What do you do for a living?

I am currently a mechanic at a car dealership. Although I’ve also worked at independently owned and chain-store automotive centers.

How would you describe what you do?

I spend most of my time diagnosing problems or complaints people have about their cars. Then come the actual repairs. Maintenance is rare nowadays.

What does your work entail?

Why is the car is here and what you have to do to it?

After figuring out whats wrong, get parts price quotes, quote labor and bring it to the service writer. He/she then suggests(sells) the repair to the customer. You have about a 50/50 chance of getting to the next step which would be the actual repair. Confirm whatever you did actually fixed the car, bring it outside and start all over again with the next car in line.

What does a typical work week look like?

You show up everyday not knowing what’s ahead of you. You have no idea if you are going to make any money, if its going to be an easy, pain free day or stress-filled leaving you in some epic bad mood. You’ll eventually learn what cars you don’t want to work on, what jobs are more of a hassle than others.

Experience is your education in this field. School, books, company training is just background information and won’t give you the confidence to go elbows deep into something.

At a dealership you deal with warranty jobs that don’t pay you fairly. Each car gets its own little book report, writing down what you did why. Stress builds easily. Independent shops are more laid back, most techs probably will probably feel less “rushed”. Not as many ‘i’ dotting & ‘t’ crossing as a dealership. Chain-stores fit in some where in between.

How did you get started?

Peer pressure from my friends in high school. Somehow my interest grew and eventually surpassed theirs. I pursued it as a career, they went off and did other things.

I should also credit car forums and message boards. Reading online about how people built, modified and customized their own cars scratched the itch because, at the time, I didn’t have the money, knowledge, or resources to do that kind of thing.

What do you like about what you do?

Little. See the “what’s most rewarding” question below.

What do you dislike?

It’s a disrespected, misunderstood job. I don’t eagerly tell people what I do for a living. A lot of stereotypes still exist. It’s expensive, not that many people realize how much tools cost, $5-10,000 for just the box, you can open a small drawer and they’ll be $1k worth of tools in there. Very high level of stress on a daily basis. Too easy to break something expensive, damage, or injury yourself/others. Although I feel I’m paid fairly at the moment, there are no rich mechanics, definitely not a lucrative rewarding career. I also take issue with flat rate, the system of how we are actually paid.

How do you make money/how are you compensated as an auto technician?

Majority of mechanics are flat rate. You are given an hourly rate, but not paid 8-5. Each specific repair has a time associated with it dictating how long it ‘should’ take you to complete that job.

A brake job might have a labor quote of 2.0 hours. If you finish that brake job in 1 hour, you just made double your hourly rate (for that one hour). The idea being, if you can be efficient and productive you’ll benefit. Glamorous isn’t it? Now into account you wait for approval to do the brake job, so that 1 hour that it really takes you to complete turned into 1.5, half an hour waiting for the customer to call back. But you also have to test drive before and after.. now add 10mins… go get parts.. close out the paper work.. all the small things add up.

There also isn’t an abundance of work, some magical never ending line of cars that need to be fixed. There are plenty of slow days you show up to work, only touch 1 car and make less than 1hr even though you were there all day. Warranty jobs not only have a ridiculous and unfair flat rate time, they also take time out of your day where you could have been working on something that is actually going to make you money.

Also worth mentioning the other ways mechanics can get paid: Regular hourly, clock in and out, no matter what you do during the day you going to get a paycheck. These obviously aren’t going to offer anywhere near a competitive pay compared to a flat rate tech. Smaller, independently owned shops are probably the only places that still pay guys this way. A combination of a flat rate with a base hourly pay. You make near minimum wage hourly but every job you do is worth a different amount (4 tires pays $1.00 an oil change .50 cents for example) on top of the hourly pay. This is done mostly at chain-stores. Some do a base hourly pay plus a small % of the total bill. Few but some flat rate shops give an hourly guarantee. Either 35/40hrs of guaranteed pay if you had a slow week.

How much money do you make as a auto technician?

Difficult to compare one to another. Where you live and what type of place dictates what you will actually make. Currently aged 25 $18/hr flat rate at a dealership where the range for flatrate techs are from $16-25/hr. Higher than the average for the area, I’d say. Also depends on the brand of cars you work on, luxury brands will tend to pay more. Dealerships usually more than most independents.

Some places rate you A,B,C tech. ‘A’ would be a master technician does everything, B probably can do everything just lacks the experience, C is entry level. There’s no standard so the letters can mean different things at different workplaces. I don’t think they’re used much anymore to be honest.

How much money do you make starting out?

Starting at a dealership may not be the best choice. It will take forever to climb up the ranks. I suggest a chain-store or a local independently owned shop. Be humble, you’re probably not as good as you think. Experience is your education in this field. School, books, company training is just background information and won’t give you the confidence to go elbows deep into something.

If you are really dead-set on being at a dealer, the foot in the door position would be a lot-attendant. Expect minimum wage there. Next spot up would be a oil change guy, maybe $9-12 hourly. Don’t go for flat rate pay when you first start out, if any place is foolish enough to offer it to you.

Unfortunately it seems the easiest way to get a pay increase in this career is to job hop. After a while you can use your experience at one place and try to gain a higher wage when applying somewhere else. After 3 dealerships, 1 chain, 1 independent I know a lot about job hopping… I also move around lot, there are other reasons I kept leaving my jobs.

What education or skill are needed to do this?

Completion of a typical one year automotive course at any-school, anywhere, is sufficient to start. Its just a piece of paper- your skill level comes from ability to perform the needed work and just overall experience. ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) Certifications are industry recognized. Although the material they test on is very outdated, they are still useful to have and sometimes a requirement. Also if the state you work in does annual safety and emission inspections, you obviously need those licenses.

I don’t know of any car manufacturer that doesn’t offer “their own” training. Either online courses, or physical schools you get sent to for about a week at a time. They want you to learn about the cars you are working on. If you are able to do this from the beginning jump at the opportunity.

What is most rewarding about this job?

If I ever end up doing something else in life, I’m very grateful that I am mechanically inclined. Not that many are, and without growing up around it, it usually doesn’t happen naturally. I’m my own electrician, my own plumber, I’m able to determine and see the value of quality craftsmanship in just about anything.

But more specifically, struggling to figure something out and then finally completing the repair successfully is pretty rewarding. That’s about it, it’s not like anyone “thanks” a mechanic, not that I expect it.

What is most challenging?

Noises and drive-ability complaints. A customer is in their own car everyday, they are going to immediately notice some small minor problem. When we get the car, its a “first impression” everything is happening all at once. Its difficult to isolate every little thing.

Going to work everyday knowing I don’t want to is also pretty challenging.

What advice would you offer someone considering this career?

The big named tech schools that have commercials running claiming growth in the industry, still a need for techs, blah blah blah will only see your enrollment to their school as their paycheck. You get out of them what you put in, no one is going to hold your hand to help you to succeed.

Mechanics are a dime a dozen, to stand out from the rest you have to be well educated and motivated to actually do work! Try to find a community college that offers at least an associates degree with their automotive classes. Depending on your future plans, a one year tech school obviously isn’t going to prepare you well enough to open your own business, and a college degree is almost a requirement for any type of management job.

How much time off do you get/take?

1 week per year/ 2 weeks in 2 years pretty standard but its going to vary depending on where you work. Most places are open Saturdays and some even Sunday. Usually they will let you take a day off in the middle of the week if you have to work a Saturday.

What’s a common misconception people have about what you do?

We’re all crooks and thieves of course! People are scared of what they don’t understand. Their car disappears into the building, after a way-too-long of a period of time goes by, they’re forced to empty their wallet. I would love nothing more then to explain and educate a customer about the operation of the evaporative emission control system and why it’s currently not working in their car, but no one wants to hear any of that. We’re also not salesman.

The service adviser/writer is though, if you feel you are being “upsold” something you don’t feel is necessary unleash a barrage of questions. Ask to physically go see what’s wrong on your car, ask why its necessary, ask them to break down the bill, what does the part by itself cost, etc.

What are your goals and dreams for the future?

To do something more important, but still automotive related. I refuse to go back to school (for an actual degree) so the light at the end of my tunnel is pretty dim.

What else would you like people to know about what you do?

In the automotive world, you normally get what you pay for. Dealerships are expensive, just about everywhere is, but maybe they are for a reason. I have since learned that reason, but I realize it’s difficult for other people to see it. I don’t understand how you justified that the quality of your car is somehow “worth” what you paid, but to fix it quality just isn’t important, the “worth” part disappears?

Dealerships have resources that no outside repair shop can compete with. I’ve been on both sides, knowing what I know now if I was unable to do it myself, I wouldn’t be bringing my car to the “good enough” repair shops.

What do you do for a living?

I work derricks on a drilling rig in North Dakota.

How would you describe what you do?

It’s really tough to explain to someone who has never seen a rig before. We drill holes, but it’s more than that. It ain’t for everybody, especially not the faint of heart. But I will say its possibly the funnest career out there. Knowing that the gas in your truck could be coming from a well that you drilled. Or the look on people’s face when you tell them what you do.

What does your work entail?

Basically, we’re hired by companies like Exxon/Mobil and Shell to drill holes in the ground to get to fossil fuels buried in the earths crust. There’s a thousand other details that go into making a 22,000 ft deep hole, though. But these details are for the driller to worry about. The heirarchy of a rig is the toolpusher at the top, he keeps the rig supplied with what we need to keep it and us running and makes final decisions if one can’t be made by the crew or driller.

