The Career Guide

Summer Jobs and What They Pay

2011-05-04T07:32:00.001-07:00

Faced with the prospect of hanging out with friends and catching some rays or spending all day hunched over a cash register or computer, most teens and twenty somethings would likely choose the lounging around.

But the time spent working a summer job -- even at entry-level -- can be a valuable stepping stone in any career. Here's the inside scoop on seasonal employment from young people who've been in the trenches, as well as salary information from online salary database PayScale.

1. Fast Food Worker/Sandwich Artist

Median hourly wage: $7.34

Donning a paper hat and plastic gloves need not be a grind, even when you're making grinders. Cody Musser worked at a small-town Subway sandwich shop outside Pittsburgh, Pa., while attending college. Musser says he earned minimum wage for serving sandwiches to order, prepping vegetables, opening and closing the store, and cleaning. He was also expected to take money to the bank and train new hires.

The takeaway: Musser says working hard can get you rewards that may come with stress and responsibility. Also, he says, "On Subway hoagies, they expect you to put six pickles and six olives on a 12" sandwich. That's it. It's all about the bottom line."

Find Fast Food Jobs

2. Barista

Median hourly wage: $8.13

Lindsey Tramuta worked as a part-time barista at Starbucks outside of Philadephia while she was a college student. Earning just a bit more than minimum wage, Tramuta was responsible for making drinks, answering questions from customers about the coffee, maintaining cleanliness, and handling transactions. Tramuta says she stuck to those duties because Starbucks' corporate culture doesn't allow much straying from employee guidelines.

The takeaway: Working at Starbucks gave Tramuta a useful introduction to working as a team, and adapting to new environments, conditions and management styles. "It also showed me that I was not destined for a career in sales," adds Tramuta.

Find Barista Jobs

3. Quality Assurance Tester

Median hourly wage:$12.33

Kelly Watkins spent the last three summers working at Activision Minneapolis Publishing testing video games and making around $9 an hour. She says testers often work 12-hour days or more depending on how their game was doing. Responsibilities included playing through levels multiple times while using grids to check functionality and then reporting bugs into a data management system. Watkins says attention to detail and writing clearly, effectively, and without spelling or punctuation errors is a must.

The takeaway: Watkins wants to work in the industry after graduation, so she's using the job to network while learning how the quality assurance shapes a game. She's also learned how to work with people she doesn't get along with and how to think critically and communicate effectively.

Find Quality Assurance Jobs

4. Public Relations Promotions Coordinator

Median hourly wage: $14.54

Jon Stone is currently working as an account executive at a public relations firm but he cut his PR teeth at a Washington, D.C., firm during a summer break in college. At $7 per hour, Stone was responsible for media monitoring, mail organization, research support, cold calling, and event/street team coordination. He even dressed as a giant mouse for an event.

The takeaway: "I gained insight into the way that marketers, public relations professionals, the media, and private companies collaborate to share messages with the public. The most important skill I learned was how to conquer any shyness or awkward feelings that come with cold calling."

Find Public Relations Jobs

5. Recreation Coordinator/Camp Counselor

Median hourly wage: $12.85

While she was still in high school, Stacy Lipson worked every summer as a day camp counselor. She was paid $5 per hour to manage and ensure the safety of a group of 4- and 5-year olds. She organized playtime and educational games, developed a swimming-lesson program, served food, and cleaned up. Jumping in the pool fully clothed and administering the Heimlich were just two ways she had to rescue children in trouble.

The takeaway: As a camp counselor, Lipson learned real-life skills including determination and flexibility and gained an appreciation for childcare. "If you don't like children, or faint at the sight of blood, it's not the job for you," she says.

Find Recreation Jobs

6. Retail Sales Associate

Median hourly wage: $8.12

Jake Green worked at Abercrombie & Fitch in Santa Rosa, Calif., while he was still in college. As a brand representative, Green answered customer questions, organized and stocked store items, facilitated purchases, and monitored changing rooms. His compensation was $7.25 per hour. Despite not having a dress code policy, store management encouraged Green to wear certain clothes, colors and shoes -- a typical practice at apparel retailers.

The takeaway: In addition to perfecting his garment-folding skills, Green got a handle on basic retail store and business functions.

Find Retail Sales Jobs

----------------------------------------------

By Lydia Dishman

12 Money-Making Certificates

2011-04-29T08:20:00.000-07:00

Laid off and looking to flee the floundering industry that sent you packing?

Not to worry: Minimum wage work is not your only option.

Whether you're in dire need of a new career, trying to earn more at your current gig or you're returning to work after a prolonged hiatus at home with the kids, a certificate program from a community college or vocational school is the swiftest way to pump up your earning potential.

"Many people refer to community college as the new master's degree," says Dr. Laurence Shatkin, author of more than a dozen books for job hunters, including 150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs. "It's a way to repurpose yourself."

As an added bonus, countless certificate programs train you for cubicle-free jobs - good news for weary office workers who'd like a change of scenery.

Certificate programs vary in length, averaging six months to a year, with evening, weekend, and online classes frequently available. Costs range from several hundred to several thousand dollars (happily, financial aid is sometimes offered for those who qualify).

Review the list below and make note of which certificate programs appeal to you or build on what you already know.

1. Court reporter certificate program.

Can you type like the wind? According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, court reporters remain in high demand -- by both the justice system and the television industry, which hires these workers to create closed captioning text. Average salary: $39,781 a year.

2. Auto insurance appraiser certificate program.

Appraisers have the best of both worlds: Many split their time between the office and the field, traveling to homes and auto shops to write up repair estimates for crumpled cars. While most work for insurance companies, some are self-employed. Average salary: $50,165 a year.

3. Auto or motorcycle mechanic certificate program.

Are you happiest when wielding a wrench? "Mechanic jobs are particularly good in a recession because people are trading in their cars less," Shatkin says. In other words, there's no shortage of clunkers in need of repair. Average salary: $41,233 a year.

4. Massage therapist certificate program.

If you think the economy is keeping people from getting a massage, you're wrong. The American Massage Therapy Association found that 36 percent of Americans got a massage to relieve stress in 2008, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects these jobs to increase by 20 percent before 2016. Average salary: $35,349 a year.

5. Security and fire alarm system installer certificate program.

Do you live to tinker with electronic devices? Then installing, maintaining, and repairing residential and commercial alarm systems might be the ideal career for you. Most installation work requires driving to various job sites each day. Average salary: $42,763 a year.

6. Emergency medical technician certificate program.

Why sit at a desk all day when you could be out there saving lives? Despite the recession, people will continue to "crash their cars and have heart attacks in the middle of the night," reminds Shatkin. EMT certification requirements vary by state. Average salary: $30,530 a year.

7. Aerobics or fitness instructor certificate program.

If you're already a workout fiend, why not get paid for pumpin' it up? Job openings for exercise instructors are expected to increase by 25 percent over the next decade, Shatkin says, with most located at health clubs and fitness centers. Average salary: $37,113 a year.

8. Medical transcriptionist certificate program.

With healthcare the fastest-growing job sector, there's plenty of work for those who can decipher and type up the audio recordings doctors make about their patients. While a majority of transcriptionists work in a hospital or doctor's office, many telecommute from home. Average salary: $31,286 a year.

9. Cosmetologist certificate program.

Are you the person everyone calls for beauty advice? Then why not go pro? Cosmetologists are trained to cut, style, and chemically treat hair, as well as to treat skin and nails. Bonus: Schedules are flexible and self-employment is common. Average salary: $27,112 a year.

10. Language interpreter certificate program.

Maybe you grew up speaking two languages or picked one up while traveling abroad. If so, hospitals, courtrooms, and social service agencies need your help. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, one in five interpreters works for themselves, and many work part time. Plus, oftentimes, only a one-day exam is needed to be certified. Average salary: $44,175 a year.

11. Sign language interpreter certificate program.

If you enjoy working with others in multiple settings -- from live performances and business conferences to schools and social service agencies -- translating the spoken word for the deaf could be the job for you. Average salary: $36,278 a year.

12. Embalmer certificate program.

Preparing the dead for their final resting place isn't for everyone. But for those with a strong constitution, there's job security in the funeral business -- people won't stop dying simply because the economy's taken a turn for the worse. Average salary: $38,482 a year.

Source: All salary data is from PayScale. The salaries listed are median, annual salaries for full-time workers with 5-8 years of experience and include any bonuses, commissions or profit sharing.

----------------------------

By Michelle Goodman, PayScale

20 Jobs, Work Less, Earn More

2011-04-27T23:34:00.000-07:00

It was a few hundred years ago that Benjamin Franklin made the observation that time is money. The same is still true today, and workers are constantly trying to strike the right work/life balance to get as much as they can of both.

According to the American Time Use Survey (conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics), we're still working an average of eight hours a day. And the most recent figures from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate that the median annual income per household member is $36,036 per year.

There are some jobs, however, where you can work less and make more than the averages. The hours may not be significantly less generally between 35 and 38 hours a week but these jobs offer more value in both time and money. They all pay salaries that exceed that $36,036 median income.

Here are 20 jobs we found that let you work less and earn more. These jobs require less than 40 hours of labor in a work week, but exceed the median annual income level in pay.*

1. Aircraft pilots, copilots and flight engineers

Hours/week: 23.5

Hours/year: 1,215

Annual earnings: $139,658

2. Biological scientist

Hours/week: 38.4

Hours/year: 1,992

Annual earnings: $95,329

3. Biochemist and biophysicist

Hours/week: 37.5

Hours/year: 1,947

Annual earnings: $89,681

4. Bus driver

Hours/week: 35.9

Hours/year: 1,613

Annual earnings: $46,107

5. Clinical, counseling and school psychologists

Hours/week: 38.1

Hours/year: 1,693

Annual earnings: $79,595

6. Dental assistant

Hours/week: 35.6

Hours/year: 1,849

Annual earnings: $40,895

7. Desktop publisher

Hours/week: 38.7

Hours/year: 2,007

Annual earnings: $46,858

8. Directors, religious activities and education

Hours/week: 38.1

Hours/year: 1,978

Annual earnings: $58,243

9. Educational, vocational and school counselors

Hours/week: 37.9

Hours/year: 1,712

Annual earnings: $60,075

10. Fitness trainers and aerobics instructors

Hours/week: 38.0

Hours/year: 1,976

Annual earnings: $55,262

11. Insurance underwriter

Hours/week: 38.6

Hours/year: 2,005

Annual earnings: $73,157

12. Interpreters and translators

Hours/week: 34.1

Hours/year: 1,687

Annual earnings: $45,853

13. Law clerk

Hours/week: 38.4

Hours/year: 1,961

Annual earnings: $56,539

14. Law teacher, postsecondary

Hours/week: 35.2

Hours/year: 1644

Annual earnings: $168,353

15. Miscellaneous media and communications workers

Hours/week: 36.7

Hours/year: 1,852

Annual earnings: $48,698

16. Optometrist

Hours/week: 37.7

Hours/year: 1,959

Annual earnings: $113,375

17. Psychologist

Hours/week: 38.2

Hours/year: 1,722

Annual earnings: $69,543

18. Speech-language pathologist

Hours/week: 37.5

Hours/year: 1,611

Annual earnings: $33,499

19. Telephone operator

Hours/week: 38.7

Hours/year: 2,009

Annual earnings: $39,877

20. Tree trimmers and pruners

Hours/week: 37.2

Hours/year: 1,898

Annual earnings: $65,644

By the numbers

All of these jobs allow you to work less and earn more, but some of these careers clearly give you more bang for your buck.

At the top of the list: Pilots, copilots and flight engineers, who average $114 an hour. Law teachers are close behind, averaging $102.32 an hour, followed by optometrists, who average $54.77 an hour.

Make it work

Obviously these jobs are not for everyone, but if you're looking to strike a better balance between work and home, you may be able to approach your employer and negotiate alternatives to your current schedule.

Among the possibilities:

· You may be able to arrange to work from home on a recurring basis, or on days where you may have an appointment or personal commitment.

· Your manager or supervisor may also be willing to create a flexible scheduling arrangement, where you work four days a week to and have the fifth workday free.

· Companies may be willing to negotiate with workers who want extra vacation time, particularly unpaid time.

Discuss your ideas with your company. If time is more important to you than money, your employer may be very receptive to providing more time off for you versus financial compensation.

*All job descriptions are as defined in the National Compensation Survey, as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Data taken from the survey are the mean hours and annual earnings. Actual earnings can vary based on a number of factors, including regional job market demands.

----------------------------

By Patrick Erwin, CareerBuilder writer

Careers that Earn You $40 per Hour

2011-04-26T10:14:00.000-07:00

A $40-per-hour job provides an annual income of around $83,200. Not bad at all. How do you get to that level of earnings? Look at healthcare and IT jobs. You’ll likely need a degree and a good amount of training to get hired. But, if you’re looking to start a new job path and are willing to spend some time to prepare, the following careers will pay off.

1. Dental Hygienist - $33.19 -$41.92

A science-minded people person could shine in this job. Dental hygienist is one of the fastest-growing careers in the U.S., according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). One suspected reason is that, to cover costs, dentists are relying more and more on hygienists to carry the workload with patients. A high school diploma and college-entrance exam scores will get you into many two-year dental hygiene degree programs. Some programs require a year of college courses in science as a prerequisite. State licensure is also required after you graduate.

2. Physical Therapist (PT) - $34.74 - $45.00

As more baby boomers need help recovering from surgery and maintaining their mobility over the years, physical therapy is a career field that will grow. This job can offer flexible hours, and it allows you to work with people of all ages. Most physical therapists work in clinics or hospitals. Getting into a physical therapy career requires completing a bachelor’s degree, preferably in a science-related major, then earning a master’s or doctoral degree at an accredited institution. Further exams and licensure are typically needed, but the requirements vary somewhat by state.

3. Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) - $36.55 - $61.08

From stopping stuttering to reducing accents, speech-language pathologists help people with challenging speech problems get closer to “normal” speech. Many speech-language pathologists work in educational settings, while others work in healthcare or social assistance settings. They assess a patient’s issues, design a treatment plan and often collaborate with teachers and parents to ensure that the treatment plan is followed. A master’s degree is the standard level of education amongst speech-language pathologists, as well as licensure in most states.

4. Software Developer - $36.66 - $61.29

Employment for software developers is expected to grow 21 percent by 2018, making it one of the fastest growing careers in the U.S. Software developers need to have plenty of technical knowledge and be able to write code for computer software. They also must think creatively and find ways to solve problems so that the computer games, business applications and operating systems they design work well for the end user. This job can offer flexible, though often long, hours. Employers tend to look for applicants with a bachelor’s degree in a computer-science-related area and good knowledge of computer systems and technology. That said, a two-year degree can sometimes get you work if you’re able to prove yourself.

5. Certified Nurse Midwife - $37.42 - $51.25

Want a career with meaning? If you’re interested in supporting healthy mothers and healthy babies, working as a nurse midwife will give you plenty of opportunity to make a difference in the world. Be prepared to hit the books, first, though. Your best route to this career is to complete an undergraduate degree in nursing, then attend a certified nurse midwifery school. You will need to complete a written examination at the end of your training. At that point you will be an advance practice registered nurse who can work with an obstetrician to assist women before, during and after labor.

6. Industrial Designer - $30.52 - $48.72

Who’s behind the look and function of your external hard drive, television, new power tool and electronic toothbrush? An industrial designer. Industrial designers work on a large range of manufactured products, though individual designers often focus on a certain type of product. Designers work closely with engineers, materials scientists, marketing and corporate strategy staff, cost estimators, and accountants to produce the final product. Competition is stiff to get into this industry. A bachelor’s degree in a related area, like economics or engineering, is essential, and increasingly, designers are pursuing MBA degrees so they can assist in the business strategy around their designs.

7. Senior Web Developer - $39.03 - $66.28

Web developers are responsible for the technical aspects of website creation. Developers use software and other tools to create applications for the Web. They oversee a site’s production and implementation. A senior web developer is able to lead a team of web developers on a large project, taking full responsibility for the final product. Getting into this field requires, at the very least, an associate’s degree and a professional certification. To advance to a management role, you’ll likely find more opportunities with a bachelor’s degree in a computer-related field.

8. Business Systems Analyst - $38.45 - $52.53

Here is a job for someone who loves maximizing profits and minimizing waste. A business systems analyst takes a look at a whole company, or a division of it, and works on making that organization more streamlined and profitable. Some business analysts specialize in technology while others focus on marketing or overall strategy. Questions they might address include: How much of a financial risk should the business be taking with its next product line? Should it be hiring, firing or keeping the same team? To get into this field you likely need at least a bachelor’s degree but, as you develop in your career, a master’s degree or some specialized training will likely be needed. Degrees in accounting, marketing, management and engineering can all support a business systems analyst career.

9. Veterinarian - $40.76 - $66.05

Do you love dogs, goats, cows and kittens? A career in veterinary medicine can put you right in the middle of the animal kingdom treating everything from upset stomachs to blood cancers. Veterinarians also sometimes contribute to research on treating human illnesses. The majority of veterinarians work for themselves in private practice. Competition to get into veterinary school is stiff. You’ll need a bachelor’s degree to apply. And, you’ll graduate with a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine. After that, a licensing test is required to start working. This test varies from state to state.

10. Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP) - $38.91 - $54.51

Besides working in large, urban hospitals and bustling medical clinics, an advanced registered nurse practitioner can work as a main, medical care provider in a rural area of the country where doctors are in short supply. ARNPs examine patients, run diagnostic tests, prescribe medicines and therapy, assist with minor surgeries and more. Their on-the-job training is extensive and they must complete either a master’s or a doctorate degree, as well as passing a board certification exam. Finally, they must also be licensed in their state.

Source: All salary data provided by online salary database PayScale. Salaries listed are a range from the 50th to 90th percentile of hourly salaries for workers with 5-8 of experience and include any bonuses, commissions or profit sharing.

----------------------------

By Bridget Quigig for PayScale

HOW TO - Find and Land Freelance Work

2011-04-24T20:35:00.000-07:00

For many years before I started blogging and editing full-time, I made my living as a freelance writer. One of the biggest pain points for me during that part of my professional life was the tedium of finding and landing gigs. Though freelance work is plentiful in many areas, especially creative professions like design and writing, actually finding jobs, writing proposals and negotiating with clients often took up more time than the actual work.

Based on my own experience, plus that of three current freelance professionals, below are five tips for finding and landing freelance work. Are you a freelancer? How do you find gigs? Share your tips in the comments.

1. Network, Network, Network

Though freelance job boards Freelance Switch Krop are Sologig and more the number one way freelancers we talked to found work was via networking. “The secret is networking, never stop doing it. Get it right once, the stream just keeps flowing,” says freelance creative director Dann Petty. “Never stop networking, seriously, just don’t stop. Don’t talk about yourself at all and always ask questions about the other person,” he advises.

