I have categorized this post with “Climbing the ladder” although as the title suggests, I’m not entirely sure I climbed anything just yet.

I know some of you *coughs* Nataly *coughs* have noticed my absence here on Work It, Mom! in recent weeks. Others of you *coughs* Kate *coughs* were warned to expect precisely nothing from me asked to forgive me for excusing myself from a special project we were working on. I purposely did not share the details of where I have been until things shook out in full at the office but now, after several weeks of announcements, changes in roles and responsibilities and other varied communications it is safe to share with you some career news.

…drumroll, please….

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Every week I end up with a collection of links and I always think I’ll present them here with a lovely post on the subject. The truth is that I typically post here once per week and rarely have time for more than that.  And some weeks?  I don’t even have time for one decent post.

So in the spirit of sharing things that I found interesting on the world wide internets (but do not have time to actually write lengthy commentary on) I now present a listing of interesting things I found whilst browsing my inbox and Google Reader recently.

IT Salary Survey: Not all technical certifications are created equal.

Master these 10 processes to sharpen your project management skills.

Tips to Spring clean your career.

Tuesdays are employees most productive days.

Know how much the other guy earns?

Have you read anything interesting on the web recently that you would like to share?

A few years ago I was on a large company project where key resources worked in multiple locations throughout the United States. I joined the project when it was in an official state of chaos or in project lingo “status: red”. The entire team was stressed out and the Project Manager and Program Manager were overwhelmed with the size, scope and complexity of the project. They were unsure of how to get things back on track.

I did not enter the scene with any answers for them in fact, I peppered them with a whole lot of questions as I tried to wrap my brain around the size, scope and complexity of the project. Within my first week on the project I was dizzy with the number of directions the Program Manager, Project Manager and now I were being pulled. I realized in that first week that if I didn’t start taking notes I would never be able to get it all straight.

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Before this blog officially launched I spent a lot of time kicking around names for it. I went so far as to run many of them past the ever faboo, Jenorama but when I wrote the words “Who Stole My Stapler” I knew that was the winner.

If you have ever had to name anything, be it a blog, a baby or a pet, you likely know what a challenge the job could be.

Who Stole My Stapler was born of an actual incident at my office. If you have ever spent time in a corporate atmosphere you know that securing office necessities can be a bit of a challenge at times. In my particular work life I currently have two desks. One of them is fully loaded with the supplies I need. The other?

*crickets*

Nada. So in the spirit of not having to fill out forms in triplicate to secure a stapler I decided I would just borrow one from the person next to me. This crazy smart plan worked very well for about a month then out of the blue one day. POOF!

The stapler?

She was gone.

*cries*

Currently I work in an environement where it is somewhat easy to get supplies. You get online, place your order and designate whether you would like them delivered or like to pick them up. Oddly, when you do not sit on the floor where you perform the pick up the entire process seem insanely complicated.

Approximately two months have passed since my co-workers stapler went missing from my second desk area and I have yet to do anything about it. I am wondering if buying one during my next grocery run and expensing it might be easier. And faster.

What corporate process drives you craziest?