Monday, December 30, 2019

Thinking About Quitting Ask Yourself These 10 Questions First

Thinking About Quitting Ask Yourself These 10 Questions First Thinking About Quitting Ask Yourself These 10 Questions First Ask yourself these 10 questions first1.) What Specifically Annoys You About Your Job?Determine the exact issue with your job. Is it the people you work with? Is it the environment? Your boss? Your workload? Maybe it is the work itself? Once you have pinpointed your problem you might be able to fix it without quitting. However, if you have determined youre in the wrong business you will need to make a plan to change careers.2.) Is Your Current Work Setting Insufferable?Be honest about how bad your situation is. Are you suffering abuse (verbal, sexual, physical) at your current position? Are you being mistreated (not allowed to take breaks when youre supposed to, working overtime without pay, etc.) in any way? If so, make an appointment with HR and/or leave immediately. If its something minor stick it out with a plan to leave as soon as you have a new job in pla ce.3.) Have You Done Everything Possible to Work it Out?If youre situation is manageable think about how you can work it out. What steps will you have to take to be happy with your job? Maybe you need to change your schedule, clear a task from your workload, take on a positive attitude, or mora effectively manage your time. Perhaps a meeting with your employer is in order. Sometimes, all you have to do is ask for what you need.4.) What do You Want?Its unfortunate how many people never get asked this question, or never ponder it. What do you want for your work life? Define your career priorities. What do you want and how badly do you want it?5.) Do You Have a Realistic Plan for Your Next Job?Many people quit their jobs with no plan or thought, and then simply assume they can land their dream job. You have to be realistic about your goals. Do go for your dreams, but do it right. Make a plan. Think about your skills, experience, education. Do you need to take more classes? Earn a new d egree? Develop new skills? You might have to take some classes or volunteer to gain extra experience and skills to be able to quit and go for your dream job.6.) Do You Have Enough Money Saved?If youre going to quit your job you may be job searching for up to a year or more. If you dont have a job lined up already you are going to need some savings to get you by until you land a job. Experts say you should have nine to 12 months of savings set aside so you can pay your bills while seeking a new position.7.) Are You Willing to Give up Your Benefits?If you quit you will lose your health insurance, retirement contributions, and other benefits. Find out how much it would cost to buy health insurance on your own. Plus, without your income you wont be able to contribute to your retirement fund, college fund, or any other savings you have. Research this and really think it through.8.) How Will You Cut Expenses?While you are in between jobs how will you earn some extra money and reduce your expenses? Create a detailed budget of your monthly income and expenses. Are your expenses more than your income? Are there any expenses you can cut such as cable TV, dining out, your cell bill, etc.? Will you be able to find some work in between jobs to keep an income coming in?9.) Do You Have a Support System?Are your friends and family going to support your decision? Quitting your job will affect those around you, especially your kids and spouse. Talk to these people about your plans before you quit and participate in cost-cutting.10.) Is This The Right Time?Are you in the middle of a big project or is it really busy at work? Honor your commitments before you quit. Dont leave your gruppe and employer in a bind. Also, if youre going to get a holiday bonus, wait until the holiday is over.

