Need to make a quick $20K?  If you're willing to shape up and ship out, quickly, the U.S. Army has greatly increased the military pay rate, according to an article in the Chicago Tribune. With thinning forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. Army is digging into its wallet to attract recruits. New enlistees are being offered up to $20K in "quick-ship" bonuses, if they agree to attend basic training within 30 days of signing up with Uncle Sam.

With "quick-ship," a new enlistee can be in a combat situation in as little as three to four months (traditionally, recruits are given up to a year).  MSNBC reports that the United States Army active duty pay scale doesn't end with the $20K bonus. Recruits willing to sign up for at least four years can earn as much as $45K in installments.

How does your salary compare to the new military pay rate?  Find out with our salary calculator.

Our 365-24-7 work culture, invigorating at times, may be sapping our creativity and dragging down our IQs.

A blog-post by Sylvia Ann Hewlett, founding president of the Center for Work-Life Policy, highlights research showing the downside of constant communication. Excessive e-mail wastes workers' time, and communication overload may deflate a person's IQ by 10 percentage points. Meanwhile, consultant Linda Stone has shown that paying attention only part-way can be very dysfunctional.

Workers, pulled in too many directions, have too little time to focus their attention and do their best work. Given that the communication glut is unlikely to dissipate, they must learn to manage it effectively. But how?

Name: Margie C. Sweeney, M.D.
Job Title: Family Physician
Where: Louisville, KY
Employer: Central State Hospital
Years of Experience: 24
Education: M.D. degree from Indiana University School of Medicine
Salary: See the PayScale Research Center for medical career salaries, including average physician salaries.

Medical Careers: Family Physician Salaries

What career involves helping people of all different ages and backgrounds while earning a six digit salary? If you guessed family physician, you're right. We interviewed Dr. Margie C. Sweeney to find out what it takes to make it through med school and begin a successful career as a family doctor. If you've ever wanted to know how to become a physician, then this Salary Story is just what the doctor ordered.

Dr. Sweeney describes the outlook for family physician jobs, factors that can affect physician salaries after residency, as well as the many career options available to family physicians. She also explains why her family physician career is so rewarding. For those interested in average physician salaries and careers in the medical field, this interview is the right medicine!

In an earlier column, I listed some of the worst jobs in America, pay-wise. In keeping with that spirit, here are more of the worst jobs to have, per our presidential candidates (as reported on news.yahoo.com).  Before she was Hillary Clinton, Hillary Rodham worked as a dishwasher in the summer of 1969 in Alaska. She scrubbed dishes at Mount McKinley National Park in order to pay for her trek across the 49th state.

Dish washing, however, was not the worst job that she had. Hillary says, "My worst job was sliming fish in a fish cannery in Valdez." The presidential hopeful says she was reprimanded for not sliming fast enough and moved to a packing line. That was also one of the worst jobs to have, apparently, and she was fired after reporting that spoiled fish were being packed; even back then she was a rabble rouser!

Even if your job is one of the worst to have in the U.S., make sure you are at least being paid the going rate by taking PayScale's full salary survey.

Name: Sheree Paolello
Job Title: News Anchor
Where: Cincinnati, Ohio
Employer: WLWT-TV Channel 5
Years of Experience: 11
Education: Northern Kentucky University, B.A. in Radio/TV/Film, Minor in Journalism
Salary: See the PayScale Research Center for median news anchor salaries by city.

News Anchor Salaries

If you're interested in news anchor salaries and how to become a news anchor, this is one Salary Story you'll want to tune in to. We spoke to TV news anchor Sheree Paolello about her journey into the world of TV news anchors, her news anchor bloopers and more! This interview is a "must-read" for anyone who wants the inside story on news anchor wages and how to get a job on the air!

By Al Lee

In today's economy where people are losing their jobs and needing to start over, a hot topic is top paying jobs for people with no college degrees.

Topping that list is an employment recruitment specialist; someone who helps companies recruit job candidates. With a two-year degree (associates degree) in hand, the median salary for an employment recruitment specialist with 2-3 years of experience is $38,100.

A career as a financial advisor comes in at number two on a Yahoo! list of 10 paying jobs with no college degree required. In this position, it helps to have an associate’s degree in finance as you usually work at a brokerage firm or a bank. Your job is helping clients make wise investments (hopefully). A personal financial advisor with less than year of experience earns a median base salary of $32,700, but commissions and bonuses can be a big factor in pay as well.

How does your salary compare with two of Yahoo's 10 paying jobs with no college degree? Find out with our salary survey or use the our cost of living calculator to see how much you would need to make to maintain your current standard of living in a different city.

Name: Steve Brown
Job Title: Physical Therapy Assistant
Where: Caldwell, ID
Employer: Peoplefirst Rehabilitation
Years of Experience: 10
Education: A.A.S. (Associate of Applied Science) From Idaho State University
Salary: See the PayScale Research Center for the median salary of physical therapy assistant professionals.

Starting Salary for Physical Therapy Assistants

What is the yearly salary for a physical therapy assistant? If you've pondered this question and what physical therapy assistant work settings are really like, then you don't want to miss this Salary Story with physical therapy assistant Steve Brown.

He walked us through the factors that can affect a physical therapist assistant hourly wage, the training for physical therapy assistants and how to find jobs in physical therapy assistant fields. If you're interested in this growing career and the pay scale for physical therapy assistants, this interview will guide you through the steps.

You may have heard that members of the Writer's Guild are on strike, but it's not just Hollywood writer salaries that are in jeopardy. According to Reuters.com, non-writing staff members of TV shows are being shown the door. NBC recently laid off the entire production staff of the Tonight Show and workers were told that their jobs might not be there after the strike. Fortunately, Jay Leno has said that he'll pay their salaries.

On the east coast, TV show staffs are also being affected by the writer's strike. Like Leno, late night talker Conan O'Brien is paying, out of his own pocket, the salaries of nearly 80 non-writing staffers and the Hollywood writer salaries of his joke scribes (the AFP reports). Why are the writers striking? What is at stake for Hollywood writer salaries?  Keep reading!

How does your salary compare to a Hollywood writer's wages? Find out with PayScale's full salary survey.