AOL Jobs Articles & News

10 College Majors With The Highest Unemployment Rates [Infographic]

David Schepp — 2012-05-15T15:40:00+00:00

In this era of high unemployment, many parents and students wonder which college degrees pay off -- and which don't.

A recent study by Georgetown University Center on Education looked at earnings and unemployment rates among recent and seasoned degree holders as well as those with graduate degrees and found dramatic differences, depending on their majors.

So which degrees ranked among the worst for recent grads looking for a job?

Baptist University's Anti-Gay Pledge Causes Faculty To Quit In Droves

Claire Gordon — 2012-05-15T15:14:00+00:00

A university in Georgia is bleeding faculty after adding a new section to employee contracts last October. The "Personal Lifestyle Statement" requires employees to reject homosexuality, premarital sex, adultery, drug use and public drinking near campus. It also mandates that staff be active in a local church.

In an anonymous survey in April, only 12 percent of faculty and staff said that they planned to stay at Shorter University, a 139-year-old Baptist school, reports Inside Higher Ed. More than 50 resigned before the new contracts were even distributed, and certain departments, such as science and fine arts, have been "eviscerated," according to Michael Wilson, a tenured librarian for the university who's worked there for 14 years.

Anti-College Crusader Peter Thiel Backtracks, Then Reverses Again

Bruce Watson — 2012-05-15T14:30:00+00:00

Remember Peter Thiel? The billionaire venture capitalist and PayPal creator has made a lot of headlines over the past few years for his contrarian opinions -- and his willingness to put money behind them. Creator of the Founder's Fund, a group dedicated to funding "bold, audacious ideas," he has become known for his involvement in the Seasteading Institute, a group that seeks to build artificial islands where the superwealthy can live --and rule. Not surprisingly, the outspoken libertarian also gave $1.7 million to Ron Paul's presidential campaign.

Yet, of all Thiel's pet projects, none has drawn the interest and ire of the public quite as much as his battle against higher education. An outspoken critic of the college bubble, in 2011, he unveiled the Thiel Fellowship. Essentially a reverse-scholarship program, the Fellowship selects 20 promising college-aged students per year and pays them $100,000 each to start their own businesses. The catch: They have to agree to stay out of school for at least two years.

Thiel's principled resistance to college has drawn approval from many higher education critics, but a recent job listing for Thiel Capital, his "start-up macro hedge fund," suggests that, at least when it comes to hiring people, Thiel may not be putting his money where his mouth is. Yesterday, Slate columnist Matthew Yglesias wrote about Thiel's listing for an investment analyst position, which called for applicants with a "high GPA from a top-tier university." Following Yglesias' article and a follow-up by Fortune, a revised version of the application appeared today. It calls for "Quantitative skills in a field such as computer science, mathematics, statistics, physics, or engineering," but notes that "no college degree required."

While Thiel's feelings on college education may be conflicted, one thing is for certain: He pays attention to headlines.

Bruce Watson is a senior features writer for DailyFinance. You can reach him by e-mail at bruce.watson@teamaol.com, or follow him on Twitter at @bruce1971.

Bounty Hunters Become the Prey After Busting Into the Wrong House

Dan Fastenberg — 2012-05-15T13:58:00+00:00

Bounty hunters Ronnie Shaw and Cecil Deere came pounding on the door of a Oklahoma woman in her '70s last week. The woman, identified as Mary by Tulsa station KOTV, was preparing to take a bath at her West Tulsa home, and said she "could hear the wood crushing," as the men nearly broke down the door.

She quickly let them know that they had come to the wrong house in their search for a fugitive named "Donnie" -- a mistake that cost the two men more than a missed opportunity, it turns out, as the hunters soon found themselves tracked down by police and under arrest.

3 Ways To Handle The Project From Hell

Laura Vanderkam — 2012-05-15T13:16:00+00:00

One of my favorite time management tips is to block various activities into my schedule, knowing exactly how long they will take. Almost all recurring events in life can be estimated fairly well.

Traffic seems like a force of nature, yet long distance bus lines still manage to estimate their arrivals, based on the time of day.

