Job Descriptions

Nothing speeds the day up like knowing your 3 p.m. M&M and chai latte break is coming. And despite those new-fangled standing and treadmill desks, most of us spend our days sitting on our butts, waiting for our 3 p.m. sugar-and-carb breaks. No wonder, then, that 41 percent of workers say they've gained...

Here's a job: Get flown out to New Orleans for a one-day mixology tutorial, and then to three Kid Rock shows over the coming months in Detroit, Chicago, and Irvine, Calif., to serve the aging enfant terrible his before and after-show cocktails. Compensation: $10,000. Well, it's not a job exactly. It's a job...

While President Obama's win Tuesday has garnered lots of attention, ballot initiatives approved by voters in six states that boost wages and may result in more jobs in some niche industries -- and threaten jobs in another -- are also noteworthy. Some are praised as breakthrough measures. Others (such as a...

There is no shortage of industries hard hit by the recent recession, which resulted in millions of Americans losing jobs. But with the economy making a comeback, some industries are now showing robust growth, according to a new report released this week. The study, prepared by Economic Modeling Specialists...

If the stagnant job market has an upside, it may be this: college students (and likely their parents) are taking a hard look at which degrees will result in lasting, good paying jobs. Unfortunately for art and history majors, the best money-making careers these days are in more pragmatic fields, focused on...

Finding a job in this economy isn't easy, but one way to get ahead is to take a look at careers that fly below the radar of other job hunters. That's what CareerCast has done in unveiling its latest list of underrated jobs, careers that the job-search website says offer increasing opportunities for job...

Richard Branson, Rachael Ray, Mark Zuckerberg and Lady Gaga all have two things in common: 1) They are incredibly successful; 2) They are college dropouts. While it's a common belief that in order to be successful and make a lot of money you need to have a college degree, those four prove that's not...

In these tough times many people just want to work, so the idea of having a job that's enjoyable may seem a bit too pie-in-the-sky. For others, though, a good dollop of fun is just what's needed to make work worthwhile. "Fun," of course, is an objective measure. But with the help of PayScale, AOL Jobs...

As many older Americans put off retirement and continue working, it makes sense that some of them are looking for second careers -- jobs that may have little to do with the careers they became experts at. AARP notes that second, or "encore," careers have become increasingly common among those age 50 and...

BEND, Oregon - A Bend, Ore., veterinarian has performed life-saving CPR on an injured bald eagle that was under anesthesia during physical therapy. KTVZ-TV reports that Jeff Cooney performed the therapy, during which the bald eagle nicknamed "Patriot" stopped breathing. Cooney's "mouth to beak"...

Let's get one thing straight right up front: Shawntel Newton, the fourth place finalist on 'The Bachelor' this season, loves her job as a funeral director and embalmer, but not so much that she takes all the guys she dates back to the mortuary for a little show and tell on the embalming table. That was...

Think about what you were doing 10 years ago: You might not have even had an e-mail address, and it's a certainty that your mother didn't. If you did, you were probably using a dial-up connection, and hadn't yet purchased anything online. Even if you had cable, it's likely you didn't have access to more than...

Beth Braccio Hering, Special to CareerBuilder Many jobs have similar-sounding names, which can lead to confusion. Type in "ornithologist" when you meant to search the Web for an orthodontist and you'll find someone who can identify the bird in your yard, but not help with an overbite. Here are some other...

From an increased risk of heart disease to more fat around your middle, studies show that our time at the workplace (8.8 hours per day on average) can be hazardous to our health. "Often psychological environments have more to do with health than physical environments," says Bill Burnett, author of...

Math is a skill that not every professional can boast about, but some have no trouble working with numbers and often end up in accounting. The accounting field is challenging but comes with big rewards that are rare in other industries. Working in accounting allows you to see the big picture and take a peak...

Customer service is a tough industry to work in, but with the right skills you can be successful and reap the awards of helping clients. Every company has customer service representatives to assist clients with anything they need and to maintain the company's good image. The values set out by the company are...

Executives rely on administrative assistants to keep the office in order and act as the voice of the company to outsiders. Administrative assistants have difficult jobs, juggling duties such as managing schedules and offering customer service when executives aren't available. Any administrative assistant will...

From Boston to Seattle and many cities in between, industries of all kinds are looking to hire talented mechanical engineers. For people just starting their careers, mechanical engineering is a good place to begin because it is one of the broadest engineering disciplines. And once you've earned a bachelor of...

Teachers are more than everyday working professionals; teachers are heroes to students across the world. Being a teacher is such a rewarding, invaluable experience that it often attracts workers from other professions, from business to journalism. Whether in an elementary school or inside a university classroom,...

Becoming a data entry specialist may not exactly be the dream job you've always hoped for, but there are some very good reasons why you may want to consider this position while you are looking for that dream job, going to school or simply supplementing your family's income. Here's why: data entry specialists...