Noah Stephens captures the beauty of Detroit as a photographer and essayist. (Image: Stephens)

We have good news for you. You can have a cool career and make a good living. No need to choose between loving your job and paying your mortgage. The following profile, part of the BlackEnterprise.com Cool Jobs series, offers a peek into the nuts and bolts, perks and salaries behind enjoyable careers.

WHO: Noah Stephens

WHAT: Photographer, Founder, Essayist for ThePeopleofDetroit.com

ANNUAL SALARY: $45,000-$65,000 (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

THE GIG: Stephens, who calls himself a “one-man media content provider,” spends a lot of his days finding and shooting subjects for The People of Detroit photo project. Typically, his subjects are people he runs into throughout his day in the city. Each photo is accompanied by a biographic essay. “When I select a subject for the project, I make sure that person tells you something about Detroit you would not otherwise know. How do they fit into Detroit and the lager social context of urban living?” Stephens says. “Media coverage I saw of Detroit didn’t reflect at all the city that I know. The whole purpose of TPOD is to provide an alternative narrative. Contrary to what you see in the media, there are actual people here and occupied buildings. People live here.” Stephens also does corporate and retail photography.

THE PERKS: Like a lot of entrepreneurs, what Stephens appreciates most about his career path is freedom. “I like being the author of my own destiny. I can communicate my ideas to the world without editing, completely unrestrained,” Stephens says. His subjects sometimes provide opportunities as well.  A couple months after he photographed David DiChiera, director of the Detroit Opera House and founder of the Michigan Opera Theatre, Stephens ended up with box seats to the opera, a first for him.

THE WORKDAY: Stephens usually works at least eight hours, during a day that could include anything from shooting, editing, or mingling with guests at an exhibition of his work. Last year, a creative director in China stumbled across Stephens’ work online and hired him to shoot a McDonald’s commercial in Shanghai. TPOD was recently awarded with a grant from the Knight Foundation so, Stephens expects to use the funds to further expand the reach of his creation.

THE ADVICE: Follow your dreams. “Do something you are actually passionate about and do it with authenticity,” Stephens says.

Tiffany Smith-Anoa’i, CBS Entertainment

Making power moves that celebrate and bring together multiple ethnic cultures has long been a top priority for Tiffany Smith-Anoa’i, who joined CBS Entertainment as a publicist in 2000. After spending nearly a decade overseeing publicity strategies for primetime series, movies and specials, the Howard University graduate was appointed to her a newly created executive position as vice president of entertainment diversity and communications on the West Coast to build diversity efforts across the company.

THE GIG: Widely respected throughout the industry for her assiduous work ethic and winning personality, Smith-Anoa’i is deeply committed to identifying solutions that address the state of diversity within the industry.  She is the force behind the network’s highly-lauded diversity workshop, CBS Diversity Discussion, which each year brings together the industry’s multicultural leadership under one roof for frank dialogue on inclusion and diversity with CBS executive producers/showrunners and CBS executives.

THE WORKPLACE:

BlackEnterprise.com: Why is diversity important?

Smith-Anoa’i: As it relates to television, we are broadcasters and strive to reflect diversity on a whole: ethnic, gender, sexual orientation, age, physical ability and other ideologies which all exist in society for our viewers, both in front of the camera as well as behind.  Diversity is not just the right thing to do— it is an important and integral part of the business model that should be respected as such.  Diversity makes dollars and sense. One of my favorite motto’s is “Everything is better with Diversity sprinkled on top!”

Despite the best efforts of many, why has diversity remained such a problem in Hollywood?

Diversity on a whole is a global issue that will continuously be a work in progress. It takes one person in a decision-making position to say, ‘Make it happen,’ whether that be within the realms of casting, writing, directing, development, etc. I challenge myself and others on a daily basis to find obvious and practical solutions to this specific problem. There has been progress, however, much more needs to be done and is being done day in and day out.

How important are African American executives in “curing” the diversity problem in film and TV?

