But this young journalist is no fool.

First, she says, it’s okay to say no. Men are very comfortable with a direct and clear “No.” Often they don’t take it personally.

Actually, I have to add, men don’t take it personally because they often see “No” as the first step in the negotiating process, which is why we have so many he-said-she said sexual assault cases. It works in the workplace, though, when you’re negotiating salary. “No” often means, “Come back later with a new proposal.”

Second, she’s glommed on to a truth that eludes professionals and executives of both sexes who are twice her age and infinitely more experienced:

“The other dose of shock therapy I’ve undergone is reprogramming my brain to think that, yes, girls do brag. I’ve indoctrinated myself with the idea that my job is a two-part process. One part is actually doing the work and the second part is talking about it, preferably in bottom-line terms.”

I added the bold type. Whether you work for yourself or someone else, I recommend pasting this paragraph somewhere you can see it everyday (but hidden from everyone else in your business life.

This article is titled GirlPower but it’s really PersonPower. You can read the full story here.

Recently I completed a Power Hour with a client I will call Roberta. We covered a lot of ground.

The next day Roberta called me. “Did you send the summary as promised? People are calling to tell me my mailbox is full.”

I told Roberta what I share in my Job Search ebook: “During a job search, you must have a phone and email appropriate to your goals. Employers will not call to tell me your mailbox is full. I won’t either. We’re just too busy and we figure you are not commmitted.”

Afterward, as promised, I sent Roberta a summary of our call. She sent back a gracious note, thanking me for the time and valuable info. “I’ll get started applying your suggestions,” she wrote.

I sent a good luck message back.

One second later, my inbox cranked out a warning. My message was not delivered. Roberta’s mailbox was full.

I agree.

The next step, you hear, is, ‘Find a career where you can use your strengths.”

I disagree.

Usually you can find many ways to use your strength. You’re a good organizer? No need to start your own organizing firm. Chances are you will find a way to use these talents in most careers.

You’re an outgoing person and everyone tells you their problems? No need to be a shrink. You might be a great manager or salesperson. Jeff Herring, the Article Guy, is a former therapist. His talents serve him well during teleseminars.

Usually what kills people is the culture. Dress up or casual? Come and go as you please or tug on a tight leash? Early morning meetings or late nights for crunching deadlines?

Sure, if you each third grade it helps if you like kids. If you work in a finance office, it helps to like numbers. But I’ve seen people make vast leaps into careers that seemed totally unsuitable…and discover that once they’re tossed in the water, they really like learning to swim.

I bet many readers disagree. Click on the comment link below and say your piece.

A. I’ve taught college level courses as full-time, tenured and adjunct faculty. I’ve taught online and offline, in classrooms and conference rooms. So I love this question.

(1) You absolutely need an advanced degree. To serve as an adjunct (a low-paid part-timer who teaches a course or two), you may get by with a masters degree. Junior colleges and community colleges typically hire teachers with just mastesr degrees, but they may also require credentials, certification and teaching experience. To make meaningful progress, you need a PhD.

(2) Make sure your degrees come from reputable, recognized schools. Don’t just go by accreditation. Call three or four colleges where you might like to teach. Ask if they consider faculty with degrees from BusyPeople University.

A quick degree from an online alternative university can seem like a great deal. For some students, it’s perfect. If you’re serious about college teaching, you need the strongest academic background you can get.

For tips on choosing a school, I’ve written Back to School for a Midlife Career.

(3) Choose your jobs wisely: you go down, not up.

In some fields, you start low and work up to the top. Broadcasters typically start in small towns and work up to major markets.

Universities work differently. It’s rare to move up — and almost impossible within the same school. If you accept a position as an adjunct professor, chances are you will be barred from consideration for a full-time position. The rules may be unwritten, but very powerful.

So feel feel to skip this entry. I just couldn’t resist,

My new cat, Ophelia, looks like a big fuzzy basketball. At nine years and 17 pounds, she’s the oldest of my furry family and not exactly a lightweight. She moved in with us three weeks ago and she hasn’t lost any time taking charge..

Ophelia has decided she should be the dominant cat. She scarfs down her dinner. Then she pushes Creampuff, the resident cat, out of the way. And she eats Creampuff’s dinner.

I’m reminded of newcomers to a company who don’t hold back — those who come in and…um, throw their weight around. When I was being a maverick in corporate life, I always had a hard time holding back. Sure, I knew better, but hey, I wasn’t all about fitting in.

Ophelia got her comeuppance. Creampuff chased her around the apartment and some shrieking was heard. Now Ophelia’s retreated to her special spot in the closet, a luxury you don’t have when you’re a corporate newcomer (although you probably wish you did).

“…I can’t help but wonder if many jobs are designed to beat us all into idea submission. It just seems so much easier to show up, do what they want you to do, and go home. “

He’s got a point. Very few employers reward initiative or innovation. Schools tell us that creativity is a virtue but let’s face it: creativity is rarely rewarded in the marketplace.

It’s not that bosses are evil. It’s just that they want things their way. I have to admit I get irritated when my cleaning services gets creative and starts re-arranging my stuff. Sure I’m challenged in the decorating department, but hey…it’s my home, last time I checked.

But there’s another side to the question. Mindless activity can be hazardous to every aspect of your well-being.

When people get frustrated enough, they start to do really dumb things. They self-sabotage.

And when you get in the habit of just doing what you’re told, you’re at risk if ordered to do something dangerous or illegal. That’s what happened to some of the folks at Worldcomm, Abu-Ghraib and a host of other places.

“Doing what I was told” is not a defense. In courts of law and public opinion, you are expected to commit career suicide when faced with wrongful orders. At the very least, get those orders in writing and talk to someone who is licensed to advise you. I’m not.

