“To be in a couple, do you have to put your single self on a shelf?”
        —Carrie Bradshaw, Sex in the City

It’s a fair question, and one that gets asked again in this article, Marriage: Hazardous to Your Career? by Forbes contributor, Selena Rezvani.

One point Rezvani makes that rings perhaps a little too true — most women in business seem reluctant to talk about how their marital status has contributed to (or detracted from) their success. And yet, when and if to get married is a much sought-after piece of advice for young women just starting out their careers.

As Rezvani points out, recent Census Bureau statistics show adult, unmarried women will soon outnumber their married counterparts. With marriage rates declining most drastically for the 18-29 age set, clearly we don’t feel the same need to rush to the alter as previous generations.

But how does the decision to couple up, delay getting hitched, or remain single all together affect your career? Like everything in life, there are no easy answers and pros and cons to both sides.

(Continued)

Ever wondered how you can leverage your technical experience in the business world? Whether you majored in Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, or Computer Science, an exciting career in business can be a part of your future!

Mark your calendar for this next edition of the Forté College Webinar Series, brought to you by BlackRock, Capital One and The PNC Financial Services Group.

Tuesday, February 7th
5:00 - 6:00 PM EST
Career Lab Close-Up: Research Lab to Wall Street? Engineering to Marketing?
Making the Transition into Business

Attend this free webinar — featuring panelists from Capital One, Intel, BlackRock and Deloitte — to learn about business careers and how you can build the career of your dreams.

(Continued)

The marketing function in a company explores products and the customers who might be interested in them. Once a connection is established between product and customer, a marketing professional must develop strategic plans that set positioning, pricing, and strategic direction for the product (or service) throughout its life cycle. Marketers develop programs (like advertising) to improve brand recognition and loyalty and increase profitability. In addition, they communicate with partners and customers and manage various internal and external departments, driving all toward common marketing goals and objectives. Thus, a marketing career requires many of the same skills as a general management career and may prepare an individual for general management or an entrepreneurial endeavor.

(Continued)

If you’re getting close to finishing up your undergraduate degree, you’ve probably also started thinking about your post-college career. As you’re exploring your options, now is great time to start doing a little research on what you’ll need to succeed beyond that entry-level position.

Times have changed.  Many industries that once shunned applicants with an advanced degree now actively seek candidates with greater education, including an MBA. In fact, MBA Focus, a recruiting firm that connects employers with business-school students, reports a 103% increase in MBA-required and MBA-preferred positions posted on their boards since late 2010.

(Continued)

Glassdoor recently announced their 2012 Employees’ Choice Awards for Best Places to Work, and we’re thrilled to see six Forté Foundation sponsors made the list!

We’re especially excited for our Virtual Campus sponsors, Ernst & Young and Lilly, which came in at numbers 38 and 46, respectively.

Want to know more about what makes these VC sponsors such great places to work? Head over to the Career Gal Road Trip to explore their virtual cities. There, you can learn more about the organizations and even find out how to apply for their internship programs!

Other Forté sponsors making the list include Bain & Company, which snagged the number one position, as well as Chevron, Goldman Sachs and Intel.

If you were choosing the best companies to work for, what would be on your criteria list? What do YOU think defines a “great place to work?”  Tell us, so we can share your thoughts with our many wonderful sponsors! We know they’re interested in what you have to say, because they know you’re the future of their organizations—so tell them what you’ll be looking for as you start your career path!

Kate Shae was born in Bendigo, two hours north of Melbourne. She bypassed the travel abroad that is typical for young Australians to pursue her studies and a career. However, over time, she’s more than compensated for any adventures she may have missed, with an exciting career filled with international travel and opportunities to live abroad. 

Kate studied science at University of Melbourne, majoring in statistics. At one time, she thought she might become an actuary, but instead took a position in investment banking. A few years working in the business world fueled an interest to pursue an MBA. “I was fascinated with business more broadly,” she recalls. “My training in mathematics was not as broad as I wanted it to be. Business school was a way to expand my exposure to a range of different business considerations. I was interested in strategic and business development—not just finance.”

(Continued)

No matter what a company does, it needs people to oversee the smooth functioning of all the activities that are necessary to produce a product or service. General managers have this responsibility. They ensure that—from the concept of a product to its production and delivery and how it’s accounted for—a business’s operations blend together as seamlessly as possible. Providing strategic direction, sharing information, enhancing communication, and making decisions are all hallmarks of the general manager role. Most important, general managers are responsible for making money for the business: they take credit for the profits and must explain any losses.

Due to the level of responsibility expected, employers rarely hire a business school graduate immediately into a general management position. General managers are typically executives with many years of experience. Most employers, however, are hoping to hire future general managers, and one can begin a career with that goal in mind.

(Continued)