2015 was clearly the year of the unicorn: startups that raised boatloads of venture capital money and were valued by their investors at over $1 billion.

It's already looking like 2016 could be the year that many of these unicorns run into trouble, as venture funds are getting tighter and more expensive, and some valuations are already deflating.

But other unicorns will continue to soar.

To find out which ones seem to be doing well, we went to the insiders: employees, via the employee reviews of their employers they shared on job-hunting site Glassdoor.

We began with the 156 companies on the Crunchbase Unicorn Leaderboard.  Glassdoor whittled that down to 83 companies for which it had the data of at least 30 employee reviews over the last two years. (This created a different list from Glassdoor's recent survey of the Best Places to Work for 2016, which included many of these companies, but only used reviews from the past year).

We then ranked those 83 by employees' total satisfaction rating, where employees rate their companies on a 1-5 scale with 1 being least satisfied, and 5 being most. (Glassdoor itself is also a unicorn company with a rating of 4.7, but it excluded itself from this list.)

The average company rating across all 445,000 companies on Glassdoor's site is 3.3. The average rating for the 83 unicorns on this list is a 3.8, and all of the companies on the Top 20 were rated higher than a 4.

SEE ALSO: The 53 startups that will be huge in 2016, according to venture capitalists

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No. 20: Sprinklr, 'Having fun while working hard.'

Employee rating: 4.3 out of 5

Raised:$124 million

Valuation: $1.22 billion as of March 

Sprinkler offers social media and marketing cloud software to businesses.

“Super-smart, dynamic and motivated colleagues that truly care about the customer experience and supporting each other! Flexible PTO policy, very good benefits, work from home options, as well as gym membership discounts. Culture values having fun while working hard and work life balance!” –Sprinklr Product Support Engineer (location n/a)

19. Airbnb, fast growing game-changing company

Employee rating: 4.3 out of 5

Raised: $3.89 billion

Valuation: $27 billion as of December 2015 

Airbnb is an online service that matches people with rooms or homes to rent with visitors who need short-term accommodations. 

“The employee experience at Airbnb has improved over the last year and I believe it will keep getting better. I started as an hourly employee and the company has rewarded me for hard work, creativity, and ongoing contributions by allowing and encouraging me to work in a variety of roles. I've been able to learn from multiple teams and mentors and that has strengthened my cross-functional skills.” – Airbnb Employee (San Francisco, CA)

No. 18: Kabbage, an Atlanta company with Silicon Valley-like perks

Employee rating: 4.3 out of 5 

Raised: $238 million

Valuation: $1 billion as of October.

Helps small businesses secure loans by applying online.

“This is the first job I've had that makes me excited to go to work every day. Everyone initially focuses on the Silicon Valley startup style benefits like daily free lunch and unlimited PTO, but it is really unique in how many people really take ownership of the business and care deeply about growth and doing right by customers and the community.” –Kabbage Software Engineer (Atlanta, GA)

These are the bad habits you most likely cling to but should rid yourself of. It will enhance your productivity and make you feel better. 

Produced by Emma Fierberg

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Mental strength takes a long time to develop. 

It is the daily practice of pushing yourself to grow stronger, maintaining realistic optimism, and setting healthy boundaries. Mentally strong people don't do things like waste time feeling sorry for themselves or give away their power.

How do you know where you fall on the spectrum? We asked psychotherapist Amy Morin, the author of "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do."

Morin provided the following 21 signs you're mentally stronger than average, which we've shared here in her words.

This is an update of an article originally published by Steven Benna.

SEE ALSO: 13 things mentally strong people don't do

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1. You balance emotions with logic.

"Mentally strong people understand how their emotions can influence their thinking. In an effort to make the best decisions possible, they balance their emotions with logic." 

2. You choose productive behavior.

"While it may be tempting to make excuses, complain about other people, and avoid difficult circumstances, mentally strong people refuse to waste time on unproductive activities." 

3. You feel confident in your ability to adapt to change.

"Mentally strong people know that although change is uncomfortable, it's tolerable. They focus their energy on adapting to change, rather than resisting it."

Mental strength is just like any other skill: It takes time to develop.

In her book "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do," psychotherapist Amy Morin writes that your genetics, personality, and life experiences all play a role in your mental strength.

Since we know what mentally strong people don't do, we asked Morin about the key habits they do follow.

Here are nine things mentally strong people do every day.

This is an update of an article originally written by Steven Benna.

SEE ALSO: 13 things mentally strong people don't do

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1. They monitor their emotions.

People often assume mentally strong people suppress their emotions, Morin says, but they are actually acutely aware of them.

"They monitor their emotions throughout the day and recognize how their feelings influence their thoughts and behaviors," she says. "They know sometimes reaching their greatest potential requires them to behave contrary to how they feel."

2. They practice realistic optimism.

Having a positive outlook all the time is impossible, and too much negativity is counterproductive.

Mentally strong people "understand that their thoughts aren't always true, and they strive to reframe their negativity," Morin says. "They replace exaggeratedly negative thoughts with a more realistic inner monologue." 

3. They solve problems.

To put it simply, "mentally strong people refuse to engage in unproductive activities," Morin says. Instead of sitting there complaining about your bad day at work and wishing bad things wouldn't happen, evaluate why something went wrong and fix it. Learn how to calculate risk and move forward from there, she says.

Some people, regardless of what they lack — money, looks, or social connections — always radiate energy and confidence.

Even the most skeptical individuals find themselves enamored with these charming personalities.

These people are the life of every party. They're the ones you turn to for help, advice, and companionship.