Even if you’re not in legal jeopardy, you could still be embarrassed if you’re caught in a news story or have to explain to a future employer.

Fight the temptation to go on autopilot when you go to work. Imagine that Sixty Minutes showed up at your workplace and filmed what you were doing. Would you be tempted to hide? And stay marketable.

First, my senior cat began heading downhill. She had been with me almost 14-1/2 years, and she was listed as 5 when I adopted her. That’s just over 1/4 of my whole life…a huge chunk of my adult life. She was the perfect companion and family member — quiet, mellow, and friendly. She defied all the veterinarians who insisted her life would be cut short by her tendency to gain weight.

And within a few weeks, she was gone. I dreaded getting another cat. Where would I find a declawed cat, in politically correct Seattle, let alone a cat who could mesh with another cat and a playful dog?

In the same week I lost Tiger, my gym announced the closing of the most convenient, high quality gym available to me — about 7 minutes walk from where I live. Now I’d be taking a bus, adding considerable time to my workouts…and I work out 3 to 5 times a week.

Besides, our Queen Anne gym had become community. We “regulars” recognize each other and we know a little about each other’s work and lives — not easy in a city famous for being chilly in both people and climate.

This time, things worked out.

I found a cat who fit my specifications at the nearby Seattle Animal Shelter, and even caught a ride over with my neighbors. I wrote about her in my Midlife Dog blog. I will always honor Tiger’s memory, but she lived a full life and frankly, I wouldn’t mind having my own life end just like hers. And I’ve enjoyed watching Ophelia, who looks like a furry watermelon, become part of the household.

My second change was equally smooth. I checked out the downtown branches of my gym. They offered us an incredible deal to transfer membership and I know most of the instructors. The classes are longer and more challenging. I’ll have a whole new level of fitness by Christmas — certainly by Memorial Day. Best of all, it was fun to reconnect with others who transferred and meet new people.

Not all change leads to positive outcomes. When it does, you get a boost to energy and sometimes a new spark of creativity. This time I got lucky.

I’d like to read your stories of change and luck. Please click on the “comments” link and share.

The answer, some experts say, lies in foregoing the search altogether. Instead of banging on closed doors, you can become a freelancer. And today several companies have emerged to match free executives with freelance opportunities. Now even “C” level executives have begun to act like free agents.

Read more in this entry in Marci Alboher’s blog.

If you want to know why it’s a bad title, just google “Big Squeeze” in any search engine. See what comes up.

Greenhouse warn that workers at all levels face increasing pressures from employers. For example, a hotel maid cleans the same number of rooms. But now she changes 3 sheets instead of 1 and 5 pillowcases instead of 2.

A college professor says, “I write objectives for classes, test dozens papers for plagiarism and create web pages…plus everything I did before.”

No easy answers - and some readers will disagree vehemently with my views. Please post comments by clicking on the link at the bottom of this post.

(1) Think “empowerment,” not “entitlement.”

Sure, I believe companies need to treat employees humanely. I get furious when I read about sex, race, age and any other form of discrimination.

But in the short term, I would think of gaining power.

I’m not saying quit your job. But I am saying, “Work toward the goal of being able to say, ‘Take this job and…’” when the time is right.

You gain power by having a healthy nest egg, being marketable, starting your own business on the side, and/or developing a skill that few people have but many people want.

(2) Squeeze your company’s opportunities.

“Sylvia” likes her job but knows she’ll need to switch companies someday.

“Education would make me marketable,” she said, “but we have limited tuition reimbursement.”

“Limited is not zero,” I said. Sylvia should be using every dime to take courses and/or attend seminars where she can build her network.

(3) Work where it counts.

My friend “Ken,” a math professor, spends hours grading homework — an effort appreciated neither by his students nor his department chair.

“Linda” admits she rewrites every memo and answers every email. Her colleagues tell her, “If you ignore them, nobody notices.”

Sometimes you really can’t cut anything out of your day or your job. You need a change.

But sometimes you can create systems, say no to non-essentials and decide what’s safe to ignore.

Bottom Line: One of my favorite career books is JobShift by William Bridges. Written over a decade ago, Bridges reminds readers that you work for yourself even when you work for a company. You’re not a family. You’re a contractor. A very timely mindset for the 21st century.

The secret? Negotiate for discounts when you buy retail. Ask the service person, “Is there a coupon I could use to save money?”

Often the answer will be a “yes.” Of course, there’s a catch. You have to get to the store on a weekday morning, ask carefully, and try at another store if this one says no.

Frankly, that sounds like unrewarding work.

I’m reminded of two people I’ve encountered in my previous lives.

“Mel” was a branch manager charged with increasing sales of his high-end software. One day he returned from lunch, awkwardly balancing two large shopping bags from a local drug store. It seems he encountered a sale on paper towels so he stocked up on his lunch hour.

“Sara” was a professor at a university where research was required for promotion and rewarded with salary increases. One snowy day I caught a ride to the grocery store with Sara, thinking I would save time.

Instead, on the way back, Sara announced, “We have to stop by the hardware store. There’s a sale on light bulbs.”

I wish I were joking.

Both Mel and Sara could have invested their shopping time in something more productive. By working toward goals that would be rewarded, they’d make far more money than they’d save in a year of coupon clipping. And if you’re stuck in a job that doesn’t reward results, you can begin to find ways to earn money on the side or become more marketable.

How much can you save by haggling over a few bucks in a department store? What does that do to your sense of pride, accomplishment and abundance?

Okay, you can’t work all the time. Maybe a trip to the store counts as a break.

Can’t you think of something more fun? More stimulating? More physically active? Something that would get your creative juices flowing?

I bet you could.