Name: Lynn M. Seldon
Job Title: Optometrist
Where: Beverly Hills, CA
Years of Experience: 28
Salary: See PayScale's Median Optometrist Salary
Employer: Self
Education: BA University of Hartford, 4 years of Optometry School, Internship

Optometrist Salary

If you've ever wondered about how to become an optometrist, career options for optometrists, or the average optometrist salary, this is a story you don't want to miss. Lynn Seldon practices optometry in glamorous Beverly Hills, so she never knows who might walk into her office. From celebs to regular men and women getting eye exams, she's seen it all. In this interview, Lynn describes some of the benefits of becoming an optometrist, including the variety of career options for optometrists, a high optometrist starting salary, and the opportunity to work with great patients. As you'll soon find out, an optometrist's salary is just one reason Kiplinger.com named an optometrist position as one of the 7 great careers for 2007.

For workers who would rather wear steel-tipped boots instead of a three-piece suit, the salary outlook doesn't have to be low; some blue-collar jobs have a surprisingly high salary range. These high paying jobs don't require a college degree, but often do involve specialized training. So if you like to get your hands dirty, you can still earn a high annual salary.

Certain mechanics, equipment operators and installers are actually earning a larger annual salary than the typical American. According to the Census Bureau, the U.S. median income is $43,318. With that in mind, Forbes.com says that the average salary for the top ten blue-collar jobs is a little above $27 per hour. By calculating hourly wage to annual salary, we find the following: if a blue-collar worker makes $27 an hour, works 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, then his or her annual salary is in the area of $56,160, which is 30% above the average Joe.

Is your salary on schedule with blue-collar workers? Clock in with our salary calculator.

Post by Dr. Al Lee, Payscale

One of the more unique jobs out there is working as a Santa Claus. The job requirements include a sizeable tummy, a real beard (fake ones are out) and a convincing “ho-ho-ho.” While it may sound like holiday heresy to mention "Santa" and "salary" in the same breath, you might be surprised to learn that Santas can earn a high hourly wage for bringing joy to little kids and big kids alike.

A beginning Santa can earn an hourly wage of $100, while veteran Santas can earn an average wage of $175 to $200 per hour. The really big pay rate comes on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day; that's when these Kris Kringles can earn wages of $175 to $200 for their first hour of work, and $100 to $300 for every hour after that.

If a Santa works 40 days during the holiday season, he can ring in the New Year with $8,000 to $10,000 in total wages. The big money is reportedly in private and corporate events, that’s where Santa’s wishes come true. Of course, there are some expenses, namely, the red suit, boots and belt which can put Santa out $500 to $1000 bucks. However, earning $10,000 in a little more than month is good money, especially for retirees.

Is your salary a holiday gift or a nightmare?  Find out with our Santa, err, salary calculator.

Payscale recently found a real Santa Claus who gave us this exclusive salary story.

Name: Santa Claus
Job Title: Toymaker
Where: The North Pole
Years of Experience: Over 1750 years of human experience
Salary: Volunteer
Employer: Self

Santa Claus Job Description:

Maker and deliverer of toys and joy to good children of all ages.

Name: Heather T.
Job Title: Master Artist, Textile Designer, Tattoo Artist Apprentice
Where: Quaker Fabric Corporation, Fall River, Massachusetts
Works: Full-time
Years of Experience: 8
Education: BFA in Textile Design/Fiber Arts
Salary: $55,000/year

What does a textile designer do...

As a textile designer, I create patterns for woven upholstery fabric. As a true artist, my job is to generate ideas, from reference materials or verbal instructions, and create artwork that gets woven into fabric. The fabric is then used by furniture makers to upholster couches and chairs. So I guess one measure of success for me as a textile designer could be the number of people that sit on my work.

Name: Daniel B.
Job Title: Mortgage Broker & Men's Fashion Writer for About.com
Where: Seattle, WA
Works: 50% as a Mortgage Broker, 50% as a Fashion Writter
Years of Experience:  5 as a Mortgage Broker, 2 as a Fashion Writer
Salary: Mortgage Broker Salary: $50k - $70k/year based on performance. Fashion Writer Salary: about $60k/year also based on performance.
Education: BFA in Fine Arts from the University of Washington

What I do as Mortgage Broker/Fashion Writer...

I write about Men's Fashion for About.com and am a Mortgage Broker for a small company in Seattle. I love the fashion writing, of course, but both jobs allow me to work with lots of interesting people. The best part of being a mortgage broker is developing relationships with my customers and listening to their stories. The best part of my writing job: I go to New York Fashion week twice a year and report the latest fashion trends back to my readers.

I chose this line of work because...

Job Title: Office Administrator & Freelance Graphic Designer
Name: Ginni T.
Employer: Native American Tribe 
Where: Prescott, AZ
Works: 40 hrs./wk for the Tribe + between 10 to 40 hrs/wk freelance
Salary: Office Administrator Salary: $13/hr Freelance Graphic Designer Salary: $40/hr
Years of Experience: Office Administrator - 30+, Freelance Graphic Designer – 12+, Writer 40+, Artist 40+
Education/Degree:  AA Behavior Sciences, 52 additional hours toward bachelors for a major in sociology, minor in English and journalism. Computer classes and graphics software training.

