games put pressure on any new live-action attempt, having created full immersion into the experience of mech fighting. But when he started imagining how to rethink mechs, he returned to the first piece of mecha media that really blew him away: Stuart Gordon’s Robot Jox.

Peyton can’t quite explain why Robot Jox was his holy grail, but in talking to him, it’s obvious: Like Gordon’s whiz-bang vision of the future, where Earth’s conflicts are settled by colorful mech duels, Atlas needed clear, well-defined logic that would ground the world-building, but also let him rip in the action department in a way that would delight his inner child. And at the end of the day, he needed to be original.

“My biggest thing was: I knew I had to separate from everything,” Peyton says. “I had no interest in repeating. I said, Pac Rim’s [mechs] are this big. In Avatar, they’re this big. In Titanfall, they’re this big. So mine is gonna be this big. This one might be square and blocky, so mine is gonna be circular. I come from animation. So a lot of it started with me sketching the silhouette and figuring how to make it unique and different.”

Atlas takes place in a relatively sunny future that still exists in the shadow of an impending apocalypse. Decades earlier, a rogue artificial intelligence named Harlan (Shang-Chi’s Simu Liu) fled Earth for an alien planet with the intent of one day returning to lay waste to humanity. When scientists discover Harlan’s whereabouts, Terran forces launch a mission to take the fight to the robot army’s doorstep. Leading the charge: Atlas Shepherd (Lopez), a data analyst recruited to go full Jack Ryan on Harlan’s ass. Of course, the attack doesn’t go as smoothly as the Earthlings would hope, and Atlas has to begrudgingly click into an AI-powered mech suit in order to survive an alien planet populated with androids who want her dead.

The grounded futurism of Atlas’ Earth led Peyton and his creative team to extrapolate from current military tech for the mech design. Rounded edges and exhaust pipes are lifted from F-18 planes. The interior control panels were built for theoretical functionality.

“I had to understand all the tech from the inside out,” Peyton says. “Because of my experience on San Andreas, where I had to understand how a helicopter worked intimately to tell Dwayne what buttons to press and not to press — at least when he would listen to me! — I took that experience and wanted to make a similar experience for [Lopez]. I laid it out with the art department of why there are screens in certain places, why there are holograms in other places. And then on the day, I’m giving her little wires to be like, ‘That’s what this screen is. That’s where the screen is.’ So after going through the blocking, I pulled those away, and she had to memorize where they were.”

Image: Netflix

Drawings and schematics were only half of the equation. After drafting a design, Peyton set out to make his vision come to life. Coming at it from an animation background, that meant animating various walk cycles to see if the bipedal machine could move the right way.

“The first couple of designs we had when we animated them to see how they would work — very basic animation, walk, run, walk, jog, run cycles — looked so clunky and terrible,” Peyton says. The animation team found a groove when they clarified the dynamic between man and machine. “[The mechs] are intuitive devices. The concept that I came up with was, the soldier is the brain. He doesn’t have to be super strong. He’s not like a grunt — the machine is the grunt. He is the emotional cognitive device that syncs with this thing. So it has to be able to be as fluid as a person who’s been trained in it.”

As Atlas traverses the biomes of Harlan’s base planet — from snowy tundras to swamps inspired by Peyton’s love for Return of the Jedi — the film’s hero loosens up on her “no AI” stance and forms a cognitive link with her mech’s digital interface. Like a twist on the buddy-cop movie, the two bond for survival, which presents itself as more fluid mech motions. Early on, Atlas might be bumbling around a rocky cliff. By the end, she’s running, rolling, and slapping the hell out of robot assailants with mech-fu. The early walk cycle tests came in handy for the dramatic evolution, which Peyton was able to program into an enormous soundstage gimbal rig that stood in for the mech suit. Lopez was surprisingly well suited for the demands of the mech choreography.

“Her background as a dancer is what allowed her to really gauge that quickly,” Peyton says. “As much as she looks like she’s walking, [the mech] is walking her, and she has to react like she’s walking. So that training as a dancer allowed her to step right into it.”

Image: Netflix

It also helps that Lopez routinely performs for thousands all by her lonesome on a stadium stage. Peyton says Atlas turned out to be one of the most demanding shoots of his career, simply because for six to seven weeks, it was just Lopez performing solo on a gimbal rig that would be completely painted over with plate shots, VFX environments, and bursts of other action sequences shot elsewhere. Occasionally, voice actor Gregory James Cohan would dial in to perform the dialogue of Smith, her AI companion.

All the prep work required to realize a mech with the capacity for real action, and clicking in a star who was up to control it, was in service of jolting the audience, says Peyton. The first time we see the mechs in action isn’t in an act of valor; they’re caught in an ambush, mid-flight. The carrier ship goes down — and so does Atlas, in her rig. Peyton’s imagination swirled at the possibilities, as evidenced in the finished sequence. “[The mech] would be tumbling, it would be spinning, it would be hit by debris. What would it be like to be trapped in that tin can? What would it sound like? What would it feel like? And once I get through that experience, well then, how can I up the ante? Well, what if I fall through black clouds, and I’m falling into basically a World War II dogfight, but with mechs and drones? […] That’s just the first, I don’t know, 20 seconds of a two-minute sequence.

“That’s how I design,” he says. “I want to surprise you. I want to give you something you can’t see anywhere else.”

Atlas is streaming on Netflix now.

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Matt Patches

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May 25, 2024
Austin Pets Alive! | Supporting People that Help Pets

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APA! has always operated outside of the “typical” role that animal
welfare plays. Our teams and programming have contributed to thousands
of lives saved and as we’ve continued to grow our organization and
lifesaving, we recognized that much more needs to be done for the people
who have given their time, talents and love to the animals who need us
most!

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May 21, 2024
How to become a contractor: The real costs – MoneySense

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What do I need to know about managing my finances as a contractor?

No matter what type of construction business you launch or buy, it’s important to have a bookkeeping system in place—between material expenses, insurance fees, client payments and more, you’ll have a lot of money going in and out each month. You’ll need a separate bank account and line of credit for your business, and it’s smart to have a credit card that’s solely for professional use.

