Q. I work in a hospital in Florida as a computer operator. Before this I was a computer operator at another company for almost 20 years. I am paid a salary of $19,406, well below the Computer Operator I salary quoted in the Salary Wizard, $25,310. I really like the company, the job, and the people I work with. The hospital management does not seem to care about what they pay their staff. They are giving only 3 percent raises, and I don't think they'd try to stop you from leaving if you asked for more. I am a good worker, I work most of the overtime they ask of me, and I am not out sick very m... view article details

Q. I work in a hospital in Florida as a computer operator. Before this I was a computer operator at another company for almost 20 years. I am paid a salary of $19,406, well below the Computer Operator I salary quoted in the Salary Wizard, $25,310. I really like the company, the job, and the people I work with.The hospital management does not seem to care about what they pay their staff. They are giving only 3 percent raises, and I don't think they'd try to stop you from leaving if you asked for more. I am a good worker, I work most of the overtime they ask of me, and I am not out sick very muc... view article details

Pay Differences Between Telecommute & In-Office One persistent belief about work-at-home, or telecommute, jobs is that they almost always pay far less than in-office jobs. But is this really true?While it may have been the case many years ago when telecommuting was just starting to take shape as a movement, today’s at-home jobs pay salaries comparable to in-office jobs. Additionally, there are substantial cost savings that come with working from home, such as a reduction in commute costs, wardrobe and dry cleaning bills, eating out, and childcare costs to cover time spent commuting. I... view article details

Q. I'm an HR generalist. I've been with the same firm for five years, hired as an executive assistant to the president making $32k, one year later became administrative manager, then at the end of last year was promoted to HR manager, making $50k. I was promoted with the expectation that our company would grow rapidly. That reality has not taken place and although I have plenty to do in my role, I'm getting back the office management responsibilities I previously owned. I've handled five office lease expansions, telephones, benefits, new hires, orientations, terminations, etc. I have excelle... view article details

It's Showtime, Folks! Picture yourself in your office, feet up, remote in hand, watching a movie on your company-provided, state-of-the-art entertainment center. Are you goofing off? No, you're doing your job. For film studio executives, watching movies on the job is just the beginning. Studio executives live and breathe movies, day in and day out. They read scripts every night and take home as many as ten or more every Friday in a ritual known as Weekend Read. Their meals are paid for, because they dine out morning noon and night with agents, managers, other executives, writers, directors, a... view article details

This Job is a Blast! Everything’s been planned, down to the tiniest detail. Sketched. Built. Tested. Tested again. Cameras roll…"Fire in the hole!" You turn a key, sending an electric current from a briefcase containing a battery to the explosive device, and then…KABOOM! A cheer goes up from the crew. The place: the set of an upcoming action movie. You: the pyrotechnician, a highly trained expert in the art of explosives technologies. In short, the guy who blows things up for a living. Okay, so it isn’t a Wile E. Coyote box of TNT with a two-mile fuse, but what kid doesn’t love playing with fi... view article details

Q: Dear Heather,I recently started a full-time job after several years at home with my children. It wasn’t my first choice, but my husband ended up having to take a lower paying job after his company downsized. I’m mostly OK with it and getting used to the schedule. My 15-year old daughter has really stepped up to help, but my 10-year old daughter isn’t adjusting well. She was very much accustomed to our afterschool rituals and complains daily that she wishes I were a 'real mom' again. My husband works late most nights, and so this is pretty much all on me. I don’t have the uninterrupted hours... view article details

Q: Hey Jack,Hopefully you can help me out here as last week, during my third week of employment as the assistant to the CFO at a small business, the owners/upper managers decided to fire the CFO rather abruptly. No specific mention was made of a succession plan but it was heavily implied that the CFO would be fired and I would be stepping in. I was confident I could and asserted so, but no real conversation ever took place regarding a plan or offer. After putting me off for more than a week despite my repeated attempts to talk with them, I got the opportunity. I ask for $50k a year which I hav... view article details

Women earn less than men. Estimates vary, but a recent report by the Institute for Women's Policy Research put women's earnings at about 82 percent of what their male counterparts make. Many theories have been proposed to explain this discrepancy: Women take time off to raise families and thus don't increase earnings as quickly as men. Women tend to choose jobs in lower-paying fields. Sexism leads employers to offer women less money. Women are less aggressive negotiators than men. Now, a new study from the National Bureau of Economic Research in Cambridge, Mass. suggests the last factor may be... view article details

Careers in Demand for the Future What will help wanted ads look like in two, five, ten years from now? And why should you care? As the world evolves, so do job trends and job descriptions. It’s important to structure your career so that your job will still be in demand in several years. This article explores seven professions, both emerging and long-standing, that offer the best careers for the future. Career #1: Healthcare According to recent Labor Department data, an aging population will put healthcare workers such as doctors, nurses, physical therapists, home health aids, and pharmacists... view article details