Below him is the driller, he is kind of like a crew leader. He sits in a chair and runs the rig how the ompany man and directional drillers want him to. He’s just there so they have someone to blame if something happens. Then, my job, derrickhand, he monitors the pits, shakers and mud pumps. Makes sure they are functioning right and fixes them when they don’t. He also treats the mud (drilling fluid) with the chemicals the mud engineer tells him to. Then comes the motorhand. He is the toolpushers slave who does anything and everything the pusher or driller tells him to. He takes care of the paperwork, the generators, and he lines out the floorhands. Which is the next position, at the bottom of the totem pole. Floorhands do it all. They help the derrickhand and motorhand with anything and everything that needs done and alson keep the rig clean aand orderly while drilling. It is at times the dirtiest profession out there. If you’re afraid of a little mud, you definitely need to stay away from drilling, because you won’t last five minutes.

What does a typical work week look like for a Derrickman?

Well for starters, nowadays the typical work week is two weeks long. You work for two weeks, then you get two weeks off. I know it sounds too good to be true, but trust me. Spend 14 days on one 5 acre location with ten other dudes in the middle of no where, work on a rig 12 hours a day, lose a bunch of sleep at night and tell me if you don’t need 14 days away from it.

Knowing that the gas that is heating yours and everyone else’s homes, the fuel in yours and everyone else’s trucks, it comes from what you do. Heck it could even come from a well that you drilled. Knowing that the world literally revolves around your job.[is what's most rewarding]

Anyways, you never know what to expect when you come back to work. The other side may have busted their butts and got stuff done and got the rig moved. Or they may have not. Now you’re stuck with another 1,000 ft to drill and stuck with a 3-4 day rig move. Coming to the rig on the first day or night, you should be able to map out what your hitch is going to be like. But you’ll never know until you get there.

How did you get started?

I was working in a shop for a small contract company in Houston, Tx building rigs for the drilling company I work for now. I had a really good friend that worked for the drilling company as a safety rep, so he talked with all the pushers for every rig before it left the yard. I asked if there was any way I could get on a rig, and the first one going to North Dakota had an opening. Here I am now.

What do you like about what you do?

The one thing I love the most about my job is goin up in the Derrick when we trip pipe. Standing on the board 80 ft from the rig floor and about 130 ft from the ground, and no one around me, no bs, it’s clean, I can listen to my music up there. It’s just awesome compared to the floor. It’s dirty, oil base mud everywhere, driller yelling at you from the doghouse. It doesn’t really suck, but it sucks. Tripping pipe is when we pull all the pipe out of the hole, 94 ft sections at a time, change out a bit or a tool on the bottom, then put all the pipe back in the hole. The drill pipe is all standing up in the Derrick, and I’m the guy that puts it there and takes it out.

There’s really no way to explain it other than to show you or let you try it. If you’re on this site, that means you have Internet. Go to YouTube and look up tripping pipe on an oil rig. That’s the best way I know to explain it. Another thing, like I said earlier, is some of the reactions you get when you tell someone what you do for a living. A lot of men you meet are jealous, or curious about the industry. Everyone wants to know how you do it, what you do out there, how do you “make hole.” And women always love roughnecks. They’re always interested in what we do and a lot of other things. You’d be surprised at how much attention you’ll get at a party or a bar when someone mentions what you do for a living.

What do you dislike?

There’s only one thing I hate about my job. Okay, there’s a number of things, but the one I hate the most is the fact that I have to spend over half my life 1600 miles from my home. My family, my friends, my town. Other than that I can deal with anything that rig can throw at me. I don’t necessarily enjoy getting covered, and mean literally, dripping wet from head to toe with oil base mud, or getting choked out of the hopper house because a floor hand likes to dump sacks of chemicals in the hopper too fast, or dealing with pump problems or valve washouts or busted shaker screens. But it’s all part of the job. It’s what I signed up for and I knew it when I did. When everything’s running smoothly, everything’s clean and working right, it’s probably the most laid back easy going job out there. And I love every second of it. Wouldn’t trade it for the world. Unless a job at home with more money and more time off came up. But you’d be hard pressed to beat this job for money or time off.

How do you make money/how are you compensated?

Ahh yes, compensation. Money all depends on where you work at. Not job title, I’m talking about what part of the country, or the world you work in. I’ve found that the further north you are , the more money there is. There is A LOT of money to be made in the oilfield. Anywhere from $50,000 a year to well into the six digits. Everyone has to work their way up tho, and it’s not a cakewalk.

How much money do you make as a an oil Derrickman?

As a derrickman in North Dakota I make $32 an hour. My rig does get some bonuses, and we get a few extra hours a week due to safety meetings. My W2 for last year says $104,782. I’m 22. This is definitely something you want to get into while you’re young.

How much money do you make starting out?

In south Texas, floormen (the entry level position) make from $18-$22 and hour. Where as in North Dakota floormen make from $26-$31 an hour. And we get at least 84 hours a week. But it’s only for two weeks a month. Starting off can be anywhere from $50,000 a year to $80,000 a year. Also you get mud pay. If there is oil base mud in your pits for five minutes of that tour, you get an extra amount of money for that day. Usually about $25-$50, not much but it adds up. And let’s not forget bonuses. If you drill a well faster than predicted, or use less materials, or just do it safely, you get bonuses depending in who you’re drilling for. Some rigs get them, some rigs don’t. But bonuses range from a measly $50 Walmart gift card to a check for $2,000 out of no where. And the wages just go up from floormen. Where else can you work half the year and make almost six figures starting out? That’s right, no where. I told you it’s an awesome job.

What education, schooling, or skills are needed to be a Derrickman?

In all actuality, you don’t even have to have a GED to do this job. In fact a lot of the industry never finished high school, or middle school. There is no educational boundaries for drilling. All you need is a strong back and a lot of common sense. If you’re good at taking direction, you’ll excel as a floorman. And if you can show a knack for getting things done, figuring stuff out on your own, using what you have to get it done, good planning, quick learning, stuff like that, you’ll shoot straight to the top.

What is most rewarding about this job?

Knowing that the gas that is heating yours and everyone else’s homes, the fuel in yours and everyone else’s trucks, it comes from what you do. Heck it could even come from a well that you drilled. Knowing that the world literally revolves around your job. Without oil and gas, there would be no economy, no industry, no production, no progress. Without the oilfield, the world would collapse. Plain and simple. The brotherhood of your crew, your rig, and the entire batch of oilfield trash in the oil patch. There’s nothing like it, you could be from east Texas and meet someone from Billings, Montana. Never seen them before. But if both of you work rigs, you’ll have instant common ground. Because they know what it’s like. They know what you deal with and vice versa.

What is most challenging?

There’s times when it’s challenging to figure something out, or to get something built, or to get something just to work. Sometimes it’s a challenge to keep yourself from hitting someone. Especially when that someone almost just got you and the entire rig burned to the ground. The entire job is challenging. To learn it, to know it, understand it, and to do it. It’s not easy. It takes a special breed of human to do what we do day in and day out. But it’s one of the funnest careers other than being a pro athlete that I can think of.

What advice would you offer someone considering this career?

First off, I’d say good luck getting in. I know how hard it is to get hired. Second off, I’d say abandon all your fears. You can’t be afraid of anything on the rig. Respect everything, but do not fear it. Once you fear something, you’ll hesitate to do it. And if you hesitate, it could kill you or your coworkers. Don’t be afraid to get dirty. No matter what the task, no matter how minuscule, dirty, confusing, or or down right hard it is, be willing to do it. Volunteer to do it. If you see something that needs doing, don’t wait to be told. Take initiative, it’ll help. Don’t be afraid to take orders. And most of all, don’t let no one, I mean no one, walk all over you or push you around. It’ll be the death of you and your career.

How much time off do you get/take?

The set schedule on US land is usually either 7 days on, 7 days off or 14 days on, 14 days off. Forever. Off shore and international it’s either 14, 14 or 28, 28. Unless you’re asked to work over, which you can accept or decline. But I’d do it every time they ask because you never know when you might need the money, and after the first time you decline working over, they’ll never ask you or let you work over again.

What’s a common misconception people have about what you do?

That we all do meth and get drunk on the rig. While we’re on tour. And out here a work shift is called a tour, but it’s pronounced tower, I know it’s weird. But it’s just an oilfield thing. There’s a lot of stuff like that out here. Anyways, we don’t do meth, or get on drunk on tour. At least not on the rig I work on. Some rigs are still like that, but you don’t find it hardly ever anymore. And a lot of people think that we pump the oil out of the ground and send it to gas stations.  All we do is drill a hole. That’s it. Other people come in and set up production equipment, pump jacks and tree valves and what not. The big horse head looking things that go up and down in corn fields ARE NOT CALLED OIL DERRICKS. Those are pump jacks.

THE SHOW BLACK GOLD IS NOT REAL, I REPEAT THE SHOW BLACK GOLD IS NOT REAL. Some of the stuff they do is possible, but it’s mostly a caked up Hollywood dog and pony show. Real roughnecks laugh at that show the same way loggers laugh at the show axe men. It’s reality tv at its best, and it sucks. I could go on for days about things that people think they know about the oilfield, but there’s not enough room here and I dont think I can use that kind of language on this thing.