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Accessible Robotics Swarm

Accessible Robotics Swarm Accessible Robotics Swarm Accessible Robotics SwarmA few years ago, Magnus Egerstedt was walking through the swarm robotics laboratory at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he is associate director of research, feeling proud of the research spearheaded there, when a disturbing thought crossed his mind.I began thinking about the robotics laboratories where people are doing things that matter. Theres not even ten of them globally, Egerstedt says. Thats weird, because so many people are working on swarm robotics, but it takes money and people to drive research that matters. Its a resource competition, not a good-ideas competition.He immediately envisioned a way to give robotics researchers who arent with those top labs access to top-lab capabilities. And he knew students at all levels, grade school to graduate school, could benefit as well.I used as a model the Large Hadron Collider, Egerstedt says. Physicists realized large particle colliders were too expensive to build separately, so they share. I thought, Why dont we do that in robotics rather than spend time and money reproducing the same results in labs all over the country and the world?The Large Hadron Collider, which opened in 2009 near Geneva, is the largest and most powerful particle collider in the world. Physicists from many locales test their theories about particle physics, high-energy physics, and the Higgs boson particle.Prof. Magnus Egerstedt is researching controlling swarms of machines that coordinate their own activities to accomplish tasks. Image Rob Felt / Georgia TechNow, only a few short years after Egerstedts epiphany, Georgia Tech has opened its first Robotarium in the Center for Robotics and Intelligent Machines at the university, where Egerstedt is associate director. At the Robotarium, global robotics researchers and students can conduct experiments remotely at no cost.The word Egerstedt coined for the facilityRobotariumis part robot, part auditorium, as researchers and students can watch the swarm robots theyve programmed perform. And one day theyll be able to sit in an actual auditorium to watch robotic activity if Egerstedt has his way.The field of swarm robotics (the focus of the Georgia Tech lab and the Robotarium) gets teams of robots work together for a common goal.The small swarm robots at the lab form and maintain a particular position to carry out tasks. Swarm robotics can be used in a number of fields. For example, they hold promise for disaster rescue missions in which teams of robots of different sizes could be sent to places rescue workers cant reach safely. They detect the presence of life via infrared sensors.Swarms of robots might also be able to perform some types of mining or agricultural work.Researchers with new ideas in swarm robotics should be able to binnensee their algorithms deployed on real robots, rather than purely simulated, which is how researchers at smaller institutes receive test results now, Ege rstedt says.Students using the mini-version of the Robotarium in a test session. Image Raftermen Photography / Georgia TechMy humble idea when I started was to democratize the field of robotics so its not the people with the deepest pockets and the best access but the people with the best ideas who get to further them and test those ideas, Egerstedt says. If youre a junior faculty member or at the less well endowed university or if youre doing computer science or biology and have ideas relevant to robotics you dont really have a way to test your ideas.Middle and high school students can also upload their own programming code then watch how their robots perform in real-time via streamed video feeds. Theyll also receive information on their results, Egerstedt says.This current version of the Robotarium features 20 robots on wheels and a camera system that live streams their actions back to researchers and students. It also has the capabilities to store and disseminate data that result s from robotic movementsIn summer 2016, Georgia Tech will begin work on Robotarium 2.0, which will house 100 robots, including walking and flying robots. This version will be housed in the Van Leer building, home of the school of electrical and computer engineering departments at Georgia Tech. Students walking through the building will be able to watch the robots at work.Robotarium version 3.0 is just a dream for now, but Egerstedt envisions it as occupying its own central-campus building, complete with theater seating, in which students can lounge to study and watch the robots at work.The robots should always be on and always doing something interesting, he says. Thats part of the charm.Though the Georgia Tech Robotarium focuses on swarm robotics, Egerstedt can envision Robotariums of the future housed on other campuses and specializing in other types of robotics, such as industrial machines.To me this idea is bigger than the Robotarium, he says. Providing remote access to world-cl ass lab facilities is something we dont do. We have the ability and the instrumentation so why do all of us have to build copies of each others labs in this day and age?It slows us down and disqualifies large groups of people who dont have the ability to test and deploy the excellent ideas they have, he says.Learn more about the latest trends in manufacturing at ASMEs AM3D Conference Expo.Jean Thilmany is an independent writer. Providing remote access to world-class lab facilities is something we dont do. We have the ability and the instrumentation so why do all of us have to build copies of each others labs in this day and age?Prof. Magnus Egerstedt, Georgia Tech

Friday, December 20, 2019

New study confirms that your body can handle more coffee than you ever knew

New study confirms that your body can handle mora coffee than you ever knewNew study confirms that your body can handle more coffee than you ever knewAdmit it, youve wondered during those late working nights or foggy mornings how much coffee can you drink before you do yourself physical harm?Its been hard to get an answer until today. Oh, sure, theres been speculation, but nothing a coffee addict can definitely trust. Government regulatorshave long been conflicted about our human limit to drinking coffee. Health Canada says four cups of coffee is the recommended limit, while theFood and Drug Administration recommends no more than three eight-ounce cups of coffee before you become a jittery hot mess.But morning coffee lovers like me can rejoice that the latest science is on our side.In an April study, International Life Sciences Institute researchers conducteda systemic review of15 years of data on caffeine.We finally have the answer weve been seeking.They found that four eight-ounce cups of coffee were acceptable in healthy adults 400 mg caffeine/day in healthy adults is not associated with overt, adverse cardiovascular effects, behavioral effects, reproductive and developmental effects, acute effects, or bone status.Your official coffee limitWhat that adds up to 4 cups of plain brewed coffee10 cans of caffeinated soda two of those tiny energy shots or five - yes, five - Red Bull-type energy drinks.The 85% of U.S. adults who are already drinking one cup of coffee a day can now relax. Having a caffeinehabit isnt as dangerous as headlines reading coffee can kill you are leading us to believe.Although caffeine consumptionhas been previouslylinked to miscarriage risks, the new study found that pregnant women can safely consume up to 300 milligrams of coffee.After that threshold in healthy adults, you may run into downsides, including increased unhappiness, depression and anxiety.Of course, coffee affects everyone differently. Just because research says an average adult can guzzle down four cups, doesnt mean you necessarily should. Everyone has a different tolerance to it.Theres a great deal of inter-individual variability in how people respond to caffeine. Thats one of the research gaps. We need to better identify differences and identify people who are more sensitive,Esther Myers, one of the studys researchers, told The Atlantic.As with every beverage, know your limits and drinkin moderation.