Pro tip: Choose a credit card for contractors

Scotiabank has a small-business credit card that’s great for contractors: the Scotia^® Home Hardware PRO Visa^† Business Card, which can be used wherever Visa is accepted. Its variable interest rate is tied to Scotiabank’s prime rate, and credit limits of up to $500,000 are available (a limit high enough for larger, or multiple, renovations). The card’s interest rate and credit limit depend on whether the account is secured or unsecured, subject to approval and the security provided. The Scotiabank Prime Rate is the prime lending rate published from time to time by The Bank of Nova Scotia. (See the current Scotiabank Prime Rate.) The card has no annual fee, and it has an interest-free grace period of 21 days on new purchases.

And then there are the rewards. You’ll earn one Scene+^TMpoint for every dollar spent on eligible business purchases made at Home Hardware, which has more than 1,000 locations across Canada, or online at homehardware.ca.

For every 10,000 Scene+ points you collect, you can redeem $100 at Home Hardware. If you’re regularly buying construction and renovation materials, you can accumulate points quickly—and get a lot of free stuff. Points can be redeemed for groceries, travel, gift cards and more. Plus, as your contractor business grows, you can add supplementary credit cards at no cost. These are great perks for entrepreneurs who want to minimize spending while getting their home renovation business off the ground.

The business credit card also includes insurance protection on most newly purchased items charged to the account. Most newly purchased items are covered for 90 days by Purchase Security, and these items may be eligible for replacement, repair or reimbursement if they are stolen, damaged or destroyed by fire.

Cardholders also have access to optional business loan protection insurance, Scotia Business Loan Protect, which can help cover business loan payments, or provide a lump sum of money, if you or another eligible key person can’t work for health reasons or passes away. Scotia Business Loan Protect is underwritten by The Canada Life Assurance Company (1-800-387-2671, www.canadalife.com) under a group policy issued to the Bank of Nova Scotia. All coverage is subject to the terms and conditions outlined in the Certificate of Insurance, which you will receive upon enrollment.

You can apply for the Scotia^® Home Hardware PRO Visa^† Business Card online. Plus, until May 31, 2024, you can earn up to 15,000 bonus Scene+ points in your first year (that’s worth up to $150 in points value) by making at least $1,500 in eligible purchases at participating Home Hardware, Home Building Centre, Home Hardware Building Centre, Home Furniture locations in Canada and online at homehardware.ca in the first three months after opening your account. Cardholders also have access to online tools and services designed just for business owners. See Scotiabank’s website for full card details.

Building a successful career as a home renovation contractor

If you have the skills and motivation needed to become a contractor in Canada, you have the potential to build a lasting, rewarding career in home improvement. Over time, you might find that the Scotia^® Home Hardware PRO Visa^† Business Card is just as important to your contractor business as any other tool in your belt. After all, every dollar matters to your small business—so make them count.

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Erin Pepler

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May 17, 2024
The Best Small Ways To Improve Work Productivity

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Work productivity fluctuates on a daily basis. Here are some simple things you can do to get off the hamster wheel.

Five days a week 8-9 hours a day and productivity sometimes comes and goes. Some days you feel like you’re on fire, getting everything done on time, while others feel like a completely different story. And just because you are working longer hours, doesn’t mean you are more productive. It is better to make use of day and stay as focused as possible.

While you should always treat yourself with some compassion, it is possible to get out of work ruts by making some changes. Big changes like buying new work desks and switching up your work schedule can work, but small and consistent changes can also add up and make a difference. Here are the best small ways to improve work productivity.

Know what works and what doesn’t about your work setup

Photo by Brooke Cagle via Unsplash

RELATED: 4 Tips To Help You Be More Confident

If you want to know what’s not working about your work setup, write down a list of your routines every day. If you have a particularly productive day, write down what you did, whether you worked on a couch, with headphones, made all the calls in the morning, or only took meetings in the afternoon. Small patterns can help you come up with a better work routine and can help you avoid certain situations that are not your most productive.

Start by completing one task

Photo via rawpixel.com

The best habit is to get one task done and at a time. Usually, the first task is the most difficult, and once you’re past the biggest hurdle you feel like you’ve accomplished more. Make a to-do list and slowly go through the items on your list or write down all of your plans on a calendar. These small activities can help you get out of your slump and feel more productive.

Clean your desk

Photo by Yasmina H via Unsplash

RELATED: Tired All The Time? Here’s What Might Be Happening

Work desks are very some of the fastest household items to get messed up, especially when working from home. If you find yourself procrastinating, organize it. Clean and dispose of all your coffee cups, organize your pens, stow away extra notebooks, etc. Switching up the positioning of your desk can also work, reinvigorating your work space and perhaps giving you a better view.

Clean your emails

Photo by rawpixel.com

Another simple and mindless task you can do is to clean up your emails. Organize them according to their purpose and delete all of the junk. Unsubscribing from websites you don’t visit and stores you’re not interested in is also a great use of your time, giving you something to do and the feeling like you’re getting your life together. You have to start somewhere.

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Maria Loreto

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April 29, 2024
The Best Laptop Stands to Save Your Achin’ Neck
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Still balancing your laptop on a stack of old books? It’s time to upgrade. Having the right laptop stand can make life more comfortable, so you can stop craning your neck while you work. The best stands raise your laptop’s screen (or external monitor!) close to eye level, which is better for maintaining a healthy posture. Some can even fit into a backpack for easy travel or switch configurations from sitting to standing. These are our favorites.

Need more options for your home office? Read our guide to work-from-home gear.

Updated April 2024: Our favorite stand from ObVus Solutions has been discontinued. We’ve moved the Branch stand to the top spot. We’ve also added Logitech’s Casa Pop-Up Desk as a pick, as well as a few more additions to the honorable mentions.

Special offer for Gear readers: Get WIRED for just $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com, full Gear coverage, and subscriber-only newsletters. Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.

Peripherals Are Important

Snagging one of the laptop stands below is one of many ways you can improve your posture when sitting at a desk for long periods. You can also connect your laptop to a separate second computer monitor. You’ll be able to multitask more easily with two screens, and you won’t have to strain your neck as much.