Office Administrator Job Description:

As an office administrator, I provide support for six departments. My job involves a high level of expertise in using Microsoft Office, databases, and graphic design. The departments I provide support for are Contracts, Environmental Protection, Environmental Health, Grants, Housing and Planning. Currently I am working on two design projects; one on wildlife and the other an informational booklet for obtaining resources and support for those who have been diagnosed with cancer.

Freelance Graphic Designer Job Description:

Name: Rand Fishkin
Job Title: CEO and Search Engine Marketing Consultant at seomoz.org
Where: Seattle, WA
Education:  3.75 years at the University of Washington, Rand Fishkin was a Finance Major in the Undergraduate School of Business
Years of Experience: Started writing batch files as a kid, Rand Fishkin grew up in Frontpage, 4 years in SEO consulting.
Salary: Rand Fishkin earns $400/hr for being a Search Engine Marketing consultant. A white hat (above board) SEO marketer at a small company might have a salary between $40k and $80k depending on location, experience and other factors.

Search Engine Marketing Consultant Job Description:

Name: Anonymous
Job Title: Welfare Investigator
Where: Elizabeth, NJ
Education:  BA in Philosophy from Bryn Mawr, Magna Cum Laude and MA, ABD in Philosophy from Georgetown University, Departmental Honors
Years of Experience: 2 years in this job
Salary: $37k – welfare investigators just got a 2% raise!
Employer: State of New Jersey, Child Welfare

Welfare Investigator Job Description:

I work for an organization called the Office of the Law Guardian (OLG) in the State of New Jersey. I’m teamed up with a lawyer who is a part of the Public Defenders office and we represent children in child welfare, including children in foster care. My welfare investigator job duties include assisting in the representation of these children by interviewing their caregivers, sometimes teachers, therapists, and other people in their lives and to summarize my findings in reports. My investigator job also involves explaining to individuals some aspects of the law, helping people better understand the legal process for children in the court system. Occasionally, I have to testify in court, which is definitely not my favorite part of this investigator job.

Why did you choose this welfare investigator job?

After working in academia for a long time, I wanted to do a job where the fruits of my labor would have some effect on the world. Work that would make some measurable difference. In this welfare investigator job, I’m actually able to help people.

Name: Rebecca Anderson
Job Title: Nail Technician & Cosmetologist, Salon Owner, Foot Therapist?
Where: Carmel, IN
Education: Cosmetology School & Nail Technician license
Years of Experience: 10 + years in this job
Salary: $25/hr-$45/hr depending on the service. Cosmetologist Salary: $35,533 is the average salary for a full-time Cosmetologist in Indianapolis, IN
Employer: Locks n' Nails Salon, Self-employed

Nail Technician Job Description:

I provide professional manicure and pedicure services to a diverse client base. But the truth is that It's more about being a therapist - and a perfectionist - than the nails themselves. Every time a customer comes to me, they shed their anxieties and leave looking and feeling so much better.

Name: Nikki Meyers
Job Title: Yoga Teacher
Where: Indianapolis, IN
Years of Experience: 10+ years
Yoga Teacher Salary: 30K to 35K
Employer: Self

Yoga Teacher Job Description:

I teach yoga classes to groups and individuals. A lot of times people come in disconnected from their physical body, disconnected from their emotions. And then after an hour and fifteen minutes, or an hour and a half, something seems to happen and a transformation occurs. They walk out completely differently than the way they walked in; they are connected. I am offering people a set of tools to bring them into that state of connection.

Name: Lee Callahan
Job Title: Radio Producer/Traffic Reporter for Radio Morning Show
Where: Seattle, WA
Years of Experience: 6+
Salary: Approximately $50,000
Employer: KMTT 103.7 FM, The Mountain

Radio Producer/Traffic Reporter Job Description:

As the radio producer for “John Fisher and Mike West, mornings on 103.7 the mountain,” I make sure that the radio hosts have a lot of things to talk about and a lot of guests: current event guests, movie stars, TV stars, popular guests, like a rock star, high profile type guests. I book two or three guests a day. I am also a traffic reporter; I give updates on the air about the morning commute.

Name: Virginia Wesley
Job Title: Storyteller/Assistant Pastor
Where: Indianapolis, IN
Years of Experience: A lifetime
Salary: My average wage ranges from volunteer to $300+ per 45 minutes
Employer: Self

Church Lady: Storyteller and Assistant Pastor

Virginia Wesley, a refined and passionate church lady with storytelling power to boot, is unique. From working as an assistant pastor to telling stories to kids and performing short true stories on discrimination for adults, Virginia is always coming up with solo performance ideas. Her favorite is becoming a living Harriet Tubman biography for kids. Her wage can range from working as a volunteer to an average wage of a few hundred dollars for less than an hour.