You just can't get enough of them, and they leave you asking yourself, "What do they have that I don't? What makes them so irresistible?"

The difference? Their sense of self-worth comes from within.

Irresistible people aren't constantly searching for validation, because they're confident enough to find it in themselves. There are certain habits they pursue every day to maintain this healthy perspective.

Since being irresistible isn't the result of dumb luck, it's time to study the habits of irresistible people so that you can use them to your benefit.

Get ready to say "hello" to a new, more irresistible you.

1. They treat EVERYONE with respect.

Whether interacting with their biggest client or a server taking their drink order, irresistible people are unfailingly polite and respectful. They understand that — no matter how nice they are to the person they're having lunch with — it's all for naught if that person witnesses them behaving badly toward someone else.

Irresistible people treat everyone with respect because they believe they're no better than anyone else.

2. They follow the platinum rule.

The golden rule — treat others as you want to be treated — has a fatal flaw: It assumes that all people want to be treated the same way. It ignores that people are motivated by vastly different things. One person loves public recognition, while another loathes being the center of attention.

The platinum rule — treat others as they want to be treated — corrects that flaw. Irresistible people are great at reading other people, and they adjust their behavior and style to make others feel comfortable.

3. They ditch the small talk.

There's no surer way to prevent an emotional connection from forming during a conversation than by sticking to small talk. When you robotically approach people with small talk, this puts their brains on autopilot and prevents them from having any real affinity for you.

Irresistible people create connection and find depth even in short, everyday conversations. Their genuine interest in other people makes it easy for them to ask good questions and relate what they're told to other important facets of the speaker's life.

4. They focus on people more than anything else.

Irresistible people possess an authentic interest in those around them. As a result, they don't spend much time thinking about themselves. They don't obsess over how well they're liked, because they're too busy focusing on the people they're with. It's what makes their irresistibility seem so effortless.

To put this habit to work for you, try putting down the smartphone and focusing on the people you're with. Focus on what they're saying, not what your response will be, or how what they're saying will affect you. When people tell you something about themselves, follow up with open-ended questions to draw them out even more.

5. They don't try too hard.

Irresistible people don't dominate the conversation with stories about how smart and successful they are. It's not that they're resisting the urge to brag. The thought doesn't even occur to them because they know how unlikable people are who try too hard to get others to like them.

6. They recognize the difference between fact and opinion.

Irresistible people handle controversial topics and touchy subjects with grace and poise. They don't shrink from sharing their opinions, but they make it clear that they're opinions, not facts. Whether discussing global warming, politics, vaccine schedules, or GMO foods, irresistible people recognize that many people who are just as intelligent as they are see things differently.

7. They are authentic.

Irresistible people are who they are. Nobody has to burn up energy or brainpower trying to guess their agenda or predict what they'll do next. They do this because they know that no one likes a fake.

People gravitate toward authentic individuals because they know they can trust them. It's easy to resist someone when you don't know who they really are and how they really feel.

8. They have integrity.

People with high integrity are irresistible because they walk their talk, plain and simple. Integrity is a simple concept but a difficult thing to practice. To demonstrate integrity every day, irresistible people follow through, they avoid talking bad about other people, and they do the right thing, even when it hurts.

9. They smile.

People naturally (and unconsciously) mirror the body language of the person they're talking to. If you want people to find you irresistible, smile at them during conversations and they will unconsciously return the favor and feel good as a result.

10. They make an effort to look their best (just not too much of an effort).

There's a massive difference between being presentable and being vain. Irresistible people understand that making an effort to look your best is comparable to cleaning your house before company comes — it's a sign of respect for others. But once they've made themselves presentable, they stop thinking about it.

11. They find reasons to love life.

Irresistible people are positive and passionate. They're never bored, because they see life as an amazing adventure and approach it with a joy that other people want to be a part of.

It's not that irresistible people don't have problems — even big ones — but they approach problems as temporary obstacles, not inescapable fate. When things go wrong, they remind themselves that a bad day is just one day, and they keep hoping that tomorrow or next week or next month will be better.

Bringing it all together.

Irresistible people did not have fairy godmothers hovering over their cribs. They've simply perfected certain appealing qualities and habits that anyone can adopt as his or her own.

They think about other people more than they think about themselves, and they make other people feel liked, respected, understood, and seen. Just remember: The more you focus on others, the more irresistible you'll be.

Dr. Travis Bradberry is the award-winning co-author of the #1 bestselling book, Emotional Intelligence 2.0,and the cofounder of TalentSmart, the world's leading provider of emotional intelligence tests, emotional intelligence training, and emotional intelligence certification, serving more than 75% of Fortune 500 companies. His bestselling books have been translated into 25 languages and are available in more than 150 countries. Dr. Bradberry has written for, or been covered by, Newsweek, BusinessWeek, Fortune, Forbes, Fast Company, Inc., USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The Harvard Business Review.

SEE ALSO: 14 habits of the most likable people

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From time to time, all of us go looking for a new job. In fact, if you're a Millennial,researchers say you'll have 15 to 20 different jobs over the course of your lifetime. Regardless of which generation you're a part of, according to Approved Index, there are certain warning signs that should make you think twice before accepting a new position. Here are 10:

1. Everyone is new, but the business is not

High staff turnover is always a red flag--why does the company have such a hard time keeping good people?

2. Interviewer complains about their current staff

If your boss-to-be badmouths his or her employees to someone who hasn't even joined the company yet, what do you think they're going to say about you?

3. Random buzzwords and enigmatic phrases are never good

This suggests a company that doesn't have a clear idea how they are going to utilize you effectively in your new position.