Some of these laptop stands are best paired with a separate keyboard and mouse. These peripherals mean you can set your laptop farther away and at various heights, and you won’t need to stretch your arms in awkward ways to type. The right mouse can prevent muscle strain and wrist problems, so check out the picks in our Best Keyboards and Best Gaming Mouse guides. (You don’t need to be a gamer to use a gaming mouse!)

How to Pick

We recommend several different types of laptop stands. To figure out which one is for you, first you’ll have to determine how you want to use it, then you can decide on price and aesthetics.

Do you need something portable? There are stands that collapse down and fold to easily fit in a bag. Some even double as cases, like Moft’s Carry Sleeve.

Do you want to raise, lower, or angle your computer? Look for an adjustable stand like our top pick from Branch, with hinged legs and top. Just need one height? Go with something like the Grovemade Walnut Laptop Stand.

Is this for a laptop or your monitor too? For the latter, you’ll need something bigger with a fixed height, like the Superjare Dual Monitor Stand Riser.

Will you use a separate keyboard and mouse? If not, you need a stand that’s strong and stable like Branch’s. Some can wobble a bit while typing on them.

Want to stand sometimes too? Some of the adjustable picks may allow for standing, depending on your height, but there are also sit-stand converters so you don’t need a whole new desk. Our favorite is no longer available, so we’re looking for a new top pick now.
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Medea Giordano

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April 29, 2024
The Best 6 Ways To Increase Creativity At Work

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You spend 40 hours there most weeks..why not have fun and make a difference.

Work is part of most people’s life, and some days it can be a chore. But finding a way to make it interesting and engaging can make a huge life difference. Globally, people who enjoy their work are also more likely to be thriving in their lives. Getting creative helps you find way to keep your brain engaged and satisfied. Finding fresh or different ways accomplishing things tends to be personally rewarding. Here are the best 6 ways to increase creativity at work.

RELATED: 5 Morning Activities To Help You Feel Happier

Even in a remote job, or one where you work from home or in a car, creativity inspires employees to work with each other. The creative process encourages collaboration. Continuous learning encouraging people to seek new information, knowledge and different ways to do things. Many unique ideas come from a person but they are developed by a team to become fully formed. With the ability to think creatively and outside of the box, people are more likely to come up with unique and innovative solutions to obstacles they encounter.

Photo by VIKTOR HANACEK via picjumbo.com

Take time to think

Even with mundane tasks, there are ways to make it better. Carve out 5-10 minutes in a walk or taking a break to think about ways to improve you tasks or at least make them more enjoyable. As you daydream about possiblities or consider outside the box ideas, you are more likely to come up with unique and innovative solutions to problems. Don’t be afraid of asking questions – frame them with “How did this start”.

Don’t be afraid to fail

One of the biggest hurdles to success is a fear of failure. Every person who has improved their job or built something and then gone on to bigger and better things has failed. If you think something could work, talk with you manager and explain the pluses and minuses and then try to give a go. You will learn about problem solving and yourself.

Brainstorm more often

We brainstorm ideas constantly, whether we’re alone or with others, sometimes without even noticing it. One small upgrade to make brainstorm sessions more efficient is to add a whiteboard, a notepad or someplace where you can pin ideas down, even if they sound silly or unorthodox. This list doesn’t need to be perfect, it just needs to reflect your ideas so you won’t forget about them.

Follow through on your ideas

While ideas are great, it’s also important to follow through. Find a way of holding yourself accountable, whether by writing it down and pinning it on your board or, in a more extreme move, discussing your idea with your boss and eliminating escape routes. Do what works for you, but remind yourself that it’s often very easy to avoid disrupting your workload by sticking to what works, which can make you feel bored and uninspired.

RELATED: 5 Ways To Schedule Your Day When Working From Home

Shake things up

When working a 9 to 5 job, it’s common for people to find a groove and stick to it. This is good, because it means that you know how to do your job and are comfortable in managing the everyday challenges of your positions. But it’s also something that holds a lot of people back, stopping them from trying out new activities and approaches that can be more fulfilling and result in better work. Don’t be afraid to speak up in your meetings and to pitch your ideas. The more you do it, the more comfortable you’ll become and the more your presence will be valued.

Go for a walk

Outdoor walks, where you get to see and smell the beauty of nature, are some of the most useful routines when channeling creativity, especially if you’ve been spending most of your time working indoors. Ideas can come from the most random interactions and things, especially if you’re actively on the lookout for them and are ready to engage with the world in different ways.

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Sarah Johns

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April 23, 2024
Noncompetes Are Dead—and Tech Workers Are Free to Roam

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More US workers will soon be free to leave their employers to work for rivals, thanks to a new federal rule that will block the long-standing practice of locking in workers with noncompete agreements.

The US Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday issued a final rule that bans most noncompetes nationwide. The agency estimated that by allowing people more freedom, the change would lead to the creation of 8,500 new businesses annually, an average annual pay increase of $524 for workers, lower health care costs, and as many as 29,000 more patents each year for the next decade.

The FTC says about one in five US workers are bound by contract clauses that prevent them from taking new jobs from a competitor, or starting their own competing businesses, for some period of time. The agreements can trap workers and slow career advancement and wage increases—two things workers often achieve by hopping jobs.

The agreements also disproportionately affect workers in tech and certain other roles: 36 percent of engineers and architects work under noncompetes, as do 35 percent of workers in computer and math fields, according to research from the Universities of Maryland and Michigan.

Under the FTC’s new rule, “tech workers will probably experience a rise in the outside opportunities that they face,” says Evan Starr, an associate professor of business at the University of Maryland who worked on the research. “They’ll have more freedom to work where they want; they will be more likely to be paid higher wages.”

Opponents of noncompetes say they hurt workers by keeping them in lower-waged jobs and also stifle innovation, preventing people from starting their own businesses or putting innovative ideas into practice. Noncompete supporters argue that the arrangements encourage investment in staff and protect trade secrets. But recent research from Starr indicates that banning noncompetes hasn’t led to an increase in trade secret litigation.

