There are times in our lives when we need to leave the workforce. And while the reasons for taking a work break might be personally important, they can often be hard to explain to prospective employers when you choose to return to the workforce. What can you do to ease your re-entry to the workforce after a break?

I'll be the first to admit that blockchain isn't easy to wrap your head around. You've probably heard of it in relation to Bitcoin because cryptocurrencies are underpinned by blockchain technology. But blockchain can do so much more than that.

According to research conducted by recruitment agency Greythorn, almost half of Australian tech workers are actively seeking for new jobs while another 40% are prepared to consider a change for the right offer. And they're saying lack of training and career development are major drivers. This is unsurprising when you consider that more and more roles are now contracted rather than permanent so employers can offload the need to deliver career advancement and skill development to individuals rather than doing it themselves.

Artificial intelligence and automation are often seen as a threat to workers but that attitude isn't universal according to new data from SEEK. Although a small number of workers are still in the dark when it comes to automation many see it as a potential benefit although there are some interesting differences between different demographic groups.

Fan of HBO's Silicon Valley may remember the episode where Richard was made fun of for preferring tabs over spaces for indentation. Well, it turns out it's no joke - at least when it comes to making money as a developer. Stack Overflow's recent programmer survey revealed an interesting tidbit: devs who uses spaces make around 8.6 per cent more than their tab-tapping counterparts.

Stan Lee's passing yesterday marked the end of an era. The characters Lee created redefined the notion of what a superhero was and allowed everyone to relate to them. From the weakling who became a super man in Captain America, to the creativity and flawed genius of Tony Stark, to the anger we all bottle up with Hulk and the kid with responsibility and a gift in Spider-man, he created a new type of superhero.

Before Lee's incredible run of creativity, DC ruled the superhero roost with aliens, Amazons and other fanciful characters. But what's truly remarkable is that Lee's most famous and best work came after he was in his 40s.

I always wanted to be a writer, at least as soon as I stopped wanting to be a private detective. But from the day I landed my first writing job, I was already planning on how to get some other, better job. For years I kept daydreaming about the ever-changing dream job (usually some form of screenwriting because I’m that kind of cliché), always comparing it to my “real” job.

Now that Jeff Bezos presides over one of the most valuable companies in the world and has amassed a personal fortune of around $150 billion, folks are turning to him for advice on how he became successful. And while there's no doubt he's a very smart guy, he didn't make Amazon into the company it is today singlehandedly. He surrounded himself with highly intelligent people. Which begs the question - how does Jeff Bezos decide someone is smart?

Thinking back to the arrival of Amazon and its recommendation engine, it's easy to see that the ability for systems to look at vast arrays of data and make decisions and take action was inevitable. What has surprised many people is the way big data has been exploited by an almost infinite pool of computing power delivered by the cloud. And that (r?)evolution means many jobs that exist today will ether disappear or substantially change.

Many people work hard for a few years and then take a year or so off to travel the world before "settling down". As well as seeing the world and experiencing new cultures, some recent research has found the benefits extend to many other areas. And the good news is that once you're back, the likelihood of getting a new job quickly is quite high.

The IT sector is in the midst off a massive skills shortage and once of the areas that this is most acutely felt in is cybersecurity. Businesses, large and small, as well as government departments and not-for-profit companies are all under increased threat of cyberattack. And that means they are all looking for people to help protect and support their companies. So what does it take to kick start a career in cyber security?

It's been nearly two years since I've received a corporate pay cheque. I left that world and haven't looked back since. Was it an easy jump?

Hell no. It's been hard — very hard — but I don't regret it and still consider it one of the very best things I've ever done for myself.

You'll see a lot of encouragement to start freelancing on tech-obsessed blogs (ahem), often pitched with an eye toward some kind of ultimate freedom. The Freelance Folder blog drops a bit of work-from-home reality on would-be freelancers.

The modern workplace is undergoing a substantial transition. Systems to foster collaboration, automation and machine learning are creating a workplace that is almost unrecognisable from the 1990s. Careers are built by moving between companies and, increasingly, we are expected to be the masters of our own training and development. Where is this leading and what will the workplace look like in another 20 years?

Everyone knows that in order for a company to succeed it needs to have the best people with enough freedom and responsibility to let them do their jobs as well as they can. But hiring great talent can be a challenge. During a 'fireside chat' between ServiceNow's CEO John Donohoe and founder Fred Luddy, the question of picking great people came up. And while some founders can come across as arrogant and egocentric, Luddy's advice when hiring people was refreshing.

If you think about it, many of the things we take for granted in our workplaces, that are delivered by Human Resources (HR) departments are point solutions that fulfil specific needs but don't often work all that well together. On-boarding processes bring staff into a company, there are training and development programs and a bunch of processes we need to follow that we might only access very rarely. How do those things hang together to create a great workplace experience? Digital transformation in HR is emerging as a key tool for improving employee satisfaction.

So your job sucks. You could resign yourself to a life of dull (or even miserable) days in the office or you could set aside some time and get a better job. Here are 9 great tips to help you put together a great application, ace the interview, and ultimately work for a company you'll love rather than hate.

No matter how healthy you try to be, odds are you may catch a bug or two. Here's how to tell the boss that you're going to stay home without appearing suspect.

You're thinking of jumping ship. Maybe it's your job, a relationship, a degree or some other commitment that's both so hard to keep doing and so hard to leave. Should you stay or should you go? Here's how to decide.