“I find my freelance work through a mixture of social networking, referrals and offline events,” says Natalia Sylvester, a freelance writer and owner of Inky Clean, who recently made the move from Florida to Texas. With the move, she relied heavily on social networking to find a new client-base. “Getting my new business name out there as quickly as I did, not just locally but online, wouldn’t have been possible without social networking through Twitter, Facebook and blogs.”

Bob Aycock, a CMO who does freelance marketing work, also uses social media as a key tool for networking and finding jobs. “A lot of my freelance work is from referrals. However, I’ve actually been able to get quite a bit from folks that I am connected to socially,” he says. “Utilize your social networks. You are probably connected to a lot of people, whether it be through Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. And these people are connected to other people.”

2. Be Precise

Of course, the most creative proposal in the world won’t land you a gig if it’s not what the client is looking for. That’s why it is important to be precise and include only the relevant information. “One thing that I’m continually surprised to find helps me stand out is the simple act of following instructions,” says Sylvester. “If a job posting asks for two writing samples in the body of an email and a certain keyword in the subject line, then I include that. It turns out, not a lot of people do.”

Sylvester also advises freelancers to take some time to research potential clients before going after a job. “I don’t apply to postings blindly, and I don’t reply to everyone who calls for a freelance writer, because I know that my ideal client has a specific profile,” she says. “If I do decide to contact them, I’ll refer them to work samples that are more significant to their niche, and I’ll try to somehow even if just through an anecdote make it clear that I’ve taken the time to learn about them.”

Petty takes being precise to another level and cuts out the minutiae that can weigh down a creative proposal. “If I’ve learned anything about proposals, it’s ‘the less you say the better you stand,’” he says. “Don’t waste your time on the details of a proposal keep it quick and simple. I always write my proposals as if they were to myself; how I would like to read them.”

3. Sell Yourself

According to Petty, “To sell yourself as a freelancer, you need to sell your own personal brand, not just your work.”

In the social media age, where everyone’s voice has been amplified and personal branding has become paramount, that’s actually quite prescient. Aycock similarly utilizes social media to sell himself and make sure his potential clients know who he is. “Whenever I reply to a job posting, I make sure I include a link to my About.me page. Most of the freelance work I do is for social media work, so I always want folks to be able to find me online and see what type of social networks I use on an everyday basis,” he says.

4. Get Creative

The freelance job market, like any area with available work, is extremely competitive. Standing out from the crowd is an imperative for landing work. According to Petty, that means getting creative and being willing to go the extra mile.

“It’s easy to be different and stand out when replying to a gig post, just don’t do what the other guys will do be creative. I tend to write my emails a little different and with a lot of my own personality [so that] if I didn’t sign my name in the email, you’d [still] be able to tell it was me,” he says.

Petty also makes his proposals stand out by doing things his competition might not be willing to do. For example, for web design work, his proposals are entire web sites dedicated to helping him land the project. “My proposals not only stand out more than any others, but they show how determined I am by making something different than just a plain PDF,” he says.

5. Show Passion

Yet every point made in this post might ultimately be moot without exhibiting passion for your work. People who hire freelancers are looking for workers who are going to get the job done well and go above and beyond expectations. They want someone who shows a clear love for their craft and will positively create something jaw-dropping.

For Petty, showing passion is about taking risks. He even offers to fly out to meet clients at their location when starting on a new job. “It’s a tough job, but always remember: No risk, no reward,” he says. “Clients usually find freelancers because they want more creativity, so be prepared to deliver more.”

“Get out there and let people know what you are passionate about,” says Aycock. “If you aren’t letting people know what you enjoy learning about or working on, they’ll never think of you as someone to hire.”
Social Media Job Listings

Every week we put out a list of social media and web job opportunities. While we post a huge range of job listings, we’ve selected some of the top social media job opportunities from the past two weeks to get you started. Happy hunting!

Director of Social Media and Online Communications at Lumentus in New York, NY.
Digital Strategy Consultant Humana in Louisville, Kentucky.
Front End Web Developer at Excela Marketing Services in Los Angeles, California.

------------------------------

by Josh Catone for Mashable

Jobs That Are Red Hot Right Now

2011-04-21T07:51:00.000-07:00

Amid the worst recession in decades, there are a variety of hot prospects, well paying, satisfying professional jobs going begging for qualified applicants.

For those with the aptitude and the skill set, these jobs offer good potential for advancement, and many don't require a four-year degree or years of training, according to Laurence Shatkin, career information expert and author of 150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs.

Healthcare

Doctors and nurses get most of the attention, but healthcare is a huge and multifaceted field with a wide range of opportunities. If you want a good idea of how wide, consider the number of specialists who provide your doctor with all of the records, lab tests, and other information before and after your (often short) consultation.

Physician assistants are generally allowed to do everything an MD does, except for writing a prescription (in some cases) and opening their own practices. Although they don't have the earning potential or superstar status of most doctors, their average salary is well above the median. Nurse practitioners also have a strong earning potential. Both can set up their own practices and specialize in certain areas.

Diagnostic sonographers are also in high demand. These professionals collect reflected echoes, Doppler signals, images and tracings of a person's internal anatomy, using ultrasound equipment to assess health and detect various conditions.

According to the American Society for Clinical Pathology, half of all laboratories in the US struggle to hire qualified laboratory technicians. Lack of awareness of the laboratory profession is a key factor in the shortage of applicants for these "under the radar" jobs. But salaries and prospects are expected to continue rising, Shatkin says. "The ever-expanding and changing technologies means there will be more and more for a lab worker to do, which should also boost employability."

Physician assistant Two-year training program, and at least two years of college; license exam
Salary: $82,000
Nurse practitioner Master's degree in nursing
Salary: $74,000
Cardiac sonographer Two-year associate's degree, or one-year certificate in diagnostic sonography
Salary: $56,000
Laboratory technician Bachelor's degree with coursework in chemistry, biology and statistics; state certification and license
Salary: $51,000

Manufacturing

The US manufacturing industry is contracting, but amid the manufacturing bust are some booming job prospects for those with a specialized technical background.

"It's true that older and lower-skilled workers are losing their jobs in manufacturing," Shatkin says. "But there are newer, highly skilled jobs in manufacturing that are in great demand now, and require only vocational training and an apprenticeship."

Computer control operators use computer numerically controlled (CNC) machines to cut and shape precision products for cars, planes, and a variety of machinery. CNC programmers develop the programs that run the machine tools. They review three-dimensional computer-aided design (CAD) blueprints of the part and determine the sequence of events that will be needed to make the part.

Although the number of jobs in these fields is projected to decline slightly over the next seven years, skilled professionals will have excellent opportunities, according to the BLS. That's due to the limited number of people entering training programs and employers' difficulty in finding workers with the necessary skills and knowledge.

Computer control programmer and CNC programmer Two-year degree or vocational degree and apprenticeship
Salary: $33,000 (computer control operator) $44,000 (CNC programmer)

Financial Services

Although the financial services industry has taken big hits over the past year, one overlooked area of finance actuarial services is doing fine. Demand for actuaries, who develop, price and evaluate financial insurance products such as life, auto, health or homeowners insurance, is expected to grow moderately through 2016 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Even amid the industry shakeout, financial analysts and financial planners still have plenty of opportunities. Financial analysts evaluate the economic outlook of different sectors and industries for organizations that wish to invest. Personal financial planners and advisors help individuals with their personal investment needs. Financial analysts are employed by a variety of industries, from nonprofits to school districts to hospitals. However, analysts might consider going the self-employment route, as they can earn far more than salaried employees ($63,000 versus $48,000 for those with at least five years' experience).

Actuary
Bachelor's degree in mathematics, statistics or finance; professional certification
Salary: $86,000
Financial analyst 1
Bachelor's degree in finance preferred
Salary: $48,000
Financial planner
Bachelor's degree in finance preferred; examination for Certified Financial Planners
Salary: $61,000

Note: Salaries are medians for each profession and are taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and PayScale.com for professionals with five years or more experience.

----------------------------------

By Larry Buhl, for Yahoo! HotJobs & Monster

80+ Upcoming Social Media & Tech Events

2011-04-19T06:48:00.000-07:00

Every week, Mashable puts together a calendar of upcoming social media and web events, parties and conferences.

Here are some tips on how to network, share your information and/or promote your event(s) using social media:

Mashable’s Weekly Social Media and Marketing Event Guide is proudly supported by Eventbrite, the Web’s Event Marketplace.

Upcoming Mashable Events

Mashable Connect — May 12-14, 2011, Orlando, FL:
Mashable Connect 2011 will be an intimate experience that brings together leaders from the digital world for a weekend away to share and connect offline. Set away from the distractions of traditional conferences, Mashable Connect will recreate the Mashable web experience on the grounds of Disney World, creating an environment where attendees can truly engage and build lasting connections. The invite-only conference will cover new territory, break news and feature special events, with a touch of Disney magic.

April 17-21, 2011, Las Vegas, NV: The Mobile Connections Conference is a first of its kind technology event that provides technical cross-platform knowledge for mobile developers. Attendees will gain understanding on how to leverage cloud based services, how to market and sell apps, app security solutions and the latest market predictions. Developers will be able to network with peers, IT professionals, carriers and a wide range of mobile infrastructure, product and service vendors. Register with promo code 100MASH and save $100!

April 18-20, 2011, Dubai, UAE: Planet of the Apps Arabia 2011 is a three day conference dedicated to the opportunities and challenges of mobile applications in the Arab world. The event is for app developers, content providers, device manufacturers, network operators and brands to meet and discuss the current challenges and opportunities presented in this growing market. Key issues addressed will include; the sustainability of the current business models, consumer engagement, developer recruitment, app discoverability, platform choice and the importance of social media networks. Register with promo code Mashable and save 20%!

April 18-19, 2011, London, UK: The Mobile Research Conference is the must-attend annual event for brands, agencies and academics interested in engaging consumers and capturing real-time feedback through mobile phones. Mobile, along with social media and online networks, represents the latest frontier for market research. Attend MRC 2011 and discover how to engage respondents, extract insights for product innovation and optimize marketing activities. This 2-day event is designed for consumer insights professionals; corporate, agency and academic survey researchers; mobile operators and tech companies. Register and use the promo code FF-MASHABLE to receive 20% off the main registration price!

April 19-21, 2011, Santa Clara, CA: Now in it’s 7th year, Where 2.0 is the premier conference for all things location-aware. Join us where the grassroots and leading-edge developers building location-aware technology intersect with the business leaders, marketers, and entrepreneurs seeking out location apps, platforms, and hardware to gain a competitive edge. Register now and save 25% with the discount code whr11mash.

April 25-30, 2011, Philadelphia, PA: Philly Tech Week is a week-long celebration of technology and innovation in Philadelphia. Rock to 8-bit chiptunes, discover the ins and outs of augmented reality, or see the next great Philly startups as Technically Philly hosts over 25 technology-focused events in the city of Brotherly Love. Most events are free.

April 26-28, 2011, San Francisco, CA: GSMI presents Mobile Marketing Strategies Summit. GSMI has diligently worked to find the best, brightest and most distinct speakers in the Mobile Marketing industry. Our 2011 Mobile Marketing Summit will provide valuable information, through case studies, presentations and hands on workshops. Attendees will leave the conference with the tools and knowledge needed to keep their brands competitive in the Mobile Marketing industry. Register and use the promo code MikeSM.

April 26, 2011, Los Angeles, CA: LA Games Conference – Over 300 of the most influential decision-makers in the games industry gather for the LA Games Conference to network, do deals, and share ideas about the future of console, PC, online and mobile games. LA Games Conference – now in its 4th year – features a lively and fun debate on timely cutting-edge business topics, demos as well unrivaled access to some of the most progressive companies in Hollywood, Silicon Valley and beyond. We invite you to join us at the event and take part in the discussion with executives, creators, investors, analysts, press and gamers who will be instrumental in shaping the future of this booming business. For a limited time we are offering a special Early Bird Rate of $299 – a $400 saving, plus plus receive 15% off with the promo code MASH15! Don’t miss the opportunity – Book NOW to reserve your seat!

April 26, 2011, Kansas City, MO: The Social: IRL Social Business Summit with Jeremiah Owyang takes place April 26 in Kansas City MO. The event location is just minutes from Kansas City International Airport for easy nationwide attendance. This event offers a unique opportunity for anyone serious about social business and social strategy to spend a full day learning from industry leader Jeremiah Owyang in a unique interactive format. With a focus on business objectives first, Jeremiah will lead attendees through sessions that present a framework, include hands on workshops, group collaboration, and interactive Q&A. The goal of the Social Business Summit is for attendees to bring an actionable plan to their day job. Register and use discount code MASHABLE to receive a $25 discount on registration(s).

April 28, 2011, New York, NY: Don’t miss the Guardian newspaper’s gathering for leaders working across all sectors who are proving that, through the use of technology and the internet, we can make the world a better place. Confirmed speakers include Nicholas Negroponte, Craig Newmark, Arianna Huffington, Nathan Eagle, Jeff Jarvis, Emily Bell, Iqbal Quadir, Bruce Schneier and Benjamin Bratton among others. For more information, please visit www.guardian.co.uk/activate/new-york.

April 28, 2011, Las Vegas, NV: Interested in meeting early-stage Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists in Las Vegas? If so, then register for the FundingPost event on April 28th! FundingPost has hosted 175+ sold-out venture events in 20 cities over the past 9 years. At our next event, the panel of investors will focus on Early-Stage Venture Investing: How to meet investors, pitch them, and what it really takes to get them to write you a check! For more information and to register, please click here.

May 1-3, 2011, Washington, D.C.: Under the theme 21st Century Media: New Frontiers, New Barriers, World Press Freedom Day will affirm fundamental principles of media freedom in the digital age—the ability of citizens to voice their opinions and access diverse, independent information sources—20 years after the original declaration was made. Professional and citizen journalists struggling to promote accountable governments and informed publics will look for support and inspiration, as the panels highlight innovative media platforms that are democratizing how people gain and share information – rights that now more than ever must be protected. For more information and to register, please click here.

May 2-4, 2011, Toronto, Canada: Now in its 10th year, FITC Toronto is one of the largest and longest running events of its kind in the world. With some of the most unique and engaging presenters from around the globe, FITC Toronto is a blitz of presentations, demonstrations, and panel discussions, sandwiched between the legendary FITC parties and abundant networking opportunities. Register with the promo code Mashable10 and save 10%!

May 2-3, 2011, Chicago, IL: At Technology Driven Market Research, the focus is on presenting ground-breaking tools and technologies that are being used NOW and those on the horizon. These technologies are enabling “in the moment” research to more clearly understand consumer behavior. Through real-world experienced based presentations, this event will look at brand-mind placement, eye tracking research in a virtual retail environment, social gaming as a research device, and social and mobile analysis plus much more. Register with the promo code TDMR11MASH and save 20% off the standard rate.

May 3-7, 2011, London, UK: Digital Shoreditch is the voice of everything happening in Shoreditch. The festival explores and celebrates digital technologies; unites the digital community; and provides a platform for sharing knowledge. The activity culminates in a series of exhibitions, parties, presentations, open studios and games.

May 4, 2011, New York, NY: Co-created by Jeff Pulver of the 140Conf organization and Fashion Snoops, Fashion140 is a brave collaborative inquiry into how the real time web and social media are reshaping the fashion and style-related industries, now!. With over 50 speakers from Facebook, Twitter, Google Boutiques, Gilt Group, Urban Outfitters, Bonobos, Hautelook, Kmart Fashion, Miss Universe, Time Inc and many others, our goal is to create together a unique global perspective of the fashion industry and its future. For more information and to register, please click here.

May 4, 2011, Washington, D.C.: ConAgra Foods, United Health Group, the IRS, the U.S. Navy, and more will share case studies in corporate social media at BlogWell Washington, D.C.: How Big Brands Use Social Media. You’ll learn how to get started, get past roadblocks, and make your social media program phenomenal — in one afternoon, for just $250. Get practical, how-to advice on creating great content, getting management buy-in, educating employees, keeping lawyers and regulators happy, simple and ethical disclosure, and engaging fans. Presented by GasPedal and SocialMedia.org. Register with promo code THANKSMASHABLE and save 10%!

May 5, 2011, San Francisco, CA: Social-Loco will convene thought leaders in social web, mobile and location-based commerce at the Mission Bay Conference Center in San Francisco. Leading pundits, executives and investors will dive into what the convergence of social and mobile web technologies means for SMB, big brands and consumers. Confirmed speakers include Emily White, Sr. Director of Local, Facebook; Clara Shih, CEO of Hearsay and author of The Facebook Era; Robert Scoble, Managing Director at Rackspace; John Battelle, CEO of Federated Media and more. Register with the promo code mashable20 and save 20%!

May 5, 2011, New York, NY: DIGIDAY:TARGET will bring together the leading agency, brands, content and technology companies to examine and explore the innovations and the future of the audience targeting and measurement for media and marketing to consumers. The event will take a deep dive into the issues brands and agencies face as they enter this next frontier of advertising and marketing to improve their bottom line. Attendees will learn about the latest advances in cross platform technology, targeting, strategies, tactics that agencies, publishers, and brands can use to improve their communication and ROI among today’s consumers who spend more of their lives in the digital space.

May 9-11, 2001, Chicago, IL: School of WOM is the Word of Mouth Marketing Association’s annual spring conference. School of WOM will provide marketers with in-depth practical knowledge on the arts and sciences of Word of Mouth and Social Media marketing. School of WOM attendees learn the techniques, methods, and processes that are being implemented into your business practices today that they can bring back and implement tomorrow. At School of WOM, you’ll learn to stay ahead of the competition and ensure your company remains talkable for all the right reasons. Go to www.womma.org for more information. Register and use code the promo code WOMMASOWMASH when registering for the event.

May 9-11, 2011, Minneapolis, MN: Content strategy is the next big thing. Is it your thing, too? Whether you’re a content strategy veteran or curious about where to start, Confab: The Content Strategy Conference is for you. Real-world case studies from major companies like Disney, eBay, Facebook and Merck. Hands-on workshops. All the experts. Mix and mingle with other content strategists. Share your insights. Hear the insights of others. Plus, there will be some fantastic parties. Get ahead of the curve in your business and career … come to Confab: The Content Strategy Conference. Register with the promo code MASHABLE and save $150.