The new FTC rule has a carve-out to keep existing noncompetes for senior executives in place. But it blocks companies from creating new noncompetes for these high-level workers. The rule is due to take effect in about four months, but it’s expected to face challenges. Two commissioners who voted against the rule saw it as overstepping the FTC’s power. The US Chamber of Commerce quickly announced after the rule passed that it will sue to try to block it.

Several states, including tech hub California, have already banned enforcement of noncompetes. But a recent tidal shift has seen the issue resonate in dozens of states. In the 2023 legislative session, 38 states introduced 81 bills that sought to ban or restrict enforcement of noncompetes. California’s long-established law is seen as part of the reason Silicon Valley became a hub for innovation, while Massachusetts’s once-similar tech corridor didn’t soar in the same way.

Tech executive Daniel Powers has battled noncompetes twice in his career. In 2010, IBM tried to delay his move from New York to Seattle to work for Amazon Web Services, the online retailer’s cloud division, by a year. The parties settled on Powers taking six months off. Fortunately for Powers, Amazon agreed to pay him even while he couldn’t work.

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Amanda Hoover, Paresh Dave

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April 23, 2024
Austin Pets Alive! | A Celebration of Giving: The Enduring Power of…

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In a world brimming with busy lives and personal goals, we take a moment
to celebrate the incredible impact of volunteers. Their dedication
embodies the very best of humanity: our interconnectedness, compassion, and unwavering commitment to building a better world together.

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April 22, 2024
Be mindful of what you post on social media after a layoff – MoneySense

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To avoid any repercussions, Gupta suggests using a matter-of-fact tone when sharing the experience online.

“The world has changed. We know that jobs are not forever. With most layoffs, there is nothing to be ashamed of, even if you realize, ‘You know what, I wasn’t quite what they were looking for,’” she said.

“And if you can show a bit of class and professionalism, it goes a long way.”

Kadine Cooper, a career and life transition coach, said the first thing you should do after being informed of a layoff is take time to ground yourself and come to terms with the loss. Once you have processed those difficult emotions, ask yourself what you want to do next, where you can seek out mentorship and surround yourself with individuals who want you to succeed.

The best way to share a career update

When you’re ready to share your career update online, make sure to strike a positive and professional tone, as this can set you up for future opportunities, Cooper recommended.

“You still have the power, right? So start creating a positive narrative about it,” she said.

“Write your posts in a way that highlights your resilience and your adaptability and even maybe start emphasizing some of the experiences you gained during that time with the company.”

On the flipside, while some people choose to be candid about their layoff experiences to increase transparency around certain employers or industries, Cooper said “ranting and raging” on social media may hurt your future job prospects and discourage former co-workers from providing you with a reference for another job.

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The Canadian Press

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April 9, 2024
1 in 3 employees—including in-office workers—regularly nap on the clock, survey says. Here’s who catches the most Z’s on the job and why
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If you work an office job, perhaps it’s happened to you. You didn’t get enough sleep last night. You’ve powered through the morning, yet your to-do list stretches on. You’re moving a bit slower, sated from lunch. Your computer screen becomes hazy. You glance out the window to see the sun starting its afternoon descent, and your eyelids droop with it. You decide to let yourself snooze just for a few minutes…
Occasionally falling asleep at work is par for the course, according to a new survey by sleep wellness company Sleep Doctor, with 46% of respondents saying they nap during the workday at least a few times a year. What’s more, 33% reported doing so weekly—9% once per week, 18% several times per week, and 6% daily.

Particularly if you didn’t get enough shut-eye the night before, taking a 20- to 25-minute nap may help you recharge and take on the remainder of your workday, says Sleep Doctor founder and clinical psychologist Michael Breus, Ph.D. But don’t make a habit of it.

“While you might feel slightly sleepy between one and three in the afternoon—because everybody does, it’s due to a post-lunch dip in core body temperature—you should not require a nap,” Breus tells Fortune. “If you’re getting the sleep that you should be getting at night, you should not require a nap.”

Midday snoozing is a big no-no for people with insomnia, Breus adds: “If you have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep at night, napping, all that does is make it worse.”

Nearly 1,300 full-time U.S. employees completed the survey in March via Pollfish. Sleep Doctor didn’t provide additional details about the respondents, such as their shift schedules, workplace environments, or socioeconomic statuses. Though the survey isn’t a scientific study, it offers insight into the post-pandemic habits of the nation’s workforce, Breus says.

Half of in-person employees nap in their cars

It’s not just remote and hybrid employees who are catching Z’s during work hours. About 27% of in-person workers reported napping at the office on a weekly basis, compared to 34% of remote and 45% of hybrid workers. In-person employees napped in these locations:
- Car: 50%
- Desk: 33%
- Company-designated napping place: 20%
- Return home: 14%
- Bathroom: 9%
Napping in the workplace is a luxury, says Dr. Rafael Pelayo, a clinical professor in the Division of Sleep Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

“There are a lot of health care disparity issues related to sleep,” Pelayo tells Fortune. “You can only nap at your job if you have a place to nap and it’s accepted by your employer. So a lot of people don’t have a place to nap where they work.”

Pelayo adds, “If you work in an assembly line and you take a train to work, you don’t have a chance to nap anywhere. Or, if you’re in a place where you don’t feel safe; somebody who is napping is vulnerable to being robbed or attacked.”

Men, younger staffers more likely to nap during workday

More than half of male employees, 52%, told Sleep Doctor they nap at least a few times a year during work hours, compared to 38% of females. It’s unclear whether the survey collected data on non-cisgender workers.

A majority of younger adult employees admitted to workday napping, a higher percentage than more seasoned staffers:
- 18–34: 54%
- 35–54: 46%
- 55+: 25%
Younger adults tend to be more sleep-deprived because they have less control over their lives, Pelayo tells Fortune. They may have children interrupting their sleep, elderly parents to care for, longer commutes, and more demands on their free time.

“When people get older and they have medical problems, medical problems interrupt our ability to sleep, like arthritis, chronic pain. But healthy elderly people sleep really, really well,” Pelayo says. “They get better sleep than healthy young people. Healthy older people, the reason they ended up being healthy old people is they had good lifestyles.”