What are your goals and dreams for the future?

My dreams are long gone, after I got hurt in college I gave up on my dreams and went to work. My future goals are to be a company man one day. Sit in a trailer on the side of a location, tell people how I want my hole drilled and make $2,000 a day.

What else would you like people to know about what you do?

This job, this lifestyle, will change you. Once you are imbedded in it, you will not be the same person. If you’re looking to get into it, just be ready. Because whether you’re ready or not, it’s probably going to slap you in the face and be the rudest awakening of your life when you get there.

What do you do for a living?

I create online courses.

How would you describe what you do?

It’s part instructional design, part learning theory and cognitive science, part graphic design, part game design, part screenwriting, part movie making. I have a background in special education and graphic design, plus I’m an artist in traditional media, so all of those things come together. Also, I LOVE computers and technology of all kinds.

What does your work entail?

You have to know how to write learning objectives and assess for them. It’s not enough to give out information. Teaching is about knowing how to prove your learner learned what you came to teach. Then you have to work with subject matter experts. I work in industry teaching highly technical topics so I need to rely on these engineer types who have all sorts of complicated, arcane knowledge inside their heads. It’s my job to extract that and translate it into something a newbie can understand and learn from. You have to really know learning theory, especially adult learning theory. Interpersonal skills are pretty important. After you have your content, it’s time to design the course.

You ALWAYS make the assessment first. You write the test, create the final assignment, design the final project. Whatever that last big thing you’re going to test the learner on is, you have to create that first. Then, you build a series of learning activities that will help the student learn and practice what they need to be able to succeed at that final assessment. Your learning activities should build up to what the student has to produce.

That can be everything from audio/video presentations, games, interactive exercises, short quizzes, assignments, all kinds of things. I have to know a wide range of production media. If you work in an educational setting, like I used to, you also to have make all your materials ADA compliant, so you need to know how to caption and use the accessibility programming for web design. I work from a script so I have to write that once I have the assessment figured out. I also do my own voice overs so I narrate everything myself.

What does a typical workweek look like?

I usually have a few projects going all the time. One big major course I’m working on and then usually a few side things, like an instructor for an in-person class wants a video or someone in marketing needs to repurpose a flash thing you made. A lot of times, because of my art and graphics background, I do little quickie projects for people on the side. Finally, there’s a whole steering and planning thing. I document my work process very carefully because the technology I use to create learning materials is always expanding and changing. I’m always trying to get things done faster and with less effort. That means improving every production cycle and tracking things like the hours you spend creating animations or a game or just custom graphics.

How did you get started?

I was working in special education training adults with disabilities for jobs. I bought a computer and immediately became obsessed. I went on to get a job in graphic design, teaching myself most of the programs out there in the early 90′s. I missed teaching and went back to that but a friend told me to sit in on his instructional technology class at the state college in our town. I went and I realized that here was something I could go to graduate school to learn.

So I enrolled and took 2-4 classes and worked full time. In 2006 I got my MA and then a job at the community college teaching faculty how to do their online classes, from the technology to the delivery. There were a bunch of budget cuts and I knew I was going to be bumped by people in more senior positions so I looked for work. I found a position in industry creating online classes for a company that sells highly complex technical testing equipment that the customers have to be trained to use. That’s where I work now. We are building a state-of-the-art customer training portal.

What do you like about what you do?

I get to learn about almost anything. I have unlimited job potential. The world of eLearning is EXPLODING. I plan to go into business for myself eventually, once I’ve built what I want to at my current company. So it’s just all excitement and newness. I get to use my artistic talents, my writing ability and I get to use really fun software all the time. My last two fun classes I took were video editing and sound design. Our online materials have upgraded a whole level in production values and it doesn’t even feel like work to me.

What do you dislike?

Subject matter experts are often not very savvy about how people learn. They really believe that everything they know is self-evident and they often say people are stupid because most others don’t have the depth of knowledge that they do. It’s a kind of blind, not really mean, arrogance that I have to overcome in order to get them to explain things to me in a way that new learners can use.

How do you make money/how are you compensated?

Salary.

How much money do you make as an eLearning developer?

6 figures

How much money do you make starting out?

$60,000 in community college, but industry pays a lot more, although they expect a lot more and they give you much better tools to work with.

What education or skills are needed to become an eLearning devoloper?

I wouldn’t try this job without a lot of technical savvy for authoring software and a strong background in instructional design and educational theory. For that I would say a Master’s Degree is important. There are a lot of people who are experts at a topic, become trainers and then are asked to develop online materials. I find it’s like graphic design. You may have the machine, but if you’re not an artist, it won’t be that great. Same with teaching. You may have the ability to create a powerpoint presentation but that doesn’t mean you can teach.

What is most rewarding about this job?

Knowing that I can help people 24-7 to do their jobs better. Also knowing that when someone opens MY elearning course they will be pleasantly surprised. It’s going to be nice to look at, have a variety of learning experiences, and give them something to do. At the end they will know they have learned something. I have great confidence about that.

What is most challenging?

Getting the timelines shorter and shorter. Sometimes I have to give up doing an animation or having a great character walk around in the training and tell you stuff because there isn’t time. Also, being all on my own is sometimes really hard. There’s no one to bounce ideas off of. Most elearning developers are a one-person show so when I go to conference we kibitz about that a little.

What advice would you offer someone considering this career?

Take online trainings, figure out what’s broken about them and how you would make it better. If you know that, then you have the start. Go get a master’s degree in instructional technology or instructional systems design. Join professional organizations. Make elearning even if you’re not working in a job yet. Everyone has something they can teach others. How much time off do you get/take? 2-3 weeks a year plus holidays

What’s a common misconception people have about what you do?

That it’s boring and that all I do is create graphics for people to put into powerpoint and drone over.

What are your goals and dreams for the future?

I am going to establish myself as a thought leader in this industry. After 17 years in special education I have some very definite ideas about online instruction can heal and repair the education gaps and problems in our world. I’m going to build a really tall soapbox and stand up on it and tell everyone what I think.

What else would you like people to know about what you do?

There is no competition between online learning and face to face learning. They are different ways of teaching and learning and they do different things. Both systems are here to stay and all learners benefit from both.

What do you do for a living?

I am a Executive Assistant / Event Coordinator.

How would you describe what you do?

Simply put, I am an Internal Customer Service Rep.

What does your work entail as an executive assistant?

I provided advanced assistance to a department by performing various complex administrative support functions, including but not limited to, analytical and specialized administrative duties to ensure efficient office operations.

I performed advanced word processing and desktop publishing to include complex presentations, reports, spreadsheets and graphs; transcribe information of a technical, confidential and/or sensitive nature.

What does a typical workweek look like?

I took meeting and/or conference call minutes. Draft, review and/or edit written material to ensure accuracy, neatness, correct punctuation and grammar; recommend changes to improve readability and clarity.

I also coordinated, assist in planning, prepare agenda and monitor meetings; maintain calendar(s) and travel requests, handled highly confidential, sensitive and/or critical information, files, records and reports, and actively promoted and ensured clear communication within the department and facilitate inter-departmental communications.

Because I usually support 3-5 Executives and their direct reports (another 100 people or so), my workweek changes constantly. An Executive Assistant must remain flexible in her responsibilities in order to accommodate her department.

How did you get started?

Well I grew up in a very “dramatic” family. Learning how to communicate effectively was a must or else you would not be heard! I was a good public speaker and was able to present myself in a professional manner.

My first real job in high school was working in a Pharmacy as a tech. All of my friends were graduating from high school and going off to university somewhere. Even though I had the grades, my parents could not afford to send me to college, so I understood early on, I would have to work very hard and learn as much as I could in whatever job I was at. So when I worked at the pharmacy, I studied the Pharmacist and learned about pharmacy practices, medications, and insurance billing. When I worked for an Attorneys office, I learned about the law. I used the jobs I had as a means of training/educating myself. Taking what I had learned and building on it.

What do you like about what you do?

Because I usually support a President, CEO, or Vice-President it is sometimes required for me to travel with the executive. I have traveled all over the US and visited some very lovely cities.

What do you dislike?

After a while the very thing I loved became the very thing I disliked. . .traveling so much of the time and being away from my family.

How do you make money/how are you compensated?

An Executive Assistant is really one of the only careers where you don’t need a degree (although it helps) to become successful or make a pretty good living. I have a colleague who lives on the east coast in Washington, DC and she is a full-time, perm employee Executive Assistant at a pharmaceutical company. She makes over $100,000 a year plus stock options and a bonus!

Another direction is to consult with a consultant company. These companies are not recruiters/Temp Agencies, you become an independent consultant/employee of the company. Although there is usually no medical benefits or bonuses or stock options, they usually pay a more than fair hourly wage. Anywhere between 17.00 – 30.00 dollars per hour depending on what city you live in and the type of company you are assigned to work at.

Temp agencies are always an option. They usually have you come in and register with them. They will test you on your skill level, typing speed, programs, ect. After that you have to just wait by the phone for them to call you with an assignment.

How much money do you make as an executive assistant?

$70,000 + benefits in 2010

How much money do you make starting out?

I started out making an hourly wage of $14.00 in 1990.

What education or skills are needed to become an executive assistant?

A degree is always the most preferred, but it is not a REQUIREMENT. Knowing how to type and staying up-to-date on the latest office programs and information technologies are a must.

