From diving for a shipwreck in shark-infested waters to working at the nexus of ocean science and policy, Dr. Amber Mace’s career has spanned 30 years and thousands of miles of coastal waters.

The pandemic saw millions of workers rethinking their jobs and wanting to strike out on their own. The Census Bureau reported 5.4 million applications to start a new business in 2021. And most U.S. business owners started their own business. There are many reasons to leave a big firm and start a smaller firm, and my experience fell into the most common reason — I wanted more control.

Doesn’t anybody want to work anymore? It’s not just a rhetorical question. More than 50 percent of those surveyed by Pew Research said they believed they would get ahead in their careers by working harder. I was heartened to see that, because my personal mantra for success has always been that working harder is the first and best way to solve most problems.

In times of crisis, CEOs, business owners, government officials and other public figures have a responsibility to effectively convey important — and sometimes life-saving — information to the public. Understanding how best to deliver that information could make or break your reputation and your organization.

AI is a unique innovation that seems to be taking off like a rocket with plans to replace many otherwise human-developed work; but in the end, it could spell disaster to lots of today’s industries if we lose sight of the fact that it needs to work for us, not the other way around.

To mark World Autism Month, Dr. Lorerky Ramirez-Moya of MindPath Health in Roseville offers a guest contribution reflecting on her experience as the mother of a teenage autistic son.

In an age where yoga pants and T-shirts are acceptable work attire in many organizations, what does professionalism look like? 

For some, learning a trade they can rely on is more satisfying than earning an academic degree. Career Technical Education programs in community colleges are one path for students to learn those skills.

It really wasn’t so long ago that women had to fight to enter businesses that were dominated by men, reflects Comstock’s Editor Judy Farah. In her March letter, she celebrates the women who have broken barriers in the Capital Region along with the fresh perspectives they’re bringing to their work. 

From 19th century battles between farmers and hydraulic gold miners over debris polluting rivers to 21st-century political duels over spawning salmon, Californians have squabbled incessantly over how water should be captured, allocated, conveyed and priced.