May 9, 2011, San Francisco, CA: The SF MusicTech Summit brings together 800+ visionaries in the music and technology space, along with the brightest developers, entrepreneurs, investors, musicians, service providers, and journalists who work with them at the convergence of culture and commerce. We meet to discuss the evolving music/business/technology ecosystem in a proactive environment. Mashable readers can receive an exclusive 10% discount when they register and use the promo code Mashable. For more information and to register, please visit http://sfmusictech.com.

May 9, 2011, New York, NY: TEDxEast, the largest independently organized TEDx event in NYC is now accepting applications for its next day-long conference themed “Tinker, Noodle, Obsess,” to be held at The Times Center in the NY Times building. An inspiring group of influential thoughts leaders and innovators will explore the things that capture our attention and get stuck in our heads or under our skin. The speakers come from diverse backgrounds, each representing the point of view of someone who “tinkers,” “noodles” or “obsesses” with a particular topic or idea. Pre-event parties and networking opportunities are part of registration. For more information and to register, please click here.

May 10-12, 2011, London, UK: Internet World 2011 is the industry event for digital marketing and online business. With unrivalled Keynotes, including speakers from Facebook, Google, Nike, eBay and many more, it’s the only place to get exclusive insight… all for free! With over 300 solution providers and more than 100 seminars, Internet World attracts over 12,000 visitors, combining five shows in one event for your one-stop-shop covering all things new media. Register now to help formulate the future digital agenda.

May 10-11, 2011, Hollywood, FL: Following an incredible inaugural year in 2010, the annual Social Media Customer Response Summit is back with more excitement and even better sessions addressing the industry’s key issues. This year’s theme will focus on ideas surrounding how corporate America is responding to emerging ‘Customer Response’ channels through social media, web 2.0, video streaming and mobile applications. During this two-day seminar, attendees will be able to listen, learn and collaborate with prominent industry leaders such as Bob Simmonds of Disney, David Thornton of Bank of America, Robert Lamb of AT&T, and Jim Moloney of General Motors on the challenges/benefits with using an ‘interactive social media customer response strategy,’ and what technological developments will continue to affect the industry, plus much more. C-Level executives interested in attending can find more information about the Summit’s Agenda & Registration at customerresponsesummit.com.

May 11-12, 2011, Amsterdam: iStrategy is an inspirational, 2-day, digital media conference for senior executives who believe that the success of their business requires a sound digital strategy. iStrategy has recruited keynote speakers, panelists, workshop facilitators and attendees with expertise in the online channels that drive successful outcomes and tools that provide ongoing measurement including: Social Media, Mobile Marketing and Applications, Display Advertising, SEO/SEM, Email Marketing, Database Marketing, Web Analytics, E-commerce and Content Strategy. Register with the promo code MASHEU10 to receive a 10% discount.

May 12-14, 2011, Chicago, IL: unGeeked Elite Retreats brings together 24 speakers over the course of three days. The format is “open discussion”. The topics focus on enhancing, positioning and leveraging both the internal and external brand. PPTs and Prezi’s are strongly discouraged and instead, on-going and intimate discussions among keynotes, regional speakers and attendees are encouraged. Speakers include: Amanda Hite, Jason Falls, Oliver Blanchard, Spike Jones, and Anita Campbell. Register with the promo code unGeekedChicago and save 5% off regular ticket price. Tickets includes the latest book from Olivier Blanchard and entry into the Chris Brogan Roast.

May 12-14, 2011, Chicago, IL: unGeeked Elite Retreats will be held at the SYNCUBATOR and brings together 24 speakers over the course of three days. The format is styled as an “open discussion” with topics centered around enhancing, positioning and leveraging boththe internal and external brand. PPTs and Prezi’s are strongly discouraged and instead, on-going and intimate discussions among keynotes, regional speakers and attendees are encouraged. Speakers include Julian Smith, Jason Falls, Spike Jones, Amanda Hite and more. Register with promo code unGeekedChi and save 5% off regular ticket price.

May 12-13, 2011, Seattle, WA: As companies like Netflix, Zynga, AT&T and Disney Gaming start embracing HTML5 for their native and web based games and apps on platforms as diverse as Playstation, iOS and Google TV, then whether you’re a web, mobile, or casual game developer, it’s time to start taking HTML5 seriously. This is what Unplugged is all about. So, to keep up to date with this increasingly indispensable technology, come to Seattle in May, and learn from world leading experts in mobile and app design and development. Mashable readers can save $100 when registering with the promo code Mashable – just $695 before April 31st!

May 16-19, 2011, Prague, Czech Republic: The TERENA Networking Conference (TNC) is the largest and most prestigious European research networking conference – over 500 participants, including decision makers, networking specialists and managers from all major European networking and research organisations, universities, worldwide sister institutions and industry representatives attend. Through keynote speeches by renowned specialists and many parallel sessions, TNC presents an overview of the latest developments in research networking, both in the technical field and in the areas of application and management. For more information, click here.

May 16-18, 2011, London, UK: The Future of Web Design (FOWD) hits London again this May! Following on from the success of last year, we’re bringing you 3 full days of essential web learning: a day of in-depth workshops, followed up by a two day conference, covering all of the hottest topics across two stages. Big names, rising stars, great networking opportunities and some fabulous catering thrown in for good measure. Hope you can join us!

May 16-17, 2011, Atlanta, GA: Digital Summit 2011 will feature over 100 speakers and an audience of over 1,000 internet execs, entrepreneurs and senior marketers. Join dozens of industry leaders and innovators in the conversation on topics such as Social Media, Mobile, Cloud Computing, Online Advertising, Analytics, Search, Video, Ecommerce and more. Top brands and thought leaders converge on one of America’s Most Wired Cities. Register and use the promo code MASH for 20% off.

May 17-19, 2011, Boston, MA: In the ever changing world of social media and mobile marketing organizations are finding it difficult to navigate the complicated legal waters. At the 2011 Social Media Legal Risks and Strategies Summit, attendee’s will have the opportunity to learn practical strategies for staying compliant with regulations and safeguarding against legal risks. During this 3 day summit attendee’s will learn, first hand, from top legal minds from such brands as, The Walt Disney Company, General Mills, General Electric and The Better Business Bureau. Register and use the promo code MikeSM to receive a discount. http://socialmedialegalrisks.com

May 17-19, 2011, London, UK: The World E-Reading Congress brings together digital and print publishers with e-reading platforms and device manufacturers to discuss the business models and opportunities provided by the growth of the e-reading industry. Publishers must be prepared for this dramatic industry upheaval. They must learn how to embrace this disruptive technology and the World E-Reading Congress will enable them to discover how they can profit from the E-Reading revolution. Visit our website for more information and register before January to save 10%!

May 17-18, 2011, Sydney, Australia: With an estimated 200,000 loyalty programs currently operating in Australia, it is vital for businesses to understand how to make their brand stand out from the crowd. More than ever, your success hinges on your ability to gain a greater understanding of your customers’ wants and needs.Traditional modes of marketing have evolved and it is necessary to embrace more personalised communications across numerous channels. The Customer Loyalty 2011 Conference is a case-study driven program that will explore different strategies to add the value that your customers want from your loyalty initiative. It will discuss evolving definitions of best practice in loyalty marketing and help you make your mark in this evolving multichannel landscape. Register with the promo code CC*MASHABLE and save 10%!

May 18-19, 2011, Boston, MA: Text analytics has grown from an interesting but little known software application into an invaluable commercial tool being used by businesses worldwide. Forward thinking executives across a myriad of industries are using text analytics solutions to increase efficiency and unlock essential information that they never had access to before. Whether you are a software developer, an experienced analytics user, or new to the text analytics industry, the Text Analytics Summit is the only place to get the information that you need to stay ahead of the competition and profit from text mining. Register and use the promo code mashable to save 10%.

May 18, 2011, London, UK: The International Search Summit is partnering with SMX to run its global search and social media program at SMX Advanced in London. Focusing specifically on international and multilingual topics, the summit will run on 18th May and give delegates the opportunity to attend both events in just one trip and on one pass. Topics at the Summit will include international link building, managing global content, international SEO case studies and emerging markers. The agenda will be regularly updated with confirmed speakers. Combo or Summit only tickets are available. Early Bird rates apply and Mashable readers can get a 15% discount on the booking price with the discount code MASHABLE011. For more information and to register, please click here.

May 19-20, 2011, Miami, FL: Following the success of the 2010 edition, LBS LATAM returns in 2011 to continue the discussions and thought provoking market topics of interest. Responding to industry demands, the conference will be held for two days in Miami, Florida. For more information, please click here.

May 20-22, 2011, Ft. Lauderdale, FL: SheCon’s 2011 New Media Expo is the industry’s first free, three-day social media event that is bringing together some of the industry’s most renowned experts to condense a four-year journalism school experience into three days of new media sessions, with sessions and panels ranging from general to specific, niche market discussions. Combined with the educational sessions, the expo will bring together a diverse group of exhibitors that will be focusing on a brand integration, rather than forced brand interaction, concept for engaging and building relationships with attendees.

May 23-24, 2011, San Francisco, CA: Produced by Mediabistro and SocialTimes, Socialize Media Optimization Conference (SMOC) is a two-day event dedicated to social media optimization and social advertising. Boost search engine visibility, increase linkability, and fuel your readers’ desire to share your content. Industry leaders will also show you how to get results whenadvertising on the social web in terms of strategy, targeting, privacy, and metrics. Our experts include Brian Solis (author, Engage), Rohit Bhargava (SVP, Digital, Strategy & Planning Group), Gary Ware (Covario), and many more. Register and use the promo code MASH to save 15%.

May 23, 2011, San Francisco, CA: Hosted by Our Social Times, Social Media Marketing & Monitoring 2011 will bring together leading marketing and PR experts, brands, agencies and journalists for an intensive one-day conference. Following this sell-out event last year, join us for an update on the latest strategies, tools and techniques in social media marketing. Topics include: community management; blogger outreach; influencer analysis and engagement; Twitter marketing; geo-location marketing; social gaming; social media monitoring and Social CRM. Register and use the promo code Mash1 to save 10%.

May 24-26, 2011, New York, NY: BlogWorld & New Media Expo is the first and only industry-wide conference, tradeshow and media event dedicated to blogging, podcasting, social media, social networking, online video, music, Internet TV and radio. BlogWorld conference attendees enjoy more than 120 cutting-edge educational sessions presented by industry leaders, while New Media Expo provides the only industry-wide new media marketplace for networking, online business and marketing resources. Social Media Business Summit, exclusive to BlogWorld, is the world’s largest social media business conference where business owners, marketing executives and global brands learn strategies, tools and technologies to grow their businesses with social media. Register at blogworldexpo.com with the promo code MASH20 to save 20% off the ticket price!

May 24-26, 2011, San Francisco, CA: All About the Cloud — Save $100 with the promo code PRMMASH to attend the software industry’s leading ISV conference on Cloud Computing. (Note: discount valid off the individual non-member rate only and does apply to current attendees.) You’ll join an anticipated audience of more than 500 senior executives from ISVs, resellers, and platform / technology providers, as well as the industry’s leading analysts, bankers, venture capitalists and the media. Key networking events include: a Golf Tournament, a Speed Networking Event, a Mardi Gras-themed Welcome Reception and an offsite Networking Reception featuring the Microsoft Rock Band Challenge. For details, including registration information, please visit AllAbouttheCloud.net.

May 24-26 2011, Gateshead, UK: Thinking Digital is an annual conference where the world’s greatest thinkers and innovators discuss the latest ideas, innovations and technologies. The conference provides an experience like no other, stimulating new thinking and new ideas. It’s about what you’ll learn, and who you’ll meet. Our eclectic schedule means you’ll listen to world-class authorities, meet amazing people, be entertained and outrageously inspired! When you leave Thinking Digital you’ll know about things that you previously didn’t even realise existed and have become part of our unique community. Register with the promo code TDCMASH and save 10%.

May 25-27, 2011, Portland, OR: WebVisions explores the future of web design, technology, user experience and business strategy in a punchy, new format! The all-star lineup of speakers includes author Douglas Rushkoff, design strategist David Armano, mobile researcher Rachel Hinman, usability expert Jared Spool, design ethnographer Kelly Goto and many more. Take advantage of package deals for workshops and conference passes, discounts on hotels, and networking events and after hour parties. Register here and save up to 30% off the Standard Admission rates! rates.

May 25, 2011, London, UK: The Guardian Sustainable Business Awards aim to showcase genuine innovation in corporate sustainability and reward those who take sustainability to the very heart of their business. Enter the awards today at guardian.co.uk/gsb-awards to get the recognition you deserve. Winners will be invited to a ceremony held in London in May and will feature in a supplement published on guardian.co.uk. All entries meeting the criteria will be added to the new Guardian Sustainable Business best practice exchange – an online database allowing sustainability professionals to share their learning. Enter before February 7th at guardian.co.uk/gsb-awards.

May 29-30, 2011, Dubai, UAE: Social Media Marketing – The Way Forward – It is undeniable that social media has fundamentally transformed and evolved the architecture of business, communications, and the dissemination of information and influence. In July 2010, Facebook announced it had over 500 million users worldwide,of which at least 15 million were in Middle East.Survey findings also indicated that one out of five Facebook users is from Asia or Middle East. Participants at this two-day conference will be exposed to the intricacies of corporate social media strategies tailored for your industry. Participants would gain insights to maximizing the usage of social and establishing and maintaining a good relationship with consumers, thus effectively introducing their brands online and engaging long-term relationship with the audience. For more information, please click here.

June 3-4, 2011, Victoria, BC, Canada: Last year’s event was the largest social media event in the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada. This year’s Social Media Camp will feature more time, more sessions, more speakers, more exhibitors and more sunshine! This year’s keynote speakers are the critically acclaimed authors of “The Now Revolution”, Jay Baer and Amber Naslund. Whether you are an avid Facebook user, interested in learning about Twitter, or you’re trying to grow your business by leveraging social media tools – there is something for everyone at this event! Register and use the promo code MASHABLE to save $50!

June 5-9, 2011, San Francisco, CA: The 2011 Semantic Technology Conference (SemTech) is the world’s largest educational conference for the community of executives, technologists, researchers, investors and customers who are involved with semantic technologies. The SemTech conference draws together more than 1,000 forward-thinking technology and business leaders from around the world, representing the entire marketplace of vendors, developers, researchers, start-ups, investors and customers. SemTech 2011 features five days of presentations, panels, tutorials, announcements, new company/product launches, and conversations. It’s a place for new learning, professional networking, and business development. For details and registration, visit the site. Register and use the promo code MASH to save 15%.!

June 6-8, 2011, Boston, MA: The Art & Science of Integrating Traditional & Social Media Marketing – Measure Up, is the world’s most comprehensive cross-dimensional view of marketing measurement best practices. With a focus on return on investment (ROI) as it relates to the integration of traditional, online and mobile activities; specifically, social media, this event explores analytics across the entire marketing mix and incorporates those results into marketing strategies and tactics to drive higher revenue, profit and brand share. Register and use the promo code XU2308MASH and save 10%!

June 6, 2011, New York, NY: At Realtime NY 11 leading brands, government agencies and non profit organizations will present case studies and best practices for using the realtime web to deliver bottom-line results. Learn how to use realtime, social and mobile applications to drive revenue, build your brand, and listen to stakeholders. Discover how to find and engage influencers, and explore the value of social commerce and geolocation-based promotions. Realtime NY 11 will feature speakers who are pioneering and managing social media, mobile and realtime strategies for leading brands, including PepsiCo, IBM, Citibank, Delta Air Lines, McDonald’s, Gatorade and more. Register with the promo code MASHABLE to save 20%.

June 7-8, 2011, Munich, Germany: a4uexpo Europe is the largest pan European Affiliate and Performance Marketing Conference. With over 1000 delegates, a diverse conference programme, a focus on quality, knowledge transfer and unparalleled networking opportunities with delegates and key industry figures from around the world, a4uexpo Europe is a must attend educational and networking event. Whether a new or established affiliate, agency, entrepreneur, search specialist, merchant or network – a4uexpo is the conference for those serious about making an impact in Affiliate and Performance Marketing. Register with the promo code MASHABLE25 and save €25 on a full conference pass for a4uexpo Europe.

June 7-8, 2011, Seattle, WA: Join the most accomplished search marketers in the world – Search Marketing Expo – SMX Advanced Seattle. Check out the full agenda, featuring two days of experts-only sessions, keynotes and the highest-level networking anywhere. Don’t wait – SMX Advanced has sold out 4 years running. Register with partner code smx100mashable and you’ll save $100 and secure your spot.

June 8, 2011, Singapore: With the phenomenal growth of apps worldwide, Asia is the next big market to watch out for. Planet of the Apps Asia is the leading event dedicated to mobile applications in Asia. The two day conference plus a dedicated masterclass day brings together the mobile application ecosystem in one location. The event will shine on a light on the latest innovations and showcase the latest solutions in the world of mobile applications. Be part of this definitive event and network with professionals from all around the globe.

June 14, 2011, London, UK: 20 social media experts will be speaking at the Social Media Results Conference – From Engagement To ROI. Procter & Gamble, Barclaycard, Nokia, Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd, MTV Networks UK & Ireland, Mothercare, Lonely Planet, American Airlines, Kodak Ltd, Comic Relief, Vue Entertainment, Cisco Europe, Phones 4u Limited and many more will be discussing their real-world, actionable social media insights on how to drive the customer journey with consistently genuine interaction and fully integrated, targeted social media campaigns. Click here to download/view the conference program.

June 15-18, 2011, Nairobi, Kenya: The spotlight in AfriTech Kenya 2011 will be on “Brand building using a digital platform”. It’s projected to be the largest gathering of digital media gurus and industry shapers in the African continent. The conference will be held at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) on June 15-18, 2011. Outstanding business luminaries, philanthropists, government decision-makers and investors will be participating during this four day historic summit. For more information and to register, please visit afri-tech.com.

June 15-16, 2011, New York, NY: “Exploring the State of NOW” – The 140 Characters Conference: New York City (#140conf) will be taking place June 15-16, 2011 at the 92nd Street Y, where we will continue to explore the effects of the real-time web on both business and on people. This event is expected to be the largest worldwide gathering of people interested in the effects of the real-time Internet on both business and “we” the people. #140conf exposes you to the power the Internet has to disrupt businesses, change lives and create serendipity. You will leave with a fresh outlook on how the real time web can be used in your business or personal life to actually do something meaningful. Register TODAY and take advantage of the “Early Bird” prices.

June 16, 2011, London, UK: The Augmented Reality Summit is designed to explore this new dynamic reality and provide delegates with the perfect opportunity to uncover Augmented Reality in full and explore the opportunity’s AR brings any brand or company. The AR Summit is positioned at the forefront of this exciting continually developing new industry. Whether you are a Brand, Advertiser or Agency, Technology provider or Developer looking to meet key industry figures, keep up with the latest developments, technology’s & tools or simply to network with other from the world of AR – Register and use the promo code ARMASH to save 25%!