In addition to storytelling, she performs assistant pastor duties at her church. This is a volunteer position - which, as we all know, has no average wage. In fact, there is no wage at all. But, her assistant pastor job duties are truly a labor of love; wages are the last thought on her mind. Whether preaching or performing her version of a Harriet Tubman biography, her performance ideas are creative and inspiring. So toss away your preconceptions about storytelling or pastors - Virginia broke the mold.

Name: Michelle Lockhart
Job Title: Theater Office Manager
Where: Seattle, Washington
Education: Bachelors - Boise State University
Years of Experience: 1+ years
Salary: 20-30K
Employer: Empty Space Theater

Theater Office Manager Job Description:

We’re a small staff, so I do all kinds of things. I manage the front of the house staff, ticket sales, subscription sales and group sales. I manage the experience that the audience has walking in the door, coming through the lobby, all the way to the theater where the artists take over. In the office, I assist with marketing, I help get the posters and programs together, I assist with any kind of special events, silent auctions and upcoming fundraisers.

I assist with anything that the development director and artistic director need. We're not the WaMu Theater Seattle, so with a small group like us, you really have to fill in anywhere, sometimes loading seats. I do just about anything I can to help the organization in general. I look for ways to promote visual and performing arts vocabulary.

Name: Therese Landefield
Job Title: Front Desk Receptionist
Where: Seattle, Washington
Years of Experience: 1+
Salary: $16.35 – hourly wage (See PayScale's Research Center for the average receptionist salary)
Employer: Atlas

Mom Returns to Work: Average Receptionist Salary

For anyone returning to work after taking time off to raise children and run a household, this Salary Story offers valuable advice. We recently interviewed front desk receptionist Therese Landefield about her transition from stay-at-home-mom to professional receptionist. She filled us in on what it was like to go back to work after years away from a 9 to 5 job. For readers who are nervous about taking the leap from full-time mom to employee, Therese offered tips on writing resumes, finding the job you want, and how to translate the hard work you've been doing at home into marketable skills in the workplace.

This interview is also helpful for anyone looking into receptionist jobs and the average receptionist salary. Therese gave us info on her job as a receptionist, as well as her practical and inspiring approach to work, life, and the pursuit of personal goals.

Front Desk Receptionist Job Description:

The front receptionist is important to the company because many times he or she makes the first impression of the company to the client. So I answer the phone, “Good morning, Atlas, how may I help you?” Then they tell me, “Please connect me.” And I say, “One moment please, I’ll transfer you.” And then I transfer them. Sometimes it’s difficult and the transfers don’t go through. I usually go back on the line and say, “Excuse me, the transfer failed, let me try again.”

Name: Holly Olsen
Job Title: Middle School Teacher
Where: Minneapolis, MN
Years of Experience:11
Salary: $50,000
Employer: Anwatin Middle School
Education: Masters in Teaching, B.A. Literary Studies

School Teacher Salaries: Middle School Teacher

Teaching is often a harder profession than many would think. And when it comes to school teacher salaries, the starting salary for a teacher and average school teacher salaries can vary from school district to school district. We decided to find out what it takes to create a successful teaching career. In this salary story, we got teaching career info from a middle school teacher in Minnesota who knew that she wanted to teach at a young age and had an early childhood philosophy of teaching. Even though she loves her job, her teaching career has many challenges.

The next time you wonder whether school teacher salaries are too high or too low, consider what Holly faces at work. Besides the normal challenges of the classroom, teachers at her school deal with everything from fights in the hallways to the struggles of homeless students. Holly explains that teachers have a high burnout rate. But, if you love teaching as she does, the rewards outway the challenges. If you want to know more about school teacher salaries, teaching career info, or how to become a middle school teacher, keep reading!

Name: Deborah Ng
Job Title: Freelance Writer
Where: My kitchen in Central NJ
Years of Experience: 6
Salary: $20,000 - $30,000
Employer: The beauty of freelance writing jobs is that there are no employers, only clients

Flexible Careers: Freelance Writing Jobs

Working from home sounds luxurious, but being a freelance writer takes persistence and hard work. As freelance writer Deborah Ng told us in a recent interview, freelance writing jobs can also involve getting up at 4am and working on holidays. We got the inside scoop from Deborah about online freelance writing opportunities, freelance writing fees, dealing with editors, and what it's really like to be your own boss. Find out how Deborah uses her freelance writing jobs to balance work with being a mom - and why she loves having this flexible career.

Freelance Writer Job Description:

My writing is mostly web based. I research and write content for websites. This can be promotional or sales copy, it can be FAQs and "About Us" type pages for websites, or it can be optimized articles placed on sites for high search engine rankings. I do have the occasional print client, but it's the web writing that pays the bills.

Name: Kara Wily
Job Title: Pilates Instructor
Where: Los Angeles, CA
Years of Experience: 13 years
Salary: $12.00-$100.00 per hour
Employer: Self - Kara Wily Pilates

Pilates Teacher Job Description:

I teach students the Pilates Method of body conditioning: a systematic, choreographed, chain of exercises that help to improve strength, stretch and control of the student's body. The system can often be applied to people who suffer from pain due to a chronic misuse or overuse of a particular area of the body. My job is to identify the weaknesses and imbalances in the student's body and to teach the student exercises to improve those deficits.