Rachel Haot is the Chief Digital Officer of New York.
But she’s also one of the best Instagram photographers when it comes to taking photos of the city.
Thousands of people already follow her to see some of the most beautiful NYC photos out there.
Go skinny dipping, stay up all night partying in a foreign city, climb a mountain — there are plenty of adventures you should tick off your personal bucket list before turning the big 3-0.
But what about your professional to-do list? We polled the experts and collected the milestones you'd be wise to hit early on in your career.
Here's what every intrepid professional should do before turning 30:
"Life's too short to stay in a job you hate, and your 20s are the time to take that kind of a risk," says Kate Swoboda, creator of the Courageous Coaching Training Program.
Swoboda suggests you swap your dead-end job for a salaried position that you like better or start working for yourself.
"And before you think that you can't work for yourself, remember: this is the digital age, and anyone with the right amount of heart, hustle, and patience can make a living online," she says.
"Getting fired early on can be a brutally tough life experience, but it can serve as a huge wake-up call for change if there was a performance issue," Michael Kerr, author of "The Humor Advantage: Why Some Businesses Are Laughing All the Way to the Bank," told Business Insider.
Getting this out of the way in your 20s could also alert you to being on the wrong career path and teach you to develop the skills necessary to always have a viable back-up plan, he said.
Proper time management is a skill you should have down by the time you hit 30, says Barry S. Saltzman, a business strategy expert and CEO of Saltzman Enterprise Group.
You may get away with being all over the place as an intern, but it's not cute when you're leading the team and you can't get your own act together.
Time is money, Saltzman points out, and no company will be happy with needlessly wasted money. "Learning by 30 what makes you efficient is important to professional development, and beyond that, improved efficiency makes you look a lot better in the eyes of your superiors."
"You've got to know where you want to go if you want to get there," Swoboda says.
Your vision statement needn't be a long manifesto, she explains. You simply need to capture the "why" of what you do.
You can hone in on your vision statement by answering: "How do I want to feel when I go into work each day?""How does my work positively impact my life or the lives of others?" and "What feels satisfying about this line of work?"
Now that you understand your vision, figure out how you'd explain it to others.
"Sharing that you're a copywriter or that you work in finance is fine and dandy, but it doesn't make you stand out or inspire people to want to ask you follow-up questions," explains Michelle Ward, a creative career coach and co-author of "The Declaration of You!"
Instead, when people inquire about what you do, answer with your "what,""who," and "how." Don't be afraid to mention what you're passionate about, the types of people you help, and what you do for them specifically, she says.
When Ward introduces herself, she tells people that she offers dream career guidance for creative women. "That way, the person listening can connect with what I'm saying or introduce me to any creative women they know who are looking for dream career guidance," she says.
"By the time 30 rolls around, you owe it to yourself to know what you can do," Saltzman says.
"From both a professional standpoint and a branding standpoint, being an expert in a particular field is more important than I can say."
His advice: Avoid being a jack-of-all-trades and put the effort in early to become extraordinary at something.
This is a place where you store all the compliments you receive about your work and your wins and accomplishments, Ward explains.
"By keeping it all in one place, you'll be able to articulate what you do well, how you add value, and what you accomplish," she says.
Your win book doesn't need to be tangible. Ward says she uses Evernote to copy and paste the niceties she gets over email.
Next time your work review rolls around or you need to write a cover letter, you can pull out the book for some inspiration.
Whether the person you admire wrote your favorite book, changed the corporate culture in a company for the better, or has shown corporations how they can use their profit for good, Swoboda suggests you reach out and tell them why you appreciate what they're up to.
"Often, people hesitate to send a note like this because they assume that it won't be read, but you'd be surprised how often a leader in her field will appreciate the gesture and respond with a thank-you."
Whether you dream of leading the annual corporate retreat or having a lunchtime book club, Ward suggests you ask yourself what would make your workday more enjoyable and meaningful. Then go for it.
Your workplace dream could even reflect your future career goals or transitions, she says, like offering to plan the holiday party if you want to try your hand at event planning.
If you're not sure your boss would go for it, she suggests putting everything together on your own time. "Remember that it still counts as experience for your résumé!"
Your 20s are usually focused on getting ahead, Swoboda says, while your 30s are all about giving back.
"Instead of holding all your best ideas close to your chest so that you can privately pitch them to the boss, share them in a meeting," she suggests. When coworkers complain about a problem, ask, "How can I help?" And don't be afraid to acknowledge the work of others in front of higher-ups.
"Trust me when I say that it's what people will remember you for, and it's the best return on investment around for your career."