June 20-21, New York, NY: At the new ALL FOR ONE Marketing Show presented by DM Days, you’ll learn how Domino’s, FreshDirect, Grey New York and other top companies maximize ROI by leveraging customer insight and data to successfully integrate marketing channels. You’ll walk away with concrete examples of successful campaigns from marketing experts and thought leaders. Register with the promo code DM730 and save $200!

June 20, 2011, New York, NY: Games for Change is the leading global advocate for supporting and making games for social impact. The Games for Change Festival is the largest gaming event in New York City and the only international event uniting “games for change” creators, the public, civil society, academia, the gaming industry and media. Register before April 15th and save 30%!

June 21-22, 2011, New York, NY: The Second Annual Corporate Social Media Summit is ‘the’ event for big business using social media. This year we have speakers from Dell, Best Buy, Kodak, Coca-Cola, Southwest Airlines and many more. They will share best practice to help your company leverage the power of social media for better marketing, customer engagement and enhance profitability. The conference is designed for corporates like you – and our agenda is based on three months of research with your peers. Download a brochure here for all the info you need. Register and use the promo code MASH11 to save 10%.

June 21-22, 2011, Los Angeles, CA: Digital Content Monitization West 2011 is a unique opportunity to find out how to drive revenue and profitability from different content and formats across a wide variety of channels. 60+ senior level speakers from will help you sort out the best short and medium term strategies for delivering revenue through digital content. With its focus on west coast industries, you’ll dig deep into how the film, music and games sectors are driving new sources of revenue. Plus the publishing, sports, TV and news sectors will provide detailed information about how to monetize rich media content. Register online at dcm-west.com and use the promo code DCM MASH for early booking discounts.

June 27-29, 2011, Las Vegas, NV: The Future of Web Apps (FOWA) is coming to Vegas. After successfully running shows in Miami and London, the conference hits Vegas for the first time in June. A conference for web developers and entrepreneurs, there are 3 days of jam packed web fun including a day of workshops and 2 conference days of two tracks. As well as App Clinics and Expo Area, you can learn and network with people who have passion for the web! Register with the code FOWA_MASHABLE and receive 10% off our 2 day conference passes.

July 14-16, 2011, Dallas, TX: The Big Design Conference is an intense day of learning within the scope of Strategy, Social Media, User Experience, Gaming, Mobile, Usability, Design, and Code Development. Experts from across the country will gather to present theories, research, experiences, and best practices to students, professionals, and executives looking to stay on the bleeding edge. Experts include Beverly Robertson (President, National Civil Rights Museum), Russ Unger (Director of UX, Happy Cog), Jeremy Johnson (Director of UX, Game Stop), Brian Sullivan (Usability Principal, Sabre), Joshua Clark (author of Tapworthy), Jared Spool (Founder, User Interface Engineering), and many more. Mashable readers receive 20% off conference registration by using the code MASHABLE during the checkout process.

July 27-29, 2011, San Francisco, CA: Join us at the premiere of ePharma Summit West, the sister event to The ePharma Summit, the largest, longest running and most respected digital marketing event for the Life Sciences Industry. Network and join the conversation with hundreds of fellow thought leaders from top Pharma, Biotech, Device and Health Science companies. Register as a Mashable reader with the promo code XP1656MASH and save 10%.

August 1-3, 2011, San Antonio, TX: The eduWeb Conference is the event for you to meet, share, explore, and learn from your higher education peers on topics including mobile apps, branding, web site analytics, social media strategic planning, and web development. eduWeb offers four tracks: marketing communications; design and development; social media; and information architecture. Register with the promo code 11Mash and save $50!

September 6-8, 2011, Cleveland, OH: At Content Marketing World, you’ll learn how to transform your marketing department into a storytelling factory, engaging your prospects and customers in all the right channels with the right messages– including social, mobile, email, online and even print and in-person strategies. Through 24+ breakout sessions and amazing keynotes led by worldwide experts, you’ll get the tools you need to be a successful content marketer. Plus, you’ll experience the best of what Cleveland has to offer, starting with our opening night reception at the infamous Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Register and use the promo code mash to receive $100 off the current price of a ticket.

September 11-14, 2011, Denver, CO: Come join the best and brightest of the iOS development community at 360|iDev, the first iOS developer event to be held by the developer community! Speakers include many leading community members, and app store success stories. With over 40 sessions, including hands-on training the sunday before the conference, 360|iDev offers more content than any other iOS developer event in the world. Register and use the promo code iosmash to save 20% of the ticket price.

September 12-13, 2011, Renaissance Glendale, Phoenix, AZ: The third Social Media Optimization Summit event, presented by Multifamilypro, brings together small to mid-sized business owners with an interest in putting social media to work successfully within their organizations in ways that are proven to generate results. The event offers two full days of intensive, hands-on workshops from the intermediate to advanced level, led by top social media experts. The unique “See it. Hear it. Do it.” approach allows attendees to learn by doing, and begin immediately applying newly-acquired skills and knowledge while the event is underway. See what others are saying about the event and register now at optimizationsummits.com and use discount code Mashable to save $100!

Sept 21-22, 2011, London, UK: ad:tech London is the UK’s essential free to attend event for professionals seeking to stay ahead of the latest interactive media, advertising and marketing trends. The event unites advertisers, media owners and agencies to harness the power of digital and deliver real marketing ROI. Alongside the exhibition, there is also a conference featuring 100+ international speakers for serious digital innovators and marketers. Mashable readers can take 20% off their conference ticket price. Register online now with the promo code MASH11 at www.ad-techlondon.co.uk.

September 26-29, 2011, Kaua’i, HI: Search and Social Hawaii is an elite conference unlike any other that will provide you with the strategies and complete know how to thrive in this ever changing environment. Each day begins with morning sessions around the hottest topics. With Keynote Bruce Clay of Bruce Clay, Inc. and speakers from corporations such as Real Networks, Network Solutions, AT&T, Microsoft Bing and Logitech. Afternoons are spent in a relaxed environment including planned activities in which individual attendees can get to know speakers and each other on a more personal level continuing the discussion and building long lasting relationships. Register and use the promo code SSWootMash to save 10%.

September 29-October 1, 2011, Atlanta, GA: As pet owners, bloggers, consumer brands and those connected to the industry – including veterinarians – continue to build upon social media & marketing, pet social media education & networking is an extremely important aspect to mobilizing efforts and to address the challenges faced by pet owners. Whether you use YouTube, Twitter, Dog/Catbook or online forums to gather & share information about pets, it’s increasingly important for this community to have a face-to-face forum. Established in 2009, the BarkWorld Conference & Expo is the only pet social media conference covering ALL facets of social media & pet education. Our 2011 annual conference will focus on many topics, including: how to take great photos your pet & use it online, how to build/design a blog & monetize, mobile applications, metrics/SEO, pet food demonstrations, promoting your pet/business via social media and using online forums. Join us for this 2 ½ day conference. You’ll be amazed with the information you’ll walk away with and the new connections you’ll make; your well-trained, leashed, pet is welcome. Register with the promo code MASH2011 to receive a 25% discount.

October 1-6, Boston, MA: At DMA2011, you – and 10,000 marketing peers from around the world – will find everything you need to develop and execute the real-time integrated marketing campaigns that drive measurable bottomline results for your brand. Listen to 300+ marketing experts and gurus talk about social, mobile, mail, search, data, attribution, and more. Plus, you’ll find hundreds of technologies in the Exhibit Hall, the only one of its kind in the world! Register now with the promo code AN504 and SAVE $250!

October 5-6, 2011, Seattle, WA: The first annual Seattle Interactive Conference is a two-day event celebrating the convergence of online technology, creativity, and emerging trends in one of the world’s most innovative cities. SIC brings together entrepreneurs, developers and online business professionals from throughout the U.S. and beyond for a powerful combination of in-depth presentations, networking opportunities, and uniquely Seattle social events. Attendees have the rare opportunity to explore disruptive technologies and business models with visionary thinkers and peers in areas ranging from online commerce and social media to gaming, interactive advertising, entertainment, and much more.

October 9-11, 2011, Scottsdale, AZ: Join 200 of your advertising and PR agency friends at BOLO 2011. This event champions the marketing stalwarts, showing you how to leverage today’s digital marketing trends and technologies for economic advantage. Hear from industry thought leaders such as Scott Stratton, President of UnMarketing, and Jay Baer, author of The Now Revolution. From analytics and targeting to social media and agency management, the topics are cutting-edge and chosen to help your agency stay ahead of the curve in digital. Register now with the promo code MASHABLE for 10% off.

October 17-18, 2011, New York, NY: Pivot is the only conference focused purely on how major brands, agencies, marketers and content creators can succeed by understanding, accessing and influencing the emerging Social Consumer. Hosted by Brian Solis, a noted social marketing consultant to major brands worldwide and author of Engage, the self-help handbook for winning the new marketing game, Pivot delivers two full days of unique content and experiences that illuminate the altered marketing landscape, delivered by transformational thinkers, technologists, entrepreneurs and entertainers. Register with the promo code MASH20 and save 20%!

October 26-27, 2011, Sofia, Bulgaria: The only digital industry event for Central and Eastern Europe and one of industry’s premier events in Europe. At the Webit Expo & Conference, more than 6000 people from the CE Europe’ digital ecosystem gather together. Amazing line up of world renowned international and local speakers in the conference programme and some of the top service and technology providers among the exhibitors. Webit Conference programme includes The Main Stage (inspiring keynotes from the leading digital companies in the world), Webit Dev Camp (where platform owners meet the developers of CEE), eGov Summit (regional government officials and world CEOs in discussion on e-gov, e-health, etc), The Creative Lounge (the world’s creative minds gathered together). Register with the promo code WEBMASH and save 10%!

November 3-5, 2011, Los Angeles, CA: BlogWorld & New Media is the first and only industry-wide conference, tradeshow and media event dedicated to blogging, podcasting, social media, social networking, online video, music, Internet TV and radio. BlogWorld conference attendees enjoy more than 120 cutting-edge educational sessions presented by industry leaders, while New Media Expo provides the only industry-wide new media marketplace for networking, online business and marketing resources. Social Media Business Summit, exclusive to BlogWorld, is the world’s largest social media business conference where business owners, marketing executives and global brands learn strategies, tools and technologies to grow their businesses with social media. Register at blogworldexpo.com with the promo code MASH20 to save 20% off the ticket price!

November 16-18, 2011, Las Vegas, NV: The WOMMA Summit is the only word of mouth marketing conference where research and measurement integrate with online social media and offline conversations. The Summit is a year-end review of BEST and NEXT practices in word or mouth and social media marketing in addition to future trends. WOMMA Summit showcases through leadership from some of the innovative and forward thinking. Go to www.womma.org to learn more about the event and use code WOMMASummitMASH when registering for the event.

The Mashable Weekly Social Media and Marketing Event Guide is proudly supported by Eventbrite, the Web’s Event Marketplace.

Eventbrite is an online events marketplace where tens of thousands of individuals, businesses and organizations of all sizes manage, promote and sell tickets to their events. Make your event a success on Eventbrite.

-------------------------
by Connie Preti for Mashable

25 Jobs that Pay $25-an-Hour

2011-04-14T23:58:00.000-07:00

If you work a salaried position, the numbers you're most familiar with are probably the ones that show up in your bank account. When you're used to getting paid a certain amount of money every year, it's unlikely that you've boiled your compensation down to what you're earning per hour.

The national mean average salary is $42,504, according to the National Compensation Survey. That boils down to $3,269.54 per month and $817.38 per week*. Divide that by the standard 40-hour workweek and you're making $20.43 per hour. Not too shabby, eh?

If you think $20 an hour is good, what about making $25 an hour? If you work the standard 40-hour workweek for all 52 weeks of the year, that puts your earnings around $52,000 per year, which is well above the national average.

So who's earning more than $20 per hour? Here are 25 jobs that pay $25 or more per hour and that are predicted to have high job growth through 2016**:

1.      Loan officer
What they do: Authorize commercial, real estate and/or personal credit loans.
Hourly wage: $25/hour
Mean annual salary: $51,601
Job outlook: Average job growth at 11 percent ***

2.      Self-enrichment education teacher What they do: Teach nonacademic courses like self-improvement, which don't lead to a job or degree.
Hourly wage: $25.07/hour
Mean annual salary: $42,476
Job outlook: Much faster than average job growth at 23 percent

3.      Forensic science technician
What they do: Collect and analyze physical evidence on weapons and substances to help criminal investigations.
Hourly wage: $25.28/hour
Mean annual salary: $52,576
Job outlook: Much faster than average job growth at 31 percent

4.      Writer and editor
What they do: Write and/or edit scripts, stories, publications, advertisements and other materials.
Hourly wage: $25.46/hour
Mean annual salary: $53,000
Job outlook: Average job growth at 10 percent

5.      Radiologic technologist and technician
What they do: Take X-rays and CAT scans; inject nonradioactive materials in patients' bloodstreams for analysis.
Hourly wage: $25.57/hour
Mean annual salary: $52,416
Job outlook: Faster than average job growth at 15 percent

6.      Medical scientist
What they do: Research human disease and how to improve overall human health; they often conduct clinical trials and investigations.
Hourly wage: $25.64/hour
Mean annual salary: $53,331
Job outlook: Faster than average job growth at 20 percent

7.      Producer and director
What they do: Make all creative decisions involved in producing and/or directing movies, TV shows, plays, commercials or other productions.
Hourly wage: $25.66/hour
Mean annual salary: $53,381
Job outlook: Average job growth at 11 percent

8.      Detective and criminal investigator
What they do: Carry out investigations related to suspected or known violations of Federal, state and local laws.
Hourly wage: $25.86/hour
Mean annual salary: $53,787
Job outlook: Faster than average job growth at 18 percent

9.      Accountant and auditor
What they do: Analyze financial and accounting records for individuals and businesses; prepare tax statements.
Hourly wage: $26.06/hour
Mean annual salary: $54,020
Job outlook: Faster than average job growth at 18 percent

10. Adult literacy, remedial education and GED teacher and instructor
What they do: Educate adults and out-of-school children on remedial education courses like literacy and language; teach preparation courses for the General Education Development test.
Hourly wage: $26.19/hour
Mean annual salary: $43,742
Job outlook: Faster than average job growth at 14 percent

11. Training and development manager
What they do: Plan and direct growth and training activities for staffs of organizations.
Hourly wage: $26.32/hour
Mean annual salary: $54,746
Job outlook: Faster than average job growth at 16 percent

12. Curator
What they do: Manage educational and public museum activities, conduct research programs.
Hourly wage: $26.49/hour
Mean annual salary: $53,561
Job outlook: Faster than average job growth at 18 percent

13. Aircraft mechanic and service technician
What they do: Find and fix mechanical problems in aircraft engines and parts.
Hourly wage: $26.74/hour
Mean annual salary: $56,035
Job outlook: Average job growth at 11 percent

14. Audiologist
What they do: Evaluate and treat individuals with hearing and related disorders.
Hourly wage: $27.27/hour
Mean annual salary: $48,047
Job outlook: Average job growth at 10 percent

15. Art director
What they do: Create designs and presentations; oversee workers involved in art work, layout design and copy writing for visual media like magazines, books and newspapers.
Hourly wage: $27.35/hour
Mean annual salary: $56,882
Job outlook: Average job growth at 9 percent

16. Budget analyst
What they do: Analyze budgets to make sure they are accurate, complete and comply with regulations; examine budget and accounting reports to control expenditures.
Hourly wage: $27.39/hour
Mean annual salary: $56,233
Job outlook: Average job growth at 7 percent

17. Auto damage insurance appraiser
What they do: Assess the costs of vehicle damage to determine insurance claim settlements.
Hourly wage: $27.75/hour
Mean annual salary: $57,200
Job outlook: Average job growth at 13 percent

18. Economist
What they do: Research, plan and strategize solutions to economic problems.
Hourly wage: $27.77/hour
Mean annual salary: $65,957
Job outlook: Average job growth at 7 percent

19. Environmental engineering technician
What they do: Develop ways to prevent, control and correct environmental problems like pollution and waste treatment.
Hourly wage: $28.79/hour
Mean annual salary: $71,157
Job outlook: Much faster than average job growth at 25 percent

20. Architects, except landscape and navalWhat they do: Design various types of structures, including but not limited to houses, office buildings and factories.
Hourly wage: $28.85/hour
Mean annual salary: $62,828
Job outlook: Faster than average job growth at 18 percent

21. Health educator
What they do: Teach healthy programs and behaviors to individuals and communities to promote an overall healthy lifestyle.
Hourly wage: $29.11/hour
Mean annual salary: $58,768
Job outlook: Much faster than average job growth at 26 percent

22. Surveyor
What they do: Establish property boundaries; take exact measurements of all aspects of a piece of land for engineering, construction and mapmaking purposes.
Hourly wage: $29.20/hour
Mean annual salary: $60,736
Job outlook: Much faster than average job growth at 24 percent

23. Occupational therapist
What they do: Implement rehabilitative programs to disabled people to teach them homemaking, vocational and daily living skills.
Hourly wage: $29.57/hour
Mean annual salary: $58,590
Job outlook: Much faster than average job growth at 23 percent

24. Financial analyst and adviser
What they do: Advise public and private institutions on their investment programs.
Hourly wage: $29.66/hour
Mean annual salary: $60,659
Job outlook: Much faster than average job growth at 37 percent

25. Instructional coordinator
What they do: Formulate instructional material and coordinate educational content to develop curricula and conducting courses for educators in specialized fields.
Hourly wage: $29.76/hour
Mean annual salary: $54,001
Job outlook: Much faster than average job growth at 22 percent

*Averages were found by dividing the annual salary by 52 weeks (in the year).

**Salary information according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Hourly wages and annual salaries were computed based on mean number of hours worked each week and year, which vary per occupation.

***The average growth rate for jobs is 7 to 13 percent through 2016, according to the BLS.

Top Employers of Veterans

2011-04-13T02:17:00.000-07:00

Once they've received their last paycheck from Uncle Sam, where do most military folks go to find the next one? It turns out that many don't travel far. Former military members often get picked up by companies that work directly with the federal government and the military.

Online salary database PayScale.com has come up with a list of the most common employers of former military service men and women. Not surprisingly, companies who contract with the military or federal government prefer hiring workers who are familiar with those organizations. "A key skill that military people have going for them is that they understand how to work with the government and the military," says Al Lee, PayScale's director of quantitative analysis.

