J.T.: Time for our annual highlights column, where we pull together the recent advice we believe will be most useful in the new year.

Dale: We hope your personal economy will be up in 2010, and we’ll be here to help. Meanwhile, for immediate advice, you can always go to JTandDale.com or CAREEREALISM.com. Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: I have been unemployed for the past few months and learned that I enjoy being at home. I need to work, but a flexible schedule, working from home, would be perfect. How do I find at-home jobs that aren’t scams? — Annette Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: I am 50 years old. I’ve been in the financial arena all my life but had some terrible tragedies this past year and have done a lot of self-reflection. I’ve been thinking of selling my house, moving into another, less-expensive property I own and using the capital from the sale to go to a two-year program for radiation therapy. What do you think of a drastic career change at my age? What do you think about getting hired at age 52 or 53? — Cynthia Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: You experts keep saying to “network.” Most jobs I’ve gotten by networking have turned out very badly for me. I won’t go into details, but they often ended in lack of advancement, being knifed in the back by a supervisor or other not-so-nice happenings. I have a long list of industries I’ve been in and know I have no desire to work in again — finance, insurance, retail, any type of food service, any job requiring answering phones or being on the computer all day and sales (including all the titles that try to hide that it’s a sales job). I’m questioning every tactic that career experts are offering because the advice doesn’t seem to be working in the current job market. So, now what? — Dana Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: I was recently downsized and am looking to get into the venture capital field. I am looking for an internship in that field. I have a business degree and 20 years’ sales experience. Can you provide some guidance? — John Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: I’m an executive with a multinational firm in the process of closing its U.S. manufacturing facilities. In anticipation of further restructuring, I wish to seek new employment, and consider LinkedIn to be a powerful vehicle to spread the word. However, I do not wish for colleagues to catch wind of my intentions. How does one use LinkedIn to seek employment while still employed? — Jules Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: I was laid off from an engineering firm last November. I didn’t see many opportunities to land a similar job, so I decided to start my own consulting business. So far, I’ve gotten only one assignment. How do I market my company? — Steven Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: I have a full-time job, but I also work a part-time bartending job that’s not what I want to do, and it’s 40 minutes away. I would like to do something from home. I see ads saying you can make millions from home, but I don’t believe them. Can you point me in the right direction? — Craig Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: I’m about to purchase a home 100 miles away from where I presently work. Should I tell my current boss that I plan on moving as soon as I find a job in my new city, or should I just wait until I find a new job? (If I tell my boss in advance, I think I could get a good reference from him, maybe even a letter of recommendation that I can use in my job search.) — Mary Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: My husband and I both have worked in high tech for more than 20 years. With all the stress from outsourcing and reorgs and overly aggressive management, we feel like Lucy and Ethel in that famous “I Love Lucy” episode where the assembly line keeps gets cranked up faster and faster. We’ve been investigating alternative careers, but none of the resources we’ve used addresses how the work environment fits into the picture. We fear making a career change that ends up trapping us in a new toxic environment. — Kathy Read the rest of this entry »