What is most rewarding about this job?

Organizing and coordinating a large meeting where information or ideas are being exchanged.

What is most challenging?

The most challenging part of being and EA is working with some many different personalities.

What advice would you offer someone considering this career?

If this is what you want to do, then go for it! Just remember you are an “INTERNAL CUSTOMER SERVICE REP” and we all know the customer is always right. Stay flexible, open, and available to everyone. Eventually when someone has a question or needs help they will come to you.

How much time off do you get/take?

It depends, I would adjust my schedule, doctors appointment, school conferences, and vacations around my Executives schedule so I was in the office when he was.

What’s a common misconception people have about what you do?

I think a common misconception people have is that being an EA is boring and we are stuck in an office all day.

In 1998 I worked for a government program that helped develop innovative ideas or technologies for the military. The DoD would invite small businesses with an innovative idea or technology to submit a proposal. If the idea or technology was accepted, they would be funded from research & development through commercialization. One of the technologies that was funded and developed was “real-time” technologies. This is the live streaming video media that is pretty common now, but in 1999 it was new cutting edge technology.

In 2003 Navy Seals / Special Ops used this technology to record the rescue of PFC Jessica Lynch.

I can’t help but feel a little proud of my small contribution.

What are your goals and dreams for the future?

Eventually, I would like to own my own independent consultant business and create a network of corporate professionals.

What else would you like people to know about what you do?

Most people think I run around getting coffee and lunch for my executive. . .and I do sometimes but it’s not the only thing I do.

A really good Executive Assistant can do her bosses job too!

lol I’m just saying. . .

What do you do for a living?

I’m a State Trooper.

How would you describe what you do?

I enforce the state laws.

What does your work entail?

Most of my work entails work in traffic accidents, heading patrols on DWI’s, and speed enforcement.

What’s a typical work week look like for you?

We work eight hours a day on the highways enforcing the traffic laws.  I patrol 4 counties working traffic accidents, enforcing speeding laws, and working DWI’s.

How did you get started in this career?

My father was a long time State Trooper and it was something I was brought up with. The State Police has a great tradition and it was something that I always wanted to do.

…there’s a huge history of becoming a State Trooper. It’s a big, big achievement, and I think that we’ve set ourselves above the rest. And I think that that’s what they are looking for when they go to hire a person is somebody that stands out above the rest, that has honesty, integrity, and is willing to work hard and treat people fairly in the world.

What do you like about your job?

I like helping the citizens of this state by serving and protecting them.

I really enjoy getting people who don’t belong on the roads at the time, the ones that have been out drinking and driving, off the roads before they hurt somebody.

What do you dislike about what you do?

To tell you the truth, I really can’t think of anything that I really dislike about what I do. I really enjoy every aspect of it, and it’s a really good career.

How do you make money or how are you paid?

I’m paid on a forty-hour workweek schedule from the State.

How much money do you make starting out as a State Trooper?

Starting out, you make close $40,000 a year.

How much do you make as a state trooper?

About $40,000 a year.

Are there any perks associated with this job?

I would say that a perk could be getting to go and do different stuff around the State such as work in the State Fairs or getting to work football or basketball games.

What education or skills are needed to become a State Trooper?

The education required is a high school degree and you can also have military time to be hired on here.  You don’t have to have a college education to get hired with the State Police.

I think the college degree would be helpful to have, it would help you get hired easier, but it’s not a requirement.

Then you have to get accepted into and pass trooper school.

It’s actually a really long process. You send in your initial application and they’ll contact you and you’ll go down for physical assessment test, and you’ll do the physical assessment.

Then, if you pass that portion of the test, you will come back and do a polygraph test. If you pass that portion then you’ll have interviews with the Majors and different people that sit on the Board.

And if you pass that, then you get invited to trooper school and you’ll go through trooper school for however long they have it scheduled.  I think most of the time they’re twenty-two weeks, and then you go through a vigorous physical tests and numerous classes.

As far as specific skills I can’t think of any in particular.  They train you in school really well.

…the most challenging thing that a police officer has to do is when someone loses a loved one in a car accident. To be there and see that, and then go speak to the family…that’s something that’s real tough.

They teach you about accident investigation, and what you’re supposed to do in certain situations.  You learn how to shoot, you know to qualify with a gun, and they train you in different situations like that. So they’ll teach you the skills that you need to know to be a state trooper.

You do need to be somebody that has honesty, integrity, and is someone that’s willing to be a good police officer out there.  Those are the type of people they look to hire as State Troopers.

What is most challenging about what you do?

I would say the most challenging thing that a police officer has to do is when someone loses a loved one in a car accident. To be there and see that, and then go speak to the family.  Having to deal with that is probably the most challenging part about this job..

It’s very, very hard to go to a household in the middle of the night and wake them up and let them know that their family member just passed away in a car wreck. That’s – that’s something that’s real tough.

What is most rewarding about what you do?

I would say would just be the fact that you’re actually out here saving lives, and that if you can help one person, if you can save one person’s life then you’re doing good.

Knowing, I took that guy off the road that shouldn’t have been behind the wheel that night and I could possibly have just saved a life because he’s not going to go down the road and hit a family.  I would say that would be the most rewarding part of my job.

What advice would you offer someone considering this career?

I would say that this is a real good career to get into. I’d say that if you really enjoy helping people and being around people then it’s a good career to get into, but if you’re not into that kind of thing then it’s probably not the career for you.  Because you’re dealing with the public, and if you’re not good speaking to people, or don’t enjoy being around them then you’re probably not going to be somebody that really helps people out.

How much time off do you get or take off?

You just get your regular two days a week, just like everybody else. Our days off are different depending on shift schedules.  So my days off are constantly changing because we’re on a rotation in our schedule.  And some people, after a while, get a set schedule if the Sergeant allows it.

And then it’s about eight hours up a month that you build up for vacation.

What is a common misconception people have about what you do?

I would say the common misconception about what we do is that we’re out here harassing people and writing speeding tickets.  We’re not out here harassing people, we’re trying to enforce the law and actually save somebody.

People think that we’re just picking on them because they’ve got a tail light out, or if they were running a little bit over the speed limit.

Enforcing speeding laws, DWI’s, state statutes and that sort of thing does help save lives.

What are your goals and dreams for the future in this career?

I would say right now to just keep enjoying what I’m doing, enjoy my career, enjoy my work, and continue doing what I’m doing. But I would like to promote within a few years and one day maybe become a post sergeant and then see how far I could go. I would like to be a captain of the State Police one day.

What else would you like people to know about what you do?

Like I said earlier, we’re not our here to harass people, we’re here to serve and protect.

Also, the main difference between the city police and state police is our tradition.

We started with thirteen original rangers and there’s a huge history of becoming a State Trooper.  It’s a big, big achievement, and I think that we’ve set ourselves above the rest. And I think that that’s what they are looking for when they go to hire a person is somebody that stands out above the rest, that has honesty, integrity, is willing to work hard and treat people fairly in the world.

What do you do for a living?

I am a registered nurse in the emergency department at a hospital.

How would you describe what you do?

I care for and treat the ill and injured patients and manage their care while they’re in the department and transfer them either home or they get admitted to the hospital.

What all does your work entail?

There’s the physical element of it as far as standing on your feet for twelve hours a day, whether that be walking, moving and rescuing patients, moving stretchers, equipment, things like that. There’s a mental or cognitive element where you have to apply your training and education as far as administering medications and making decisions for a patient’s care.

We do technical things as far as IV’s, blood draws, EKG’s. We hang intravenous drips and medications and manage and titrate those. We perform CPR and life saving measures. We communicate with our physicians in the department, letting them know and updating them on the patient’s condition and changes that occur while they’re there.

We transfer patients to the floors, we discharge them, we transport them around the hospital to where they need to go as far as having a CT scan or whatever.

when you have a good outcome with somebody, you really feel like your direct care of them has made them better in some way, and they tell you that they appreciate the care that you’ve given them. That’s very satisfying and rewarding.

We administer, medications and monitor pain levels and do dressings and all that stuff.

And then there’s kind of an emotional aspect of it too as far as you’re dealing with people that are very sick and sometimes it’s not a happy place to be, and you’ve got angry people so it’s kind of a roller coaster place to be.

What’s a typical work week look like for you?

Well for me, I’m not a full time right now. When I was full time I would work thirty-six hours a week.

Most hospitals now have 3 twelve hour shifts, three days a week, with thirty-six hours a week, and that’s considered full time. But I’m an as-needed employee so I can work thirty-six hours a week or I can work no hours a week, it just depends on what they need. Right now I’m working probably twelve to twenty-four hours a week. It just depends on when they need me and when I want to work.

How did you get started in this career?

Well, I was actually a senior in college getting my psychology degree and I thought I wanted to do that. I was looking into graduate school options because I was finding out that there’s not a lot of options in psychology without a graduate degree.

About that time my grandfather was really sick on my mom’s side and I was spending a lot of time in the ICU in the hospital with him. And something kind of spoke to me about it and I started looking into nursing programs, and found one. The good thing about it is that if you already have a degree in something else you can get a nursing degree in about 1 ½ to 2 years. So that’s what I did, and really, I guess it’s because my grandfather was sick that I was inspired.

What do you like about what you do?