For example, General Electric made jet engines for the military during WWII and has also been involved in nuclear weapons production. It would certainly make sense to have their production, engineering and logistics teams as military-savvy as possible.

Lee says to keep in mind, too, that it is not just the engineering or technical jobs at these companies that benefit from military know-how. From human resources to finance and marketing, employing people who know how decisions are made and deals are cut for government agencies helps these businesses succeed.

"These companies deal with big, complicated, international projects. People with military experience are well-equipped to handle that," says Lee.

Who are the big employers? Lee says that they fall into three categories: the aerospace industry, weapons and defense contracting, and working for the government directly.

Below are examples of jobs where employers might prefer military savvy and the average, annual salaries for those jobs, according to PayScale.

1. Aerospace Industry

Top Companies

The Boeing Company
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Northrop Grumman Corporation

Top Job Titles:

Aerospace Engineer-- $86,300
Aerospace Engineer & Operations Technician -- $43,600
Project Engineer, Aviation-- $85,700

2. Weapons and Security Companies

Top Companies

Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC)
Booz Allen Hamilton
Allied Barton Security Services Inc.
Raytheon

Top Job Titles

3. Government Agencies

Top Companies

United States Government
Department of Defense
U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Top Job Titles

Network Security Engineer -- $70,500
FBI Agent -- $71,000
Project Manager -- $64,800

Top 20 Employers of Former Military

Jobs for Veterans

Search All Job Listings

-------------------------

By Bridget Quigg for AOL Jobs

Companies hiring this month

2011-04-10T08:26:00.000-07:00

For the past year, the economy has slowly but surely added new jobs. Employers were taking a cautiously optimistic approach to business, afraid to hire too quickly. Fortunately, several signs point to more energetic hiring currently happening.

The first clue has been the improving unemployment rate, which recently hit a two-year low. In addition, 216,000 new jobs were created in March alone. While statistics are helpful to gauge the economy's state, job seekers want to see actual available positions in their neighborhoods, and not just in one industry.

Each month we assemble a list of companies hiring in order to simplify your job search, and judging by this amount of employers ready to bring on new workers in April, the economy is looking up. Look no further than Walmart, who is hiring hundreds of workers, but not only in the fields you probably expect.

"When people think of Walmart, they may think only of the people they see in our stores, but when it comes to careers, our associates have opportunities in just about any career field imaginable and virtually anywhere in the world," says Sharon Wibben, vice president of human resources at Walmart. "For example, we are currently looking to hire hundreds of technology professionals in all areas of IT to support our domestic, international and e-commerce businesses."

So whether you're looking for a job in a new industry, hoping to return to the workforce, or just wondering what opportunities are available, your chances of finding a new job are better than they have been in a long time.

Here are companies in a variety of industries and in regions throughout the country looking for workers in April:

Accelerated Rehabilitation
Industry: Health care, therapy
Sample job titles: Physical therapist, clinical director, patient care advocate, certified hand therapist
Location: Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana

Aeropostale
Industry: Retail
Sample job titles: District managers, store managers, assistant managers, knits designer, assistant merchandisers
Location: Nationwide

Allconnect, Inc.
Industry: Energy, utilities, gas, electric
Sample job titles: Home services consultant, instructor, sales center supervisor, lead web developer, account manager
Location: Atlanta, Lexington, St. George, Utah

American Diabetes Association
Industry: Nonprofit
Sample job titles: Associate manager, fundraising, executive director
Location: Nationwide

Aramark
Industry: Food service
Sample job titles: Food service director, executive chef, catering manager/director, clinical dietitian, biomedical equipment technician, general manager
Location: Nationwide

Ascension Health
Industry: Health Care
Sample job titles: Supply chain analyst, director of data management, communications specialist
Location: Nationwide

Avis Budget Group
Industry: Car and truck rental
Sample job titles: Rental sales associate, customer service, district manager
Location: Nationwide

Baxter International
Industry: Health care
Sample job titles: Plasma center technician, manufacturing engineer, RN/LPN, sales
Location: Nationwide

Bethesda Lutheran Communities
Industry: Health care, support services
Sample job titles: Caregiver/direct support, area manager, LPN, lead direct support professional
Location: Nationwide

CapTech Consulting
Industry: IT, health care, finance consulting
Sample job titles: Sharepoint, Drupal developers, business objects architect, IT project manager, UI architect
Location: Richmond, Mclean, Va., Charlotte, Philadelphia

CardPayment Solutions
Industry: Transaction, credit and collections
Sample job titles: Outside sales representative
Location: Nationwide

CIGNA
Industry: Health services
Sample job titles: Customer service representative, care senior associate, pharmacy technician, claim processor associate, senior counsel
Location: Philadelphia, Bloomfield, Conn., Chattanooga, Tenn., Nashville, Phoenix, Scranton, Pittsburgh, Bourbonnais, Ill., Denver, Wilmington, Del.

Coinstar and Redbox
Industry: Coin counting kiosks, DVD rental, entertainment
Sample job titles: Field support representative, senior web developer, database analyst
Location: Nationwide

Crowe Horwath
Industry: Accounting, finance
Sample job titles: Tax and audit managers, audit consultants, staff accountants, IT consultants, Web developers
Location: Nationwide

Daymon Worldwide
Industry: Consulting, retail, grocery
Sample job titles: Business manager, analyst, senior business manager
Location: California, Connecticut, Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee

DRS Technologies and DRS Defense Solutions
Industry: Defense contractor
Sample job titles: Business development manager, mechanical engineer, accountant, program manager, electrical engineer
Location: Nationwide

FirstGroup America
Industry: Transportation
Sample job titles: Bus driver, mechanic technician
Location: Nationwide

Fred's Stores
Industry: Retail
Sample job titles: Store manager, assistant manager (retail)
Location: Memphis and Southeastern region

General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems
Industry: Aerospace, defense
Sample job titles: Software engineers (with and without Java), system engineers, logistics engineers, mechanical engineers, malware/reverse engineers
Location: Nationwide

Geoeye
Industry: IT
Sample job titles: Software engineer, IT, communications engineer, senior mission controller
Location: Colorado, Virginia, Missouri

Guaranty Bank
Industry: Banking and finance
Sample job titles: Sales associate, personal bankers, loan officers
Location: Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota

Healthcare Partners
Industry: Health care
Sample job titles: Registered nurses, case management, physicians, physical therapists, nurse practitioners
Location: California, Nevada, Florida

Huron Consulting
Industry: Professional services (health care consulting, education consulting, legal consulting)
Sample job titles: Business development, consulting associate, consulting manager, director
Location: Nationwide

Insight Global Inc.
Industry: IT contracting
Sample job titles: C# .Net Developer, JAVA developer, Oracle DBA, QA analyst, PC technician
Location: Nationwide

LHC Group
Industry: Health care, home health
Sample job titles: Home health RN, LPN, occupational therapist, physical therapist, medical sales representative
Location: Los Angeles, Mississippi, Tennessee, Washington, Idaho, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Arkansas

MasTec Advanced Technologies
Industry: Telecommunications
Sample job titles: Installation technician
Location: Nationwide

MSC Industrial Supply
Industry: Distribution
Sample job titles: Customer service representatives, telesales account representatives, warehouse associates, warehouse associates, branch sales manager
Location: Nationwide

Netflix, Inc
Industry: Internet, entertainment
Sample job titles: Workforce manager, customer service representative, operations supervisors, machine operator, technical research manager
Location: Hillsboro, Ore. Carol Stream, Ill., Louisville, Spokane, Bordentown, N.J., Portland, Maine, Worcester, Mass., Lansing, Baton Rouge, Denver

Panera Bread Company
Industry: Hospitality, fast casual bakery-cafe concept
Sample job titles: Restaurant manager, regional catering sales manager, baker, customer service associate
Location: Nationwide

PDS Tech
Industry: Staffing (aerospace and defense engineering, IT staffing, and IT project support)
Sample job titles: Mechanical engineer, software engineer (network security), recruiters
Location: Nationwide

ServiceMaster
Industry: Residential and commercial services
Sample job titles: Field operations and customer call centers
Location: Nationwide, with call centers in Dallas, Memphis, Carroll, Iowa and LaGrange, Ga.

Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.
Industry: Broadcast media
Sample job titles: Sales account executive, director of sales, reporter, anchor, producer, photographer
Location: Nationwide

Sodexo
Industry: Food and facilities management
Sample job titles: Food services manager, facilities manager, director of engineering, energy manager, environmental services manager
Location: Nationwide

Suddenlink
Industry: Telecommunications
Sample job titles: Customer care representatives, broadband technicians, system engineers, sales managers, financial analyst
Location: (cities or states) Arkansas, Arizona, California, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, West Virginia

Staley, Inc.
Industry: Telecommunications, IT infrastructure
Sample job titles: Data cabling technicians, journeyman electricians
Location: Los Angeles, Phoenix, Seattle, Denver, Little Rock, Columbus, Atlanta, Knoxville, Sanford, Fla., Springdale, Ark.

State Street Bank
Industry: Banking and finance
Sample job titles: IT manager, relationship manager, OT project manager/operations
Location: Boston, Kansas City, California

The Steritech Group, Inc.
Industry: Brand protection services (food safety, quality assurance, pest prevention)
Sample job titles: Software developer, quality management specialist, service specialist (pest prevention), operations manager, director of strategic accounts
Location: Nationwide

Summit Merchant Solutions
Industry: Credit processing
Sample job titles: Outside sales representative
Location: Nationwide

TD Ameritrade
Industry: Financial services
Sample job titles: Investment consultant, Java developer
Location: Omaha, Jersey City

Volunteers of America
Industry: Nonprofit, social services
Sample job titles: LPN, direct support professional, case manager, corrections officer, business manager
Location: New York, Minnesota, Colorado, Texas, Los Angeles, Ohio, Oregon

Walmart
Industry: IT
Sample job titles: Security, infrastructure, architecture, product management, program management, application development as well as business analysts and programmers
Location: Nationwide

Warner Chilcott
Industry: Pharmaceutical
Sample job titles: Pharmaceutical sales representative
Location: Nationwide

Zaxby's
Industry: Restaurant, hospitality
Sample job titles: General, assistant managers, shift managers
Location: Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, Texas, Alabama, Tennessee

-----------------------------------
By Anthony Balderrama, CareerBuilder writer

Highest Paying Jobs | High Salary and Income | Job Descriptions

2011-04-08T21:58:00.000-07:00

These figures come from the latest reports from the Bureau Labor Statistics, which is an agency of the US Department of Labor mandated to track employment data. Below is a table of the Top 10 Highest Paying Jobs in America. There is also a short job description for each job.

You may not be surprise to know that all of the Top 10 jobs are medical professions except for one, CEO. In fact, a majority of even the top 20 jobs are in the health care field. This is still a growing sector and the average income will continue to rise. You may also be surprised to see that CEO is not the highest paying job on the list.

Following the Top 10 is another table showing the Top 10 Non-Medical Jobs that are not in the health care industry. Most of those professions are in technical, business, and finance.

Top 10 Highest Paying Jobs

Job	Average Salary	Job Description
1. Surgeon	$219,770	Treat diseases, injuries, and deformities by invasive methods
2. Anesthesiologists	$211,750	Administer anesthetics during surgery or other medical procedures.
3. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons	$210,710	Perform surgery on mouth, jaws, and related head and neck structure
4. Orthodontists	$206,190	Examine, diagnose, and treat dental malocclusions and oral cavity anomalies.
5. Obstetricians & Gynecologists	$204,470	Diagnose, treat, and help prevent diseases of women affecting the reproductive system and the process of childbirth.
6. Internists, General	$183,990	Diagnose and provide non-surgical treatment of diseases and injuries of internal organ systems.
7. Physicians and Surgeons, All Other	$173,860	All physicians and surgeons not listed separately.
8. Family and General Practitioners	$168,550	Diagnose, treat, and help prevent diseases and injuries that commonly occur in the general population.
9. Chief Executive Officers	$167,280	Determine and formulate policies and provide the overall direction of companies or private and public sector organizations.
10. Psychiatrists	$163,660	Diagnose, treat, and help prevent disorders of the mind.

Top 10 Non-Medical Jobs

Job	Average Salary	Job Description
1. Chief Executive Officers	$167,280	See above.
2. Lawyers	$129,020	Represent clients in criminal and civil litigation and other legal proceedings, draw up legal documents, and manage or advise clients on legal transactions.
3. Natural Sciences Managers	$127,000	Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, statistics, and research and development in these fields.
4. Engineering Managers	$122,810	Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as architecture and engineering or research and development in these fields.
5. Computer and Information Systems Managers	$120,640	Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as electronic data processing, information systems, systems analysis, and computer programming.
6. Marketing Managers	$120,070	Determine the demand for products and services offered by a firm and its competitors and identify potential customers.
7. Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers	$117,060	Pilot and navigate the flight of multi-engine aircraft in regularly scheduled service for the transport of passengers and cargo.
8. Financial Managers	$113,730	Plan, direct, and coordinate accounting, investing, banking, insurance, securities, and other financial activities of a branch, office, or department of an establishment.
9. General & Operations Managers	$110,550	Plan, direct, or coordinate the operations of companies or public and private sector organizations.
10. Computer & information scientists	$105,370	Conduct research into fundamental computer and information science as theorists, designers, or inventors.

Income and earning potential for careers in the health care industry is poised to rise due to the new reform measures. It is one of the few sectors that have grown over time and during severe economic drought. Look for this trend to continue.

If you want the highest paying jobs without a degree, you should look into sales jobs. Most of the other careers that you see on the list above require a college degree and advanced degrees. Most of them also require specialized training on top of that.

-----------------------------
By easyspeak

$20 Per Hour Blogger Company Home Based Jobs - Apply Now

2011-04-07T22:22:00.000-07:00

An entry-level company Blogger can earn less than $20 per hour (and many blogging jobs are part-time).

Apply Now for $20/hour Jobs

7 Basic Things You Won't Believe You're All Doing Wrong

2011-04-06T09:33:00.000-07:00

If you're like us, you might sometimes have a problem with complex tasks, like trying to drive an ambulance and send a text message at the same time. But hey, at least most of us have figured out the simplest things that get us through the day, right?

Except, you know, some of the simple things we've done every day of our lives, like ...

#7. Pooping

What could be simpler than taking a good crap? Even babies are good at it. You might be surprised, then, to find out that even those of us who can burp without throwing up get this wrong every single day.

The one who just threw up on the other one's shoulder is better at pooping.

Chances are the pooping facility nearest you is a sitting toilet, a relatively recent invention that flushed its way into mankind's heart with the advent of indoor plumbing in the 19th century. Indoor plumbing has turned out pretty well for the most part, but the pooping style that came with it definitely has not. Pooping on a modern sitting toilet is a big part of where hemorrhoids come from, and it can also cause diverticular disease, an age-related condition that pretty much only occurs in parts of the world where sitting toilets are used, and which can lead to a range of pleasantries up to and including colonic obstruction. And things aren't getting better: The last few decades have seen a rise in popularity of "comfort height" toilets that sit two to four inches higher off the ground than older models and that make our pooping predicament even worse.

Getty
Future toilets will exist just to kill us.

So how the hell are we meant to do it?

Luckily, there's a relatively simple way to end this poop dilemma. A 2003 study observed 28 people pooping in three positions: sitting on a high toilet, sitting on a lower one and squatting like they were catchers at a baseball game (catcher's mitt optional, but encouraged). After initially being mistaken for a German porn company, the researchers found that pooping took about a minute less when done squatting and that participants rated the experience as "easier" (God, we hope they were getting paid).

In fact, toilets that require you to squat that way have been the standard for most of human history and are still widely used in the non-Western world.

Getty
And urban centers of the Western world.

According to proctologists, "We were not meant to sit on toilets, we were meant to squat in the field." When you're in a sitting or standing position, you're forming an angle between the where the poop is and where the poop's gotta come out. There's even a muscle that's purpose is to tighten things up when we're sitting or standing to prevent accidents. Squatting straightens out this angle and removes the chokehold.

Getty
For no reason, here's an icing pipe.

If the thought of squatting awkwardly on top of your toilet seat isn't for you, you can produce a similar poop-enhancing angle by resting your feet on a footstool (or anything handy) and leaning the top half of your body forward.

Getty
Demonstrated here.

#6. Bathing

From a young age, we're taught that the daily use of a hot shower, copious amounts of soap and a scratchy washcloth are necessary to rid ourselves of dangerous microorganisms and the putrid smell of human skin. And if you aren't squeaky-clean, you can forget about dating, career advancement and the promise of a future that doesn't involve dying alone in a den of your own filth.

Getty
That's what college is for.

As it turns out, showering or bathing daily, while it may make us more socially acceptable, wreaks havoc on something hilariously called the horny layer. Hot water, soap and abrasive surfaces strip off the horny layer, exposing living cells to the elements. And although we've just used the words "strip," "exposing" and "horny" in the same sentence, we assure you that this is not the making of a sexy situation. On the contrary, damaging this protective layer of skin makes us more susceptible to disease.

Via Wikimedia Commons
Sexy disease.

Before recent modern conveniences, people bathed less often, and frequently in the same water. Even nowadays, showering doesn't kill bacteria or other microorganisms, though it does move them around. A colony of bacteria living on your shower wall might move to your leg; a colony from your leg might move to your head; a colony from your groin might even take up residence on your hands. For this reason, surgeons in many hospitals are not allowed to shower right before operating.

Getty
Not even you, Doctor McPenishands!

Studies have shown that there are no measurable differences in the number of microorganism colonies a person is host to regardless of how frequently that person showers. Of course, using antibacterial soaps can kill microorganisms, though in an effort not to create too many super bacteria, medical experts generally recommend not using these soaps daily.

Getty
"Say what you like, but you have to admit my bones are super shiny!"

So how the hell are we meant to do it?

The most important thing to do to keep the skin healthy is to preserve the horny layer. There's no magic number of showers each week, though it's generally agreed that the number would fall somewhat shy of seven. Skipping showers, or, if you'd like a fancy French term, celebrating sans douche days, gives your skin time to repair some of the damage that the last shower caused.

Getty
Any more than a day and there's no amount of French that'll get rid of Eau de Sewer.

When you shower, use warm or cool water and a mild soap (if at all), and rehydrate the horny layer by rubbing on some moisturizer afterward. Better yet, convince an attractive friend to help with this. Once you've cleaned up, you'll want to make sure you air dry. Ignore protesting roommates or family members and remind them, as you're drip-drying at the breakfast table, that they should be grateful you're showering only a couple of times a week.

Getty
"Kids, ignore your father while I try to remember why I married him."

#5. Breathing

Congratulations: Chances are that if you're reading this, and you're not a ghost, you've managed to figure out breathing. On the other hand, chances are you're also doing it wrong.

iStockphoto
You're also suddenly aware that you're breathing now.