4. Overselling a job to get you excited

This usually means that the job is too good to be true--especially when the job description is vague and you haven't been asked if you have the relevant experience.

5. The job is advertised over and over

If you see a job that keeps coming back in the ads--like a zombie that just won't die--you can be sure that means something. Something bad.

6. No mention of a path for career progression

If there's no path for you to move up in the organization, you just might get stuck in a dead end job. You can certainly do better than that.

7. Workers being brutally honest

Ask what the best and the worst thing about working there is. If the best thing sounds bad, and the worst thing is even worse, then run while you still can.

8. Your potential employer wants money from you

Believe it or not, some employers want job applicants to pay for background checks and training. Just say no, and look elsewhere.

9. Employees don't seem to like their boss

If employees act like they don't want to be there when in the presence of their boss, then that's a sign that he or she is domineering or an embarrassment as a leader. Probably not a boss you'll want to work for.

10. Defeated body language

Look at the people you pass in the hall and look at their expressions and body language. Do they look like they don't want to be there? If so, that could be you if you accept the job offer.

SEE ALSO: 10 years ago, I made a simple change that improved my life dramatically

SEE ALSO: The 50 coolest new businesses in America

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If you want your New Year’s resolution to stick, experts say, make it specific and achievable.

But, because so many aspects of our careers are out of our control, it’s easier to apply that rule to personal-life goals than to professional ones. You can’t get a promotion, a raise, or new job by dint of hard work and determination alone. Your boss, or your future boss, has to be on board too. And outcomes sometimes have little to do with you and your merits. Resolving to change something that isn’t within your control is a great way to drive yourself crazy.

Join the conversation about this story »

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Having a nightly routine is as important as your Morning Routine.

This way you can get the rest you need, and you will be prepared for an energetic and focused tomorrow.

The Nightly Routine doesn’t have to be as long as the morning  —  mine is only around 15 minutes or so; however, I wake up feeling refreshed and ready to crush the day.

After recently writing a post about my Morning Routine I was being asked by some of you what time I go to bed at if I get up at 5:30 am. 

To to get the average 8 hours we’re advised, do I go to bed at 9:30 every night?

No.

Research has proven that the quality of sleep is much more important than the quantity of hours you sleep. Have you ever slept 9 hours but woken up still feeling tired and groggy? This is where the lack of quality of sleep comes in.

I sleep between 6–7 hours per night on average, and I’ve applied certain practices/sleep hacks into my nightly routine that help me to get the highest quality of sleep possible.

The 6 things before bed:

1. Reflection
2. Priorities for tomorrow
3. Wins
4. Gratitude
5. Clean Desk = Clean Mind
6. Sleep Hack

1. Reflection

Benjamin Franklin was known for his routines and continued effort toward self-improvement. At the end of each day would ask himself,

“What good have I done today?”

It’s important to look back on your day and reflect on what went well and what you have achieved. If I have a rough day, I write down 1 to 3 things I could have done to make the day better so I that I’m ready for “next time.”

2. Priorities for tomorrow

When I was in Architecture school, I would write an absolute beast of a “to-do” list each day  —  a list in which I would never ever be able to complete even if I worked every minute of the day and night. It was pretty dumb. I would get to the end of the day, and, despite having worked all day, feel unaccomplished and overwhelmed. No bueno.

These days, I try to bookend my day in a much more positive way. At night, I take stock of my day and how it went. First, I’ve stopped writing impossible to-do lists, and I limit myself to 3 prioritized tasks per day, which I set during my nightly routine so that I wake up the next day knowing what needs to be completed.

This doesn’t mean I only do 3 things a day. It means I drill down to the things that matter  —  the things that if I did nothing else that day I would still feel accomplished at completing.

3. Wins

We’re generally our own worst critic. Take a few minutes to appreciate the things you did well, and stop beating yourself up about what you could have done better. Feel free to unapologetically brag to yourself about what you accomplished that day, whether it was a gym session, a sales call, or finally cleaning out your closet. 

Making a daily habit of being positive about yourself will grow the confidence you have in yourself and your abilities.

4. Gratitude

A recent study by Nancy Digdon shows how grateful thoughts can help your sleep due to the fact that having more positive thoughts than negative thoughts make it easier to drift off to sleep. By taking a few minutes and writing down what you’re grateful for, you are focusing on the positive.

I write down 3 things I’m grateful for that happened that day. Again, it doesn’t have to be deep thoughts or something out-of-this-world. It’s not for anyone to read but yourself.

5. Clear desk = clear mind

Each evening as I finish work or before I go to bed, I organize my desk and clear up any clutter that has accumulated over the day. There is something about having a clear work area that gives our mind the focus needed to be more productive. This doesn’t mean the rest of my apartment is tidy (our secret), but I make sure my workspace is.

It’s so much easier to be productive and get your work done if you create the environment that allows you the head space for it.

I’m currently finishing up development on a product for optimizing your day and being intentional with everything we do so that it makes reaching your goals simple. We just launched on Kickstarter yesterday.

6. Sleep hacks

Most of the sleep hacks I have learned I got from The Bulletproof Diet and other biohacking resources. Some quick and free things you can do today for better sleep:

1. Sleep in a pitch black room (to stop melatonin suppression)

Melatonin, a biochemical produced to regulate our sleep-wake cycle only works when it’s dark. Even a small amount of light can be sensed by our eyes and skin which halts melatonin process and causes disrupted sleep. Here’s a great article explaining why melatonin is so important in more detail. I recently purchased some blackout blinds that have helped with this and am already noticing a difference.