Monday, December 16, 2019

Statistics and data science degrees Overhyped or the real deal

Statistics and data science degrees Overhyped or the real dealStatistics and data science degrees Overhyped or the real dealData science is hot right now. The number of undergraduate degrees in statistics hastripledin the past decade, and as a statistics professor, I can tell you that it isnt because freshmen love statistics.Way back in 2009, economist Hal Varian of Google dubbed statistician the next sexy job. Since then, statistician, data scientist and actuary have topped various best jobs lists. Not to mention the enthusiastic press coverage of industry applicationsMachine learningBig dataAIDeep learningBut is it good advice? Im going to voice an unpopular opinion for the sake of starting a conversation. Stats is indeed useful, but not in the way that the popular media and all those online data science degree programs seem to suggest.Super-employeesWhile all the press tends to go to the sensationalist applications computers that watch cat videos, anyone? the data science boom reflects a broad increase in demand for data literacy, as a baseline requirement for modern jobs.The big data era doesnt just meanlarge amounts of data it also means increased ease and ability to collect data of all types, in all walks of life. Although thebig fivetech companies Google, Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Microsoft represent about 10 percent of the U.S. market cap and dominate the public imagination, they employ only one-half of one percent of all employees.Therefore, to be a true revolution, data science will need to infiltrate nontech industries. And it is. The U.S. has seen its impact onpolitical campaigns. I myself have consulted in themedical devices sector. A few years back,Walmart held a data analysis competitionas a recruiting tool. The need for people that can dig into the data and parse it is everywhere.In a speechat the National Academy of Sciences in 2015, Steven Freakonomics Levitt related his insights about the need for data-savvy workers, based on his exper ience as a sought-after consultant in fields ranging from the airline industry to fast food. He concluded that the next-generation super-employee is someone with a bit of business sense, a bit of computing know-how and a bit of statistics under his or her belt.Data is increasingly being called on to inform all our decisions. But this broad utility means that it isnt sexy. The sexy jobs working onself-driving carsorGo-playing computers are going torequire morethan an undergrad major in statistics or a week-long bootcamp on prediction usingPython. In fact, I was once told by an industry colleague that the term data scientist was coined to placate Ph.D. physicists who were tasked with runninglinear regressionsall day long.So, the way I see it, there will be egghead types off at the edge of the field, and there will some folks doing the necessary drudge work, and there will be a lot of people in between, looking carefully at the data and trying to glean useful insights. But and this i s the big point everyone had better know how to makebasic graphsand poke around adatabase.So where do I sign up?Five years ago there was no such thing as a data science degree, and nowthe listruns for pages and pages. And thats not counting the traditional statistics programs, or programs in related subjects like computer science or operations research. LinkedIns sidebar strongly feels I should consider an online masters degree in data analytics, from several different places.The proliferation of these programs speaks to the inadequacy of many peoples undergraduate educations in terms of statistics and data competency. Although stats majors have tripled, there were only 3,000 last year, compared to370,000 business degrees and 117,000 psych degrees. mora of these students should certainly give statistics (or one of the newer data science degrees) a hard look, given that a bachelors degree is borderlinecompulsorythese days.But I worry that the premise behind the appeal of these degre es especially at the masters level is the idea that the technology alone can solve problems. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Statistics is a tool for understanding data, but cannot by itself understand anything. Probably the biggest mistake people make when applying statistical or machine learning methods is not recognizing that the data being analyzed is insufficient to answer the relevant question. A degree that teaches you only about the hottest predictive analytics technology, likedeep learning, is a bit like learning how to drive without knowing the first thing about how to navigate.Setting realistic expectations for the added value of a statistics education is important to me because Im a true believer. I feel that more people should learn statistics and how to analyze data because it is a powerful way to understand modern life. In addition to boosting ones job prospects, a statistics education can teach you when toignore your doctors bad advice, help you understand important financial ideas and, in general, help you bewrong less often. ansicht real virtues are undermined by big data hype.So yes, lots more folks are studying statistics at the college level than in the past and, absolutely, even more people should be. But I think focusing on the surge in data science specialists is misinterpreting the nature of the demand. Everyone should have more of these skills, even if it isnt their primary job title.P. Richard Hahn, Associate Professor of Statistics, Arizona State UniversityThis article is republished fromThe Conversationunder a Creative Commons license. Read theoriginal article.