I like the fact that I can make a difference in people’s lives immediately, and I can see the effects of what I do. I have skills that a lot of people don’t have and I feel like I can really make a difference in the outcome of my patient’s illnesses directly. I get a lot of reward from that.

What do you dislike about the job?

I guess in a nutshell I dislike the fact that hospitals are being owned more and more by big corporations and those corporations are being controlled by medicare insurance companies as to what they will and won’t pay for and all that trickles down to the nursing.

We are limited in how much input we can have over our practice, where pretty much they just tell you how things are going to be and you have to do that..

the most challenging thing is when you have something that you can’t fix…something tragic has happened and you can’t help, there’s nothing that you can do..it’s a challenge to figure out how to deal with it emotionally and not take that stuff home with you and let it affect your family life.

And it’s really just the policies and procedures like, charting, computer systems, etc. There are a lot of things that we have to use every day that slow us down and make things a lot less efficient. It’s not really anything to do with your clinical skills or your judgment, it’s just infrastructure and things like that we’d like to see improved, and with the larger companies owning the hospitals it’s seems to be harder to make changes or improve.

How do you make money or how are you compensated?

It’s hourly.

How much money do you make as an RN?

I make $27.05 an hour. And again, I don’t have guaranteed hours, so whenever I work I just get paid that much hourly.

How much money did you make starting out as an RN?

My first job, my base rate was $15.00 an hour. That was ten years ago.

Would you say there are any perks associated with what you do?

Yes, definitely. The biggest perk that I can say right now is that the three twelve-hour shifts give you a lot of free time during the week. You can have four days off and most places will allow self-scheduling, which means you can pretty much say I want to do my three days in a row and be off the rest of the week, or I want to work mostly weekends, or whatever works best for you.

There’s a lot of scheduling flexibility. That’s a big perk. You get pretty good benefits too, usually paid vacation and health insurance and all that.

What education or skills are needed to be an RN?

Well right now to be an RN like I am you can either have a two-year associate’s degree or a four-year bachelor’s degree, and you can function in the same capacity in the hospital or in any RN setting. There is a push nowadays for the bachelor’s to be the standard for all nurses. I have the bachelor’s degree but that’s just because the program I went to was accelerated, but you have to have either the associate’s degree or the bachelor’s degree and then you have to pass the national certification exam to get your nursing license.

As far as skills, I think that somebody should be very flexible. You have to be flexible as far as making decisions and changing things on the fly, you can’t be somebody who doesn’t deal with change well. You have to be able to be around people and deal with people and the public, have people skills, and physically be able to do the job, because it is somewhat physically demanding. I think people forget about that, you’ve got to lift patients around in beds and stuff like that, it can probably be pretty tiring.

What is most challenging about what you do?

Probably the most challenging thing is when you have something that you can’t fix, like you have somebody that’s dead or dying or something tragic has happened and you can’t help, there’s nothing that you can do.

So I think that when that does happen, that’s hard, and it’s a challenge to figure out how to deal with it emotionally and not take that stuff home with you and let it affect your family life.

What is most rewarding about what you do?

Well, I guess kind of the opposite of that is when you have a good outcome with somebody, you really feel like your direct care of them has made them better in some way, and they tell you that they appreciate the care that you’ve given them and that’s very satisfying and rewarding.

What advice would you offer someone considering this career?

I would say it’s a good career to choose right now because there’s been a nursing shortage for as long as I can remember and it’s just going to get worse because we have an aging population.

I think that people just need to really understand that it’s very important to talk to some nurses that they know and that they can find and ask them what it’s really like, because I think some people go into this job not really realizing how it’s really going to be.

How much time off do you get or take?

Well, when I’m working full time four days a week is the regular scheduled time off. And then usually you get about two or three weeks of paid vacation a year. Every pay period you might earn three+ hours of paid time off. And once you accrue enough of that, then you can use it. So if you’re a brand new person in the hospital it probably adds up to two weeks a year, and as you gain seniority in the hospital and are there for more and more years, you earn that time off faster.

The biggest perk…is that the three twelve-hour shifts give you a lot of free time during the week.

What is a common misconception that people have about what you do?

I don’t’ think people really have an understanding of how involved nurses are in the care of patients. You know, we’re definitely not doctors, I totally understand that, it’s very different than medicine but I think there’s kind of a lack of respect for nurses, at least in my experience.
Not always, but I think the misconception is that we’re kind of blue-collar, you know, we work shifts, we get paid by the hour, but it’s really not, it’s much more complex than that, but I don’t think the general public really knows that.

What are your goals and dreams for the future in this career?

Well, right now I’m pretty good where I am. I’ve gotten my bachelor’s degree already. I did go back to school for a semester and do a semester of the Master’s program because I thought I wanted to be a nurse practitioner, but I’ve changed my mind. I think I want to remain at the level where I am for now. I don’t want to go into management, I don’t want to go into higher practice, I just want to be a staff nurse in the ER.

What else would you like people to know about what you do?

I guess I would want people to know that nurses provide a critical element to any hospital stay. Patients spend most of their time with nurses when they’re in the hospital.

Are you planning on Shadowing someone’s job? If so you’ll want to have an idea of what to ask that person while you’re shadowing them.

Here are our top 12 questions to ask the person you are shadowing.

1. What’s a typical work week like?

While you are shadowing someone you will no doubt see what all the job entails and what a work day might be like.  However if you’re only doing a short job shadow be sure and ask this question as well as further questions to find out the work schedules, hours, and on the job requirements.

2. How did you get started?

A fun question for most people to answer and a fun one to hear answered.  Everyone’s got a story, ask this and hear theirs.  This will help you understand what got them interested and into this career and further help you understand if this is something for you.

3. What do you like about what you do?

It will obviously be good to know what they like about what they do.  Ask this question to hear if the things they like about the job would be things you would like as well.

4. What do you dislike?

Equally important as the question above.  Things some people dislike other people would like(and vise versa with question #3).  Ask this question to hear the downsides of a potential career.

5. How much money do you make?
6. How much money did you make starting out?

No doubt the most controversial questions and most uncomfortable to ask.  But at the end of the day, in order to be happy in your career, you have to put food on the table and you have to have a job or career that satisfies your personal income desires.

Most people you shadow will be happy to share how much they make.  And you may be surprised, some careers may make more than you thought, and some less.

And while making money is one of the reasons we all work almost all people will tell you that having a personally fulfilling job is most important.

Or as this Oncologist said: “You need to follow whatever your passion is, otherwise you’ll be miserable…If you’re doing something just to make these little rectangular, green pieces of paper you’re never going to be happy.”

7. What education or skills are needed to do this?

The earlier you find the answer to this question the earlier you can plan your career path.  Perhaps you need lots of school like a general surgeon, or perhaps you need lots of time outdoors and on the water like a Pro Bass Fisherman.

8. What advice would you offer someone considering this career?

Perhaps the most important question.  Someone who is successful in their career(which should be your target for a job shadow) will be able to provide invaluable advice to help you make your career decisions.

9. How much time off do you get/take?

Finding a good work/play balance inline with what you need is one key to finding a rewarding career.  You might be able to work and play at the same time

10. What is a common misconception people have about what you do?

We’ve all got visions in our heads of what we think certain jobs might be like.  They might not be as glamorous, or even as bad as you thought though. Asking the person you’re shadowing this question will help cast light on any preconceived notions you may have.

Good luck with it and have fun!

Each person interviewed here answered these questions and more.  Browse the complete list of interviews and career options here at jobshadow.com.

Dr. Randy Cole of the Boozman-Hof Eye Clinic was kind enough to share about his career as an ophthalmologist.  You can find his clinic and services here.

What do you do for a living?

I’m an ophthalmologist or an eye surgeon.

How would you describe what you do?

I’m generally working as a cataract and refractive surgeon.  So I do cataract surgery.  I do refractive surgery.  I see patients too, but the majority of what I do is related to providing cataract and refractive surgical services.

What does your work entail?

It entails being in the operating room during cataract surgery, doing refractive laser surgery, and seeing patients in the examining room.  And taking general ophthalmology call covering the emergency rooms of a couple of area hospitals.

It really is quite remarkable in terms of what we can do to improve people’s quality of life, ability to function, and restoring the precious sense of sight to a level better than they’ve ever experienced.

What’s a typical workweek look like for you?

We’re busy.  We work hard.  I’m taking call every second to third weekend and I operate all day Monday.  I’m in the clinic seeing patients all day Tuesday, Wednesday morning, and all day Friday.  I’m off Wednesday afternoon but in a typical week I’ll have about a 170 patient encounters.  Of those, about 40 are surgery encounters.

How did you get started as an ophthalmologist?

In medical school I just started thinking about what I wanted to do, what I like to do.  I knew some ophthalmologists who had been in practice while I was in high school and college in particular.  They seemed to like what they did and so really early on in medical school it became apparent to me that that’s the specialty that I wanted to go and try to get a residency position in.

In fact, I applied and got the position in the middle of my junior year while in school.  I had a position already nailed down at Little Rock so I didn’t even bother to apply to any other programs or residencies.

What do you like about what you do?

It’s challenging and extremely demanding.  I’m dealing in terms of microsurgery, millimeters, and having to be extremely precise.  There’s a lot of challenges and stress but it is very gratifying. I tell the people I work with over here it’s difficult but we need be realizing that really we’re in the business of miracles.  Doctors and nurses treat, only God heals, but at the same time I feel that we provide a valuable service in helping people in the precious sense of sight.