More than half of male employees, 52%, told Sleep Doctor they nap at least a few times a year during work hours, compared to 38% of females. It is unclear whether the March 2024 survey collected data on non-cisgender workers.
Nattakorn Maneerat—Getty Images

Remote workers take longest workday naps

“Smart naps” lasting 20–30 minutes may temporarily make you feel more alert and awake, says Alaina Tiani, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic Sleep Disorders Center.

“This increases the likelihood that your brain will stay in the lighter stages of sleep and that you will wake up refreshed,” Tiani tells Fortune via email. “When we nap much longer, we may cycle into deeper stages of sleep, which may be harder to wake from. We also recommend taking the nap as far in advance of your desired bedtime as possible to lessen the impact on your nighttime sleep quality.”

More than half of workday dozers keep their naps under 30 minutes, according to Sleep Doctor:
- Fewer than 15 minutes: 26%
- 15–29 minutes: 27%
- 30–59 minutes: 24%
- 1 hour: 12%
- 2 hours: 9%
- 3+ hours: 3%
On average, 34% of remote and 31% of hybrid workers nap for longer than an hour, compared to 15% of in-person workers.

That napping is less common in the Western world than other cultures made the survey data stand out to Michael Grandner, Ph.D., director of the Sleep and Health Research Program at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tuscson.

“The fact that many people who are working from home are more likely to take advantage of opportunities to nap was very surprising,” Grandner tells Fortune via email. “It suggests that many workers would prefer to integrate napping into their lifestyle if they could.”

Why are employees napping at work?

Staffers primarily cited some form of exhaustion as a reason for snoozing on the job, while others were simply bored:
- Re-energize: 62%
- Recover from poor sleep at night: 44%
- Handle long working hours: 32%
- Stress: 32%
- Boredom: 11%
- Avoid work: 6%
But why are they so sleep-deprived to begin with? Ironically, the flipside of napping at work is 77% of survey respondents said job stressors cause them to lose sleep nightly. About 57% reported losing at least an hour of sleep on an average night. Most cited work-life balance as their top job stressor:
- Work-life balance: 56%
- Demanding projects: 39%
- Long hours: 39%
- Upcoming deadlines: 37%
- Struggling to get to work on time: 30%
- Issues with boss: 22%
- Interpersonal conflict in workplace: 20%
- Fears of being fired or laid off: 19%
Employees who lose sleep over job stress only to crave rest during the workday aren’t the norm, but their predicament isn’t rare either, Breus tells Fortune: “They kind of get their days and their nights mixed up.”

Hybrid workers were most likely to report job stressors impacting their sleep, 88%, compared to 73% of in-person and 71% of remote workers. In addition, more higher-level employees, such as CEOs and senior managers, reported losing sleep over career stress, 84%, than lower-level employees, 71%.

Napping on the job may have health, performance consequences

Dozing at your desk may seem inconsequential on a slower workday or when you think your boss won’t notice. But some employees have paid the price, Sleep Doctor data show.

Among nappers, 17% miss deadlines and 16% miss meetings at least once a month because they’re asleep on the job. About 27% of workers admit to falling asleep during a remote meeting in the past year, and 17% have done the same in person.

While just 20% of workers faced consequences, some were serious:
- Check in with supervisor more often: 62%
- Workload changed: 56%
- Sit down with manager: 49%
- Suspended: 24%
- Fired: 17%
“Limiting sleep to one major nighttime window can help to ensure that you obtain an appropriate amount of sleep at night and thus do not require a daytime nap, which could interfere with work or other responsibilities,” Tiani says.

Strategic daytime napping can be an effective tool to boost energy and productivity, Grandner says, but falling asleep at work when you don’t mean to may indicate an underlying health issue.

“For people who are unable to maintain consciousness, I would recommend evaluating your nighttime sleep to see if you have any untreated sleep disorders like sleep apnea, or if there are other steps you can take to achieve healthier sleep,” Gardner says.

You should also consult your doctor if you’re typically not a napper but begin having unexplained fatigue, Pelayo says: “An abrupt change in your need for sleep would indicate a medical problem being present.”

For more on napping during the workday:
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Lindsey Leake

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April 7, 2024
Here’s Proof the AI Boom Is Real: More People Are Tapping ChatGPT at Work

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Ever since the rollout of ChatGPT in November 2022, many people in science, business, and media have been obsessed with AI. A cursory look at my own published work during that period fingers me as among the guilty. My defense is that I share with those other obsessives a belief that large language models are the leading edge of an epochal transformation. Maybe I’m swimming in generative Kool-Aid, but I believe AI advances within our grasp will change not only the way we work, but the structure of businesses, and ultimately the course of humanity.

Not everyone agrees, and in recent months there’s been a backlash. AI has been oversold and overhyped, some experts now opine. Self-styled AI-critic-in-chief Gary Marcus recently said of the LLM boom, “It wouldn’t surprise me if, to some extent, this whole thing fizzled out.” Others claim that AI is mired in the “trough of disillusionment.”

This week we got some data that won’t resolve the larger questions but provides a snapshot of how the US, if not the world, views the advent of AI and large language models. The Pew Research Center—which did similar probes during the rise of the internet, social media, and mobile devices—released a study of how ChatGPT was being used, regarded, and trusted. The sample was taken between February 7 and 11 of this year.

Some of the numbers at first seem to indicate that the LLM controversy might be a parochial disagreement that most people don’t care about. A third of Americans haven’t heard of ChatGPT. Just under a quarter have used it. Oh, and for all the panic about how AI is going to flood the public square with misinformation about the 2024 election? So far, only 2 percent of Americans have used ChatGPT to get information about the presidential election season already underway.

More broadly, though, data from the survey indicates that we’re seeing a powerful technology whose rise is just beginning. If you accept Pew’s sample as indicative of all Americans, millions of people are indeed familiar with ChatGPT. And one thing in particular stands out: While 17 percent of respondents said they have used it for entertainment and an identical number says they’ve tried it to learn something new, a full 20 percent of adults say that they have used ChatGPT for work. That’s up dramatically from the 12 percent who responded affirmatively when the same question was asked six months earlier—a rise of two-thirds.