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

A Better Pill to Swallow

A Better Pill to Swallow A Better Pill to Swallow A Better Pill to SwallowFor millions of Americans who manage chronic health conditions with daily prescription drugs, sticking to the proper dosage instructions can be challenging. A new entry in the wearable sensor technology market could make their doctors orders easier to follow and to swallow.Medication non-adherence is an expensive and growing problem. Some patients willfully take too little or too much. Some misunderstand the complicated package directions. Others simply forget to take their pills from time to time. Whatever the cause, many of these medication mishaps result in visits to the doctors office or emergency room that would have otherwise been unnecessary. As the U.S. population ages and relies on multiple prescriptions to manage complex chronic diseases such as diabetes and dementia, medication mishaps are adding $100 billion to $300 billion to the nations annual healthcare bill, according to the U.S. Centers for Di sease Control and Prevention (CDC).The Ingestible Sensor system from Proteus Digital Health (Redwood City, CA) fights this problem from within. Its key feature is a doctor-prescribed Sensor-Enabled Pill patients swallow along with their other medications. Once in the stomach, a non-toxic semiconductor ic within the pill works with externally worn sensors and electronics to create a daily record of medication-taking and physical activity. Its all part of what Proteus calls a digital health feedback system patients and their doctors can both use to keep chronic diseases in long-term control.The healthcare industry has long wished for some reliable means of supporting patients who either cant or wont follow dosage directions consistently. The Proteus sensor was originally approved as a medical device by the U.S. Food Drug Administration (FDA) in 2012 and earlier this year earned an expanded indication for use in medication adherence monitoring.Proteus Discover skin patch. Image Utrech t UniversityPatient DataThe ingestible sensor comparable in size to a grain of sand can be integrated into an inert pill or other edible material, including active pharmaceutical products. The self-powering biosensor is activated by contact with stomach fluids. It identifies what medication the patient has ingested and when, transmitting that data through the patients tissues to a detector hidden in an externally worn adhesive patch. The patch also contains devices that record patient activity levels and physiologic data such as heart rate and body position. From there, the data are sent by Bluetooth to a mobile device app patients and their in-home care-givers can use to manage their medication reminders, track their weight and blood pressure, and chart their overall progress. The app connects with a Web-based portal for the patients team of professional healthcare providers, who with patient consent can remotely follow individual patients adherence and treatment response. Data can help inform better doctor-patient communication, identify patients in need of more support, and highlight larger trends among multiple patients.Proteus manufactures the digestible sensor using a combination of high-volume methods from the semiconductor and pharmaceutical industries. Ingredients are all non-toxic elements present in a normal human diet. Performance-wise, the sensor successfully detects pill ingestion more than 97% of the time and can identify specific pills with 100% accuracy.Error on TrialThe Proteus device and other ingestible digital health products sure to follow also have promise in pharmaceutical research and development. About half of all Phase III clinical drug trials fail, keeping potentially useful new drugs off the market for reasons not necessarily connected to their actual effectiveness or safety. One frequent cause is a lack of reliable data documenting the trial participants adherence to medication protocols. Researchers have previously had to rel y on patient self-reporting and lab tests to gauge compliance often a cumbersome and inaccurate approach.Oracle Health Sciences (Redwood City, CA) has incorporated Proteus digital feedback data into its InForm Medication Adherence Insights Cloud Service an electronic data capture and management platform for clinical trials. The system boosts a trials chances of success by validating patient adherence data, pinpointing adherence problems early, and helping researchers adjust dosages for improved patient safety or therapeutic effects. At the same time, it reduces trial costs by eliminating time-consuming manual compliance monitoring procedures.The system addresses two long-standing and complex challenges measuring participant adherence to drug protocols and identifying the maximum dosing regimen for recommended use, said Steve Rosenberg, senior vice president and general manager of Oracle Health Sciences.Edibles AboundA number of researchers are developing a taste for edible digital health technologies for applications such as endoscopy, counterfeit drug detection, and physiological status monitoring for military troops stationed in hot climates. At Carnegie Mellon University, for example, engineering professors Christopher Bettinger and Jay Whitacre have teamed up to explore experimental edibles to stimulate damaged tissues, measure digestive health, or deliver drugs to targeted anatomical sites. Their devices combine a shape-memory polymer created in Bettingers laboratory with Whitacres novel nontoxic sodium-ion battery to provide the minimal amount of power required to activate the structure in the body. The inexpensive battery material passes through the body while the polymeric material remains in place to perform such future applications as gastric monitoring, drug delivery, or tissue repair.Michael MacRae is an independent writer.Learn about the latest trends in bioengineering at ASMEs Global Congress onNanoEngineering for Medicine and BiologyData can help inform better doctor-patient communication, identify patients in need of more support, and highlight larger trends among multiple patients.