And modern cataract surgery and modern refractive surgery are truly remarkable in restoring vision to a level that’s better than people have ever had in their lives.  Younger people are having refractive surgery and they are not needing glasses anymore.

We’ve been using implants for older people, lens implants now that you can correct for astigmatism and can help them read so they’re seeing like 20 year olds and don’t need glasses.  It really is quite remarkable in terms of what we can do to improve people’s quality of life, ability to function, and restoring the precious sense of sight to a level better than they’ve ever experienced.

So that’s very gratifying.  At the end of the week you can be tired and be stressed and have some worries but you don’t ever get to the end of the week and wonder, “Did I really accomplish anything or do anything worthwhile?”

What do you dislike about this job?

Well, honestly there’s not any other job that I would rather do.  There’s not any other profession that I would say I wish I had not missed.  The only thing—like any work, the only thing that’s sometimes unpleasant is there’s stress. You’ve got to try to make people happy.  You’ve got to satisfy needs and expectations.  You’ve got to deal with insurance companies, medicare.  There’s rare lawsuits, so like with any work there’s just stress involved.

How do you make money or how are you compensated in this career?

Well, I’m an owner of the businesses that I’m involved in and I have partners as well.  But being an owner in this entity means I have ownership in the clinic and within the clinic I’m paid based on productivity.

And so I’m paid a percent of the profits or distributions of that entity that is derived directly from my productivity in the clinic and indirectly from the profits and percent of my ownership in our optical business and in the surgery center.

It’s all based on fee for service.

So it’s not like being a passive owner of a business.  If you park there, you’re working, doing surgery, doing exams, seeing patients then you’ll generate income.

So unlike somebody who may own a factory or a car dealership, they keep on making income whether they are there or whether they’re spending the winter in Florida.

How much money do you make as an ophthalmalogist?

The average income of an ophthalmologist is around $250,000-$300,000 and that income will vary depending upon how busy or productive an ophthalmologist might be.  The average productivity in a clinic or a benchmark productivity for an ophthalmologist is producing around $800,000 a year gross and he might keep around 40% of that.  And then busier ophthalmologists may produce two, three, or four times that much.

And if the ophthalmologist owns an optical clinic or surgery center that’s profitable, which they aren’t at all profitable, that income can also be supplemented between those other ancillary businesses.

And there are ophthalmologists that go bankrupt.  I bet there’s half a dozen I can name in in the last 10 years just in this state that actually have gotten into a bankruptcy and maybe they had to restructure or have their practice closed.

You’re going to have to finish high in your medical school class to get a residency position[in ophthalmology]. So you need to expect and understand that you’re going to have to be in the top 10% of your class to have a shot at getting a position which is real hard because medical school is not easy to get into in the first place.

The dynamic is changing in health care industry.  About a half of the new physicians are really not owners but employees of either clinics or health care systems. And so those doctors still make a reasonably good percent of their production but they don’t have a lot of autonomy.

The good news is you don’t have part of the ownership and the risk of going bankrupt and having to have a lot of administrative support people and put in extra hours in terms of leading a company or leading, managing and directing an entity.  So it can be that you may work less and have less stress in terms of the business administrative aspects of owning a business but you have less autonomy and you have less decision making latitude.  And essentially it’s somebody else who technically tells you what time to come in, what you need to do, and what’s expected of you.

How much money did you make starting out in this career?

Well, I started as an ophthalmology resident making around 25,000 a year, maybe a little less than that back when I first started.  I supplemented that by moonlighting in emergency rooms and then my first job in 1983 as an ophthalmologist in Florida was probably base salary of 75,000 with some production incentives.

Would you say there are any perks associated with your job?

Well, I think this job’s biggest perk is just the gratification of doing something really dramatic and helping restore sight and helping improve people’s life.

And that’s essentially life changing service you’re providing for people.  So the biggest perk or reward is the gratification of doing dramatic things to improve their vision and their quality of life.

What education and/or skills would you say are needed to do this job?

To become an ophthalmologist, you have to go to college.  I actually got accepted to a few medical schools before I got my undergraduate degree after just three years of college.

But generally you have to have an undergraduate degree and go to medical school and become an M.D.  And then there’s somewhere between 3 to 5 years of training to be an eye surgeon.

And it requires a certain amount of dexterity and hand-eye coordination to be able to do microsurgery.

And the uncertainty about that is you just never know when you could lose that.  If you come down with tremor, a neurological problem, Parkinson’s Disease, arthritis, or have a stroke, you’re done.

As far as determining if you have what it takes, there’s not really a process in this country or sort of an obstacle course or hand-eye testing to see if you can become a surgeon.  A lot of it just comes in the training, and in the process of the training, finding out if they can do it and if not they can become just a medical specialist rather than a surgeon.

So when you get in your internship training you kind of find out if this something you’re really cut out for or if you have to do more of a medical specialty in ophthalmology like a medical ophthalmologist.  You don’t necessarily have to do surgery.

There are certain specialties in ophthalmology that are less surgically inclined like being an neuro-ophthalmologist or being a specialist pediatric ophthalmologist.  They do less surgery and will do more of children’s exam and just some surgeries on the eye muscles.

This job also requires the ability to be able to interact well with patients.

And a successful ophthalmologist has a fairly high overhead with lot of employees in their practice.  So they have to have the energy and drive to see a lot of patients and to be able to manage all that.

What is the most challenging about what you do?

I’m a perfectionist and I can’t have complications so the most challenging thing is to try to maintain concentration and diligence to a point that I essentially avoid any complications in surgery at all.  So I’ve got to have zero tolerance for ever making a mistake or having a problem or complication related to an error on my part.  And that just takes a lot of attention to detail and experience.  And it’s mentally taxing and fatiguing. So I’m real hard on myself to avoid problems errors and complications.  Number two, people’s expectations as such that even if things go well they aren’t always uniformly happy, so that can be frustrating.

What is the most rewarding about what you do?

Well, the rewarding thing is that we are in the business of miracles and being able to restore the sense of sight to people who are really blown away.  Being able to see that is very gratifying.

What advice would you offer considering this career?

My advice would be it’s a good career.  I think it’s something worthwhile to do.  I would recommend it—for myself, over many other surgical specialties.  But you’re going to have to finish high in your medical school class to get a residency position.  So you need to expect and understand that you’re going to have to be in the top 10% of your class to have a shot at getting a position which is real hard because medical school is not easy to get into in the first place.

You got to be in the top 5 or 10% of your medical school class and that makes it even tougher.

So ophthalmology, dermatology, radiology, and orthopedics still are very highly sought after residencies.

And the nice thing about ophthalmology also is you’ve got a little more control over your time.  The surgeries are not emergencies so you can schedule them out in advance.  Not like in appendicitis or a gunshot wound that has to be fixed right now.

So you have a little more control that when you leave work you don’t often get called back at night and when you’re on call on the weekend it doesn’t mean you’re going to have to spend the whole weekend in the ER.

It’s not easy. It’s exacting. It’s stressful. There’s no margin for error but you get to the end of the week and you’ll know that you’re in the business of miracles and you’re not going to reach a point of the week or point in middle age where you look in the mirror and go, “Have I done anything with my life?”

It’s not like as a general surgeon.  If they get called on the weekend, chances are they are going to be spending sometime in the O.R. over the weekend.

And that’s not to say there aren’t emergencies. There could be perforating eye injuries, blood eye injuries, trauma, laceration of the eye lids, so there are a lot of things that can require us to have to come in and do surgery or just see somebody in the office for some medical eye problem.

How much time do you get off or do you take off?

Six weeks a year for meetings and vacations.

What is a common misconception people have about what you do?

Let’s see… People probably think that since I’m an ophthalmologist I prescribe a lot of glasses.  But I really don’t do much in a way of prescribing glasses because I’ve got a group of optometrists that I work with who take care of the glasses and the contact lenses.

What are your goals and dreams for the future in this career?

It’s hard to believe I’ve been out of medical school now for 33 years.  But I’m still young.  I’m 58.  So I would hope to have the health to be able to continue to work for at least another 10 years.  And I had planned on slowing down some and handing over things to one of the newer doctors but that didn’t work out so ironically I’m probably going to be the busiest in my life for the next 10 years doing more surgery than I have ever done before.   

What else would you like people to know about what you do?

I would just say that it’s not easy.  It’s exacting.  It’s stressful.  There’s no margin for error but you get to the end of the week and you’ll know that you’re in the business of miracles and you’re not going to have to reach the point of the week or point in middle age where you look in the mirror and go, “Have I done anything with my life?”

I think that it’s also worthwhile for people to know what we do in terms of cataract surgery is probably as high a level of service of cataract surgery as is available anywhere in the world.  Furthermore, I like them to know that there are a lot of options now in terms of the refractive lens implant where people can elect for distance vision.

They can elect for getting their stigmatism corrected.  They can also do what’s called a multi focal implant that they could actually also read through.  So there are a lot of options along the lines of the technology.  And I want them to know that we’re a team and staff extremely conscientious who wants to deal with everybody like it’s a family member.  And we have some measurable outcomes that are evidence of that.  For instance, we have the best record in the world on preventing infection after cataract surgery for example.

Scott Brown of the Scooter Brown Band was kind enough to let us interview him about his career in the music business. You can check out his band and website at The Scooter Brown Band

What do you do for a living?