"Sadly, a lot of people don't take the time to improve their communication skills, and their career trajectory suffers because of it," Saltzman says.
By 30 you should be able to iterate ideas efficiently and accurately, and poor written skills are simply inexcusable, he says. "Everything you say or write is representative of you as a person, so why settle for poor writing?"
"Don't let your personal Facebook account speak to potential employers or clients for you," Ward says.
To make sure you're in control of how you're perceived online, she suggests setting up a blog, an About.me page, and updating your LinkedIn profile.
"Conflict is everywhere, so there's no excuse not to learn to handle it," Saltzman says. "Where many shy away from different issues, embracing them and taking the time to solve them improves efficiency for everyone involved."
SEE ALSO: 17 mistakes everyone should make before they turn 30
Join the conversation about this story »
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"There are only two kinds of people in this world ..."
Or at least that's the premise of 2 Kinds of People, a Tumblr blog that perfectly captures exactly what those types are.
The blog doesn't just cover tech topics, but our favorite ones fit that bill.
What you say during your first day on the job can mean the difference between a lasting relationship with your new employer or a dash in the pan for your career.
"If you say something that's off, it sets the tone, and that could be the reason for you to be let go in your first three months," says J.T. O'Donnell, a career and workplace expert, founder of career advice site, CAREEREALISM.com, and author of "Careerealism: The Smart Approach to a Satisfying Career."
"It's natural to want to be liked — to impress and fit in quickly," explains workplace confidence expert Michelle Kerrigan. "However, many try too hard, and talk too much when they should be listening."
No one likes a know-it-all.
Rosalinda Oropeza Randall, etiquette and civility expert and author of "Don't Burp in the Boardroom," suggests walking into the new job with energy, but she also recommends a splash of humility. "Not the timid, reserved definition, but with an attitude of learning — not knowing-it-all."
"How about getting through the ninety-day probationary period first," Randall suggests.
"If you hadn't talked about that prior to joining, landing in the new job and suddenly dropping these kinds of bombs on them really shows a lack of communication and respect on your part," O'Donnell says.
"They're expecting you to just come in and be there and be present, be eager, be ready and willing to learn."
In January 2006, NASA launched the fastest spacecraft in history toward the dwarf planet Pluto. Now the spacecraft — called New Horizons— is hastening toward its destination and is scheduled to make its closest approach to Pluto on July 14.
On that epic day, New Horizons will use its slew of instruments on board to capture images of the distant icy world in unprecedented detail — hundreds of times clearer and thousands of times closer than the Hubble Space Telescope could ever hope to achieve.
Scientists on the New Horizons team have been patiently waiting for this moment for nearly a decade, and now their time is fast approaching. Here are 10 infographics by NASA that will teach you everything scientists know so far about icy Pluto.
Some big names in the hedge fund world came together last week to raise money for natural disaster victims — and to go head-to-head in the boxing ring.
They were inspired by the story of Petra Němcová, a former Victoria's Secret model who was seriously injured and lost her fiancé in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
Němcová founded the Happy Hearts Fund after that experience to help rebuild sustainable schools in the aftermath of similar disasters.
It was an action-filled night in and out of the ring with Pierre Andurand of Andurand Capital, Mike Tobin of Taylor Woods Capital Management, Kathleen Kelley of Queen Anne's Gate Capital, and many others.
LeBron James was not surrounded by All-Stars during his first tenure in Cleveland.
Until he got to Miami, the best players he ever played with were Larry Hughes, Mo Williams, and Carlos Boozer (for one year).
Now that he's back in Cleveland, we took a look at what some of his very best former Cavs teammates are up to today.
A few are still in the NBA, a few are in broadcasting, one is in Lebanon, and one is living the dream life in rural Kansas.
Source: CBS
You might know the basics of Apple's voice assistant Siri, but she's actually more capable than you think.
Thanks to Siri, you can check how many calories are in the soda you're drinking and even see how many planes are flying miles above you in the sky.
From productivity life hacks to hidden Easter eggs, we've collected 13 of the most interesting things Siri can do for you.
[via TUAW]
[via iPhoneHacks]
In the last few weeks, concern has grown that US stocks may have peaked.
Fundstrat Global's Tom Lee isn't so worried. In fact, he's got a 2,325 year-end target for the S&P 500. That's 11% higher from Friday's levels.
"[W]e continue to see a “catch-up” trade for US equities through year-end," Lee wrote in a note to clients.
"The natural question is what is expected to outperform into year-end? In addition to our cyclical tilt, we believe 'contrarian-style' stocks will show leadership into year-end."