I change the dynamic of a room just by being there and not even saying a word. Having more diverse perspectives is always a combination for success. When you know better, you do better and it is important and invaluable to have a voice that can ultimately bring change and raise a level of awareness that was not there before.  It is pertinent to incorporate people of color at every phase of the process to insure a clear picture of Diversity is being painted.”

What are your long term goals?

To continue walking the walk, talking the talk and providing a voice for progress, inclusion and change… When diversity becomes the norm and is no longer viewed as a thorn in the side, I will rest. Bottom line, everyone wants to feel acknowledged, included, respected and not invisible.

Tony Cleveland, Blind Rehab Specialist (Photo: Cleveland)

We have good news for you. You can have a cool career and make a good living. No need to choose between loving your job and paying your mortgage. The following profile, part of the BlackEnterprise.com Cool Jobs series, offers a peek into the nuts and bolts, perks and salaries behind enjoyable careers.

WHO: Tony Cleveland

WHAT: Blind Rehab Specialist at Department of Veteran Affairs (Hines Blind Rehab Center)

ANNUAL SALARY: $65-000-$70,000

THE GIG: Cleveland works as an orientation and mobility specialist with veterans who range from legally blind to completely blind.  He teaches them how to utilize the red and white cane, how to navigate new spaces and just generally helps them to be as independent and mobile as possible. Cleveland is one of several instructors who work with the veterans intensively in comprehensive six- to 12-week programs.

THE PERKS: “I get to see the fruits of my labor,” Cleveland says. “It’s amazing to witness the transformation from our veterans as well as their families. We help train the families too so that they can give the appropriate support once the veterans go home,” says Cleveland.

THE WORKDAY: Cleveland has countless inspiring stories to tell about his veterans, but the one hero whose story sticks out the most is Matt Bradford. Blind in both eyes and missing both legs after a roadside bombing incident in Iraq, Bradford had a challenging road to recovery. Cleveland helped guide the Marine through the Center’s program and eventually Bradford became the first and so far only blind, double amputee to successfully re-enlist in the Marines.

THE ADVICE: One part of his studies at Western Michigan University included being blindfolded and essentially living as a blind person in order to become a better instructor and to create real empathy, which he says is important for this field. Cleveland encourages anyone interested to make the effort to thoroughly research the education programs and apply for internship opportunities. His younger sister has followed in his footsteps and works at a VA hospital in California.

Check us out next Tuesday for another Cool Jobs feature, and visit our Jobs Board, sponsored by Monster, to find your next dream opportunity.

Balanda Atis, Chemist, L'Oreal (Photo: Artis)

We have good news for you. You can have a cool career and make a good living. No need to choose between loving your job and paying your mortgage. The following profile, part of the BlackEnterprise.com Cool Jobs series, offers a peek into the nuts and bolts, perks and salaries behind enjoyable careers.

WHO: Balanda Atis, New Jersey

WHAT: Group Leader (Chemist) in Research & Innovation at L’Oréal USA

ANNUAL SALARY: $70,00-$118,900 per year (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

THE GIG: As a trained chemist and group leader at L’Oréal USA, Atis oversees a group of chemists and engineers as they work together to create cosmetics products for the various brands under the L’Oréal umbrella. Atis and two other chemists spent six years developing new shades of makeup that complement the diverse skin tones of women of color.  After taking skin tone measurements from over 27,000 women from 57 different countries, the end result was the launch of 30 new shades of make-up for various brands including L’Oréal’s True Match.

THE PERKS: Atis says one of the biggest joys from her job is being able to show by example that a science degree can be used for many careers outside of the usual ones.

THE WORKDAY: “When we were traveling to various places taking skin tone measurements, sometimes people thought we were just actors,” Atis says. “At first they didn’t believe that we were actually black women scientists. Once they figured that out, they would bring over their grandchildren and daughters to talk to us about our careers.”

THE ADVICE: Atis has a bachelor’s degree in biology from Rutgers University and a master’s of science from Fairleigh Dickinson University’s cosmetic science program. She says a science background and steady work experience are vital in successfully breaking into her field.

Check us out next Tuesday for another Cool Jobs feature, and visit our Jobs Board, sponsored by Monster, to find your next dream opportunity.