2. Track your sleep so you wake up at the best time

I use an app called Sleep Cycle to track my sleep each night. The best part about the app is its smart alarm function that only wakes me during a light stage of sleep to avoid the groggy feeling I used to get when I woke up.

Here’s the type of stats you get:

3. Put your phone on airplane mode to avoid EMFs

Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) exposure from your phone will impede the production of melatonin, so make a habit of putting it on airport mode to prevent this.

4. Stop drinking coffee after 2 p.m.

(I’m not always awesome at this one)

5. Avoid bright lights and minimize blue light exposure

Blue light from phone screens, computer screens, and TV trick our brains into thinking it’s daytime and thus causes melatonin suppression which affects our sleep-wake cycle. Here’s 2 ways to help avoid this:

1. Install F.Lux on your computer. This will adapt your screen to your surroundings. When the sun goes down, it will dim the blue light from your screen and revert to normal during the day. It works in the background, so you’ll set it once and forget it. (Be sure not to do any graphic work involving color picking in the evenings or your project will look a little funky in the morning.)
2. Use blue-blocking glasses in the evening 1 to 3 hours before bed. And yes, as you can see from the link, they’re extremely glamorous. For more detailed info on blue light and sleep go here.

6. Don’t workout within 2 hours of when you plan to sleep

7. Avoid big meals before bed

Sleep supplements

Following the 80/20 rule, if you do all the things above, you’ll see a huge improvement in sleep quality and may not need anything else. Personally, as well as the things above, I take a few supplements before bed to get more quality sleep. Below is what I take and why:

Magnesium

Magnesium is a component of more than 325 different enzymes in the human body. It plays an important role in hydration, muscle relaxation, energy production, and the deactivation of adrenaline. With that said, due to the very low levels of it found in food, most people are deficient in it unless they take supplements.

A more detailed article about it and its role in sleep here. I take a magnesium supplement, Natural Calm, about 30 minutes before going to bed. This gives me much more restful sleep due to natural calming and relaxation effects. It’s also pretty tasty.

A Spoonful of Raw Honey

Your brain uses a lot of energy to fuel all the processes it goes through during the night. An efficient form of energy comes from sugar stored within the liver. A spoonful of raw honey has shown through rigorous self-experimentation by Seth Roberts and The Honey Revolution to improve sleep by keeping liver glycogen full. It’s important however that it is raw honey and not cooked honey that you typically find in grocery stores.

Krill Oil

Krill oil is a great source of Omega–3s, which have been proven to reduce anxiety and depression while also improving muscle growth and insulin sensitivity. Take a Krill Oil pill 2 hours before bed.

GABA

I only take GABA on occasions when I have been travelling or I’m working crazy hours on a product launch and know I need a long restful night of sleep. It is a neuro-inhibitory transmitter, which is what your brain needs to shut down. I’d definitely recommend this over sleeping pills.

And there you have it  —  my evening routine and how I hack my sleep. Since I’ve started, it’s been helping with morning decision fatigue (by knowing my priorities for the day), and it’s given me a much more restful sleep so I have much more energy throughout the day.

SEE ALSO: This one-minute morning routine can improve your productivity all day long

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NOW WATCH: The sleep habits all successful people share

There was a time when knowing how to program was for the geekiest of geeks.

That’s not exactly the case today. As most entrepreneurs, freelancers and marketers will tell you, learning how to program can help you succeed. 

Over the past year, I've been learning to code. It's helped me to become a much better entrepreneur — I can dive in when my team needs to fix a few bugs on the site. 

You don’t even need to shell out a ton of money or put yourself in debt to learn how to code, either. These 12 places offer coding courses for free:

1. CodeAcademy

One of the most popular free places to learn coding is CodeAcademy. In fact, more than 24 million people have already learned how to code through this educational company’s engaging experience.

At CodeAcademy, you can dive right in and take courses that teach you everything from HTML & CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, PHP, Python and Ruby.

Related: Want to Take Your Business to the Next Level? Boost Your Marketing and Coding Skills

2. Coursera

Founded in 2012, Coursera has grown into a major for-profit educational-technology company that has offered more than 1,000 courses from 119 institutions.

While you can pay for certain programs to receive a certificate, there are a number of free introductory programming courses in various specializations from universities such as the University of Washington, Stanford, the University of Toronto and Vanderbilt.

3. edX

EdX is another leading online-learning platform that is open source instead of for-profit. It was founded by Harvard University and MIT in 2012, so you know that you’ll learn about cutting-edge technologies and theories. Today, edX includes 60 schools. You probably can’t go wrong with the free Introduction to Computer Science from Harvard University.

4. Udemy

Founded in 2010, Udemy is an online learning platform that can be used as a way to improve or learn job skills. While there are courses you have to pay for, there are plenty of free programming courses, which are taught via video lessons, such as Programming for Entrepreneurs - HTML & CSS or Introduction to Python Programming.

5. aGupieWare

AGupieWare is an independent app developer that surveyed computer-science programs from some of the leading institutions in the U.S. It then created a similar curriculum based on the free courses offered by Stanford, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Berkeley and Columbia. The program was then broken into 15 courses: three introductory classes, seven core classes and five electives.

While you won’t actually receive credit, it’s a perfect introductory program for prospective computer programmers.

6. GitHub

Sometimes, you need to recall a reference book when you’re stuck on a problem. That's GitHub. You can find more than 500 free programming books that cover more than 80 different programming languages on the popular web-based Git repository hosting service, which means that it’s frequently updated by collaborators.

