Happy New Year!

Ooops.........I actually published this post before anything had been written!  So here goes.

Hope all hands had a great holiday season!  Mine were quiet and well spent with family and friends. I am looking forward to 2010 and all the opportunities that abound.

With that stated, many people usually make their annual New Years Resolutions. I personally did not make any. In fact, I heard on a local radio station that people should not make resolutions but instead, set goals for themselves and that is what I have done.  (I think I wrote about this before.) But setting goals will not be the topic of this weeks blog.

This week I am going to start (hopefully) a weekly series about making yourself indispensable at work.  Now is the time to be busting your behind to keep your job.  The recession has come and gone. The economy is s-l-o-w-l-y turning around and there are still many jobs that could possibly be lost as employers look to see how they might be able to dowbsize a little bit more.

So here goes.  The topic for this week is: Get involved with training and development.

Do you have a degree?  Are you taking any courses? Are you keeping up with the latest technologies?  If you answered NO to any of these questions, you need to do something about it NOW!  The more you know, the better off you will be.  Take whatever classes you can that are free and available locally or even through your company. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT ever turn down training opportunities if they are offered.  Your supervisor will remember and there may go any future chances of attending again.  Keep learning is the key here.  Earn your degree.  Push towards an advanced degree.  Read, read, read.  Keep up on current events.  This will be your key to staying employed.

Now this may not be number one on your list, but it is on mine.  The more you know not only about your job, but the job of others, the better off you will be in the event that layoffs will have to occur.  Who knows the most?  Who can we afford or NOT afford to send home?

Don't wait.  Don't hesitate.  Pick up that book and start reading.  Stay informed.

That's it for this week.  Next week another topic, a little touchy but with big bennies will be written about.

Until then........I'm outta here!