Lee defines contrarian stocks loosely as those that have underperformed the market (i.e. lag the Russell 1000 over the past three years), but have improving fundamentals. He handpicked 10 stocks from a pool of 125 that he thinks could be the market through the end of the year.
Ticker: F
Underperformance: -16%
LT expected EPS growth: 75%
Management Outlook: "We are re-confirming that 2015 will be a breakthrough year for Ford as we continue accelerating our One Ford plan, delivering product excellence and driving innovation in every part of the business in a way that benefits all of our stakeholders." (President and CEO Mark Fields)
Ticker: OUTR
Underperformance: -34%
LT expected EPS growth: 18%
Management Outlook: “Outerwall’s strong performance this quarter was the result of continued execution of our strategy of optimizing our core Redbox and Coinstar businesses, scaling ecoATM and improving operational efficiencies across the company. We are leveraging our market-leading brands to drive profitability and deliver value for shareholders, partners and customers.” (Interim CEO Nora M. Denzel)
Ticker: PGR
Underperformance: -36%
LT expected EPS growth: 33%
Management Outlook: "It is always a plus to start the year off well and the first quarter, as much as any, presents its share of challenges. I like where we are and our start. I’m looking for confirmation of retention trends behaving as we expect, Agency auto improvements, and continued execution on our Destination Strategy. Combined with strong operational measures, we have every reason to feel the rest of the year could be a strong build from here." (President and CEO Glenn Renwick)
Summer is the season of interns and young financiers bustling through an industry several times their age. So Business Insider reached out to veterans and asked, what are you reading?
We've compiled their suggestions here in a list surprisingly diverse in genre, topic, time period, and style. Together, they form a comprehensive picture of Wall Street's in and outs, and deepen the reader's understanding of forces driving the market.
So crack one open. It'll help you get through the dog days of summer.
Author: Edwin Lefevre
Description: "'Reminiscences of a Stock Operator' is the fictionalized biography of Jesse Livermore, one of the greatest speculators ever. The timeless insights found within these pages have inspired countless generations of investors and made this book one of the foremost investment classics of all time ... 'Reminiscences of a Stock Operator' is a timeless tale that will enrich the lives — and portfolios — of today’s traders as it has done for generations in the past."
Recommended by Thomas Lee, head of research at Fundstrat Global Advisors; Dave Lutz, managing director and branch office manager at Jones Trading; Joe Lavorgna, managing director, chief US economist at Deutsche Bank Securities; and Jeff Gundlach, CIO at DoubleLine Capital.
Author: Lasse Heje Pedersen
Description: "'Efficiently Inefficient' describes the key trading strategies used by hedge funds and demystifies the secret world of active investing. Leading financial economist Lasse Heje Pedersen combines the latest research with real-world examples and interviews with top hedge fund managers to show how certain trading strategies make money — and why they sometimes don't."
Recommended by Torsten Slok, chief international economist at Deutsche Bank
Authors:
Description: "With a perspective that only decades of experience can bring, 'Adventures in Muniland' captures the municipal bond market's transformation from stodgy to dynamic. This concise, yet comprehensive stroll offers an insider's view, brings the reader right up to today's discussions, and carries the added benefit of providing a clear understanding of what can at times appear to be an opaque marketplace. The Cumberland team has produced an insightful review for the seasoned professional and a must read for newcomers and investors."
Recommended by David Kotok, CIO of Cumberland Advisors
As relations between the Cuba and the US begin to mellow, the Caribbean country is becoming more and more accessible.
But back in 2010, when Marius Jovaisa first visited the island, things were still quite tense. This presented a challenge to the aerial photographer, who has a long history of photographing beautiful locations from above, and many books and international exhibits of under his belt.
Jovaisa had come to Cuba with a plan to shoot the island's diverse landscape from the sky. The task turned out to be a tall one.
After two years of pleading with the Cuban government, Jovaisa was finally granted permission to photograph Cuba from above, and he became the first photographer to do so.
He spent two and a half years on the project and his subsequent book, "Unseen Cuba," is now available for purchase. The photographs give an exhaustive survey of Cuba from the sky, showing us just how varied and beautiful a place it can be.
Today's most sophisticated aircraft are the things of science fiction.
In a few years, drones that can fit in the palm of a person's hand and 117-foot-wingspan behemoths capable of launching satellites into space will both be a reality.
At the same time, drone and advanced-fighter technologies will spread beyond the US and Europe, and countries including China, Russia, and Iran may have highly advanced aerial capabilities.
Here's our look at the most game-changing aircraft of the past few years — and the next few to come.