When I spoke to Colleen McClain, a Pew research associate involved in the study, she agreed that it seems to track with other huge technological shifts. “If you look at our trend charts over time on internet access, smartphones, social media, certainly some of them show this uptick,” she says. For some technologies there had been a leveling off, she adds. But in the ones she mentioned, the plateau came only when so many people came on board that there weren’t many stragglers left.

What’s crazy about that sudden jump in ChatGPT business use from 12 percent to 20 percent is that we’re only at the beginning stages of humans collaborating with these models. And the tools to fully make use of ChatGPT are in a nascent status. That’s changing fast. OpenAI, ChatGPT’s creator, is going full tilt, and AI giants Microsoft and Google are still in the process of diverting their workforces to redesign every product line to integrate conversational AI. And startups like Sierra, which is building agents for corporate customers, are enabling bespoke usages that take advantage of multiple models. As this process continues, more people will use AI tools. And since the foundation models are getting exponentially better—am I hearing that GPT5 will show up this year?—that will make them even more compelling. This raises the possibility that the quality of virtually all work will reside in how well one can draw out the talents of a robot collaborator.

What past technology can help us understand the trajectory of the rocket ship we’re on? While the near limitless ceiling of AI makes it hard to find an analog, I suggest the uptake of spreadsheets. Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston invented them in 1978, and a year later the concept was embodied in VisiCalc, which at the time ran only on Apple computers. Spreadsheets had a phenomenal and disruptive effect on the business world. More than mere accounting tools, they triggered an era of business innovation and shook up the flow of information inside companies. Yet it took a few years before the business world widely adopted spreadsheets. The turning point came with a new and more powerful product called Lotus 1, 2, 3, which ran on the IBM PC. The current and near-future startups in the AI world, like Sierra, are all hoping to become the Lotuses of our era—but also to be much more consequential and lasting. Spreadsheets are largely limited to the business domain. LLMs can seemingly mess with anything.

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Steven Levy

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March 29, 2024
The Best Activities To Maximize Your Weekend

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Sometimes you have a week of 5 Mondays and it seems a half of Saturday – here are some tips to make the most of your weekend and be ready for the next round of Mondays

Most people work 5 days then have a weekend – for some it is Saturday/Sunday for others it is more flexible. But what should be flexible is going to your mind and body a break so you can head back to work refreshed and energized. The better you are at relaxing and resting, the better you will be at working. Downtime is essential for increasing attention, boosting mood, unlocking creativity, and solving problems. It’s also necessary for improving learning and memory and restoring mental health at work.

A Stanford study demonstrates that over working has clear limitations, with employees showing a sharp decline in productivity when they clocked in more than 50 hours per week. People in the study who worked more than 70 hours per week managed to get the same amount of work done than people who worked 55 hours per week. Where does all of that time go?

RELATED: 5 Simple Tips To Increase Your Productivity

Studies like these highlight how important is to have time for yourself, where you can reflect, think, rest and do things that bring you pleasure. Downtime can significantly improve mental and physical health and personal relationships. One study, for example, found employees who unplugged and took time off reduced serious health issues like coronary heart disease.

Disconnect from work

It’s important to remove yourself from work over the weekend, digitally and physically, so that you feel that you had some days off and were able to rest. This is easier said than done, especially if you need to get work done over the weekend. What you can do is make a weekend work schedule that allows you to check emails and make calls without the time you’d spend doing other more pleasant things.

Minimize your chores

Chores tend to pile up over the week, resulting in weekends where all you manage to do is clean up and fix stuff around your apartment. To avoid this, try scheduling your chores throughout the week, making them a part of your day to day routine and giving you more time to relax over the weekend. Laundry can be done in small amount rather than a chunk of a Saturday afternoon.

Work out

Finding the time to exercise is taxing, especially on week days where you have to work and get other things done. Weekends are perfect for clocking in your workouts, giving you tons of time of fit in exercises that feel motivational and much less like chores.

Do something you’re passionate about

Find time to do something you enjoy, be that drawing, writing, reading, or something else that makes you think and also makes you happy. By doing this activity on the weekend you’ll reap even more benefits because you’ll feel like you’re actually doing something instead of passing the time.

Try to wake up at the same time

RELATED: 5 Products That Can Help Boost Your Productivity

This is kind of hard but it works if you’re the type of person who has a hard time easing yourself back into the week. Inconsistent wake up times over the weekend disturb your circadian rhythms, resulting in you feeling very tired and groggy despite the fact that you slept more than you do regularly. This uncomfortable feeling can also seep into your Mondays and throw the rest of your week off balance.

Use your mornings as your “me time”

Your mind achieves peak performance two to four hours after you wake up, resulting in really gratifying morning activities where you’ll get to have better workouts and enjoy whatever it is that you’re doing.

Prepare for the week

By planning some of your work ahead of time, your weeks will be much more productive. You’ll skip the entire “set up” stage of your Mondays, jumping right into your work and making your week feel much more pleasant and easy going.

Resting during the weekend gives your body and mind a chance to recharge and recover from the stresses of the week. This can help you feel more energized and productive when you return to work on Monday. When you’re tired and overworked, it’s easy to become irritable and short-tempered but fully rested improves your mood and outlook.

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Anthony Washington

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March 22, 2024

Jobs in healthcare that don’t require an MD—and their salaries in Canada – MoneySense

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Healthcare job	Average salary in Canada	Annual tuition
Midwife	$111,000	$8,000 to $23,000
Dental hygienist	$98,000	$9,000 to $55,000
Acupuncturist	$98,000	$5,000 to $45,000
Physical therapist	$94,000	$10,000 to $42,000
Massage therapist	$87,000	$8,000 to $35,000
X-ray technician	$82,000	$7,000 to $30,000
Paramedic	$66,000	$5,000 to $20,000
Personal support worker	$65,000	$2,000 to $4,000
Ultrasound technician	$59,000	$5,000 to $37,000
Pharmacy technician	$50,000	$5,000 to $30,000

_{Note: Tuition shown in ranges, as the costs vary from program to program as well as student status.}

10 in-demand healthcare jobs that don’t require a degree

The following list of healthcare jobs is by no means exhaustive, but it gives you a starting point in your medical career research. The base salaries come directly from those submitted by Canadian healthcare professionals to job posting website Indeed. Think about your return on investment of pursuing relevant training and education in each discipline.