I am a professional musician, singer, and song writer.

How would you describe what you do to someone?

I write and compose music and perform it on stage.

What does your work entail?

It entails writing music and composing, obviously performing live shows, traveling, a lot of phone conferences and emails with bookings and management companies and venues and promotional stuff, radio, TV, internet.

What’s a typical work week look like for you?

During the beginning of the week I do a lot of phone calls, emails, and conference calls.  I do some acoustic house gigs close to where I live and then usually, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday we travel and play shows.

How did you get started?

It’s kind of funny, when I first started playing guitar, I told my dad, “This is so cool.  I love music.  One day, I just want to play on stage in front of somebody with a microphone and some speakers and just do it like that will make me happy.”  And then it happened.

When you step on stage and you look out and there’s a thousand people in front of you that all paid their hard earned money to come in and watch your show and sing along to the words, that’s the most rewarding…that 90 minutes that you’re on stage is the easiest thing about this, it’s by far the reason why we do this job.

Then the next thing I was able to put a band together and it happened.  Then I said if I can just get the music on the radio and hear my songs on radio like that would be unbelievable.  And it’s happening.  It’s like you always kind of push for those next things and you get to those and now those things are no big deal anymore.  Now you’re like I want to do this, I want to do that.  You just keep pushing for bigger and better as the years go by.  You keep accomplishing goals and obviously for us we want to be big as we can possibly get and make good money and take care of our families and play music.

What do you like about what you do?

I love music in general.  I love writing it.  I love performing it.  I love traveling.  I love going to new towns, meeting new people.  One of my favorite things about what I do is performing a song and getting a reaction out of somebody whether they smile or laugh or it brings a tear in their eye.  It’s great when you hit emotionally with the lyrics that you’ve written.  Those are some of my favorite things about what I do.

What do you dislike about this job?

I spend a lot of time away from my family.  It also comes with a very high stress level because there are so many people out there trying to do the same thing that we’re doing and competing.  It’s kind of like being on a hundred percent commission.  You could just knock it out of the ballpark one month and the next month you might be scraping by.

There’s just a ton of overhead in the business itself between recording, records, putting songs out on the radio, touring, and gas and hotels. And sometimes people think that you make a lot of money and you do gross pretty decent money but a ton of it goes back into the business itself.

How do you make money or how are you compensated on this career?

One, I make money off writing songs.  If I write a song and somebody else records it then you receive a royalty off of it.  When the songs are played on the radios or TV we receive royalties off it.  There’s also merchandise sales such as CDs, T-shirt, hats etc.  And then obviously performing at live shows.

How much money do you make as a professional musician?

Because we put so much money back into the band I probably bring home maybe $50,000 a year right now after paying for everything.  As a band we probably gross like over $200,000 or more.

With some shows you might make $6,000 or $7,000 grand.  Then you pay out the band.  You pay your management.  You pay your booking agent.  You pay yourself and then you try to stuff as much money away because you might have a show a thousand dollars away.  You might be opening for somebody, a bigger band and you might only get two hundred bucks for that show for coming and opening.  You still have to pay the fuel and the hotel rooms, and all that stuff and it adds up pretty quickly.  On a two or three day run it literally may be a thousand dollars or $1500 out of pocket.

The thing about this career is if you truly believe that this is what you want to do, you should get out there, do your best at it, make as many contacts as you possibly can and never give up. There are people that had been at it for 15 or 20 years before they actually became successful…If your heart is in it and you truly love music and enjoy performing in front of people, don’t give up. Always chase your dream because not all people get to do it.

For our band, every year has been a better year.  Every year we’ve gotten on better shows, grossed more money and have gotten a bigger fan base.  It just fluctuates throughout the year though.  There are times of the year that are slow for everybody in the business.  But for us, every year overall has been a better year for sure.

How much money did you make starting out?

When I was doing it part time and had another job I was probably making like $10,000/year.

Would you say there are any perks associated with what you do?

Yeah, definitely.  There’s perks like being recognized by fans and people around town.  We’ve picked up sponsorships where you get free clothes or free boots.  At dinner you may go into a restaurant and the owner knows you and they’ll pay for your dinner or something like that.  Also you just get to do a lot of really cool things like getting to meet and play shows with other people in the business that you look up to.

What education and/or skills would you say are needed to be a professional musician?

That’s a really hard question to answer because there are people out there that are just naturally talented and gifted people and then there’s people that go to college and know everything about the theory of music.

There are guys like Dave Matthews and John Mayer who are freakin’ musical geniuses.  They went to college and they know everything about the theory of music and then there are guys like myself.  I have a high school education and I did four years in the Marine Corps.  I didn’t go to college.  I started writing as a hobby and I picked up playing the guitar when I was 19 and I still to this day probably couldn’t tell you half the chords that I play or what key I even play in.  I just picked it up by ear and started writing.  And I don’t know much about music theory or stuff like that.  I just play it.

As far as other skills you do need to have some sort of business sense.  So if you don’t have good business, then you need to have somebody working for you that does for sure.  Other than that it’s just a lot of determination, a lot of people quit this business when they’re so close to breaking through.

What is most challenging about what you do?

Probably staying busy and just keeping the gigs rolling in, especially in Texas since there are so many bands.  Also, just continually writing my music that’s relevant and that fans want to hear.  You can write songs all days that you think are good but at the end of the day it’s about really putting asses in the seats, connecting with fans, and selling tickets to make a living.

Obviously [the goal] is always to grow as big as possible and to play in more places. Right now, I can say I’m living my dream. I get to play music for a living and I support my family off of it. And as long as I can keep doing that I will always be happy.

So creating a show, creating music that people want to buy and listen to, and staying on top of your game and being relevant in the music scene is probably the most difficult.

What do you find most rewarding about what you do?

Performing the show.  When you step on stage and you look out and there’s a thousand people in front of you that all paid their hard earned money to come in and watch your show and sing along to the words, that’s the most rewarding.

All the other stuff like dealing with contracts, booking agents, PR, ordering merchandise, etc can be a pain in the ass.  I’m not complaining but it can be a pain.  But that 90 minutes that you’re on stage is the easiest thing about this, it’s by far the reason why we do this job.

What advice would you offer someone considering this career?

The thing about this career is if you truly believe that this is what you want to do, you should get out there, do your best at it, make as many contacts as you possibly can and never give up.  The people that have been successful in this business, and granted you get a lot of people that they get on TV shows and they become an overnight success or they form a band together and they get in front of that right person and they become an overnight success and they’ve only been at it for a couple of years.

But a lot of people that have really been successful, if you go back and read their stories, they are people that had been at it for 15 or 20 years before they actually became successful.  And if after 10 years or whatever, something finally hits you in the face, and you say, “I did my best and it’s not working out.”, that’s one thing.  But I feel a lot of people go at it for a couple of years and, say “Oh, we didn’t make it,” and they go back to work in their day job.  Who knows what would happen if they have gone for another year or another five years, maybe that would have been what it took.

A lot of people settle for less because they gave up too easily or too early and throw their hands up in the air, but if you want it you can make it happen.

If your heart is in it and you truly love music and enjoy performing in front of people, don’t give up.  Always chase your dream because not all people get to do it.

How much time off do you get or take for a vacation or free time?

I pretty much play on average about 220 days a year.  I spend the other days at the house around my kids and my wife.

So the rest of the time I’m not working per se.  I may be sitting in my gym shorts like now doing interviews, paperwork, or stuff like that.  So I actually get a lot of time off where I’m technically still working.

If I feel like shutting the computer off or turning my phone off I can do that.  If I want to go on a vacation and take five days off all I need to do is tell my booking agent don’t book me during these days.

If the money is coming in, if I want to take two months off, I could take two months off.  It all depends.  That’s probably the best answer I could give you.

What is a common misconception people have about what you do?

I think the common misconception would be that we just get up on stage and play music.  I think people don’t realize how much work goes into a show and getting out on the road and actually performing and putting music out.  I mean there’s a lot of work involved to do that.  Some people will be like, “Man, it must be cool, you get to sleep until noon every day and you get up and you come out and drink beers and play music and hang out with everybody,” and that’s not what really happens.

I mean I get up in the morning and I start working.  I make phone calls.  I’m on the computer.  I go to the gym.  I keep myself healthy.  When you’re on radio tour sometimes you’ve got to be on the radio station at 6:30 in the morning or go into a live TV thing and the news at 5 o’clock in the morning.  There’s just a lot of work that goes into it besides the show that you put on.

What are you goals and dreams for the future in this career?

Obviously it’s always to grow as big as possible and to play in more places.  Right now, I can say I’m living my dream.  I get to play music for a living and I support my family off of it.  And as long as I can keep doing that, I will always be happy.  We got a couple of nice cars and we live in a nice house.  It’s nothing fancy.

It’s never going to be on MTV cribs or nothing but we get by and that’s completely fine with me.  But with that being said, we want to be a nationally based band touring all over the United States.  We want to go play in Europe and push our music over there.  We would love to put out great music and be awarded for it whether it be country music awards or the even Grammy’s or whatever, or get to play on a late night talk show.

It’s just little stuff like that as far as a bucket list that we try to strive for.

What else would you like people to know about what you do?

Whenever somebody buys our CD we tell them thank you and we say all we ask is if you like it, burn and give it to your friends.  They’re like, “No, we’re not going to burn it.  We’ll tell them to go to iTunes and download it,” which, obviously is fine.  But we say burn it and give it to people.  Tell people about it.

