Henry Ford revolutionized industry in 1913 when he constructed a factory in which each worker assembled just one part of a car before sending it down a production line to another worker. Up to that point, automobiles were made from the ground up by a team of highly paid workers. As a result, automobiles had been an expensive means of transportation, a toy for the wealthy. Ford's innovation …
Good jobs do not magically appear. Anyone who has been in the job market knows that landing the right job takes planning, preparation, perseverance, and patience. This is true whether you are looking for your first job, reentering the job market, trying to get a new job, or planning a mid-career change. This essay is designed to guide you through the process of finding a job, from helping you defi…
Education and Training: High school Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Poor Business machine operators run equipment such as duplicators and copiers that perform routine office tasks. An office that regularly produces a large volume of printed material may have its own copying department. Copying machine operators make copies of reports, charts, drawings, letters, and circulars.…
Education and Training: High school Salary: Median—$29,340 per year Employment Outlook: Poor Offices that receive large quantities of mail and e-mail depend on correspondence clerks, or correspondents. These clerks answer letters and e-mail that do not require the personal attention of an executive. Some replies are routine, allowing the correspondent to send a form letter or e-mail. For re…
Education and Training: High school Salary: Median—$27,020 per year Employment Outlook: Very good Customer service representatives are employed by all types of companies to field questions and concerns from customers. They typically work at the front desk of a local office branch or at a cubicle in a corporation's call center. They may communicate with customers over the phone, by e-…
Education and Training: High school Salary: Median—$23,250 per year Employment Outlook: Poor A large and ever increasing amount of information is stored on computers. Banks store information on every check written against their customers' accounts. State governments record information on drivers' licenses and motor vehicle registrations. Insurance companies keep records of the…
Education and Training: High school Salary: Median—$21,029 per year Employment Outlook: Poor File clerks are the guardians of a company's important documents. They are responsible for creating and maintaining an efficient and accessible filing system. Clerks gather material from the company's departments, sort it, and arrange it. While some offices still use a paper file and f…
Education and Training: None Salary: Median—$23,650 per year Employment Outlook: Poor Mail clerks sort and deliver mail that comes to business offices. They prepare mail to be turned over to the post office or to a private shipping company. Mail clerks work for government agencies, insurance companies, advertising agencies, schools, mail order firms, and almost every business that receives …
Education and Training: High school Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Fair Many nongovernmental agencies provide express delivery service of mail and packages in the United States and abroad. These shipping companies will guarantee overnight or express delivery, or customers are refunded their money. They also offer some additional mail-related services. Many employees are need…
Education and Training: None Salary: Median—$20,190 per year Employment Outlook: Poor The efficiency of every business depends in part on the flow of letters, paperwork, and packages. This flow may be between departments in the same company and building or between businesses in different locations. It is the job of a messenger service worker to make pickups and deliveries of some of this ma…
Education and Training: High school Salary: Median—$22,770 per year Employment Outlook: Fair Office clerks do many jobs that are basic to office work. Clerks make up payrolls and bills. They enter data on a computer, scan documents, sort mail, answer e-mail, and file papers and reports. Clerks work in government offices, insurance companies, and hospitals. They work for department stores, m…
Education and Training: High school Salary: Median—$21,840 per year Employment Outlook: Very good Most people form an impression of a company the instant they walk through the front door. If visitors are greeted by an alert and pleasant receptionist and are then efficiently directed to their destination, they will have the feeling that the company is well run. On the other hand, if the rece…
Education and Training: High school Salary: Median—$31,390 per year Employment Outlook: Fair Statistical assistants establish and check numerical facts in many different areas of business, government, and industry. Statistical assistants compile and record data and make computations. Statistical assistants work for insurance companies, banks, and stock brokerages. They also work for researc…
Education and Training: High school Salary: Median—$28,392 per year Employment Outlook: Poor Although the majority of telephone calls are dialed directly, some calls require the assistance of a telephone operator. An operator may be needed to place a collect call, supply a telephone number in a distant city, or find out the cost of a call. Two types of telephone operators provide these serv…
Education and Training: High school Salary: Median—$27,020 per year Employment Outlook: Good Telephone service representatives work for telephone companies. They deal directly with the public, handling requests for new telephone services and answering questions about bills or payments. Customers typically contact them through a toll-free telephone number. During the course of their conversa…
Education and Training: High School Salary: Median—$28,030 per year Employment Outlook: Poor Word processors set up and prepare reports, letters, mailing labels, and other materials on a computer using a keyboard and word processing software. The word processor uses word processing commands to format the material and instruct the machine to correct spelling or grammar errors, number pages a…
Education and Training: High school plus training Salary: Median—$34,970 per year Employment Outlook: Fair Administrative assistants work for managers and executives. Some organizations do not distinguish between executive secretaries and administrative assistants. In organizations that distinguish between the two, administrative assistants tend to spend more time on long-range assignments.…
Education and Training: High school; license Salary: Median—$44,080 per year Employment Outlook: Good Claims adjusters ascertain how much money people are entitled to receive on their insurance claims. Most claims adjusters work for property-liability insurance companies. Property-liability insurance covers such losses as fires, thefts, and accidents. People who buy this insurance protect t…