_{Photo by 东旭王 on Unsplash}

1. Midwife

Average salary: $111,000
From the first weeks of conception to well after delivery, midwives provide assistance to those experiencing pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum. This includes monitoring fetal health via ultrasounds, screening bloodwork and coaching. Becoming a midwife involves either getting a four-year university degree or a related postsecondary program in the field. It’s a regulated field. Tuition costs can range from $8,000 to $23,000. Like a doctor, this role also requires a period of hands-on training, and licensing rules and costs vary by province.

2. Dental hygienist

Average salary: $98,000
Cleaning teeth is just one aspect of this job, but it also involves monitoring for health risks like gum disease and diabetes, taking X-rays and, of course, assisting dentists in a range of procedures and surgeries. You can become a hygienist typically in two years, depending on which college, university or post-secondary dental hygiene program you chose. Like midwives, this role also involves getting a provincial license after you pass a certification exam. Tuition costs range from approximately $9,000 to $55,000 with licensing and examination fees ranging from $400 to $1,500.

3. Acupuncturist

Average salary: $98,000
Acupuncture stimulates and balances the body’s energy by inserting tiny needles into the skin. There’s growing support in traditional medicine that it can be a great way to relieve stress, promote better sleep and other health benefits, adding to the demand for acupuncturists and their unique skills. If you already have a bachelor’s degree in science, you can take courses to get more specialized training. Otherwise, you can enroll in a three to four-year diploma program and register with your local provincial or territorial body. Tuition costs range from approximately $5,000 to $45,000.

4. Physical therapist

Average salary: $94,000
Mobility issues can come up through a sports injury, a car accident, habitual movements and restrictions, and/or through the natural aging process. Physical therapists (a.k.a. physiotherapists) work closely with patients on highly personalized treatment plans. This not only involves making detailed assessments of any challenges or limitations in a patient’s movement but setting achievable goals based on a series of exercises and in-office manipulations. Physiotherapy also requires careful ongoing monitoring for signs of progress or the need to change the treatment plan. Physical therapists need a master’s degree to practice in Canada. Courses usually take about two to two-and-a-half years to complete, and tuition costs can range from approximately $10,000 to $42,000.

5. Massage therapist

Average salary: $94,000
Massage therapists help relieve physical tension and bodily stress, but they also help educate patients on how to continue therapies with stretching and exercises they can perform independently. HWC’s Cohen sees a particular demand for healthcare jobs that support seniors and long-term care providers, and this is a good example. Becoming a massage therapist begins with taking a three-year accredited training program. If you live in B.C., Ontario, or Newfoundland and Labrador, you’ll also have to apply for a regulated license that can cost nearly $1,000 a year. There are a wide variety of accredited massage therapy schools in Canada offering diplomas as well as massage therapy courses you can take across Canada. They can take between 18 and 24 months to complete, with tuition costs ranging from approximately $8,000 to $35,000.

6. X-ray technician

Average salary: $82,000
It takes two to three years to become an X-ray technician, depending on whether you specialize in diagnostic radiography, magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear medicine technology or radiation therapy. You’ll also need to be certified by the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists, unless you’re working in B.C. or Quebec, where Certification by the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists is not required. From there, you’ll be able to assist with diagnosing and treating conditions while performing everything from mammography to CT scans. Tuition costs can range from approximately $7,000 to $30,000.

7. Paramedic

Average salary: $66,000
When medical emergencies happen, paramedics are the first responders who assess illnesses, injuries and save lives. Depending on the situation, a paramedic might be applying oxygen, working with defibrillators or helping ensure patients are safely taken to a hospital. Expect to complete a one to three-year paramedical or emergency medical technology program through a college or hospital. Then you’ll be seeking both a provincial license as well as an additional license if you’ll be operating an emergency vehicle. Tuition ranges from approximately $5,000 to $20,000, while annual licensing fees range from $100 to $600, depending on the province in which you work.

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Robert Furtado

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March 20, 2024

Regulators Need AI Expertise. They Can’t Afford It

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ChatGPT caught regulators by surprise when it set off a new AI race. As companies have rushed to develop and release ever more powerful models, lawmakers and regulators around the world have sought to catch up and rein in development.

As governments spin up new AI programs, regulators around the world are urgently trying to hire AI experts. But some of the job ads are raising eyebrows and even chuckles among AI researchers and engineers for offering wages that, amid the current AI boom, look pitiful.

The European AI Office, which will be central to the implementation of the EU’s AI Act, listed vacancies early this month and wants applicants to begin work in the fall. They include openings for technology specialists in AI with a master’s degree in computer science or engineering and at least one year’s experience, at a seniority level that suggests an annual salary from €47,320 ($51,730).

Across La Manche, the UK government’s Department for Science, Innovation & Technology is also seeking AI experts. One open position is Head of the International AI Safety Report, who would help shepherd a landmark global report that stems from the UK’s global AI Safety Summit last year. The ad says “expertise in frontier AI safety and/or demonstrable experience of upskilling quickly in a complex new policy area” is essential. The salary offered is £64,660 ($82,730) a year.

Although the EU listing is net of tax, the salaries are far lower than the eye-watering sums being offered within the industry. Levels.fyi, which compiles verified tech industry compensation data, reports that the median total compensation for workers at OpenAI is $560,000, including stock grants, as is common in the tech industry. The lowest compensation it has verified at the ChatGPT maker, for a recruiter, is $190,000.

At OpenAI’s Amazon-backed rival Anthropic—creator of the Claude chatbot—the median compensation of $212,500 still far outstrips what regulators are currently offering. The lower 25th percentile for jobs in machine learning and AI is $172,500, according to Levels.fyi. Stock grants included in tech industry compensation packages can turn into huge windfalls if a company’s value increases. OpenAI is currently valued at $80 billion following a February 2024 share tender first reported by The New York Times.

“There’s a brain drain happening across every government across the world,” says Nolan Church, cofounder and CEO at FairComp, a company tracking salary data to help workers negotiate better pay. “Part of the reason why is that private companies not only have a better working environment, but also will offer significantly higher salaries.”