Take a deep breath right now. We'll wait. If you're anything like most people, you raised your shoulders a little and puffed out your chest like a pigeon in heat. You probably don't see anything wrong with using your chest to breathe, since after all, that's where your lungs are. What the hell else are you going to use? Your thighs? Well, smartass, it turns out that the muscle you're supposed to use to breathe, your diaphragm, is under your lungs and closer to your belly.

Via Wikimedia Commons
Shown here as the white mass on the bottom of this X-ray of Tom Cruise (may not actually be Tom Cruise).

When upright, most people are habitual chest breathers: We use a shallow form of respiration that makes use of only the top part of the lungs. In reality, most of the blood vessels that take up oxygen are in the bottom, neglected half. Since so much lung power is going to waste, we get less oxygen, and as a result, we're all breathing more rapidly than nature intended us to.

Chest breathing also tends to upset the blood's oxygen/carbon dioxide balance and can lead to headaches, fatigue, anxiety and even panic attacks. According to one expert, you're also potentially suffering from sweaty palms, difficulty relaxing, heightened pain perception and general fatigue.

Photos.com
Or as most people call it -- a "first date."

So how the hell are we meant to do it?

It turns out that breathing is one area in which babies are much smarter than you. Babies use a deeper type of respiration called abdominal breathing, which strengthens and makes full use of their diaphragms. It's only as we grow older that we revert to the more inefficient style. Luckily, you can train your body to go back to breathing properly, and over time, you can even breathe abdominally in your sleep.

Photos.com
Not to be confused with snoring, which is just breathing abominably.

To practice it, try to "inflate" your stomach as you breathe in, while keeping your chest relatively still. Then contract your abdominal muscles on the exhale. Not only will this give you more oxygen per breath, it will eventually strengthen the diaphragm. A stronger diaphragm means you get more oxygen with each breath, so your brain won't need to divert any away from your muscles, meaning that you get tired less easily.

Photos.com
Try this now at work, and observe as people kindly give you more breathing space!

A study on cardiac patients showed that this type of breathing leads to improved exercise performance and decreased shortness of breath, and it's also been linked to lower blood pressure. This is the reason that so many coaches recommend breathing practice as a shortcut to sports-based superpowers.

Getty
"I'll have you know this exercise is recommended by my doctor."

#4. Sleeping

OK, so maybe you can't handle pooping, breathing or much else that you'd think would come naturally. But surely just lying in bed every night is OK, right? So why the hell do you keep waking up at 3 a.m.? You lie there, wondering what the hell is wrong with you. Will I oversleep? you wonder. How will I find the time to sit down and poop in the morning?

Getty
"I have to remember to breathe, too. I can't deal with all this."

If this happens to you often, you're not alone. Chances are, if you mention waking up like this to your doctor, it'll be diagnosed as a "sleep disorder," and you'll be given one of the tens of millions of prescriptions for sleeping pills handed out to Americans each year. You'll pop some Ambien, only to awaken a few hours later beating up a police officer. What on earth went wrong?

Getty
To be fair, you couldn't have known that wasn't a real truncheon.

So how the hell are we meant to do it?

In this case, you're already doing it right. It's your reaction that's wrong.

The idea that an uninterrupted eight hours is the only sleep pattern natural to mankind is surprisingly recent. Before someone who wasn't Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, people in areas with more than eight hours of darkness usually slept in segments: three to five hours of sleep, an hour of wakefulness and then another three to five hour nap. The hour or so of awake time was used for quiet reflection, sex, smoking and pretty much everything except staring at the wall terrified of insomnia. In fact, this small window of consciousness was renowned as the best time for boning, as the tranquility between the first and second sleep was known as being uniquely suited to getting up to mischief with the person lying bored beside you.

Getty
This isn't compulsory.

In recent times, artificial light has pushed our normal bedtime back later and later, and this segmented sleep has been compressed into a single eight hours. Still, our brains are naturally wired for pre-light-bulb days. In a monthlong experiment, healthy subjects were given a long artificial "night" lasting 14 hours. They quickly reverted to the segmented pattern, waking up for an hour or two of "peaceful wakefulness" between two three to five hour stretches.

Getty
By the end of the experiment, all the women were pregnant.

So why do we still wake up even when we've been up until midnight watching Deadliest Warrior marathons? Well, some people tend to revert to this natural sleep cycle despite all the artificial light, especially during dark winter months. Fortunately, having this sort of technology-resistant superbrain doesn't necessarily spell disaster. According to experts, if you stay calm and allow yourself to fall back to sleep naturally rather than lying there wondering why you're awake, you usually won't see any negative effects the next day.

Getty
Unless you leave the TV on while you sleep.

#3. Having Babies

Obviously, giving birth to a smaller human might take a lot more effort than breathing. But when you realize that even the idiot deer that tried to jump in front of your car last month has probably managed to produce young, you would hope that we smart modern humans are getting it really right. Not so. Today, the majority of women in America are still directed to give birth in the "lithotomy" position, an odd pose that consists of lying flat on your back with your feet and legs raised, sometimes in stirrups.
Getty
Stirrups? This woman has clearly just given birth to this horse.
In fact, short of actually duct-taping your legs together, this is pretty much the worst position imaginable to give birth in. And that's not the opinion of a bunch of hippies who think that childbirth should involve dolphins and mood lighting: The World Health Organization has called use of the lithotomy position "clearly harmful," and recommended that it be eliminated.
Getty
Or monetized for the S&M industry.
And when you think about it, it's not hard to see their point: With the woman on her back, the baby is actually fighting gravity on its way into the world, and rest assured, that baby is in no hurry whatsoever to escape a world in which breathing and eating are already taken care of. The result: a more difficult labor and an increased rate of severe vaginal tearing.
Getty
The whole right side of this picture looks like the end of 300.
And as if that image was not utterly horrifying enough, directed pushing (those people who stand around the mother yelling "Push!") has been shown to increase perineal damage and childbirth pain while also decreasing the amount of oxygen that gets to the fetus.
So how the hell are we meant to do it?
Basically, the head-down, legs-in-the-air position has become standard in modern medicine mainly because it gives doctors direct and unrestricted access to your hoo-hoo. The thing is, having babies is a lot like making babies -- there's no one position that suits every situation. The World Health Organization recommends giving women the opportunity to move around during labor and change their position according to what feels right.
iStockphoto
The "champagne cork" position.
But science can tell us that non-lying-down positions reduce tearing and that a squatting labor position usually opens up the pelvis by 10 percent. And as anyone who has ever got their head stuck in a drainpipe knows, a 10 percent increase in space can sometimes mean a lot. Basically, squatting should be given some sort of medal at this point.
Getty
Knight Commander of the OB-GYN.

#2. Tooth Brushing

Bad breath is a great way to lose new friends. Nobody wants to talk to or sit next to someone whose breath is outlawed by the terms of the Geneva Conventions. So thank goodness we learned to brush our teeth so much.
Well, actually, our obsessive-compulsive tooth-brushing practices lead to deteriorating oral health, including increased numbers of cavities and eventual tooth loss. Traditional wisdom, as dictated to us from a young age by school-visiting dentists with happy, anthropomorphic teeth printed on their shirts, is that we should brush twice a day, after meals. That makes sense, because you're getting rid of all those hamburger particles wedged between your teeth before they can start rotting and convert your breath into a chemical weapon.
Getty
"Oh, stop being dramatic, Carl. Carl?"
But surprise -- you're wrong. British dentists are now recommending that people, especially small people between the ages of five and 10, not brush their teeth after every meal. The reason is that the acidity in food and beverages causes tooth enamel to soften, and brushing right after eating an acidic meal strips enamel from the teeth, leaving them vulnerable to cavities. Leaving a little food behind actually doesn't cause as much damage as your toothbrush does as it scrubs the natural protective layer off the teeth. Up yours, dentists.
Getty
So how the hell are we meant to do it?
Studies show that flossing is much more important than brushing. Dental floss actually removes the bacteria that clump together between your teeth, without scrubbing and stripping layers off them.
But before you run to your dentist and smugly assert that Cracked told you that brushing is bad for you, brushing twice a day is generally still believed to be the best practice. But you should do it away from mealtimes to give your teeth time to recover from acid wear -- ideally, right before you eat or drink anything. And although you might instinctively prefer a hard toothbrush to really grind off those asshole bacteria, studies suggest you should use a soft brush and focus on your gums more than your actual teeth. So it's really more of a tooth massage.
Getty
And no massage is complete without a happy-ending mouthwash.

#1. Sitting

We've mentioned before that long periods of sitting increase your risk of diabetes, heart disease and even frickin' cancer, no matter how much you work out when you're not sitting. We also mentioned that for some bizarre reason, sitting down for long periods of time means that you'll probably die earlier. What we didn't mention is that this is all because of the invention of chairs.
Via Wikimedia Commons
Thanks, Egypt.
The straight-backed chairs we're familiar with today have been around for thousands of years, but until recently, they were almost exclusively for really important people. We've still got words like "chairman" and "university chair" that show the connection between a thronelike chair and leadership. As recently as the 19th century, the default mode for the average person was a backless stool or a bench, or just plain old kneeling.
Getty
Or the stocks.
And you guessed it -- our bodies aren't designed for the right-angled back support presented by the average chair. When we're standing up, or even sitting on something backless, our abdominal muscles are active, helping our spines support our weight. When you're sitting on a chair, these muscles relax, and suddenly your spine alone has to take the entire weight of your upper torso, like a twig holding up a bowling ball. The extra stress puts pressure on your spinal disks and can eventually lead to chronic back pain, something that's experienced by 80 percent of Americans.
Getty
So how the hell are we meant to do it?
Some experts on sitting recommend "active sitting" (which sounds about as relaxing as sleepercising) using an exercise ball, kneeling stool or something else without a high back. There are also standing desks. But if you don't want to look like a cubicle worker whose office manager reads too many furniture design magazines, there's another option: A study used an MRI to measure the spinal disk movement of three groups of people: one sitting, one slouching and one lying back at a 135-degree angle with their feet on the floor. The last group showed the least disk movement. By the way, this reclining position was common during the Roman Empire, including in Jesus' time. So try it at work, and tell your boss you're avoiding future sick days and deepening your religious experience.

"I bet Jesus would take off with the company credit card too!"

------------------------------
By C. Coville, Crystal Beran

So, Um, Like I Really Want This Job, Ya Know?

2011-04-01T10:47:00.000-07:00

For years baby boomers have been aggravated by young job applicants who use terms like, "uh," "like" and "ya know" excessively, and now there's research that says it's more than just an aggravation -- it could well be a deal breaker.

That's according to research conducted by the Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. For the study, they set up mock job interviews with hiring professionals, and then spoke with the interviewers about their impressions.

They came to the conclusion that adult professionals were least likely to want to hire those who used the word "like" excessively and incorrectly. The interviewers also perceived the applicant to be less professional, and were less likely to recommend the interviewee for hiring.

Gratuitous, as well as incorrect use of the word "like" seems to really rub many people the wrong way, and most of those who overuse it have no idea they're doing it. Sentences such as, "So he's like, 'You're the best worker I've ever seen,' and that, like, made me feel I'm like, so professional," could drive an interviewer mad. Surprisingly enough, the interviewers preferred "uh" to "like."

"Ya know?" is another over-used phrase that annoys many people. To become more aware of it, count the number of times it's used in conversations on reality shows like 'The Bachelor,' where the chats are often similar to mini interviews. Or, have your best friend count the number of times you say "Ya know?" during the course of a five minute conversation. The number of times it pops up will probably amaze you.

-------------------------

By Lisa Johnson Mandell

These companies are in search of employees/workers - apply for job now

2011-03-30T11:56:00.000-07:00

01. Aaron's Sales and Lease

Aaron's operates both company-owned and franchise stores across 48 U.S. states and Canada. The company provides lease-to-own payment plans on a variety of durable retail products, such as furniture, appliances, televisions, and video game systems. Customers have the option of choosing from 6-, 12-, 18-, or 24-month payment plans.

The company has already announced plans to hire 1,000 new workers in 2011. As the economy begins to improve, it's hoped that consumers will start spending at rent-to-own furniture retailers before shopping at more traditional retailers, due to lower up-front costs. If this strategy pans out, companies like Aaron's could be in an excellent position to benefit from an economic upswing.

Employee Review: Aaron's was and continues to be a financially growing company that is growing despite the economy. They offer decent pay, good benefits and the POTENTIAL to make a lot of money ...*

Top Job Categories:

02. AMC Entertainment

The company operates 361 theaters, housing 5,203 screens across the United States and Canada. Of these screens, 810 have 3D capability and 107 are of the large-screen IMAX format. AMC Entertainment currently employs around 16,800 full and part-time staff.

AMC recently announced a partnership with Chinese film production company China Lion. The arrangement will allow many of China Lion's films to be shown at AMC theaters. The idea behind the deal is to allow both companies greater access into the Chinese-American market as well as the ability to reach other American fans of Chinese cinema.

Already, China Lion has begun making films designed to be released in both countries. They have been tweaking their films' content to make them more appealing to the new broader target market.

Employee Review: Working at AMC has its benefits including free movies, a good work life balance, and the enjoyment of working in a fun industry. There's lots of work to do, so you'll never bored ...*

Top Job Categories:

03. Kimberly-Clark

Kimberly-Clark is a giant in the field of personal hygiene products. The company's brands include Kleenex tissues, Scott paper towels, and both Huggies and Pull-Ups diapers among others.

Kimberly-Clark recently began testing the sale of their new Scott Naturals Tube-Free toilet paper at Walmart and Sam's Club locations across the northeastern United States. If sales figures are positive, the new product could be rolled out across the country in no time.

Kimberly-Clark has announced plans to sell several of their pulp manufacturing plants. The cash generated from the sales of these facilities could help fuel job growth at the company, depending on how the reinvestment is structured.

Employee Review: A global company with a strong career growth potential. Opportunity to gain knowledge, and work with some of the best individuals in their respective fields.*

Top Job Categories:

04. Hewlett Packard (HP)

Hewlett Packard, headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif., currently ranks 10th on the Fortune 500. The company ships around 48 million PCs each year, making it the largest supplier of PCs worldwide. With revenues of $126 billion for their 2010 fiscal year, the company is also the largest IT company in the world. HP currently operates in 170 countries worldwide and has over 300,000 employees.

Hewlett Packard recently announced that starting sometime next year, all their PCs will ship with both Microsoft Windows and WebOS loaded. The new operating system is HP's foray into the world of tablet-style operating systems, and is their attempt to compete with Apple's iPad and Android-based tablets.

Employee Review: The new CEO seems to want to reinvigorate a culture of innovation, bringing products to market faster and truly recognizing, valuing and developing employees ...*

Top Job Categories:

05. Furniture Row Companies

The Denver-based company is one of the largest family-owned retail furniture companies in the United States. The company operates 330 stores in 31 states along with 4 U.S.-based manufacturing centers.

The company is know for its Furniture Row Outlets, which provide several individually focused furniture store outlets, side-by-side, in a strip-mall-like setting. The idea behind the design is to allow customers to quickly find the type of merchandise they are looking for, instead of having to navigate through a large department store-style layout.

The company has been experimenting with only having its stores open for three days each week (Friday, Saturday and Sunday). At the test locations, the staff spends their "off days" restocking the store for the following weekend. The idea is to present customers with significantly different product offerings each week.

Employee Review: Working at the company offers opportunities for growth. Overall there are lots of good people in the company. The organization is willing to spend money on training, and working there offers a chance to travel and see new places.*

Top Job Categories:

06. LexisNexis

LexisNexis employs over 15,000 worldwide and has customers in over 100 countries. Through their database, the company provides legal, news, and business information complied from over 45,000 sources. A household name in the legal field, LexisNexis revolutionized legal research beginning in the late '60s with the advent of electronically searchable legal records.

The company recently hosted a mergers and acquisitions (M&A) conference in Shanghai, China, to bring together companies working in China's growing M&A field. LexisNexis's presence in this emerging market could provide the company with significant growth over the next few years.

Employee Review: Working at LexisNexis allows you to gain experience using cutting edge technologies. You get to work with very smart people. I was fortunate enough to have friendly co-workers during my time there.*

Top Job Categories:

07. PepsiCo

As one of the largest beverage brands in the world, Pepsi is a household name just about anywhere you go. The company is also involved in the food industry with subsidiaries Frito-Lay and Quaker Foods in the United States, as well as Sabritas and Gamesa in Mexico.

PepsiCo recently announced the development of a 100 percent recyclable bottle made from bio-based raw materials. Right now the new bottles are being derived from switch grass, pine bark, corn husks, and other sources. In the future the company hopes to be able to create the bottles from sources such as orange peels, potato peels, oat hulls and other byproducts from its food businesses.

Employee Review: PepsiCo is a great place to work! The thing that makes it different than other companies is the PEOPLE. The environment is very innovation driven and fast paced.*

Top Job Categories:

08. CarMax

Beginning with a single store in Richmond, Va., in 1993, the company has grown to its present size of over 100 stores across the country. To date the company has sold over 2 million cars and appraised over 5 million. CarMax is currently a member of the Fortune 500, and has also been included in Fortune's list of the "100 Best Companies to Work For." The company had a good year last year due to the fact that new and used auto sales were up 20 percent from 2009.

The company has begun building a new superstore in Escondido, Calif. The new location is expected to open in mid-2011 and will create 50 to 75 new jobs. The superstore will be the company's second location in the Greater San Diego area.

Employee Review: CarMax is an associate focused company. There are some employees that struggle with working retail hours, but management does its best to facilitate scheduling. CarMax is a growing company, so if you are willing to move, you can be promoted. Loved working there and I would go back if possible.*

Top Job Categories:

09. Arby's

The company was founded in 1964, by brothers Leroy and Forest Raffel with an innovative idea, to provide a fast-food alternative to the omnipresent hamburger. From a single store, the company has grown to its present size of around 3,600 locations.

In 2005 Triarc acquired RTM Restaurant Group, which is Arby's largest franchisee. Triarc went on to merge with Wendy's International Inc., and the combined company is now the third largest fast-food company in the United States.

Currently, the company is actively promoting their new Angus Three Cheese & Bacon sandwich. Coming in at a whopping 660 calories, with 33 grams of fat, the sandwich does not cater to the health-food crowd. Instead, it seems the plan is to get customers through the door based on the new offering's taste and presentation.

Employee Review: Arby's allows employees to work flexible hours, especially when working around school schedules. When working enough hours to get a lunch break, you are allowed to pick items from a 'free food list'...*

Top Job Categories:

10. Walmart

With over 2 million employees worldwide, Walmart Inc. is the largest private employer in the United States. The company has steadily grown since founder Sam Walton opened the first Walmart-branded store in 1962.