7. MIT Open Courseware

If you’ve already learned the basics, and went to get into something a bit heavier — such as exploring the theory behind coding — take advantage of MIT’s free courseware site that includes classes such as Introduction to Computer Science and Programming, Introduction to Programming in Java and Practical Programming in C.

Related: GitHub Is Said to Hit $2 Billion Valuation With New Investment Round

8. Hack.pledge()

This is a community of developers, which include some high-profile developers such as Bram Cohen, the inventor of BitTorrent. There, you can perfect your programming skills by learning from some of the leading developers in the world.

9. Code Avengers

Based out of New Zealand, Code Avengers provides fun and interactive programming courses that will teach you how to code games, apps and web sites using JavaScript, HTML and CSS. Intro courses are free, while higher levels are available for a fee. Each course takes just 12 hours to complete and is available in English, Russian, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Turkish and Portuguese.

10. Khan Academy

Created in 2006 by educator Salman Khan, Khan Academy is one of the original free online-learning institutions. With step-by-step video tutorials, you can  learn how to program drawings, animations and games using JavaScript and ProcessingJS, or learn how to create webpages with HTML and CSS.

11. Free Food Camp

Here you’ll learn HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, Databases, DevTools, Node.js, Angular.js and Agile by networking and joining a community of professionals and students. You’ll even work together on your coding skills so that you can build apps for free. Here’s the catch: you’re learning those skills and building helps to help solve real-world problems. Code is available to nonprofits.

12. HTML5 Rocks

This Google project launched in 2010 to counter Apple’s HTML5. The site is full of tutorials, resources and the latest HTML5 updates. It’s open source, so developers can play around with HTML5 code. Because this is more advanced than most introductory courses, you may want to gain some knowledge and experience before jumping in.

Learning code used to require access to expensive books and classes, but no longer. I highly recommend that every entrepreneur learns to code. Still wondering if you need to code? Here is a programmer guide I put together to show you every step I took to become an entrepreneur that codes! 

SEE ALSO: The 37 best websites for learning a new skill

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If your motto is "new year, new job," you may also want to consider a new city.

As it turns out, places like Austin and Salt Lake City are better for job seekers than New York City and Los Angeles right now, according to personal-finance site WalletHub.

To narrow down the 20 best cities for finding a job in 2016, WalletHub compared the 150 most populous US cities based on 17 metrics (like job opportunities, employment growth, monthly median salary, and safety) across two key dimensions (job market and socioeconomic environment, with a greater emphasis on the former).

To read more about the study's methodology, check out the full report here.

Continue scrolling to see the top 20 cities:

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20. Chandler, Arizona

Employment growth: 0.39% 

Median annual income: $74,919

Chandler ranks fourth in the "annual median income" and "housing affordability" categories, helping it land the No. 20 spot overall.

19. Seattle, Washington

Employment growth: 0.74%

Median annual income: $53,085

Seattle is one of the best cities for benefits, with 83.9% of its employees covered by private health insurance, according to WalletHub.

18. Lincoln, Nebraska

Employment growth: -0.38%

Median annual income: $54,960

Despite the negative employment growth, Lincoln is one of the best places for families and has a very low unemployment rate (2.9%).

Your early education greatly affects how and what you learn, as well as if and where you go to college.

Some families are so intent on sending their kids to the best schools that they relocate to join new school districts.

Niche, a company that researches and compiles information on schools, just released its ranking of the 2016 best school districts in America. The ranking was based on the grade each school district earned in overall experience, which included key factors such as the strength of academics, quality of teachers, school resources, student culture and diversity, student life, and student and parent reviews.

At the time of calculation, Niche's database contained records for 12,153 school districts — ones without sufficient data were not included in the ranking. Read more on the methodology here.

Below are the 25 best school districts in the US.

SEE ALSO: The 25 best public high schools in America

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25. Township High School District No. 113 — Highland Park, IL

Total schools: 2

Academics: A+

Teachers: A+

Resources & facilities: A

Student culture & diversity: B-

Extracurriculars at Deerfield High School are abundant, one commenter said. "We have everything from book club, anime club, Athletics, gima, model UN, movie club, environmental club, choraliers, plays/musicals, truly you name it."

One senior at Highland Park High School said every teacher "wants the students to succeed" and they "structure their classes in ways that help their students learn and retain the material in an easy way."

24. Aspen School District — Aspen Township, CO

Total schools: 5

Academics: A+

Teachers: A+

Resources & facilities: A+

Student culture & diversity: B

"The student-teacher dynamic is incredible. Most teachers are familiar enough with their students to respond to their first names, rather than their surnames," one Aspen High School junior commented. "They also offer help during office hours with understanding, and tend to be sympathetic towards scheduling issues involving IB classes and the even distribution of work. The student body is generally accepting of sexual orientation, racial, and socioeconomic differences."

23. Hinsdale Township High School District No. 86 — Downers Grove Township, IL

Total schools: 2

Academics: A+

Teachers: A+

Resources & facilities: A+

Student culture & diversity: A-

One senior at Hinsdale Central High School commented that "there is a constant competitive atmosphere [but it] pushes kids to do better since all their peers are trying to do the same. The majority of the students are working towards a mutual goal, that is going to a good college."

Commenters also said that safety at the high school is important. "The nurse is always available, the school psychiatrists are great, and social workers are decent. I never felt threatened there," said one user.

Have you ever referred to a group of adult women at work as "girls?"

Have you suggested to an employee that she soften her approach, so that she doesn't come across as pushy?

Have you reflexively asked only women to take notes at meetings?

