Dear J.T. and Dale: My daughter is a straight-A student and wants to go to an Ivy League college. Unfortunately, we don’t have that kind of money, so she will need to get scholarships and loans. She is gung-ho, but my wife and I are against it. We have degrees from good schools we feel weren’t worth the investment. I was laid off a year ago and had to take a huge pay cut, and my wife is on the verge of the same. We just can’t justify our daughter putting herself in huge debt for a piece of paper. We can’t seem to shake her from her Ivy League tunnel vision. Any suggestions? — Stu Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. and Dale: I graduated from college six years ago. Since then, I’ve had seven jobs in three industries. My family is disgusted with me. My parents think they wasted their money on my college education. I have three older siblings who all have solid careers. They think I am ruining my credibility and I need to suck it up and stay in my next job for five or more years. The idea of being in the same job that long scares me. How do you find a job you’ll actually want to stick with? — Carol Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. and Dale: For the past two years, I’ve been working 60 hours a week to impress my boss. He’s been great, and each year I’ve gotten a 10 percent raise — until this year. I just started a family and want to spend as much time as I can with my newborn son. So I’ve been working around 45 hours a week instead of 60. I just had a performance review, and I got all average marks and only a 4 percent increase. I am really angry at my boss. I think I am within my right to work a normal week and not get penalized for it. What should I do? — Greg Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. and Dale: My boss is going through a terrible divorce. His future ex-wife calls at least five times a day. As his assistant, he’s asked that I not tell anyone about the divorce. He’s keeping it quiet. Here’s my concern: last week at lunch with other executive assistants, the discussion turned to my boss. I was told other executives are unhappy with his performance and he has made several large errors. I didn’t say anything, but wanted to. I’m afraid he might get fired, and then I’d be out of a job, too. — Crystal Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. and Dale: I was recently at a bar and ran into my (married) boss with another woman. It was clear they were more than just friends. The following week, my boss started being extra nice, getting me a special assignment, and pulling me aside to tell me he was requesting a salary increase for me. I’m no fool — it’s obvious why he’s doing this. I don’t care about his personal life. I’m more worried about him going the other direction and trying to get me fired. Suggestions? — Drake Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. and Dale: My boss is a complete germ-a-phobe. She buys hand sanitizer for all our desks, shamelessly reminds people to wash their hands and even sent a person out of the room for sneezing in a meeting. She is now badgering us all to get flu shots. She asks everyone each day if they got theirs. I don’t want to get one. Should I lie, or should I tell the truth and deal with her nasty behavior? I honestly believe she would treat me differently if I told her I wasn’t going to get one. — Meg Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: I’m trying to be supportive of a friend who lost her job — I’ve shared my experiences with her after I lost a job. Everything I say starts an argument and ends with a bunch of excuses. I have shut up about it. What is she hiding? — Susan Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: Since I fulfilled my academic dream (got a degree in anthropology and studied in Kenya), I’ve done archaeology work, been a mural painter and was an intern for an arts organization. The internship turned out to be a flop, though I loved the other interns and the project we worked on. I felt so used. In this current economic time when volunteering for your dream position is a new fad, I’ve been doing it all my adult life. I’m 29 and, geez, I need to be able to support myself and my son. Is it crazy for me to think all my hard work of studying, networking and volunteering should result in some sort of decent job? — Emma Read the rest of this entry »