Friday, December 6, 2019

Details of Resume Words List

Details of Resume Words List Whispered Resume Words List Secrets Then enable the employer decide. Whether youre asking for a position in the private, nonprofit, or government sectors, being in a position to recognize and utilize key words is a vital skill. So your personal stellungnahme will typically be the only means to let you understand apart. Sprinkle the correct buzzwords into your resume and cover letter to demonstrate that youre a component of the business. What You Dont Know About Resume Words List The lists arent exhaustive, as the keyword phrases you should increase your resume depend on your experience and abilities. So search LinkedIn to get the most frequent spellings. Feel free to get in touch with her via LinkedIn. Also, review the businesss website for possible keywords and phrases. Employers do not just want to realize that you worked on email advertising campaigns. Its essential to note that a few employers now utilize databases to scan resumes for keywor ds they need to see on resumes. Resumes should demonstrate what you could do and not what you cant do, states Harrison. What You Dont Know About Resume Words List Bear in mind that a resume is the ideal opportunity to showcase everything you can do. Resume posting at our website is called static posting. elend wish to an easy step and has to comply with work on the goal of a couple of experience if such a template resume. Templates might be used for making a CV, resume as a means to apply for jobs. If needed, make an email address particularly for job hunting. Regardless of what business sector you prefer to work in, therell always be a level of transferable skills that it is possible to take with you from job to job. Youre finishing up your final semester at college. In addition, its important to think about the job which youre applying for. Youve got time for one more Adhere to these three project manager resume tips to effectively showcase all your accomplishments. P ower Resume Words will make help you distinguish yourself from your competition and raise your probability of getting hired Additionally, you wish to stick out from the remaining portion of the candidates with the very same education and work experience. Include job history and broad summary of your abilities. The Downside Risk of Resume Words List High School Resume templates are a fantastic resource for such students. Action verbs show your capability to succeed. You should make an effort to include action verbs in your text to reveal your capacity to be prosperous. Then do the very same with other on-line lists of resume verbs. Not employing the correct key terms in your job application is among the most typical mistakes folks are doing when writing a rsume. ur experts have made a thorough list of all of the best resume adjectives, together with a guide on the way to use them effectively. Obviously, dont use a skill keyword in case you dont have that skill. Just take a look at the next skill categories. Have a look at the list below, and get prepared to make your resume way more exciting. If youre working to discover an outstanding witness announcement template totally at no cost, then youve arrive at the best spot. To get a superb focus, you will need to make format and arrange it. The format may vary from person to. Your very first task in a thriving job application is to become past the initial scanning and selection practice. See what you could come across useful in showing you made a significant effort before sending your application in. Your resume will frequently be screened by means of an ATS (applicant tracking system) that will look for relevant keywords inside your job resume application to be able to get the best match between the work ad and the job applications. Add your contact info. Power words are used for many factors. The 240 resume words within this article do exactly that. If youre using a cover letter, you shoul d have a couple of vital words in that document also. Lets look at a good example of ways to make use of these words. Employing strong words here is needed. There are far better words to use

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Carrying a Purse to the Interview Defining Professional Businesswomen

