Blogging is becoming a part of our daily activities. Do you write about your jobs? Do you know that a lot of bloggers have become very popular by writing about their jobs — and some have even made a substantial amount of money? If you plan to create a blog then read on to discover how to protect yourself an your job.

Many blogs thrive on controversy, and very few companies want that sort of controversy associated with their brand. A number of companies have even instituted policies banning employees from blogging entirely. Such policies are difficult to enforce, if you don’t blog about your work. If you are a computer programmer blogging about fly-fishing, your employer isn’t going to have a problem. But if you blog about the internal problems in your organization, you may be looking for a new job.

Anonymity won’t protect a blogger, either. Very few anonymous bloggers keep their identities a secret for long. Being called out on your anonymous postings can hurt your career, especially if you become known for negative remarks about your employer. As a general rule, if you are planning to blog about problems with your work, it’s better to simply not blog.

Numerous warnings aside, though, a blog can help your career. Blogging regularly can establish you as an expert on a subject, and prove your value to your organization. You don’t need credentials to blog about any topic, but if you can show yourself to be an expert, formally educated or not, you can use your blog as leverage for negotiating a promotion or a raise in your place of employment.

Blogging can also help you build a useful set of skills, as well. Familiarity with the Internet and online communication is rapidly becoming required for all fields, and the ability to write clearly remains vital to most careers. The easiest way to improve your writing skills is to write regularly, for which blogging is ideal. You also have concrete samples of your work to show: a lengthy list of written samples, as well as any design, photographic, marketing or technical work you’ve put into your blog.

So, blogging can offer a huge boon to your career, or it can cripple it. That depends on your topic and how you deal with sensitive subjects related to your job. Make sure you aware of your employer’s policy on blogging and take steps you can take to protect yourself and your job.

Once you’ve just entered the working world, advancing your education through an MBA program or another graduate degree program is probably not the best way for career advancement. If your employer has limited training programs, you can find a good mentor to help you climb the corporate ladder faster.

A good mentor will offer a little advice and guidance, such as what he or she might have done in the same situation. If possible, find a mentor who can help you to build your skill set. Ideally, the mentor is an individual with much more experience in your field, who can point you to the steps you need to take. You may find that older employees may even offer to mentor you, especially if they occupy a managerial role and see you struggling.

There are still plenty of ways to get the help you need. If you can locate an ideal mentor within your organization, or through your personal network, you may be able to convince him or her to be your mentor, simply by asking. Also, consider checking with the professional organizations which handle your area of expertise and seeing if any of their membership would be willing to mentor you.

Once you’ve started your mentoring relationship, however, never be afraid to end the relationship. You may move past the point where you need such help, or you may not find that your mentor is able to provide you with help in such a way that you can benefit. If the relationship is simply not work, politely remove yourself from the situation and find a mentor better equipped to help you.

Overall, you can benefit from the experience of your mentors, if you are willing to make the effort to learn from them. Even sitting down over coffee with a mentor and talking can provide you with information that you have no other way of learning.

You might also consider passing the favor along, in the future. While some mentoring relationships can be for pay, generally, the time spent is time taken by the mentor with no expectation of compensation.