Think You Have to Move to Silicon Valley to Work in Tech? Think Again

By Jen Hubley Luckwaldt, PayScale.com

If you listened to the hype, you'd think that Silicon Valley was the only place to live for tech types. This is partly because every media outlet that covers technology is fully engaged in Facebook IPO Watch 2012, and partly because, yes, there are a lot of tech jobs in the Bay Area. However, this area isn't the only place to live if you want one of these gigs. Heck, it might not even be the best.

Forbes contributors Joel Kotkin and Mark Schill developed a ranking system that measures growth in the tech industry as a whole -- meaning that they looked at internet, data processing, and software jobs, but also included jobs in the STEM sector. (That's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, for the acronym-averse.) Their findings might surprise you.

Salary and Career News Round Up: Networking Tips for Introverts, Commuter Marriages and New Grads' Employment Woes

By Marissa Brassfield, PayScale.com

Every Friday we round up the salary trends, career stories and job news that you may have missed during the past week.

Bike to Work Day Gets Snack-tacular in Seattle

By Lydia Frank, PayScale.com

Bike to Work Month culminates with one big party on the third Friday of the month: Bike to Work Day.  Everyone is encouraged to participate on this one day and, here in Seattle, it's a party on wheels. The day's organizer, Cascade Bicycle Club, not only hosts its own station with snacks and drinks for riders, they've encouraged DIY (Do It Yourself) stations all over the city in the last few years. Now, the whole town is dotted with opportunities to load up on doughnuts, coffee, smoothies and more.

5 Peculiar Facebook-Related Firings: Will the Facebook IPO Change How We View Free Speech Online?

By Marissa Brassfield, PayScale.com

This morning, the media is abuzz with news of the Facebook IPO. While most stories center on the price of a Facebook share ($42.05) or when it opened for NASDAQ trading (around 11:30 a.m. Eastern), at PayScale, we're more focused on the many Facebook-related firings that have occurred as the social networking site has exploded in popularity. Read on for some of the unusual terminations that resulted from employees' Facebook posts.

Simple Ways to Work Out at Work [infographic]

By Marissa Brassfield, PayScale.com

Just 1 in 7 U.S. workers is of normal weight without chronic conditions, and this KT Tape infographic outlines several ways to work out at work in an effort to stave off the many health risks associated with sedentary lifestyles. Some of the suggestions are fairly straightforward -- bike to work if possible, swap your desk chair out for an exercise ball, climb stairs as often as possible -- but others enable you to get a decent workout without even leaving your desk.

A Yahoo Employee Answers the Question: Why Does Anyone Still Work at Yahoo?

By Jen Hubley Luckwaldt, PayScale.com

It's been kind of a rough couple of weeks, news-wise, for Yahoo. Back in April, the technology company laid off 2000 employees. Just this week, CEO Scott Thompson resigned amid allegations that he lied on his resume. Why would anyone still want to work there?

3 Underrated Challenges Women Face in the Workplace

By Marissa Brassfield, PayScale.com

We're all familiar with the major challenges women face in the workplace -- the so-called glass ceiling, the "good ol' boys' club," the "second shift" moms report to after their 9-to-5 -- but a trio of news items this week unveiled some obstacles you might not have previously considered.

The Evolution of Social Recruiting Technology [infographic]

By Marissa Brassfield, PayScale.com

Some 55 percent of companies plan to make social media a bigger part of their recruitment process, and this Jobvite infographic outlines how social recruiting technology has evolved over the past 20 years.

Can 'Psychological Time' Catalyze Productivity and Employee Engagement?

By Marissa Brassfield, PayScale.com

Harvard professor Michael Norton and his Ivy League colleagues may have stumbled on the secret to boosting productivity and improving employee engagement: psychological time. This trick isn't about time management; instead, it's about making employees feel like they have more free time without clearing their schedules.

Study Reveals Best States for Working Moms

By Marissa Brassfield, PayScale.com

The National Partnership for Women & Families has just released a report that assesses the best states for working moms according to legislation regarding breastfeeding mothers, parental leave and sick days. The full PDF report outlines all the laws that benefit new parents on a state-by-state basis, but the organization also gave each state an overall grade. How does your state measure up?