Tiffany Miller, special to PayScale.com

The middle school hierarchy is simple. Principal, vice principal, teacher, librarian, teacher's aide, custodian.

And you might imagine that higher pay goes along with more authority. The principal makes more than a vice principal, a teacher more than a librarian and then there's the crusty old custodian. It's obvious, right?

Surprise! Custodians can make more than middle school teachers, even teachers who hold Master's degrees. Not only that, but some custodians are just plain hot. Meet 33-year-old Chip Walker, a (very cute) school custodian in Ridgewood, Queens. Walker brings home $60,000 a year, thanks to 13 years experience and regular overtime. His best friend, a 32-year-old eighth grade teacher with his Master's degree makes $55,000 a year.

By Tiffany Miller, PayScale.com

If there were a list of most hated professions, paparazzi might earn the top spot. Few people besides telemarketers earn wrath like these professionals.

But Julie Smith doesn't have the cold heart you'd expect.

The freelance photographer and sometimes paparazzi fell into the job on accident. She was working for a now defunct entertainment magazine when she suggested they start covering more movie premieres and celebrity parties. Suddenly she was fighting for a spot with the rest of the paparazzi.

Don't believe the adage about not disclosing your salary requirements in a job interview. But it's best to speak up in the second interview

By Liz Ryan

Dear Liz,

I've always heard that it's best not to say anything about salary when you're interviewing for a job. Whoever mentions a number first has the disadvantage. I just don't want to waste my time on interview processes where the salary is too low for my background. How do I navigate that?

Thanks,
Bradley

Rachel Zupek, CareerBuilder.com writer

In the past year, there's been so much talk about job loss, high unemployment rates, lack of jobs and employment declines that it's been hard to focus on anything else. It's important to realize, however, that while the recession undoubtedly has a negative effect on the job market, it also provides a few select industries with opportunities for growth.

One of these industries is education. In January 2009, private education was one of two industries that saw job growth, adding 33,000 jobs while every other industry cited job loss, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

If you're looking for a career in education, here are 10 jobs to consider, along with their projected employment growth and mean annual wages, according to the BLS.

Gallery: 10 Growing Jobs in Education

Stories of courageous folks who chose to take a break after their layoff

By Claudine Benmar, PayScale.com

Career experts say that when you're out of work, your job search should become your new full-time job. Wise advice? Yes. Prudent? Of course. Fun? Not really.