MSCCN Blog

Ghouls, Goblins, and Other Things We Found in Our Offices

10/30/2018

Is your house ready for the steady ringing of doorbells and chants of “Trick or Treat?”

We’ve got candy by the door, an eleven-foot-tall, purple blow-up dragon on the lawn, and orange jack-o-lantern lights twinkling on the porch. After not spending Halloween together for two years, my husband has fully embraced the spirit of the season.

Here at CASY & MSCCN, our remote workers have also been busy… only they haven’t stopped with decorations on their lawn.

Instead, they’ve transformed their workspaces into Halloween havens, suitable for counseling applicants, writing emails, and causing a gasp or two if the wind howls just right.

This Halloween home office belongs to Lina Irizarry-De La Cruz... I can almost hear the Halloween music and sound effects from here.

Contest instigator Misty Ferguson isn't holding back with her entry...

Maybe it's just the recent PCS talking, but Stacy Harris may have the scariest entry of the all.

Melanie Grantham is going for the win with a fully-decorated office, a costume, and four-legged friends who hope that day off means more walks and treats.

It's all in good fun, yet there is a real prize on the line. As a reward for their spook-tacular efforts, the winner of the CASY & MSCCN Halloween Office Decoration Contest will earn the grand prize: $100 and a day off with pay!

We're still looking for a winner, but so far the entries have blown us all away. So, pull up a chair, raid your candy bowl a little early, and help us decide which entry should win.

All contest entries are posted on our Facebook page (we have eleven so far!), and we'd love to hear from you. Make sure you head over to check out all of the entries in their glory... Danielle Trosclair and Wendy Layton even provided a feature so you can move around their offices!

Do you have big plans and even bolder decorations at (or in) your house? Share your plans and talents with us.

Whether you are bobbing for apples, strolling through a Trunk-or-Treat, hosting a bash, or hoping for your kids to get their homework done despite a sugar high, here at MSCCN we're wishing you and yours a safe and happy Halloween!

Story by Emilie Duck

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Your Office is Your Castle

9/28/2018

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I’ve calculated the number of hours spent in my home office over the last fifteen years. After giving it some thought and going through my daily routine, I was astounded to learn that most of my waking moments each day are spent in my home office, working hard to get things done.

Given the amount of time I spend at my desk, you’d think it would be a room that inspires… or at the very least a room that takes care of any needs I could have. Why, then, have I not set up a coffee bar, a pastry cart, a microwave and fridge combo, and an omelet station IN my home office? Currently, I’m sad to say, my home office couldn’t be more boring (or devoid of quality snacks).

In my rush to get on with the business of my daily work life, I think I forget this simple truth. One of the most amazing things about working from home is your ability to create your work environment. I have the power to create the space and opportunities I want when it comes to achieving the creative and technical sides of my work life.

In your home office, you can create a space in the corner of a room, in a basement, or in a garage. You can build a treehouse with WiFi capabilities or rent an office suite and call it “MINE, LLC.”

If you so choose, you can create a “he-shed” or “she-shed”—though I must admit, there’s something about a shed conversation project that scares me. Maybe it’s the prospect of sharing a space with an unexpected creature visitor, maybe it’s the fact that you’d be so far from the kitchen and coffee maker. It’s kind of like yodeling… it just scares me, and I don’t know why.

Whether you claim a corner of the kitchen table, or are fortunate enough to have a room with a door of your very own, know that we at CASY & MSCCN believe in the work and dreams that occur in these spaces. Wherever you call your castle, we’re cheering you on.

Curious to know how our CASY & MSCCN Team Members live and work from their homes? Our Employment Specialists have challenged the entire CASY & MSCCN team with a Halloween office space decoration contest. Check out our CASY & MSCCN Facebook pages starting October 15th, and let us know which office sends chills down your spine (extra chills for stacks of paper that need to be sorted… or maybe that’s just how we feel).

The winner will be announced on October 31st, just in time to declare victory from an office chair, surrounded by Halloween candy and endless bragging rights.

Do you have Halloween decoration plans of epic proportions (office or otherwise)? Share them with us here on the MSCCN blog, or on the MSCCN Facebook page.

Story by Deb Kloeppel

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Three Reasons Military Spouses Should Register for MSCCN (Even if you aren’t looking for a job RIGHT NOW)

5/23/2018

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Summer's coming, but that doesn't mean that your job search should wait.

Summer is approaching. PCS season is upon us. School will be ending soon, and vacations are imminent.

These are the reasons many of my friends and acquaintances give for not working on their job search plan right now.

For others, the causes are more long-term. “I can’t have a career with my husband’s job and our family” and “There are no jobs at our duty station.”

If you’ve found yourself nodding your head in agreement, this post is for you. Even if you aren’t looking for a job right now, MSCCN’s services can prepare you for the day when you do find the opportunity (and the time)…or the day when the opportunity finds you. Consider the following:

1. The job search and career development are processes. There is always something to do. Whether you think you’ll be looking for work in three months, a year, or three years, there’s an action to take NOW to keep yourself moving towards that goal. An employment specialist can help you identify what you can be doing now to develop or keep your skills fresh.

2. Rome wasn’t built in a day. The job search process is long. It’s fine and good to think that we can focus on the job search process AFTER we’ve PCSed, AFTER summer has ended, etc (the list of AFTERs can go on and on…), but arriving at the next duty station, point in life, etc, with a job search goal, a resume, a network and so on makes life easier. Sure, that resume may need to be updated, but starting with a resume is easier than starting without one.

3. We don’t know when opportunity will knock. Very few things in military life go according to plan in my experience. Think your home goods are arriving today? Nope, that’ll be next week. Have dinner plans for six? Sorry, last minute duty change means a cold dinner or table for one. Think you’ll be PCSing in May? Nope, they need you there NOW. You get my point. So, what if opportunity knocks when you least expect it? Your friend knows about an amazing opportunity that just opened up at his company? You find a position that actually meets your skills and experience, and it closes tomorrow night? Doing the heavy lifting that comes to the job search before you need to allows you to be ready for the unexpected.

The time to start your job search and your career plan is now—it’s never tomorrow. If you don’t know where to start, an Employment Specialist can help you on your path to success.

(Oh, and it’s free.)

Good luck!
Jamie

Story by Jamie Boyle

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MSCCN Blog

Ghouls, Goblins, and Other Things We Found in Our Offices

Your Office is Your Castle

Three Reasons Military Spouses Should Register for MSCCN (Even if you aren’t looking for a job RIGHT NOW)

Deb Kloeppel,
Founder & President MSCCN

Authors

Archives

Categories

MSCCN Blog

Ghouls, Goblins, and Other Things We Found in Our Offices

Your Office is Your Castle

Three Reasons Military Spouses Should Register for MSCCN (Even if you aren’t looking for a job RIGHT NOW)

Deb Kloeppel,Founder & President MSCCNAuthors

Archives

Categories

Deb Kloeppel,
Founder & President MSCCN

Authors