The F-35 may cost as much as $1.5 trillion over its lifetime. But it's also supposed to be the most fearsome military aircraft ever built, a plane that can dogfight, provide close air support, and carry out bombing runs, all with stealth capabilities, a high degree of maneuverability, and the ability to take off and land on aircraft carriers.
It hasn't quite worked out that way so far, and problems with everything from the plane's software system to its engines has both delayed its deployment and made its costs spiral upward. And it isn't nearly as effective at close air support as existing platforms such as the A-10.
But the US has more than 1,700 of them on order. Like it or not, the F-35 will be the US' workhorse warplane for decades to come.
The predecessor to Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II is the single-seat, twin-engine F-22 Raptor, currently the most advanced combat-ready jet.
The US solely operates the world's F-22s thanks to federal law that prohibits the jet from being exported. Lockheed Martin built 195 jets before the last one was delivered to the US Air Force in May 2012. Despite the program's cost and the jet's advanced features, it saw combat for the first time relatively recently, during the opening phase of the bombing campaign against the Islamic State.
Russia's Su-50, also known under the prototype name of the T-50 PAK-FA, is the Kremlin's fifth-generation fighter and its response to the F-35.
Though still in prototype, Moscow thinks the Su-50 will ultimately be able to outperform the F-35 on key metrics such as speed and maneuverability. The stealth capabilities of the Su-50, however, are believed to be below those of the F-22 and the F-35.
The Kremlin plans to introduce the Su-50 into service by 2016. Once the plane is combat-ready, it will serve as a base model for the construction of further variants intended for export. India is already codesigning an Su-50 variant with Russia, and Iran and South Korea are possible candidates to buy future models of the plane.
Nothing suggests the height of human achievement and economic prowess quite like a skyscraper.
The newly completed 2,073-foot-tall Shanghai Tower is officially the second-tallest building in the world (behind Dubai's Burj Khalifa) and the tallest in China.
And taller skyscrapers are planned, such as China's Sky City and Saudi Arabia's Kingdom Tower.
But as "cool" as all of these buildings are, glitzy construction booms have historically coincided with the beginnings of economic downturns, according to Barclays' "Skyscraper Index." (For all you economics wonks out there, basically, skyscrapers can be considered a sentiment indicator.)
Using Barclays' index, we pulled together 10 skyscrapers whose constructions overlapped with financial crises.
The Long Depression, 1873–1878
The Long Depression, a pervasive US economic recession with bank failures, coincided with the construction of the Equitable Life Building in New York City in 1873.
The 142-foot building was the world's first skyscraper. (You could stack 14 of these on top of one another, and they still wouldn't be taller than China's new Shanghai Tower.)
Source: Barclays
British banking crisis, 1890
Chicago's 269-foot-tall Auditorium, completed in 1889, and New York's 309-foot-tall New York World, completed in 1890, coincided with the British banking crisis of 1890 and a world recession.
Source: Barclays
US panic marked by the collapse of railroad overbuilding, 1893
Chicago's 302-foot-tall Masonic Temple, the 348-foot-tall Manhattan Life Building, and the 353-foot-tall Milwaukee City Hall coincided with the US panic of 1893 marked by the collapse of railroad overbuilding.
It also overlapped with a string of bank failures and a run on gold.
Source: Barclays
When the American Confederacy lost the Civil War in May 1865, 10,000 Southerners fled the US for a small city in Brazil, where they could rebuild their lives and carry on their traditions.
Now, 150 years later, their story has been seemingly erased from the history books.
But deep in the heart of Brazil, descendendants of these confederate expats gather annually to celebrate their controversial history and maintain their traditions and culture.
Thanks to VICE reporter Mimi Dwyer, whose exposé on Americana peeled back the curtain on Brazil's reported tradition of slavery.
Everyone has an opinion about the perfect hamburger, and a growing number of fanatics have made it their mission to hunt down the ultimate combination of patty, bun, and condiments, Benjamin Wallace writes in the latest issue of New York.
But Heston Blumenthal, the chef behind London's Michelin three-star restaurant The Fat Duck, took a scientific approach to creating the ultimate burger back in 2007 for an episode of the short-lived BBC show "In Search of Perfection."
As Wallace notes in New York, "Blumenthal and his team spent six months making dozens of different burgers in pursuit of its ultimate incarnation" while tossing aside "all preconceptions about buns and ketchup."
The result is scientifically sound, and — according to Blumenthal, at least — "my perfect hamburger."
We dug up the episode and broke down Blumenthal's quest for burger perfection.
Google Street View lets you explore places you ordinarily wouldn't be able to visit.