If so, you have a lot of company.

Despite major advances in gender equality in the workplace, old pieces of sexism linger.

Here are six common sexist remarks regularly heard at work.

(And to be clear: You're not a bad person for saying these things. We're all guilty of letting these kinds of terms sneak into our language. The idea is to spot them, understand their impact and try to eliminate them from your vocabulary.)

SEE ALSO: 6 examples of subtle sexism that women still face at work

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1. 'You probably won't come back to work after the baby is born.'

People rarely say this to men, but women about to go on maternity leave hear it regularly. Of course, there are women who end up not returning to their jobs after their maternity leave is up, but many, many women who plan to return, do so. Lumping women together is problematic, and these kinds of statements can have repercussions for women who are treated as if they'll be taking themselves out of the workforce.

2. 'Jane, can you take notes at the meeting?'

It may be perfectly appropriate to ask Jane to take notes if she's an administrative worker or the most junior person present. But too often, women are the ones asked to take notes — or plan parties, get coffee, order lunch, or do other caretaking tasks — even when men in the same role or at the same level are present. It's also true that women often tend to volunteer themselves for these tasks while men don't, so it's especially important for managers to make sure that this type of work is distributed evenly and doesn't end up exclusively performed by women.

3. 'Girl' or 'girls.'

It's still common to hear phrases at work, such as "the PR girl" or "the girls are all at lunch." But you rarely hear the "the PR boy" or "the boys are in the conference room." Referring to adult women as "girls" isn't generally intended to be infantilizing or patronizing. But language has power, and girls are rarely taken as seriously as women. And it's worth noting that women can be the worst offenders on this one.

If this one seems minor to you, consider that sexism doesn't have to be open bigotry to have an impact. Some of the most damaging sexism is subtle, the sort of thing that creeps into our language and impacts how we think without us even realizing it. If you're unconvinced, think about women who are universally recognized as having gravitas and power — say, Hillary Clinton or Angela Merkel — and ask whether you'd refer to them as "girls." If not, then ask yourself why it's okay to refer to other women that way.

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We're hiring a Senior Research Analyst to help launch our London-based Fintech research team, as part of our growing team at Business Insider Intelligence. The ideal applicant will have a solid background in research and analysis covering payments or retail banking, a passion for fintech, and leadership experience. Candidates will have 3-5 years of relevant work experience.

The Senior Research Analyst will work closely with our Managing Analyst and BI Intelligence’s editorial team to produce reports and insights on emerging trends shaping the fintech landscape in addition to leading our growing Fintech team and developing an engaging research agenda.

The Senior Research Analyst will have the opportunity to grow their industry presence and represent BI Intelligence at leading events.

This is a unique opportunity to help build the foundation of a new division of a fast-growing international research company.

BI Intelligence is a fast-growing research service from Business Insider. BI Intelligence offers insights essential to companies making strategic decisions across the mobile, digital media, e-commerce, Internet of Things, payments, and digital financial services industries. Our clients are Fortune 1000 companies, startups, advertising agencies, investment firms, and media conglomerates that have come to rely on our timely, forward-looking insights to keep atop of trends shaping the digital landscape.

Desired Skills & Experience

If you’re someone who has solid research and leadership experience, with the ability to spot trends and explain the impact of those trends, this is a great role for you. Candidates with backgrounds in market research or business journalism are encouraged to apply.

Requirements for the job:

• You have experience analysing payments, retail banking, fintech or a related industry
• You understand the major trends in fintech and the most important questions the industry is facing
• You’re able to break down complex topics and write about them clearly and concisely
• You’re insatiably curious and driven to find your own answers
• You’ve got a knack for interpreting data as well as telling stories visually
• You have the ability and desire to lead, mentor, and manage our European Fintech team
• You’re comfortable and have experience presenting, speaking at conferences or on panels, or the desire to further develop these skills
• You have 3-5 years of professional writing / research experience
• You’re proficient working with data and with MS Excel and PowerPoint

Other helpful skills for the job:

• Fluency in German or French
• Experience with advanced statistical methods, programming, or writing syntax or queries

If this is the right opportunity for you, please apply online and tell us why you're a good fit for the role. Thanks in advance.

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Click here to apply for this position

We're hiring a Research Analyst to help launch our London-based Fintech research team, as part of our growing team at Business Insider Intelligence. The ideal applicant will be insatiably curious with a strong background in research and analysis and a passion for Fintech. Candidates will have 2 years of relevant work experience.

The Research Analyst will work closely with our Managing Analyst and BI Intelligence’s editorial team to produce reports and analysis on emerging trends shaping the Fintech landscape. Successful candidates will be able to identify areas of disruption and answer the industry’s most pressing questions.

The Research Analyst will have the opportunity to build a network of industry leaders, carve out an area of expertise, and hone their research skills.

This is a unique opportunity to help launch and define a new division of a fast-growing international research company.

BI Intelligence is a fast-growing research service from Business Insider. BI Intelligence offers insights essential to companies making strategic decisions across the mobile, digital media, e-commerce, Internet of Things, payments, and digital financial services industries. Our clients are Fortune 1000 companies, startups, advertising agencies, investment firms, and media conglomerates that have come to rely on our timely, forward-looking insights to keep atop of trends shaping the digital landscape.

Desired Skills & Experience

If you’re someone who has strong research experience, along with the ability to spot trends and explain the impact of those trends, this is a great role for you. Candidates with backgrounds in market research or business journalism are encouraged to apply.