From obnoxious behavior to downright disrespect, some supervisors make for terrible managers and toxic bosses. But no need to fret. Madame Noire offers several tips for dealing with a toxic workplace supervisor.

Craft your Plan B.  This may involve opening up the search for another job while networking within your professional contacts.  Hopefully you’ve kept in contact with coworkers and managers from previous positions because they tend to be a wealth of information and access to open positions.

Putting together a Plan B also eases the feeling of being caught between a rock and a hard place.  At the end of the day, while a toxic boss has the ability to cause you great mental stress, knowing that you have the power to change the situation by crafting your exit, increases your sense of control in the situation.

Read more at Madame Noire …

(Image: Thinkstock)

Many professionals are used to waiting for — and dreading — the quarterly or annual review they get from superiors. And they’ll often wait until someone else tells them they’re doing something wrong or failing at a task to gain an assessment of their performance or professional growth.

But experts say this is not a good idea. You always want take a proactive approach to your career advancement and hold yourself accountable. Keep a record of what you’re accomplishing on a daily, weekly and monthly basis if possible. Document your strengths, triumphs and successes, whether you helped launch a new successful project, was part of a team who worked to increase the company bottom line or brought in new clients for your company’s services. Include quantitative elements such as profit numbers or other key indicators of success for your industry.

Also, write down areas in which you think you could improve such as productivity, teamwork, technical skills or time management. These are all things you can have as a foundation to initiate a meeting with superiors or teammates to find out your progress and ways you can contribute more to the team.

Not only will you be more on people’s radars but you will have an active role in your own success, not at the whim of waiting on someone else to notice the great work you do. And when it comes time to fight for that promotion or salary increase, you’ll have documentation to state your case.

This assessment is not only an asset for you at your current company, but it can help you determine whether you’re maximizing your time and experience or whether it’s time to move on to the next opportunity.

So, start today assessing yourself and your professional growth.

Joel Randell, Research Editor, Maxim (Photo: Randall)

We have good news for you. You can have a cool career and make a good living. No need to choose between loving your job and paying your mortgage. The following profile, part of the BlackEnterprise.com Cool Jobs series, offers a peek into the nuts and bolts, perks and salaries behind enjoyable careers.

WHO: Joel Randell

WHAT: Research Editor at Maxim magazine

ANNUAL SALARY: $58,000-$62,000

THE GIG: A job at a popular print magazine is many a journalists’ dream, but add to that the beautiful women that regularly line the pages of Maxim magazine and you have something of an ideal situation. As the research editor, Randell makes sure that everything that’s printed is factually accurate and most importantly, not libelous.

THE PERKS: Besides a steady flow of models walking in and out of the office for casting calls, other perks include travel (Randell has gone to Las Vegas and Honduras so far this year) and the laid-back office atmosphere. “It’s a very modern workplace that’s not stuffy,: Randall says. “It’s like working in a graduate chapter fraternity house. We wear sneakers and jeans to work.”

THE WORKDAY: “Hulk Hogan stopped by the office one day. We made one of our interns arm wrestle him and Hulk nearly put him through the table!” Randall laughs.

THE ADVICE: For aspiring Maxim editors, Rutgers alum Randell advises young people to attend journalism school or at least major in English. Internships are also helpful, as  some Maxim interns have gone on to land editorial spots at the magazine, Randall says.

Check us out next Tuesday for another Cool Jobs feature, and visit our Jobs Board, sponsored by Monster, to find your next dream opportunity.

Writer Blair Bedford offers five benefits to being a newbie in your career and how you can take advantage of a key time in your professional journey.

The Learning Experience: Being an entry-level employee is all about the learning experience you receive while being a beginner in the field or company. This experience is invaluable because many mid- and upper-level executives have years of professional knowledge, which could make for good examples of what and what not to do in your industry, and a great opportunity to make contacts and network.

The experience of learning from seasoned professionals in your field (while also getting paid!) is one that you do not want to ignore and resent just because you are a little lower on the totem pole at work. Many other executives do not have the chance to sit back and learn while on the job, so take this aspect of your position as having an upper-hand.

Read more at Madame Noire …