The anonymous person behind the "Street View Photographs" blog finds the best images from around the world on Google Street View. He uses a photo-editing tool called Polarr to turn ordinary pictures of landmarks into beautiful photographs.
"I wanted to travel and I love taking pictures so I decided to just to do virtual tours," he said on his blog. "I also love to retouch photos to make them more legit, and Polarr is currently sponsoring their tool for me."
Different cultures can have radically different leadership styles.
Understanding them is key to international success, according to British linguist Richard Lewis, founder of consulting firm Richard Lewis Communications.
In Asian countries, for instance, leadership is portrayed as a circle, where consensus rule is valued and leaders are seen as benevolent.
In America (at least outside startup culture), leadership looks more pyramidal, with orders relayed from the top to the bottom and people at every level looking out for themselves.
To learn more about these fascinating cultural norms, Lewis gave us permission to publish the following leadership diagrams from "Cross-Cultural Communication: A Visual Approach," along with his commentary.
Amazon has a new plan to revolutionize the way we all grocery shop. And it's all about this little device, meant to replace pretty much everything you would do in a physical store.
It's called "Amazon Dash." My wife and I have been using Amazon's grocery service for a few months now and generally we are fans. Fresh Direct doesn't seem to have as good of a selection, at least in our area, and Amazon is just the slightest bit more convenient (and a little cheaper too).
During our last order, the company offered to let us use the Amazon Dash program for free. It's free for those invited right now.
The idea behind Dash is that you use the device to do all your ordering anywhere in your house, and then send it over to the Amazon Fresh app for easy ordering.
It's really ambitious, and not at all perfect.
This post is originally by Geoffrey Ingersoll.
Ever since the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound in 2011, the American public and policymakers have taken an intense interest in US Navy SEALs and Military Special Operators in general.
The Special Operations Command, or SOCOM, is constantly given spending and personnel increases while the rest of the military is making cuts.
Thee number of operators doubled between the 9/11 attacks and 2013, and their budget tripled from $3.5 billion to $10.5 billion. The trend will likely continue as the US military is in the midst of a shift to "smaller footprint"-type operations that depend on special operators and air cover.
Putting tens of thousands of troops and countless private support personnel on the ground in any given country s a costly strategy that US political are reluctant to embrace. Even in the fight against ISIS, there's been little talk of countering the group with conventional ground troops. But US special operators have been used throughout the fight against the jihadists, like the during the May 2015 raid in eastern Syria that killed ISIS commander Abu Sayyaf.
Though it was the SEALs who killed Bin Laden, it's worth noting there are quite a few more SpecOps units in the US than just the Navy SEALs. Here's a comprehensive list of all the SpecOps units we could find (with help from the extensive descriptions on AmericanSpecialOps.com).
Marine Reconnaissance teams provide intelligence for active small unit operations on the battlefield. Those with Marine Sniper quals can also provide accurate and demoralizing small arms fire at a distance.
Marine Recon is arguably in the top five of all special operators. It's capable of harassing an entire enemy battalion for long periods of time, tracking enemy units for larger American forces, or conducting well-orchestrated raids on high-valued targets.
These guys are the gems in the crown of the United States Marine Corps.
Amphibious Recon Platoons draw their personnel from Battalion Recon Units and typically support direct-action Force Reconnaissance Operations as well as Naval Fleet Operations.
They hold all the same certifications, generally speaking, as Recon Marines. The only difference are their tasks, which include determining the characteristics and defenses of possible amphibious landing zones, and reporting the information back to the commanders at sea.
These special operators can forecast the weather above a fight, kill the enemy, and direct artillery — simultaneously.
The official mission of the US Air Force field weatherman is as a ground-level, small-unit meteorologist who provides accurate forecasts for the purpose of air asset deployment.
CatCon, the first convention held in honor of cats (not counting the Hello Kitty Convention, of course), attracted over ten thousand feline enthusiasts this past weekend in Los Angeles, California.
The event featured cat-themed merchandise, feline-inspired artwork and famous YouTube cats Lil Bub and Pudge, reports the New York Times.
There was even a lecture about the best method for getting your cats to pose for photographs. The answer? Tape a live gecko to your head — this keeps the modeling cat focused.
Mayim Bialik, the event's featured celebrity (you might remember her from "Blossom"), says the event is a "great opportunity to change the face of the crazy cat lady,” reports the New York Times. “It’s still one of those stereotypes that needs to be demolished. We’ve come a long way, but we have a long way to go.”
We've scoured Instagram to collect the best CatCon photos.
SEE ALSO: The cat is definitely going down the stairs — here's how you can tell
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