Starting as a discount retail operation, the company has grown to include a line of supercenters and a significant grocery operation. The company is now so prevalent that over 170 million customers visit Walmart stores around the world each week. In addition to its Walmart-branded activities, the company owns and operates the Sam's Club wholesale centers.

Employee Review: They were very flexible with my school schedule and when I left the company, the people in my department actually threw a party for me. It was shocking! Wal-Mart seemed to be very concerned about making sure employees took their breaks (not something I was used to)... *

Top Job Categories:

Are You a Dragon (Yin) or a Tiger (Yang)?

2011-03-24T07:31:00.000-07:00

The Chinese philosophy of feng shui is over 3,000 years old, but still carries weight to this day. At the core of the feng shui teachings is the belief that everything in the universe is comprised of complementary equals, the yin representing female qualities and the yang being the male qualities. The Chinese refer to this as the yin-yang theory. We have night, but we also have day. We have work, but we also have play. It is also called the law of the unity of opposites.

Furthermore, if you are able to calculate and discover which personality type you are, (yin or yang) you can enjoy greater success and happiness in everything from your home and family life to your career.

Take this short quiz below to discover whether you are a dragon (yin) or a tiger (yang) and which careers best suit you.

1. Which season do you prefer?

a. Summer

b. Winter

2. What is your favorite time of day?

a. Morning

b. Evening

3. How do you like to spend your free time?

a. Being active

b. Resting and relaxing

4. How would you describe your personality?

a. Aggressive

b. Passive

5. How do you make decisions?

a. Based on logical, linear thoughts

b. Based on hunches and emotions

6. How are your eyes set on your face?

a. Closely together, deeply set and narrow

b. Wide and far apart

7. How would your cheekbones be described?

a. Strong and pronounced

b. Slight

8. How would you describe your workplace demeanor?

a. Serious and organized

b. Careless of time and cluttered

9. How would you describe your thought process?

a. Rational

b. Use holistic thinking

10. Which is your dominant brain?

a. Left-brain: more structured and logical

b. Right-brain: more creative and free

Scoring:

Give yourself 10 points for every A response and 5 points for every B response.

If your score is between 50-70, you are predominantly a yin (feminine) personality, but have a significant amount of yang traits as well.

If your score is between 0-50, you are a yin personality.

Yang Occupations

Yang occupations tend to be more physical than mental in nature and include occupations such as construction worker, police officer, athlete, engineer, actor or military personnel.

Yin Occupations

Yin occupations focus less on the physical and more on the mental and include occupations such as writer, researcher, artist, librarian, teacher, dancer, fashion designer, or office administrator.

-------------------------

By Gwen Parkes

Time Management: 44 Key Strategies

2011-03-22T08:22:00.000-07:00

In today’s day and age we can easily become overwhelmed with information, people and tasks that sometimes tend to get the best of us. Without effective knowledge, strategies and tools, it is easy to see how too many small things can lead to so much stress and discomfort for people. It is this feeling of overwhelm – of not feeling capable of being able to deal with many tasks or situations at one time – that leads to chronic stress and fatigue. However, rest assured there is a way that we can effectively take charge and gain back control over our lives. The secret lies in learning simple yet effective time management skills that will get you thinking about the process of time in a unique and potentially unexpected way.

Throughout this post we will discuss the time management process and effective strategies for making the most use of your time. We will take a look at techniques and skills that will allow you to gain more time throughout your day. Fourthly, we will break down the mindset of an effective and efficient time manager. And finally we will delve into common time wasters that could be eating up more time than you might have expected.

The Time Management Process

Learning a new skill and a set of strategies involves a process that must be diligently followed and acted upon. At first undertaking this process might feel uncomfortable and somewhat tedious. That is understandable; as anything new takes time and effort to practice and eventually absorb into our daily routine.

When it comes to time management the process is pretty straightforward, however it may take a little patience and some effort – at first – before it eventually becomes ingrained into our psyche as a new habit. Here are some suggestions to get you started along your journey towards becoming a better time manager:

Begin by Tracking Your Time

The only way to improve your time management skills is to learn from – and understand – your current time management habits. This process simply involves carrying around a notepad, and jotting down what you are doing every 15 minutes.

After 1 week, you should have a good and thorough understanding where you are spending your time and where you are wasting it. Do not move onto any other time management strategies until you successfully undertake this step. After 1 week, analyze your time logs and determine where you feel you could be more productive.

Set SMART Goals

Once you have a clear understanding of your time management habits, you are now ready to setup the bigger picture by setting and writing down S.M.A.R.T. Goals.

S…pecific: Your goals must be very specific in terms of what you would like to accomplish.

M…easurable: Your goals must have a time measure, or in other words a date of when they will be accomplished.

A…chievable: Your goals must be achievable given the resources you have available to you.

R…ealistic: Your goals must be realistic given the time frame you have laid out to accomplish them.

T…imed: Your goals must be timed, meaning that they must be broken down into smaller short-term objectives that lead to medium and long-term goals. Through an understanding of the bigger picture you are working towards, you will be better equipped to more effectively manage your time.

Follow Up with Plans of Action

Whenever goals are set, a plan of action must immediately follow. Create a quick writeup and general action plan of how you will go about achieving these goals.

Create Task Specific TO DO Lists

Now take your Plan of Action and convert it into a Master TO DO List of all the things that you must do in order to achieve this bigger picture.

Prioritize Your Tasks Accordingly

Now that you have your Master TO DO List written out, the next step is to create a Daily TO DO List where you write down and specify 6 key important tasks that you will do today. As a general rule of thumb you should be spending your time on Important rather than Urgent tasks.

Many of us spend so much time during the day trying to put out fires. We deal with so many low important urgent tasks and activities that keep us busy and moving – then at the end of the day we wonder how in the world we accomplished so little. Step out of this habit trap today and begin focusing on just the important tasks before they become urgent and potentially stress inducing.

Chunk Down Your Tasks

By grouping your tasks into similar categories of activities you will become far more productive and time efficient. For instance, make all your telephone calls within a ONE block hour, and respond to all your emails during only specific times of the day. You can also group stationary activities (when you are at your desk) together with other activities that don’t require you to move around your office. Once your “chunk time” is over, simply move onto something else, without making any further telephone calls or writing up emails.

Schedule Blocks of Time to do Tasks

When setting tasks, be sure to specify how much time you will be spending on each of these activities. If you do not specify a time, you may become caught up in wasting time on activities that are simply taking up too much time. Every task and activity must be set around a realistic and achievable time frame. Do whatever you can to accomplish this activity within the time frame you have set. And when time has lapsed, immediately move onto something else. Don’t allow perfection to sabotage your success as an efficient and proficient time manager.

Stick to the 80 / 20 Rule

The 80 / 20 Rule states that 80% of your efforts will bring about only 20% of the results. On the flip-side, 20% of your efforts will bring about 80% of your results. Knowing this, identify the highest value activities that will have the largest impact on your success at the end of the day, week, month and year. Focus on accomplishing these tasks and activities first, before moving onto the 80% of activities that will only bring about 20% of the result. The 80 / 20 Rule is a large in-depth topic that will become a future Mind Map.

Balance Your Routine

Finally, establish a daily, weekly and monthly routine schedule that will keep you moving forward and focusing on your most important goals, tasks and activities. Routines are excellent ways of forming new and empowering habits that will help you become an effective time manager. However, be sure that at all costs you keep your routine balanced personally and professionally.

Effective Time Management Strategies

When it comes to time management, there are some simple strategies that we can apply into our daily routine that will instantly make us more productive and efficient. Here are some suggestions to get you started:

Be Flexible with Your Time

Know and understand that the day will rarely go as you had planned. Emergencies will pop up and unexpected events may change your course and direction. You must be prepared for situations like these by creating a “Buffer” system within your schedule. This “Buffer” will allow you time throughout your day to deal with unexpected events and circumstances. However, be very careful not to become lost within these scenarios.

Set a time limit for yourself in respect to how much time you will spend in putting out these fires, and then return back to your most important activities without a second thought. Just keep focusing on the bigger picture and keep moving forward with what is most important in respect to your end result.

Be Inflexible with Setting Time Limits

While it is important to be flexible with your schedule and routine, it is however critical that you are inflexible when it comes to setting time limits for specific tasks and activities. Determine how much time you will spend on important activities and stick with them until time has elapsed (unless the activity or task is finished ahead of time of course). By being inflexible with setting your time, you will become more effective and efficient throughout your day.

Organize Yourself

Get yourself organized by starting with your thoughts. If you are finding that there is just too much information circulating around your mind at one time, than develop a strategy of writing your thoughts out on paper and clearing your head from all these heavy weights. Once your plans, tasks and ideas are on paper, your head will be much clearer and more organized.

Organize Your Environment

Do you waste many precious minutes of your day simply looking for things? If you answered YES, than you know what you must do. Simply organize your files and folders in ways that will make things quick and easy to find at a moments notice.

Another area you should take a look at is your computer and emails. If you are spending too much time browsing through icons, folders and files, trying to look for something that should be easy to find, than you might want to look at rearranging your computer folder system and email management process.

Remember, the initial process of organizing your environment is the easy part. It is the ongoing process of keeping it organized that may be difficult for the unprepared mind. As a simple tip, just follow the rule of putting things away where you found them, or storing things immediately when you receive them. The moment you leave one piece of paper lying around “where it don’t belong”, is the moment when you start to lose control.

Get Organized by Setting Reminders

Two simple ways to remind yourself about task and activities is to use Sticky Notes or to carry around a Voice Recorder. Both are proven ways of capturing quick ideas that you can later transfer into your Daily TO DO List.

Identify Bad Habits

As you are moving through the process of organizing yourself and your environment, keep a watchful eye on “Time Sapping” habits that may sabotage your progress and success. Identify them and work on strategies to rid yourself of these nasty habits once and for all.

How to Gain More Time Throughout Your Day

It is said that no matter how busy we may appear to be, that we can all gain time throughout our day by either improving certain skill-sets or through applying simple techniques and strategies that will make us more efficient and proficient when it comes to effectively managing our time. Here are some suggestions that will get you thinking in the right direction:

Improve Critical Time Management Skill Areas

The following are a set of skills we must all work on improving throughout our days in order to become a far more effective and efficient time manager.

Computer Literacy

Improve your Computer Literacy by learning how to use certain pieces of software that will cut down the time, energy and effort it takes you to undertake specific tasks and activities. Even learning simple program shortcuts can dramatically cut down the time it takes you to write a report or prepare a presentation. Look online for beginner tutorials or find a workshop or course within your area.

Creative Capacity

Learning to be creative will allow you to develop ingenious and unique ideas on how to save time and become more productive throughout your day.

Critical Thinking & Problem Solving Skills

Having the ability to think critically about situations will allow you to spend less time on the process of thinking and more time on doing and implementing.

Delegating Ability

Learning how to delegate work efficiently and effectively will save you an ample amount of time. Having another pair of hands undertaking the tasks and activities that you would normally spend time on, clearly frees you up to focus on other matters. The opportunity cost of paying someone to do something could well be the catalyst that makes you both more efficient and proficient. This will become a future Mind Map.

Negotiation Skills

Sometimes because we cannot agree with others about how things should be, it naturally draws time away from more important matters. By learning how to negotiate more effectively you will reach a satisfactory agreement much faster, which will therefore allow you time to focus on other matters. This will become a future Mind Map.

Emotional Intelligence

Whenever our emotions tend to get the better of us, we lose time, and become very unproductive in the process. Emotional Intelligence involves the process of taking proactive control of our emotions and projecting them in ways that will boost our productivity and performance. This will become a future Mind Map.

Multitasking Ability

Spend time grouping tasks and activities together, and work on developing and improving your multitasking abilities. As a cautionary note – on very important tasks that require a lot of thought and attention it is suggested that you do not multi-task.

Decision Making Ability

The faster you are able to reach a definitive decision, the more time you will save. This will become a future Mind Map.

Speed of Reading

The faster you learn to read and absorb information the more information you will cover in less time.

Techniques to Help You Gain More Time

The following is a list of just a few techniques you can utilize on a daily basis to help you become a more efficient and effective time manager.

Utilize Affirmations

Simple affirmations like “I am becoming more efficient and proficient with my time each and every day” – will keep you on the right track towards your time management goals.

Take Regular Breaks

Your body and mind need regular breaks throughout the day. On the surface working 5 hours straight might seem as though it will result in more productivity. However, we must understand that spending long hours of time on a certain activity fatigues the brain and stumps creativity and a person’s problem solving abilities. By taking regular breaks you refresh the mind, clarify the thought processes, and improve the creativity and flow of information.

Learn to Say “No”

By simply saying “NO” to people’s requests for help and assistance, you will avoid committing yourself to something that will eat up your time and make you feel guilty in the process.

Create Systems & Processes

Everything that you do can be created into an effective system or process that could dramatically shorten the time the task or activity normally takes to perform. Commit yourself towards thinking in SYSTEMS. Simply ask yourself.

How can I simplify this activity into a system or process that will save me time, energy, money and effort?

Eliminate Unnecessary Obligations & Tasks

Sometimes we simply do not have time because we spend too much time on unnecessary and low value tasks, activities or obligations that we have tied ourselves down to. Commit yourself today and make a decision to eliminate these obligations, tasks and activities once and for all.

Commit to Constant Improvement

Everything can and should always be improved upon on a daily basis. No matter what kind of task, activity or process you are undertaking, everything can be improved if you continuously feed your mind with questions that will expand your thinking and awareness about the way you are going about your daily obligations. Just learn to ask yourself the right questions and you will be rewarded with answers that will save you both time and money. For more information on how to use effective questioning strategies, visit the miWisdom Blog.

The Mindset of an Efficient Time Manager

When it comes to effectively managing your time, techniques and strategies will only take you part of the way. One must also learn to cultivate a mindset that will naturally compliment these strategies in ways that expand one’s awareness and understanding of time. Here is a closer look at the time efficiency mindset:

Critical Time Efficiency Questions

The first step towards a time efficiency mindset begins with asking yourself the right kinds of questions to stimulate thoughts about how you are utilizing your time. Throughout your day ask yourself the following 3 questions. These questions will keep you focused and centered on what is most important:

What is the best use of my time right now?

What is the future impact of this activity?

Am I the best person to perform this job?

Become an “Optimistic Realist”

Becoming an Optimistic Realist means being optimistic about your ability to get things done in the most effective and efficient manner. Moreover, it also means that you understand possible obstacles, challenges and problems that may arise, and therefore you have outlined a set of steps or plan to overcome them in a proficient manner.

Become “Proactive” Rather than “Reactive”

Being proactive means that you are physically and emotionally taking charge of the tasks and activities that you are responsible for on a daily basis. Despite unexpected surprises and challenges that may arise, you remain calm and under control, thinking proactively in ways that will bring about solutions and move you forward in a productive manner. If on the other hand you are always physically and emotionally reacting to events and circumstances, you will suffer the consequences through experiencing the emotions of fear, overwhelm and stress.

Apply Focused Concentration

To become an efficient time manager, you must display focused effort and concentration on nothing other than the activity you are currently undertaking. Remove absolutely all distractions and zero in on just the task at hand.

Don’t Seek Perfection

If you have a habit of seeking to perfect everything you do, than you have very little chance of being a great and proficient time manager. Realize that perfection is simply an opinion. What you consider as being perfect may not be how others look at the situation. On the other hand, your imperfect actions may indeed be more than satisfactory for others. Ask yourself, “Will an extra 10 minutes spent on this activity really make a significant difference to the end result?” If the answer is NO, than you know what to do.

Show Commitment & Discipline towards Completing Your Tasks

When you set a task or activity for yourself, commit yourself towards applying diligent consistent effort to do whatever it takes to get the job done within the time frame you outlined for yourself. Only with this type of mentality will you develop the necessary habits that will evolve you into an efficient time manager.

Show an Enthusiastic Attitude

Throughout your day no matter what sudden surprises or problems pop up, keep a smile on your face and a bubbly attitude. Simply see everything as a challenge that you will work through in a progressive and proactive manner towards the bigger objectives and goals you would have outlined when we began this discussion. An enthusiastic attitude will also keep your energies high when things seem to be falling down all around you.

Common Time Wasting Activities

As wonderful as it is to cultivate the habits of efficient and effective time management, it is equally important to grasp an understanding of where we might be wasting our time on activities that simply provide us with little value or reward. Here are just a few time wasting activities that may be robbing you of more than just your time:

Avoid the Habits of Procrastination & Laziness

Procrastination is the habit of simply avoiding a certain activity through any means possible. Be very careful with this one, because procrastination sometimes sneaks up on us when we least expect it. Even simple things as planning too much, taking an extended lunch-break, having too many breaks, etc – all are key signals of procrastination. Keep an eye out on these signals and work on cultivating the Time Efficiency Mindset discussed above.

Avoid the Trap of “Waiting”

Whether you are waiting in line at the grocery store, or for your appointment to arrive; it all means one thing – you are simply wasting time when you could be doing something that will bring you a greater sense of fulfillment and the result you want most at the end of the day. However, sometimes these kinds of things are simply unavoidable. In that instance, prepare yourself in advance by taking some reading materials or making important telephone calls.

As long as every minute of your working day you are doing something that keeps you moving forward and gets you the end result you are after, than you are on the right path towards mastering your time.

Avoid Constant Disruptions

Disruptions will make you lose focus, concentration and will interrupt your creativity and thinking processes. Studies have shown that it can take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes after a disruption has occurred for a person to gain back the momentum they had before the disruption. To avoid these occurrences, simply inform others that you will not be available during a specific period of time, and that you don’t want to be disturbed unless it is a personal emergency.

Avoid the Habit of Just “Staying Busy”

Staying busy is a form of procrastination. There are just so many things that we can do throughout our day that have very little impact on our goals and objectives. Go back to the 80 / 20 rule and commit yourself to working on the 20% of activities and tasks that will help you accomplish 80% of your goals and objectives. Only once these tasks have been completed should you move on to the 80%.

Avoid the Technology Trap

Technology is great, if used in a way that will benefit your long-term goals and objectives. On the other hand, if technology is abused it can sabotage your time and lock you away into the habit of ongoing procrastination. Too much internet surfing, email responding, watching television, talking over the telephone, or listening endlessly to the radio will sabotage your time probably more than anything else on this list.

Avoid these 3 Time Robbing Emotions

The 3 emotions of Fear, Stress and Overwhelm are all an outcropping of one’s inability to proactively manage their time. If you are able to use and apply all the techniques and strategies discussed within this post, than these emotions will no longer inflict you in their energy sapping ways.