We’re making $10 on the sale of a CD.  If somebody burns 10 of them and just two or three more people become fans out of those 10 people, they’ll come to shows and pass it along to friends.  It all works out in the long run we just want to get the music out there and get people coming to our shows.

What do you do for a living?

I am a program manager for the Department of Youth and Community Development for a major U.S City.

How would you describe what you do?

That means that we use tax-levied money to support programs throughout the city.  Those programs range from things like the YMCA, initiatives to help young people up to the age of 24 get a job. They might be mentoring programs where people try and help get them into the work force.  The bulk of what we do is fund after school programs and what are called “Beacon Centers”.  Beacon Centers are like community centers, generally in high-needs neighborhoods.  Those places will generally have a gym, some classroom spaces.  They might be dual use – like during the day senior citizens might use them for a rec area, and then after school hours it kind of turns over to the young people.

What does your work entail?

My role as a program manager is to manage the individual contracts.  They are generally contracts that are three years guaranteed and then renewed depending on a variety of factors after that.  So, a couple of times a year, I visit all of those programs and give them a rating.  Generally, my role is to be supportive of them.  If a program is trying to find a good basketball coach, or a good literacy curriculum, then I can make recommendations.  With over 500 after school programs, it’s rare that we would move to shut one down.  That’s a last resort.

It’s neat to see kids who may not enjoy school from 8-3, go to an after school program where they can do robotics, or they can do sports, or they can do community building. Some of our programs do some really good community works projects where they’re converting empty lots into gardens, or painting murals. It’s neat to see young people having a positive impact on their community.

Also I work on their budgets.  These programs have a contract with us for a dollar amount and that amount is pretty much the same year to year, unless there’s a budget cut and they send a year plan of what they’re going to do with that budget so I can see what staff they’re going to cover, how many staff, what hours of operation they’re going to have, what they’re going to spend money on for supplies.

A program can buy a flat screen TV, they don’t need to buy ten flat screen TVs. So, I just make sure that they’re using the money appropriately.  Some of what you hear about working for governments is true. It’s bureaucratic, there’s paperwork, and sometimes things move slow.

So when I go visit a program, that generates a report that I write up and that gets approved by two or three people, and gets sent out to the provider so they know if they’re on good-standing or not, so some of that is a lot of “back and forth”.

On the other hand our agency received some of the Obama money, so we definitely got to see that money at work helping people here.

What does a typical workweek look like for you?

One of the good things about my job is that it is 9-5 or 10-6. We have flex-time that I come in between 9 and 10, and prior to working here, I worked for an after school program where I was always dealing with parents and kids, and while it was rewarding, it was also challenging, because I always needed to be available.  One thing I like about my job now is that when I go home, I generally don’t think about it until the next day. That’s a lifestyle thing. Would I go back to the other way? Yeah, if it was the right job, but I do value having a life after work.

What a general work week is like, Monday through Friday, mornings, taking care of paperwork and checking up on email, doing requests for information from providers or colleagues, etc.  I spend about three days a week going out to visit programs and they’re in all the boroughs of New York.  I’ll check out a City car if the programs are far from the subway, go visit the program for two hours, go home, come back the next day, fill out that paperwork, load it into the computer, and do more of the same.

One of the great things about the unit that I work in is that if you want to work on other projects, there are opportunities to do so.  I’ve been able to advance the FIRST Robotics within DYCD.  We were able to get funding for 40 Lego teams and that’s been something that I’ve helped carry on for three or four years now.  It’s challenging because funding is tough to get, but I think technology is kind of a buzzword right now for working with kids.  It’s been neat to be able to carry over some of my own experience plus what I’ve been able to do with a wider range of people.

How did you get started with this career?

I was going to graduate school in here and there was an after school program around the corner from my apartment.  I was looking for a part-time job, and went there.  I started working as an administrative assistant essentially, and part-time lead to full-time, and when I went to full-time I worked there for four years, and then I met someone who worked for DYCD, which was actually funding the program I worked for.  I made that connection and thought it would be interesting to go work for the city agency and to see the youth development field from a different perspective. It’s not something I planned on, but something that naturally progressed.

What do you like about what you do?

I like seeing programs that are effective.  It’s not easy to work with teenagers and young people, especially if they’re going to schools that are not top notch.  There are a lot of things going against that population, so it’s neat to see kids who may not enjoy school from 8-3, go to an after school program where they can do robotics, or they can do sports, or they can do just community building.  Some of our programs do some really good community works projects where they’re converting empty lots into gardens, or painting murals.  It’s neat to see young people having a positive impact on their community.

The advice that I would have for somebody looking for this kind of position is to go work for a non-profit for a year or two and find out what it’s like to really be in an environment where resources are slim and there’s a lot of need. You’ll learn a lot from it and you’ll be able to prioritize what agencies need.

What do you dislike about the job?

Sometimes it’s difficult to stay motivated whenever you know that, as working for a city agency, there’s not a lot of reward for going above and beyond.  Your pay scale is pretty much set in stone and so the only way to really advance is to move up, and that’s well and good but it can be difficult because it can be very political, and be based less on merit and more on factors that are outside your control.

How do you make money or how are you compensated for this job?

I’m paid a salary.

How much money do you make as the City Manager for Youth Programs?

$60,000

How much money do you make starting out in this job?

All city employees start off in my role at $53,000 and after two years, you get a bump, so now I’m making the same amount as somebody in my position who has been here for 5 or 10 years more than I have.

Would you say that there are any perks associated with your job?

There are holidays I get off like Columbus Day.  I think a perk is not having to worry about my work when I’m not here.  Being able to drive a city car is a perk.

I definitely visit neighborhoods I wouldn’t have seen otherwise. And, because it is related to the city, there are times when there are perks – like for special events.  Sometimes, very occasionally it will be tickets to a baseball game, or you’ll get a special invite to a special event, things like that.

What education or skills are needed to do this?

It really ranges.  Generally, you need to have a college degree.  It would help if you had a Master’s in either social work or public administration.

You have to be able to use a computer.  You have to be comfortable going online and pulling information, using spreadsheets, additional skills.  I’m finding more and more that there are people who are comfortable being in front of a group of people and others who are not.  If you’re not, you can only go so far in this job because you’re going to be asked to be in front of a group of people at one point or another.

When people are advocating for government funding to be cut, keep in mind that those cuts can have some very real effects. Here that could mean that potentially 80,000 kids won’t have a summer program. Either their parents will be staying home from work, or those kids will be running around. So just realize when you are cutting budgets, there are real repercussions to that, so you want to be clear about what you’re saying should be cut because if you’re cutting programs we can use, you’re setting up the future, both immediate and long-term, to be jeopardized.

What is most challenging about what you do?

The pace, you can go to a meeting and people will be in agreement about what needs to happen, but it can still take two weeks for a report to get approved, because it has to go to people who are outside that meeting and run up the channels that usually go all the way up to the Mayor. And when it goes that high there are a lot of other things that have priority.  And that can be challenging because a priority to us at the agency might not be a priority at that level, so it can be challenging to wait.

What would you say is the most rewarding about what you do?

When you visit a summer camp and there’s 150 kids there on a beautiful July afternoon, and they’re just getting back from going on a field trip that they would not have gotten to take otherwise.  You can tell that they’re appreciative of it, and the program is taking pride in what they’re doing. That’s a nice thing to see.

What advice would you offer someone considering this career?

The advice that I would have for somebody looking for this kind of position is to go work for a non-profit for a year or two and find out what it’s like to really be in an environment where resources are slim and there’s a lot of need.  You’ll learn a lot from it and you’ll be able to prioritize what agencies need.

How much time off do you get or take with this job?

When you start off, it’s two weeks a year, and goes up gradually after that.  That’s probably one of the downsides of working for the City, is that they track every minute. You can get overtime, but it can be hard to get. At a non-profit, there would be plenty of times that I would work 60 hour weeks for a while and then say, “I’m taking a week off”, and that was accepted and encouraged, whereas here, every week you go to check your spreadsheet of your City time and it tells you to the minute how much vacation time you have. It’s kind of a micromanaged thing. If I thought I could work more and get off more, I would. But that’s not the system.

What is a common misconception people have about what you do?

I think there is a lot of misconception right now about public service workers and that everybody is overpaid and has a great pension, and everybody has great benefits, and that people aren’t even working.

There is some truth to every joke, but for the most part, 98% of the people I work with care about what they’re doing and are dedicated to it and work very very hard. I think the misconception is the opposite – that people are just sitting around and doing nothing.

I really don’t think it’s much different than an average corporate setting.

What are your goals and dreams for the future in this career?

In the short term, I’m looking for opportunities to move up within the agency. After that, I would like to be in a leadership position in either another government agency, or within a non-profit that is working in the community to make it improve, so maybe an executive director position in an average-sized community based organization.

What else would you like people to know about what you do?

When people are advocating for government funding to be cut, keep in mind that those cuts can have some very real effects.  Here that could mean that potentially 80,000 kids won’t have a summer program. Either their parents will be staying home from work, or those kids will be running around.

So just realize when you are cutting budgets, there are real repercussions to that, so you want to be clear about what you’re saying should be cut because if you’re cutting programs we can use, you’re setting up the future, both immediate and long-term, to be jeopardized.