Ah, childhood dreams. Ride a unicorn. Fly on a magic carpet. Perform an aortic valve replacement through a median sternotomy incision.

Below is a list of what eight children at an afterschool program in Seattle, Wash. answered when asked what they want to be when they grow up. We've also included their guess at what they will earn and real salary data about the jobs.

This month Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, which has become synonymous with spending time with relatives, eating too much food and napping midday. Of course, the underlying purpose of the day is to be grateful for what you have. Accordingly, many families preface their Thanksgiving meals by asking each person at the table to say what he or she is thankful for.

Does your job drive you crazy? Do you sometimes wonder if you are the only sane person in working there? Is your workplace dysfunctional, or is it you? Here's how to find out"

Based on more than 30 years of experience as psychologist and business consultant, I've put together a checklist of fifteen diagnostic signs of a psychologically dysfunctional business. Is it the job, or is it you?

It was a drive I had done many times before - home to office, office to home - but this time was different. I had just been laid off from my job, and I knew I wouldn't be back. HR didn't ask for my keys or badge, but I felt strangely disconnected from a place that once served as my home away from home.

ORLANDO, Fla. -A gunman opened fire Friday in the offices of an engineering firm where he was let go more than two years ago. At least six people were hurt and police were searching for a gunman in a sport utility vehicle.

People streamed out of the 16-story Legion Place office building around lunchtime and some told local television stations they had barricaded themselves inside their offices.

Mistakes help us grow as individuals and make us better people, or so we're told. At work that's definitely true. Call the CEO by the wrong name once and you'll never do it again. For this reason, level-headed bosses aren't looking to fire anyone for the occasional gaffe. Still, even the nicest of bosses will reach a limit. Oversleeping one morning probably won't get you fired; doing it three times a week probably will. In the spirit of keeping you in your supervisor's good graces (and employed), here are nine moves that will get you fired.

Getting hired is getting harder and harder as 9.8% of the country is unemployed, and being overqualified for a job is one reason too many people hear for why they're not being hired.

While dumbing down your résumé isn't ideal, it may be necessary if you're going for a job that doesn't require all of the expertise, training and education you have.

CLARKSVILLE, Md. - Be sure to wash up, Maryland doctors and nurses. You're being watched.

State officials said Tuesday they're creating teams of staff members at hospitals around the state to secretly monitor their colleagues' hand-washing habits as part of a first-of-its-kind program. The monitors will contribute to a systemwide report on hand-washing, using $100,000 in federal stimulus money.

If you are hoping to snag a seasonal job during this year's holidays, it's time to start looking now. Like the rest of the job market, competition will be fierce. What you might not think about, though, is that a seasonal job can be your ticket to full-time employment.

Did you think I would say anything but "YES"? Of course mistakes on résumés and cover letters matter - isn't that what we've been telling you, and what you've heard for the past - forever?

If an employer is only looking over your résumé for about 30 seconds, you can bet that if what catches his eye in that time period is an error, your résumé is going in the trash. Same with your cover letter - why waste time reading something that you can barely understand?

In my career of nearly three decades, I have had a front row seat to countless number of unforced errors in the workplace. Much to my surprise, I have witnessed egregious, stupid errors made by people I regarded as the smartest, most effective of colleagues.

So what kind of tennis mistakes also translates to your life and career? Consider the following:

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Would you be willing to take a pay cut in exchange for a secure job? Stephanie Jenkins would.

Jenkins, 51, worked in the hospitality industry for over 25 years until she was laid off for the third time in 14 months. It was then that she decided it was time for a fresh start, in an industry that offered more job security.

In case you hadn't heard, there's a debate about health care going on in this country right now. I don't imagine any of you are unaware because you can't read or watch anything without hearing about the debate. Regardless of where you stand on the issue, we're all going to face a predicament: People are living longer than they did generations ago, the amount of baby boomers who will need medical care is huge, and the amount of nurses is inadequate. And if the show Scrubs is to be believed, there will be even less time for zany antics during this shortage!

If you think it's tough to find a job where you live, consider yourself lucky you're not looking in El Centro, California - the unemployment rate hit 30 percent there in September. To be fair, even when times were good in the rest of the U.S., El Centro still struggled with a 20 percent unemployment rate.

As the Great Recession continues to devour jobs at an alarming rate, tales are legion about the millions of unemployed struggling to right their lives and recover their self-esteem. But what happens to those left behind?

You don't have to go to college earn a decent living. Some professions pay good salaries without requiring post-secondary schooling.

A college degree can be a great path towards a well-paying, satisfying profession, but a bachelor's degree isn't for everyone. In fact, some see advanced education as overrated. A surge in the number of college graduates have dampened the value of a college education. College comes intact with high tuition, room and board, and supplies fees - and that's not even factoring in debt payments that usually last for years, if not decades.

If you're an "older" job hunter, more than likely, you already know that the ultra competitive job search process in today's economy is especially hard on you. Part of the challenge you're facing is a major generation gap between Baby Boomer job hunters and the Gen-Xer hiring managers of today. As Block noted, "30-somethings don't want to hire their parents. Unfortunately, that's how we often come across - as their parents."

You can succeed during interviews with younger hiring managers, but you'll want to think and act differently. Here are five areas to start with:

The tricky thing about cubicle courtesy is that those who offend their co-workers may not even realize it. And it can be awkward to voice your grievances, especially if a longtime colleague is the one driving you mad. Following are some common cubicle complaints you may have and tips for tackling them:

Five hundred resumes came down to one simple question:

If you were at a baseball game and a foul ball came your way, would you stand up and try to catch it or just wait in your seat and hope it fell your way?

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It's impossible to forget such a game-changing day. I was a high paid journalist at a prestigious publication, and had worked hard to get there. Sometimes, my job seemed too good to be true - it was fun, exciting and different every day. This day was very different, though - within seconds of my arrival at my desk, I was greeted by my boss. This was odd, because we hardly ever interacted. Most of my communication was with my executive editor, who took care of everyday tasks including assignments, vacation time and special projects.

A former cashier for The Home Depot who has been wearing a "One nation under God" button on his work apron for more than a year has been fired, he says because of the religious reference. The company claims that expressing such personal beliefs is simply not allowed.

There's a wealth of career information on the Internet, and these resources are just a mouse-click away for any job seeker. But as comprehensive as sites like CareerBuilder.com are, there are other resources on the Internet you can use to land a new job. Here are a few tips and tricks to help maximize your job search on the Web.

Studies have often ranked the fear of public speaking ahead of death, making the job of a television news reporter unfathomable to most. Still, it's a career glamorized by thousands of journalism students.

Only a few lucky graduates actually make it into the newsroom.