Church worries that competition between private companies will also widen the gap further between the private and public sector. “I personally believe the government should be attracting the best and the brightest,” he says, “but how can you convince the best and the brightest to take a massive pay cut?”

Outside the Ballpark

It’s not new for government jobs to pay significantly less than those in industry, but in the current AI boom the disconnect is potentially more significant and urgent. Tech companies and corporations in other industries rushing to embrace the technology are competing fiercely for AI-savvy talent. The rapid pace of developments in AI means regulators need to move fast.

Jack Clark, a cofounder of Anthropic, posted on X comparing the EU AI Office’s salary offer unfavorably to tech industry internships. “I appreciate governments are working within their own constraints, but if you want to carry out some ambitious regulation of the AI sector then you need to pay a decent wage,” he wrote. “You don’t need to be competitive with industry, but you definitely need to be in the ballpark.”

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Chris Stokel-Walker

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March 14, 2024
Business briefs

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PEOPLEGreg Stevens was recently announced as the new president at Cabot Wealth Management. Rob Lutts and the firm’s managing partners made the announcement last week. It was effective Jan. 1. Stevens has been with Cabot for 20 years and has been instrumental in managing the growth and success of the firm over those years. He takes over the role of president from Lutts who founded the firm in 1983. Lutts will remain with Cabot as part of the management team. “I am confident that Greg will be a solid leader for the firm and, along with other senior leadership, will continue to ensure that our key focus is the same as it has been for 40 years — doing everything we can to help our clients achieve their goals,” said Lutts. The firm, based in Salem, is a leading wealth management firm that provides a wide range of services including investment management, financial planning, estate planning, tax filing and planning. Cabot is a national firm that serves clients across the country.

Aubrie L. Gallagher recently joined Downey Law Group, LLC/DLG Closing to its law practice based in Topsfield and Haverhill. Gallagher is an experienced estate planning, probate, and trust administration attorney, having practiced as a solo practitioner for over 10 years. An Amesbury native, she graduated from Massachusetts School of Law in 2011. She comes from three generations of estate planning and probate attorneys, following in the footsteps of her mother, attorney Janice Weyland Sinclair, and her grandfather, attorney Wendell P. Weyland, who was a CPA and estate attorney in the Topsfield/Boxford area. Gallagher lives in Amesbury with her husband and family.

Hancock Associates, a leading provider of land surveying, civil engineering and wetland science services, has announced the semi-retirement of Don Frydryk PE, PLS. Frydryk joined Hancock Associates, which has offices in Danvers, as a Regional Office Manager when the firm acquired Sherman & Frydryk, LLC, a land surveying and civil engineering firm located in Palmer. He will continue in a smaller, part-time role as Business Development Coordinator and focus on business development for Hancock’s western Massachusetts offices and mentoring staff.

MILESTONESConnolly Brothers Inc., a construction management firm based in Beverly, recently completed a 52,000-square-foot design-build fit-up project for Calare Properties. The facility, located in Milford, will serve as a new state 911 Public Safety Answering Point, State 911 Training Center, Municipal Police Training Committee Academy and offices for the Massachusetts Department of Correction Professional Standards Unit. The two-story building was vacant for seven years, presenting challenges for Connolly’s design team. At first, it was critical to ascertain an understanding of the existing infrastructure, such as underground plumbing and structural components. Connolly proceeded to update the structural requirements, such as reinforcing second-floor and roof bar joists, strengthening steel column brace frames and creating four new grade beams, in order to meet updated building code requirements for use group risk category of the building. Connolly provided additional accessible entrances and replaced the exterior stairs with new granite. The electrical requirements to support the 911 Communication Center required a high level of coordination between Connolly’s design and construction teams, as this included design of 22 workstation consoles that support the intricate technological infrastructure needed to support the operating requirements for a 911 emergency dispatch center. Connolly served as both Architect of Record and Construction Manager for this design-build project. The project team also included Platinum Fire Protection, D+D/DNET and Tech Mechanical.

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March 13, 2024

Tag: work

The Post Fire

Fire crews battle a hot spot on Orwin road.

Fire crews battle a hot spot.

Crews conduct a burn-out operation Sunday near Hungry Valley Road.

Firefighters at work in Gorman. (Eric Thayer / Associated Press)

Members of the Little Tujunga Hot Shots at work.

The Post fire advances on structures in Gorman.

As the fire spreads, experts are gauging the severity of this year’s fire season. A wet winter has nurtured a potentially heavy fuel load of thick grasses, which are drying as temperatures rise.

A smoldering hillside is left behind by the Post fire.

The Lisa Fire

CalFire drops water from a helicopter to battle the wind driven Lisa fire from the air in a canyon east of Moreno Valley on Sunday in Beaumont. As of 6:45pm the fire had burned 867 acres.

6 reasons to separate your personal and business finances

5 FAQs about business accounts and credit cards

Can I use a personal credit card for business expenses?

What are the benefits of a business bank account?

What do you need to open a business bank account and credit card?

What should I look for in a business credit card?

Getting started

What do I need to know about managing my finances as a contractor?

Pro tip: Choose a credit card for contractors

Building a successful career as a home renovation contractor

Work productivity fluctuates on a daily basis. Here are some simple things you can do to get off the hamster wheel.

Know what works and what doesn’t about your work setup

Start by completing one task

Clean your desk

Clean your emails

Peripherals Are Important

How to Pick

You spend 40 hours there most weeks..why not have fun and make a difference.

Take time to think

Don’t be afraid to fail

Brainstorm more often

Follow through on your ideas

Shake things up

Go for a walk

The best way to share a career update

Half of in-person employees nap in their cars

Men, younger staffers more likely to nap during workday

Remote workers take longest workday naps

Why are employees napping at work?

Napping on the job may have health, performance consequences

Sometimes you have a week of 5 Mondays and it seems a half of Saturday – here are some tips to make the most of your weekend and be ready for the next round of Mondays

Disconnect from work

Minimize your chores

Work out

Do something you’re passionate about

Try to wake up at the same time

Use your mornings as your “me time”

Prepare for the week