The Cosmic Career Coach

Dear Cosmic Career Coach,

A co-worker of mine, a Scorpio, is constantly undermining me, a Pisces, in front of our boss and coworkers. He steals my ideas, bad-mouths me behind my back, and seems to want to get ahead by pushing me down. How do I stop this office politico from sabotaging my career?

—Stepped-On in San Diego

Dear Stepped-On,

Prescient Pisces, that you even sense this scamp's back-stabbing is an impressive testament to your intuition and strategic capability. Here's the thing: When Scorpios get competitive, they can be insane. Unless you can muster the same degree of compulsive competitive capability —highly unlikely, since you're far too Zen to bother—the best approach is to let the Scorpio choke on his own venom.

Your astrologer has worked with the genre of Scorpio you describe. Scorpios bully and manipulate when they think they've found naïve prey. The Scorpio may feel he can groom you for office abuses, but you, approachable Pisces, would be wise to play it neutral. If you remain calm and don't let this Scorpio provoke you, two things can happen: The Scorpio will either back off, or he'll blow his top in a way that reveals his character, setting the stage for mangers to act.

Scorpios are driven by compulsions and desires. They destroy others, sometimes, but when they do so they also destroy themselves. If your Scorpio coworker gets one over on you through manipulation, he will pay the consequences. Your astrologer once worked with a manipulative Scorpio. He often insulted your astrologer, who nevertheless remained calm and collected. The truth eventually came out about his character, and his career suffered the consequences. Scorpios can be formidable enemies, but they prey on emotional response. Withhold it, and you will win.

Hot Careers for Pisces

• Business
• Graphic Design
• Fashion Merchandising

Dear Cosmic Career Coach,

I'm a classic Aquarius: never satisfied with the status quo, constantly changing everything from girlfriends to careers. I, as well as my family and friends, think it's time for me to put down some roots and start building a real career. What types of jobs would be good for someone like me?

—Free-Floating in Ferndale

Dear Free-Floater,

Friendly Aquarian, you're not a fan of the conventional life. You dislike hierarchy, rigid workdays, and suits. Yet, you're right to consider seeking some structure. An unfettered Aquarian can fall prey to his or her own wild energy, never settling down long enough to lay the groundwork for the "revolution" you seek. Case in point: Christopher McCandless, the adventurer whose life became the basis for the movie "Into the Wild." He focused so intently on shedding his ties to humanity that he neglected to learn the rules of the "society" he sought in Alaskan nature — a fatal mistake.

Whatever you do, you should work with a broad cross-section of people, interacting with people from all walks of life and treating them all as equals. Many Aquarians — typically unconcerned with money and status — gravitate to "cause-related" work in non-profits. Teaching, can offer you an outlet for connecting people from all walks of life to universal — and even subversive — ideas. Social work is also great for you.

You may also enjoy work in journalism, documentary film-making, or technology. All of these professions allow you to translate ideas across socio-economic boundaries. With respect to technology, you like the idea of helping people use machines to access information or experience media in newfangled ways.

Aquarians are interested in subverting and disrupting conventional thinking. You don't necessarily need a "wacky" career. You need to find a career that lets you express your orientation on the world. You could work as a financial planner specializing in helping the self-employed, a realtor who helps people buy property overseas, a "green energy" consultant, or a friendly therapist. Just make sure you are dealing with a wide variety of people, and you'll enjoy yourself.

Hot Careers for Aquarius

• Electronics
• Information Technology
• Library & Media Technology

About Jane Hodges, The Cosmic Career Coach Jane Hodges is a Seattle-based business writer. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Fortune, The Seattle Times, Seattle Magazine and many other publications. When she's not reporting on real estate or big business, she writes the "Seeing Stars" astrology column for Southwest Airlines' magazine, Spirit. She is also the author of Cosmic Grooves, a music and astrology book series (Chronicle Books/Rhino Records, 2001).