Carrying a Purse to the Interview Defining Professional Businesswomen My younger cousin is preparing to enter her junior year of college this fall. And, recently, she called me frantically to ask a question about an upcoming internship interview. Should I bring my purse with me to the interview? she asked.Such a simple question, yet it left me completely stumped.At first thought, this seems like a no brainer. Women typically take their purses with them wherever they go (often because they hold our lifes necessities) so why would an interview be any different?But, when you keep thinking about it, a purse could become a distraction during the interviewfor both you and the employer.What if you set down your purse and the contents spill out of the bag? Nice first impression.Or what if your phone vibrates? (An honest mistake because you were sure youd turned it off.)Or what if the interview space is no thing but a small room with you and the interviewer sitting at a small table? Surely, you dont want to put your purse on the table distracting the both of you, especially a brightly colored or eccentric bag.These scenarios may sound silly, but oftentimes women have to contemplate things like this when preparing for an interview. Do sleeveless blouses send the wrong message, i.e. too much skin? Will my skirt be considered too short or unprofessional if it has color versus the traditional black, navy blue and gray schemes? Are my heels too high? Does a bang take away from my face? And will a purse look tacky and/or unprofessional if its thrown over my shoulder as I shake hands with a hiring manager?Cosmopolitan recently published a story, 10 Interview Mistakes Even Smart Women Make, where it says 95 percent of recruiters say that dressing too sexy is a major turnoff.And although written years ago, this Forbes.com article about mistakes women make during the interview process pretty mu ch says the same thing, i.e. cautioning women to tone it down. Writer Jenna Goudreau pensWith such a wide array of clothing to choose from, its easier for women to make a fashion faux pas when it comes to dressing for an interview. Appearance sends a message about your professionalism and personality, so dress appropriately. Keep colors muted, opting for navy blue, dark gray and black, and tone down jewelry and makeup. *bolded emphasis added*Theres so much advice and caution thrown at women when it comes to interview preparation. I Googled, interview mistakes women make and the first page of search results listed 10 articles all geared specifically toward womens interview mistakesand many of them noted inappropriate dress.Yet, I ran the same Google search for meninterview mistakes men makeand guess what I found? The first article welches from askmen.com talking about interview mistakes guys make, and point 10 dealt with dressing down. The remainder of the articles that appeared in m y search results was about men AND womens worst fashion mistakes in general and mens mistakes in online dating/relationships.What the?Women have pages and pages of information and advice on how they need to do this and that as women to be successful during an interview and all the facts about what theyre doing wrong and how to fix it, but men dont?And so, as women follow these societal standards (most often set up by men) of what is and is not a professional woman, do they then receive equal treatment in the interview process?Check out this ABC story, Women Endure Surprising Bias in the Workplace, covering Yale Universitys hiring experiment. Two candidates with the exact same resumes interviewed for the exact same positions. One was male and one was female.In the video, the candidates (truly actors) read the same scripts, i.e. both said the exact same words and phrases describing their skills and talents. In the video, you could only see a head shot of both applicants, but it was ob vious both the male and female had on black button up shirts. The female was dressed appropriately with no makeup, no jewelry and hair pulled back away from her face.The results?Sadly, both men and women viewed the female candidate as more aggressive, less likeable and less likely to be hired. Two men in the video even said that they found the male applicant to have better soft skills while the female applicant was arrogant and overselling.ABC even noted a PEW Research Center study where almost twice as many women as men say theyve been turned down for a job because of their sex.The gender bias continues to permeate so many different areas of business I think women must continue to stand up for their right to define what is and is not a professional business woman.When I go on interviews, I dress how I want to dress. I reflect my personality, taste and what professional looks like to meand believe me, thats hardly ever black, navy blue and gray.As a woman, I like earrings so I wear them. Necklaces too.My skirts are brightly colored, my hair is big and curly and if I dont need a portfolio, a clutch is underneath my arm.Who says professional cannot be stylish? Or colorful? Or chic?I define what professionalism looks like for me. I have yet to be unemployed, but even if I did come across an employer who refused to hire me because my suit wasnt black and my hair wasnt straight, Id count it a blessing because I have no desire to work for an organization that follows the old, outdated norms of what is and is not professional instead of defining dress codes for itself (and adjusting to the changing times).A womans level of professionalism (and worthiness of a role) is not dependent upon whether or not she has a purse over her shoulder or color and designs in her attire. zu sich skills and talents will speak for themselves and her interactions with people and the lasting impressions she makes will reflect her true character, all of which can help shape what a professi onal business woman embodies to her.Because my cousin is interviewing for an internship, I advised her to bring along a portfolio of her work. But if she wants to carry along a purse or briefcase, thats okay too. Despite what the masses say, its truly her prerogative.