If I've done the basic research for a column, I can usually crank out the draft in 2 to 3 hours. What's the basic research? Well, 4 to 5, 20- to 30-minute interviews should usually do. If I send 6 to 7 emails, I can get 4 to 5 people to respond. Nine out of 10 weekdays, I can crank out a blog post between the time my sitter shows up (8 a.m.) and when I stop to say goodbye to the kids leaving for school (8:45).

Former Pittsburgh School Teacher Sues, Claims Anti-Male Bias Led To Program Cuts

David Schepp — 2012-05-15T11:30:00+00:00

In this era of tight school budgets, it's perhaps not surprising that Pittsburgh teacher George Kirk wasn't able to secure the funds he needed to purchase safety glasses and special jackets for his welding students.

But the former Pittsburgh Public Schools employee alleges in a lawsuit filed Monday that it wasn't a lack of resources, but rather a bias against men by a predominately female-run department that eventually resulted in his furlough last year and the discontinuation of the welding program at the district's Career and Technical Education Department.

Carnival Cruise Sued For 'Party Atmosphere' That Allegedly Led To Woman's Death

Claire Gordon — 2012-05-15T11:14:00+00:00

Casinos have lots of tricks to get you to spend money. They don't have clocks, or windows. They overwhelm your senses with lights, beeps and sirens. They make everything red, and play repetitive melodies on a loop to give you the trance-like sense of being in a womb. And they ply you with a lot of alcohol.

But if you get incredibly drunk on that alcohol, and shatter a glass that slices your arm, ultimately killing you from extreme blood loss, are the casino employees responsible?

Three weeks ago, Ila Parish filed a lawsuit against Carnival Corp., reports The Southeast Texas Record, for negligence by "fostering a party atmosphere," and failing to properly train its staff.

Francesca Holding's CFO Fired For Loose Lips In Social Media

Dan Fastenberg — 2012-05-15T09:59:00+00:00

Gene Morphis was active in social media and forged a frank, sassy persona online despite, at 62, not fitting the stereotype of a Facebook user. While working as the chief financial officer at Francesca Holdings, a boutique women's clothing and accessories company, Morphis recently posted the following update on his public Facebook page: "young women in [the] office dressed alike with red lipstick ... look like the clone girls in the Robert Palmer video, [Addicted to Love]."

The post received five "likes," and positive comments from eight of his 107 friends, including a post saying, "Too Funny!"

But the chairman of the board of the Houston-based company, Greg Brenneman, apparently was not as amused by Morphis' social media banter. On Monday, the company announced that Morphis (pictured at left) was fired over the weekend, after an internal review of his social media accounts was completed.

Ex-Teacher Charged With Stealing Ohio Prom Money

AP — 2012-05-15T09:58:00+00:00

HAMILTON, Ohio -- A former high school teacher in southwest Ohio has been charged with stealing money meant for a school prom in a cash-strapped district.

14 Ways To Manage (And Manipulate) A Difficult Boss

AOL Jobs Contributor — 2012-05-15T08:33:00+00:00

By Monica Wofford

If your boss over delegates, micromanages, vanishes when you need him, screams like a banshee or flings coffee mugs at you, you know you need to do something. But what, and how? Here are 14 ways to deal with difficult behavior and in some cases, even make it disappear.

Best Buy CEO Gets $6.6 Million Severance Despite 'Personal Relationship' With Worker

AP — 2012-05-14T16:36:00+00:00

NEW YORK -- Best Buy said Monday its founder Richard Schulze is stepping down as chairman after an investigation found that he knew that the CEO was having a relationship with a female employee and failed to alert the audit committee.

The company also said that despite the fact that its audit committee found that then-CEO Brian Dunn violated company policy by having a "close personal relationship" with a female employee, he gets a severance package worth about $6.6 million.

Catholic School Denies Calling Teacher, Who Had IVF, 'Grave, Immoral Sinner'

AP — 2012-05-14T15:28:00+00:00

By Charles Wilson

INDIANAPOLIS -- An Indiana diocese is denying that it discriminated against a parochial school teacher who claims that she was fired for violating Roman Catholic doctrine by using in vitro fertilization to try to get pregnant.