Education and Training: Two- or four-year college Salary: Median—$33,669 per year Employment Outlook: Good Claims examiners review claims made against insurance companies. Examiners, who are sometimes called reviewers, are employed by life and health insurance companies. Claims examiners are responsible for approving or rejecting claims or arranging settlements. Unlike claims adjusters, who…
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary: Median—$39,620 per year Employment Outlook: Very good Meeting planners are professional decision makers who manage all facets of meeting preparation and presentation. Depending on their employer, meeting planners may be known as association executives, corporate meeting planners, or independent meeting planners. An association execut…
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Fair Secretaries perform several office tasks within one job. They do word processing and data entry. They may take shorthand. Secretaries also file papers, answer telephones, schedule appointments, and handle mail for their employers. Secretaries are employed by business, professional, governme…
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Fair Union business agents represent the interests of the members of their labor union. They are elected by the members and paid by the union to speak on its behalf to both management and the public. Business agents work at the level of the union local. The term "union local" refer…
Education and Training Bachelor's degree and years of sports experience Salary Varies—see profile Employment Outlook Good From high-profile major league and international contests to local professional and amateur events, spectator sports are an increasingly popular source of entertainment. The multibillion-dollar sports industry offers employment opportunities for management, market…
Education and Training High school and on-the-job training minimum; college preferred Salary Median—$48,880 to $57,512 per year Employment Outlook Good Store managers are responsible for supervising employees and running their store at a profit. To attract a clientele and move merchandise, managers make sure that their store offers products and services that satisfy the needs and desires of…
Education and Training: College Salary: Median—$77,420 per year Employment Outlook: Good A general manager directs and coordinates the operations of a small business or a department in a company. Medium-sized and large companies are divided into production, sales, promotion, purchasing, and other departments, and a general manager is typically in charge of each of these divisions. In a smal…
Education and Training: College Salary: Median—$48,550 per year Employment Outlook: Fair Insurance underwriters evaluate applications for insurance policies. They assess the degree of risk to the insurance company of the person or property listed on the application. An insurance "risk" is the probability that the applicant will have to collect under the terms of the policy. By…
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary: Varies—see profile Employment Outlook: Varies—see profile The Internet—a worldwide network of computer networks—offers businesses and individuals a relatively inexpensive way to communicate with a global audience. The development of the Internet over the past forty years has opened an entirely new medium for comm…
Education and Training: Advanced degree plus experience Salary: Median—$63,450 per year Employment Outlook: Good Management analysts, sometimes referred to as management consultants, provide corporations and government agencies with the expertise needed to solve management problems quickly. These problems may result from rapid expansion, business relocation, technical innovations, or compet…
Education and Training: Varies—see profile Salary: Median—$58,190 per year Employment Outlook: Excellent A network administrator oversees computer networks to ensure that they function smoothly. A network consists of a grouping of computers that communicate with each other or a central computer known as a server, on which computer files, programs, and other information are stored. A …
Education and Training: College Salary: Median—$41,030 per year Employment Outlook: Fair Office managers supervise administrative support workers, such as office clerks and secretaries, and coordinate administrative support activities. They work in all types of business and government offices. Office managers may head the entire office in a small firm or administrative support operations in…
Education and Training: College Salary: Median—$40,670 per year Employment Outlook: Good Office planners, also known as office designers or facilities engineers, design the layout of office spaces. They create new offices or redesign existing facilities, taking into account factors such as the site's functions, staff interactions, traffic flow, and the machinery that is used. Office …
Education and Training: College Salary: Median—$60,190 per year Employment Outlook: Fair Operations research analysts are problem solvers. They try to find more efficient and effective ways to run operations such as factories, telephone networks, traffic systems, and other concerns. For example, analysts might determine how to time traffic lights to produce fewer traffic jams. Operations re…
Education and Training: College Salary: Median—$61,769 per year Employment Outlook: Excellent Organization development is usually considered to be a specialized branch of management consulting. Organizational developers help corporate clients plan and implement programs to increase their organization's efficiency. They also help clients institute policies that enable their organizati…
Education and Training: College Salary: Median—$52,800 per year Employment Outlook: Excellent World competition and increased technology have taken their toll on middle managers. Companies now find that they have to operate with fewer managerial personnel. In the past when these managers lost their jobs, they received only financial compensation. More recently companies have been using the …
Education and Training: College Salary: Median—$44,570 per year Employment Outlook: Very good A software trainer is a type of training specialist who teaches individuals how to use computer applications or programs such as spreadsheets, desktop publishing programs, or computer network systems software. The nature of the job requires knowledge of computer software programs and strong communi…
Education and Training: College Salary: Median—$58,620 per year Employment Outlook: Fair Statisticians collect and analyze mathematical data to solve problems and make predictions on future outcomes. They apply their knowledge to many different fields, including manufacturing, government, science, engineering, and public health. Using statistical techniques, statisticians can make forecasts…