ted – Head Bitches in Charge

You may know some, all, or none of these websites. You may be mildly familiar with them – but I highly suggest you really delve into these websites and soak up all they have to offer!

1. TED – Ideas Worth Spreading

A collection of the world’s most fascinating, inspiring, beautiful talks from people that come from all walks of life. They’re an easy listen and you can customize your playlists based on how much time you have and what you’d like to see. It’s literally the most amazing site I’ve ever visited and believe me, if you don’t already watch them, you will want to get on that now.

2. Stumbleupon – Browse the Internet based on your Interests

You make a few clicks and say what you are interested in (any topic at all) and then you click ‘stumble’. Websites from all over the internet have been indexed and categorized and you will come across some of the greatest content you have ever seen. If you like a page, you can browse it, and if you don’t, just click stumble to go to the next.

3. Reddit – The front page of the Internet

This is at once one of the scariest sites and the most fascinating sites on the internet. It’s all user driven, and it has ‘subreddits’ which cater to every interest you can think of. (And if not, you can create one!) They’re basically forums with images, text, links, etc. I subscribe to a variety of subreddits that range from skincare, to specific health issues, to makeup, to funny images. You can do a search and find the subreddit you want and either browse or share content yourself.

4. High Existence – A site dedicated to intellectual thinking, conversing, and articles.

It’s basically a website that is both user driven and creator driven. You can publish your own thoughts and articles and images or you can find others. You will inevitably find something fascinating and mind-blowing to feast your thoughts upon for a little while.

5. Information is Beautiful – Gorgeous, informative Infographics

Browse infographics on a variety of social topics – the one requirement: they have to be visually pleasing. It’s a fascinating way to absorb information and appreciate the art of graphic design.

xx Nicki

While men soar to the top in the workforce, women are often left capping out at mid-level management. Are we destined, as women, to live in the middle? Susan Colantuono, speaker at TED x Women, disagrees.

One part from the talk struck a nerve with me – that while women work up the courage to gain confidence in themselves, men are learning the industry (having already been endowed with gender confidence). They learn the financials, the ins-and-outs, and how they fit within the puzzle. Mid-level management employees don’t necessarily need to know the financials of the company. Rather, they focus primarily on their own skills and bringing out the skills in others. What differentiates them from executive is the financial/business aspect in addition to the rest.

So, women: if you are wondering why you are withering away in a mid-level management position, watch this talk and see if it changes how you think about your career movement.

Here is the TED Talk, by Susan Colantuono on why women are often unable to become executives in their industries.

xx Nicki