Requirements for the job:

• You’re a critical thinker who is curious and driven to find your own answers
• You’re able to break down complex topics and write about them clearly and concisely
• You’re excited to uncover and tell the story behind the facts and data
• You can quickly sort through masses of information and identify what really matters and why
• You’re able to develop actionable insights and defend your conclusions
• You’re comfortable working in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
• You have 2 years of professional writing / research experience
• You have a solid understanding of business analysis fundamentals
• Proficiency in MS Excel and PowerPoint

Other helpful skills for the job:

• Fluency in German or French
• Experience with advanced statistical methods, programming, or writing syntax or queries

If this is the right opportunity for you, please apply online and tell us why you're a good fit for the role. Thanks in advance.

Join the conversation about this story »

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Trying to get too much done in too little time is commonplace at work.

Since time is so precious, it's imperative to use it wisely in the office. Otherwise, you won't reach your goals.

But even if you know this, there are many ways to drain valuable hours from the workday, keeping you stuck in place.

If you succumb to these "time-sucks" on the job, you'll quickly find yourself behind the eight ball.

Here are the five biggest time-wasters at work and ideas on how to avoid them:

1. Non-work-related social networking

Whether your habit of choice is Pinterest, Facebook, or YouTube, you know you aren't getting any work done when you surf these sites.

"Yes, some people need to do this stuff for their job — but everyone's doing it," says Tim Eisenhauer, president of Axero Solutions.

Brian D. Kelley, chief information officer for Portage County Information Technology Services in Ohio, notes that the distraction can be attributed not only to actual time spent on social media during the workday, but also to the mental disengagement that can occur when viewing content that leaves a negative emotional impact.

Plus, he adds, "While some companies use Web filtering to restrict access to certain social media in the workplace, most employees carry a personal device with unfettered access."

The solution, according to leadership consultant Deb Hornell, is to utilize only those social media platforms that make sense for your business. "Resist the urge to mindlessly 'creep' on," she says.

2. Mismanagement of incoming messages

Pings and rings can derail you all day if you let them.

While it may be tempting to check who it is each time someone tries to reach you, clicking each email notification and answering calls as they come in will ensure that your own strategic agenda never gets activated.

Diane Gottsman, owner of The Protocol School of Texas, suggests that many employees may have more leeway than they think in deciding whether to take a call or return an email message right away.

"Set aside a time to return phone calls periodically throughout the day. Follow this formula with emails as well," says Gottsman, who counsels companies and employees on how to be more productive in the office.

"Whenever possible, close your inbox so you are not getting pop-up notifications every time an email arrives," she adds. "Take 10 minutes at the end of each hour to check and respond to emails."

3. Getting sucked into "time traps"

How many times a day do you start off working on a high-priority item and then find yourself sidetracked by less important tasks that hijack your focus?

Mitzi Weinman, founder of TimeFinder and author of "It's About Time! Transforming Chaos into Calm, A to Z," calls these unwanted pulls on your attention "time traps." Weinman has identified a number of common workplace time traps, including planning meetings without agendas, communicating vague deadlines like "ASAP" and allowing others to interrupt you by keeping an open-door policy.

She also highlights failure to plan as a major time trap. "When you're terribly busy, planning is often the first thing to go," she says. "But planning should be your first to-do! When you are too busy and think you don't have time to plan — plan. Keep planning, because what you are doing is perpetuating the habit to plan."

4. Attending the wrong meetings

Many companies plan meetings that include team members who don't really need to be there. If you're receiving invites to meetings that don't seem relevant to your job or position, speak up to your supervisor.

Ellen Grealish, partner and co-founder of FlexProfessionals, believes that required meetings that don't directly impact an employee's role or ability to contribute are by far the biggest time wasters at work.

"Often, an employee can waste hours at meetings on topics that deviate from their job responsibilities," she says. "Information that might be pertinent could easily be communicated in meeting notes, meeting summaries or even a five- to 10-minute update from their supervisor or colleague."

5. Doing things you should delegate or outsource

Avoiding time-sucks means focusing your limited hours and energy on tasks and projects that matter the most to your overall business and professional goals. That means it's a career mistake to squander your precious resources on minutia or busy work that someone without your specific credentials could do.

John Turner, CEO and founder of UsersThink, says that personally taking on repetitive tasks — those that can be outsourced, automated, or that you can train others to do — is a waste of your time.

To find these types of issues, Turner recommends spending one or two workweeks meticulously tracking what you spend your time working on.

"By the end of a full week or two, you should have enough data to see what you're spending significant time on that doesn't really need you," Turner says. "Freeing up even a few hours per week can be a big deal, as you can spend that time working on things that will lead to a much greater impact at work."

SEE ALSO: 8 TED talks that can help you become insanely productive

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Looking off the end of a 10 meter platform is daunting. Throwing yourself off the platform so that you can complete the perfect dive is terrifying. But it only takes three seconds. And those three seconds taught me a lifetime of lessons that I use everyday.

At 23-years old, my longest relationship was for fifteen years with the sport of springboard and platform diving. My love story began when I was seven years old, and like any relationship, I didn't know what I was getting myself into. But I noticed that I continually take what I've learned from my commitment to the sport and apply it to everyday life.

Here are some lessons that being a Junior Olympic diver and Division 1 athlete taught me:

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1. How to take constructive criticism

The sport of diving is crafted around the ability to emulate the perfect dive. Everything about it must be perfect. That means working with a coach who will tell you everything that's not perfect. While most people don't want to hear criticism on their work, I thirst for it.

I need the feedback so that I know not to make the same mistake twice. Constructive criticism is beneficial in any environment. Whether it's good or bad, I’ve learned to take it as advice. And I know there's always room for improvement.  