Final Thoughts

Applying the habits of Effective Time Management takes a little diligent effort, however if consistently practiced and implemented throughout your day, it will lead to a greater sense of satisfaction and freedom that you might not have experienced in a very long time. By actually taking the time to cultivate these strategies, techniques and mindset, you will likely find that you will not only gain more time – you might also discover that you have taken back your life.

I hope you enjoyed this post, and if you have any further thoughts, ideas, reflections or suggestions about this topic, than please feel free to comment below.

----------------------------

By IQ Matrix

Now Hiring: 10,000 Walmart Jobs in the Chicago Area

2011-03-21T07:48:00.000-07:00

Walmart has big plans for job creation in Illinois. The massive retailer just announced two new Chicago area stores that will boost the company to the projected creation of 10,000 jobs in the area by 2015.

Walmart is planning the newly announced small and mid-size stores in the West Englewood community, which is reported to be the heart of a "food desert" and one of Chicago's most under-served communities by large grocery stores.

These new stores, combined with the company's existing projects, will create close to 1,000 new jobs and nearly 200 construction jobs. Walmart's currently slated openings in Chicago include the following:

A Supercenter in Pullman at 111th St. and South Doty Ave. (opening spring 2013)
A Supercenter in West Chatham at 83rd St. and Stewart Ave. (opening spring 2012)
S Walmart Market in the West Loop at West Monroe St. and South Jefferson St. (opening fall 2011)
A Walmart Market in West Englewood at West 76th St. and South Ashland Ave. (opening spring 2012)
A Walmart Express in West Englewood at South Western Ave. and West 71st St. (opening winter 2012)
A Walmart Express in West Chatham at 83rd St. and Stewart Ave. (opening summer 2011)

The Walmart Express stores are a relatively new concept. They'll be less than 30,000 sq. ft and will sell grocery, pharmacy and limited general merchandise. Walmart Market previously called Neighborhood Market will range in size from 30,000 to 60,000 sq. ft. and provide a wider assortment of fresh groceries, as well as a bakery and delicatessen. The Walmart Supercenter is intended to be a one-stop shopping destination, offering full service grocery as well as a wide range of general merchandise.

In June 2010, Walmart announced the "Chicago Community Investment Partnership," a five-year plan to open several dozen stores, create approximately 10,000 jobs and 2,000 unionized construction jobs, generate more than $500 million in sales and property taxes and develop charitable partnerships worth $20 million.

"When I met with Walmart last year, I encouraged them to take an approach that addressed the needs of the urban shopper if they truly wanted to make a difference in our underserved neighborhoods," said Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. "Today, it appears that Walmart has done just that by creating smaller urban store formats that will better serve our communities."

Jobs at some of these stores won't be available for a year or two, but to find out about specific openings right now, visit the Walmart Careers site.

-----------------------------
By Lisa Johnson Mandell

Are Jobs for Tobacco Users Going Up in Smoke?

2011-03-20T10:14:00.000-07:00

Do you think it's fair for a potential employer to pass on hiring you just because you're a smoker? Do you think it should be against the law for your boss to fire you because you use tobacco? The trend toward using a person's smoking and non-smoking status as a factor in the hiring and termination decisions, may have gotten its start in some hospitals and health care businesses, but it's apparently on the rise in other industries as well.

Hospitals such as the Cleveland Clinic and Crittenton Hospital Medical Center in Rochester, N.Y., have made it a policy only to hire non-tobacco users. Other health care companies have followed suit some even require that employees take a smoking breath test.

The American Cancer Society and American Lung Association obviously don't hire tobacco users. But other organizations such as Kalamazoo Valley Community College, some police forces in Ohio and Ohio-based Scotts Miracle-Gro have also adopted non-smoker hiring policies. Even Union Pacific hires only non-smokers in states where it can do so legally.

More and more companies are insisting that not only do smokers waste company time and resources for cigarette breaks as well as bothering non-smokers, but also the cost to insure tobacco users is much higher than the cost to insure those who don't smoke. Some companies are even passing along an additional $50 to $100 health insurance surcharge per month to employees who smoke.

But workers' rights advocates argue that an employer has no right to dictate what an employee can and can't do in their own, personal, off-work time. In fact, there are 29 states in the United States that have made it illegal to discriminate against tobacco users. Smaller companies with fewer employees and that number varies by state are free to set their own non-smoking policies. An estimated 20.6 percent of U.S. adults smoke, according to the Detroit News.

------------------------------

By Lisa Johnson Mandell

Money-Making Degrees

2011-03-17T06:57:00.000-07:00

See which degrees can lead to high-income jobs.

When it comes to making money, education can really pay.
In fact, according to PayScale's 2010-2011 College Salary Report, $100,000 in annual income separates a petroleum engineering major ($157,000) from the average music major ($57,000) at the mid-career mark.

Don't like engineering? Don't despair. There are plenty of high-paying degrees to choose from.

Using PayScale's 2010-2011 College Salary Report, we've identified 8 money-making college degrees:

Business Administration
Health Care Administration
Finance
Information Systems
Paralegal Studies
Criminal Justice
Accounting
Information Technology

Keep reading to see how these degrees can lead to big bucks...

Degree #1: Bachelor's in Business Administration
Mid-Career Salary: $70,600

As a whole, business-related majors enjoyed the biggest salary bumps over the past year, according to Andrea Koncz, employment information manager for the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). Current business administration majors are seeing an average starting salary offer of $44,171. Typical jobs include market research analyst and advertising sales agents. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, research analysts earned $67,500 in 2009, while sales agents earned $53,190.

Degree #2: Bachelor's in Health Care Administration
Mid-Career Salary: $60,800

Why do health care administration grads find high-paying jobs? For starters, health care is the biggest and fastest growing sector of the economy. While you might start out as an office manager in a doctor's office, earning roughly $40,000, some grads use work experience and sometimes a master's to become medical services managers. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the job paid $90,970 in 2009.

Degree #3: Bachelor's in Finance
Mid-Career Salary: $91,500

Want to make money? It helps to study it. According to NACE's Winter 2011 Salary Survey report, starting salary offers for finance grads rose nearly two percent this year to $50,535. Typical jobs for finance grads include personal financial advisors and budget analysts. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, financial advisors typically earned $94,180 in 2009, while budget analysts earned $69,240.

Degree #4: Bachelor's in Information Systems
Mid-Career Salary: $87,100

Many information systems majors find jobs in business and technology, two high-paying options to say the least. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the top ten percent of computer systems analysts earned $119,170 in 2009. The agency lists a bachelor's degree as the most common qualification for the job.

Degree #5: Bachelor's in Paralegal Studies
Mid-Career Salary: $51,300

Salaries are growing for paralegals, who are taking on many responsibilities that lawyers used to handle. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the top ten percent of paralegals earned $75,700 in 2009. For an even quicker entry into the profession, consider earning an associate's degree or certificate in paralegal studies.

Degree #6: Bachelor's in Criminal Justice
Mid-Career Salary: $58,000

The war on terror has increased our need for criminal justice majors to fill positions at home and abroad. This includes everyone from private security guards to U.S. customs agents. To use just one high-paying example, the top ten percent of police supervisors earned $116,340 in 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Degree #7: Bachelor's in Accounting
Mid-Career Salary: $77,500

What recession? In the past year alone, accounting majors have seen their average starting salary offer rise 2.2 percent to $49,022, according to NACE's Winter 2011 Salary Survey report. What's more, 47 percent of accounting majors received a job offer prior to graduation in 2010, according to a separate NACE study. Getting an accounting degree is a great first step to becoming a financial manager. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, finance managers typically earned $113,730 in 2009.

Degree #8: Bachelor's in Information Technology (IT)
Mid-Career Salary: $79,300

Studying IT is a great way to graduate with the cutting edge skills you need to get a high-paying salary in today's digital age. Typical jobs include computer programmers and database administrators. Computer programmers earned $74,690 in 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, while database administrators earned $74,290.

*Unless otherwise noted, salary info comes from PayScale's 2010-2011 College Salary Report, which tracks full-time employees in the U.S. who possess a bachelor's degree and no higher.

------------------------------------
By Chris Kyle

7 Tricks to Improve Your Memory

2011-03-16T06:18:00.000-07:00

How do you remember the names of new business associates?

Do you:

A) repeat their name five times in your head while shaking their hand?
B) try to cement the image of their face with their name by sheer mental power?
C) associate the name with a famous actress and picture her doing a headstand on a balance beam?

If you answered A or B, you are fighting an uphill battle, one that–if you’re over 40, especially–you’re probably losing.The best answer is C, according to journalist Joshua Foer, who has discovered and elucidated memory-enhancing strategies in his memorably-titled book, Moonwalking With Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything, a story of his journey from Joe Average Memory to winner of the U.S. Memory Championship.

Foer stumbled into the world of memory athletics by chance, but was driven to delve into it because of what he and the rest of us are facing today in our hyper-technological world. On the one hand, we rely on our memory less as technology–cell phones, auto redial, Google searches, etc–provide us with a wealth of information at the tap of some keys. Yet we’re also bombarded with information (passwords anyone?), and it would be nice to be able to remember at least some of it.

Foer said he was skeptical when he first started researching memory enhancement techniques and the promises from authors trying to profit on our fears of losing our minds. But he learned that memorizing techniques date back to the Ancient Greek Simonides. But he also learned that that’s all they are, techniques. “You can’t improve an underlying memory ability,” he told WNYC radio host Leonard Lopate. “What you can do is, in certain limited ways, is learn techniques that help you remember more.”

According to Foer’s research, if you need an assist in remembering names at a conference, your credit card number, or to pick up milk on the way home, use these techniques and you’ll be able trust your memory to come through for you (plus it is bound to make your day-to-day inner life more exciting):

Use graphic images to remember: Your brain is wired to remember visually and spatially, and the more erotic and exotic the images, the better your brain does. Foer writes that you have to “take the kinds of memories our brains aren’t good at holding on to and transform them into the kinds of memories our brains were built for.” It’s called elaborate encoding: “The general idea with most memory techniques is to change whatever boring thing is being inputted into your memory into something that is so colorful, so exciting, and so different from anything you’ve seen before that you can’t possibly forget it,” he writes in his book.
Associate hard-to-remember facts with your childhood home. In order to remember a to-do list, or even names of people, you need to place these things in something very familiar like the house you grew up in. Take a visual tour of your house starting with the front door, placing your first item on your list there, and wend your way through your house placing each item in different hallways or rooms. But don’t just place “call Sophia,” on the front stoop. Take the image to the extreme. Think of what Sophia reminds you of (Sophia Loren) and visually place her sitting on the lap of a she-male making a phone call (this is Foer’s example, not mine). Or, suggests Foer, if you’re trying to remember to buy cottage cheese, think of Claudia Schiffer swimming in a giant vat of it. After you’ve place down your memories, then retake that tour of your house and you’ll visually pick up and remember each of the items you laid down.
Oh yeah, make the images very erotic–and absurd, according to 29-year-old Foer, and the centuries of mental athletes (mostly male) that came before him. That’s pretty much how our minds are wired, so go with it. You’re bound to remember absurdly lurid images more than you’d remember the mundane.
Connect the image to a celebrity or close relative or friend. Go back to that Sophia Loren example. When you meet someone, quickly think of an association–an actor, a model, the president, your grandmother–and think of that person in an outrageous situation, the more lurid the better.
Use “chunking” to remember passwords. Chunking–grouping numbers or letters into chunks–helps make it easier for a long sequence to be remembered. This is why credit card numbers are separated into groups of four and hyphens are inserted into phone numbers. Thus, the password Li34TH7 can be chunked as Li 34 Th7. And your memory will work even better if you put the chunks into a context. Long Island (Li), 34th street (34TH) and 7th avenue (7).
Code your numbers. To remember numbers, use an age-old technique called “Major System.” It uses a code to change numbers into letters and then those letters can form easy-to-remember words, which can then be visualized. You’ll have to read his book, p. 164 to get the code, but wrote Foer, “When I first learned it, I immediately memorized my credit card and bank account numbers.”
Practice, practice, practice. Visualizing images, and doing it in a matter of seconds, takes practice. Your mental muscles get better at it the more you do it. One of the memory experts Foer interviewed told him that if he practiced one hour a day, six days a week, he could be in the top 3 of the U.S. Memory Championship. Which he did!

Have you used any techniques to improve your memory? What worked–and what didn’t?

-----------------------
By Laurie Tarkan

PARADE'S What People Earn: Celebrity Salaries Revealed

2011-03-15T07:59:00.000-07:00

PARADE
It's no secret that most celebs can't complain when it comes to their yearly earnings. How much do they actually make? Take a peek inside the paychecks of some of your favorite stars.*
- What People Earn
- What People Earn: TV vs. Reality

Charlie Sheen

$30 million
The 'Two and a Half Men' star may have had a few bumps in the road this year, but his bank account is still intact. The actor earned $30 million in 2010. How's that for winning?

Sandra Bullock

$56 million
Although Bullock has had a tough personal year, the Oscar-winning actress has most definitely come out on top financially, pulling in $56 million from her box office hits.

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart

$27.5 million and $28.5 million
Twilight's dreamy Robert Pattinson earned $27.5 million, while his co-star and rumored off-screen love Kristen Stewart raked in an impressive $28.5 million. That should make for one memorable date night!

Oprah Winfrey

$315 million
Talk isn't cheap, after all! Talk show queen and network owner Oprah Winfrey earned $315 million.

What People Earn: See Hundreds of Real Americans' Salaries

Lady Gaga

$62 million
The 'Born This Way' singer entertained the world last year, earning a $62 million nest egg.

Dr. Phil McGraw

$80 million
Just what the doctor ordered! Dr. Phil McGraw took home $80 million from his day job.

Chelsea Handler

$19 million

The talk-show host makes audiences laugh daily, but she's laughing all the way to the bank with $19 million in her pocket.

TV vs. Reality: What Do Your Favorite TV Characters' Jobs Pay in Real Life?

Ryan Seacrest and Donald Trump

$51 million and $50 million
A few years ago, would you ever have guessed that Ryan Seacrest would out-earn The Donald? It's close, but Seacrest brought home $51 million, while Donald Trump earned "just" $50 million.

Beyonce and Jay-Z

$87 million and $63 million
Wonder if there's any salary competition in Beyonce and Jay Z's house? Beyonce out-earned her hubby last year, with $87 million, while Jay brought home a cool $63 million.

* Sources include Forbes, TV Guide and Vanity Fair

Take a Peek at More Celebrity Paychecks

By AOL Jobs Contributor

Dream Jobs: Six-Figure Salaries and a Bright Future

2011-03-14T07:22:00.000-07:00

Seemingly every week, another publication or website comes out with its list of the "Best Jobs of the Year" or the "Hottest Careers," purporting to show the best fields to get into for job stability and earnings potential. The problem with many of these lists is that the jobs and careers on them often require years and years of training (see: biomedical engineer), offer an extremely small overall pool of jobs (see: meteorologist), or really don't pay all that well (see: home health aide).

So we've put together a list of jobs that suffer from none of these disadvantages. Using statistics from the Bureau of Labor, salary sites, professional trade groups, and recruiters, we identified jobs that don't require more than two years of additional training to secure a position, have a reasonably large and growing number of overall jobs, and offer six-figure salaries to top earners in the field (generally, the top 10 percent of those employed). These, to our mind, are the true dream jobs.

Online Marketing Director

Salary for top earners: $100,000+

Projected job growth: 60 percent this year

Additional training required: Familiarity with web analytics and search engine optimization and marketing can be acquired over several months via webinars, workshops, and online courses. A combination of marketing experience and online tech savvy, however, can help get your foot in the door.

As an online marketing director, you'd be developing and managing a company's social media strategy, website, online and email campaigns, and ecommerce and merchandising. "The field is exploding and you don't need an M.B.A.," says Ellen Pack, vice president of marketing for Elance.com, which places online talent. According to Daniel Greenberg, chief marketing officer for job search engine SimplyHired.com, the number of listings for online marketing directors has increased more than 250 percent since June 2009.

Mobile Applications Developer

Salary for top earners: $115,000

Projected job growth: 131 percent this year alone

Additional training required: Programming experience in mobile platforms is necessary, but depending on your background, you can fine-tune your knowledge with a DIY approach or perhaps an online certificate program that typically takes one year to complete.

Developing and building applications for smartphones, iPads, and other tablets and notebook PCs is one of the most in-demand jobs in the world right now. So enticing is the revenue from mobile apps -- Gartner estimates that worldwide revenue could top $15 billion this year that Google recently announced it's hiring dozens of mobile developers in an attempt to counter Apple. Reality check: This isn't a field for dilettantes: it requires serious programming and IT skills, but the growth potential is huge.

Global Supply Chain Manager

Salary for top earners: $135,100

Projected job growth: 10 percent by 2012

Additional training required: Transitioning into this field could take between six months for courses and up to two years to get a master's degree. Those with operations, purchasing, or logistics education and/or experience have the best chance of getting into this field.

Global supply chain managers are the unsung heroes of companies who have to get products from A to B, on time, and on budget and now across continents and time zones as well. The job calls for calm problem-solving ability, high-tech handiness, and diplomatic skill a triple threat that's hard to find. According to industry analysts, there is a growing shortage of these specialists as companies streamline and speed up every link in the chain to stay competitive.

Financial Advisor

Salary for top earners: $139,350

Projected job growth: 30 percent by 2018

Additional training required: While not required, the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) certificate is a useful credential to get into this profession. The coursework and exam can usually be completed in 18 to 24 months, and over 250 institutions across the country, including some that are online, offer CFP-approved programs.

Once solely the purview of the wealthy, getting financial planning is now viewed as a prudent move for much of the population, particularly as traditional pensions fade. Consider that never before in history have regular people been required to take on this much responsibility for investing their nest eggs. You'll be helping clients build portfolios, save for college or a house, and do estate planning, either at a firm or for yourself.

Financial Analyst, Gaming Industry

Salary for top earners: $100,000

Projected job growth: 20 percent by 2018

Additional training required: Seminars, webinars, and online classes offered through the International Gaming Institute at the University of Nevada Las Vegas will bring you up to speed. The five core courses could be completed within two years, less time if you double up.

There are currently 943 casinos in 38 states across the country, and more are being built every day. And with their focus on efficiency and profitability, gaming companies need qualified financial analysts. In particular, new racetrack casinos, or 'racinos,' are starting to flourish and hire, says Beth Deighan, CEO of Casino Careers LLC, an executive search firm. Skills from arenas such as government and finance are often transferable, Deighan says.

Click here to see the full list of Dream Jobs: Six-Figure Salaries and a Bright Future

by Louise Tutelian