Weirdest Reasons Workers Quit Their Jobs

David Schepp — 2012-05-14T15:20:00+00:00

There's no shortage of workers who get fired for doing stupid things on the job. Take, for example, Tamara Vangundy, the Indiana coroner who earlier this month reportedly showed up at a crime scene intoxicated and was subsequently charged with drunk driving.

But some people also have very weird reasons for quitting their jobs, according to a recent survey of employers by the staffing firm OfficeTeam. In telephone interviews with more than 1,300 senior managers at U.S. and Canadian companies with 20 or more employees, managers reported some strange excuses. There was the worker who said that he was making too much money and felt that he wasn't worth it. Another said he needed to stay home -- to feed his dog.

Why You Should Grab That Unpaid Internship [Infographic]

Dan Fastenberg — 2012-05-14T12:36:00+00:00

If you are just starting your career, how do you get a foot in the door for that first job?According to a new study by Millennial Branding and Experience Inc., the internship or any "real world" experience is the surest route, but positions are hard to get. That catch-22 is at the heart of the crisis of youth employment -- 9 out of 10 employers want to see one or two internships before graduation, yet half haven't hired one intern in the last six months. (The stats include unpaid internships.)

8 'Old Farts' In Texas Win $400,000 In Age Discrimination Settlement

Claire Gordon — 2012-05-14T12:01:00+00:00

Their boss would call them "grandpas," "old farts" and "old bastards." So when the eight Texas dockworkers, who all are at least 50 years old, were fired and replaced with younger hires, they thought something discriminatory might be going on. The men filed suit, and last week Central Freight Lines Inc. agreed to pay them $400,000.

Some of the eight men had worked for the less-than-truckload carrier company for over 20 years. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the company tightened its attendance and disciplinary rules so that the older men were suddenly put on corrective action for a few past infractions. Then in August 2007, they were fired.

3 Ways to Negotiate A Better Salary -- Even In A Recession

J.T. O'Donnell — 2012-05-14T11:46:00+00:00

Have you ever received a job offer and thought, "I wish the starting pay was higher"? At a time when getting the offer should be cause enough for celebration, you might assume negotiating for more pay is taboo. Not true! Here's one reason why you should:

6 Smart Ways To Expand Your Network, Even If You're Shy

AOL Jobs Contributor — 2012-05-14T11:22:00+00:00

By Vicky Oliver

Believe it or not, there are still folks out there whose hands aren't soldered to their laptops or mobile devices and who'd rather network in a venue with real live people.

Social networking may be a great way to digitally meet potential new colleagues, clients, and customers. But "retro-networking" is, for many, still the preferred way to forge professional connections: face-to-face. In fact, because digital networking seems to have eclipsed other methods, in-person networking feels way more exclusive and potentially effective.

The Trouble With Tech: Too Few Women [Infographic]

David Schepp — 2012-05-14T09:55:00+00:00

It's one of those recurring debates in the digital age: Why are so few women working in technology?

Just 9 percent of chief information officers, or CIOs, are women, down from 11 percent last year and 12 percent in 2010, according to a survey released Monday by tech-staffing firm Harvey Nash Group (via Reuters).

About a third of the companies polled said their information technology unit had no women at all within management, yet only half of firms said that they consider women to be underrepresented in their IT departments.

Ousted Yahoo CEO Thompson Has Cancer, Report Says

AP — 2012-05-14T09:12:00+00:00

NEW YORK -- Yahoo's Scott Thompson, who was pressured to give up his CEO post because his official biography included a college degree he never received, reportedly has thyroid cancer.

The Wall Street Journal, citing people it did not identify, says that Thompson told Yahoo's board and several colleagues of his condition before resigning from his role with the company.

New Jobs Crisis: Unemployed Autistic Adults

AP — 2012-05-14T08:29:00+00:00

By Lindsey Tanner

CHICAGO -- One in 3 young adults with autism have no paid job experience, college or technical schooling nearly seven years after high school graduation, a study finds. That's a poorer showing than those with other disabilities including those who are mentally disabled, the researchers said.

With roughly half a million autistic kids reaching adulthood in the next decade, experts say it's an issue policymakers urgently need to address.