2. How to deal with the hierarchy of a team

While diving is an individual sport, your score contributes to the overall outcome of the team. Teamwork and selflessness were invaluable lessons that I learned from diving, but what I learned to appreciate was the hierarchy of the team.

When my diving career was over, I realized that that type of hierarchy is in other settings as well. I learned that, whether or not on a sports team, determination and hard work will earn you the respect you deserve, no matter your position. It's not easy starting from the bottom, but that's life. And you work your way up.  

3. How to persevere in the face of adversity

At certain points in my diving career, I felt like all the forces of nature were against me. Mental blocks, injuries, coaching changes, switching teams — it all made me question my purpose with the sport.

But that's a good thing!

I learned that embracing the struggles and committing to something you love, no matter the hardships, pays off. I make sure to keep that attitude of perseverance on a daily basis. Any time that I'm struggling, I think back to when I doubted myself and then look at how far I've come.   

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Over the years we've seen the workplace go through a number of dramatic changes: The dress code has shifted away from the suit and tie. There are entire jobs devoted only to the strategic use of social media. People are "job hopping" every year or two, rather than committing their careers to one company.

And that's just within the last five or 10 years; imagine how much different it will look several decades from now.

Business Insider spoke to futurists with expertise on the workplace to better understand how it could change by the year 2050. These are only predictions, of course, but given the already rapid pace of change underway thanks to advancements in technology, here are nine very likely scenarios we could see in the next few decades.

SEE ALSO: 25 ways the world changed in 2015

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The corporate ladder could become the "corporate lattice."

In the past 25 years, one-quarter of companies have reduced the number of layers of management they have, moving toward a flatter, more grid-like management structure.

We've already seen it in companies like Vegas-based e-commerce site Zappos, which eliminated employee titles just over two years ago in favor of a manager-free "holacracy."

"Traditional roles are going to disappear because many workplaces are going to disappear, so the whole structural hierarchical system is going to disappear," said James Canton, PhD, chairman and CEO of the Institute for Global Futures and author of "Future Smart: Managing the Game-Changing Trends that Will Transform Your World.""You'll end up with a system, a network of humans and artificial intelligence, crowd-based intelligence — they're all going to get mashed up."

Artificial intelligence could replace jobs previously held by humans ...

In May, NPR created a digital tool to calculate how likely it is that certain jobs will be taken over by robots 20 years from now.

Manual-labor jobs appear to be most at risk, while jobs that require empathy, like social workers and caretakers, are least at risk.

A University of Oxford report predicts that "by 2030, let alone by 2050, we'll have lost almost 50% of the workforce to artificial intelligence," said David Price, co-founder of cultural-change practice We Do Things Differently and author of "OPEN: How We'll Work, Live and Learn in the Future."

The Oxford report, which examined sectors most likely to lose jobs, noted that the transportation and logistics industry was particularly susceptible to upheaval thanks to the development of driverless cars by companies like Google.

Even jobs that seemingly require the human touch, like the classroom teacher, are at risk. 

"We're already seeing experiments with this robot in the classroom, and when you ask kids with autism which one they'd rather be taught by, the teacher or the robot, they pick the robot," Price said.

... but could also create jobs that didn't exist before.

New technology doesn't always mean the loss of jobs. The invention of the printing press actually created a lot of jobs back in the day, said Price, "and we're going to gain jobs as well, but it's guesswork which jobs we'll gain."

Canton predicts a scenario in which humans and robots work side-by-side in the future, where new jobs could include operating artificial intelligence-based technology and old jobs could be augmented by it.

"We're going to need to train people — whether on the factory floor or in a call center — how to use A.I. smarter," Canton said. "So right now the era of using these knowledge bases is kind of cumbersome, but over the next decades artificial intelligence will sense what somebody is asking a customer and will help the human operator provide better service."

Landing a management consultant position at a top firm right out of college can result in a salary package topping $100,000 for the best employees — and more than $200,000 for recent MBAs. 

But the first step toward securing such a coveted job is acing the internship. And at many prestigious consulting firms, interns are well compensated from the get-go — especially if they're working on their MBAs.

Management Consulted, a company that helps candidates land consulting jobs, compiled data on some of the top-paying firms for interns. To determine these figures, it culled through information from clients, spoke with industry insiders, and pored over real offer letters from readers.

With typical internships lasting 10 weeks or more, Management Consulted found that undergraduates can expect to make in excess of $1,000 per week. Meanwhile interns working on their MBAs often command more than twice that amount.

Compensation for consulting interns

A.T. Kearney

Undergraduate: $11,000
MBA: $11,500/month

Bain & Company

Undergraduate: $12,500
MBA: $27,000 

Boston Consulting Group

Undergraduate: $13,500
MBA: $28,000

Deloitte 

Undergraduate: $31/hour; $47.50/hour for overtime
MBA: $28,450 + 2nd year MBA tuition reimbursement (up to $50,000)

IMS Consulting Group

Undergraduate: $11,000 + bonus
MBA: $11,250/month + $5,000 signing bonus

L.E.K.

Undergraduate: $11,000/month
MBA: $2,600/week + up to $4,000 performance bonus

McKinsey & Company

Undergraduate: $12,500/month
MBA: $29,500

PwC

Undergraduate: $33.50/hour, $50.25/hour for overtime 
MBA: $11,250/month

ZS Associates

Undergraduate: $11,000
MBA: $11,000/month + $5,000 signing bonus 

SEE ALSO: 17 of the highest-paying consulting firms for new graduates

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