NFL player salaries are excessive, aren't they? It depends whom you ask. National Football League team owners seem to think NFL player salaries are bloated: in May they voted unanimously to terminate their labor contract with the players union early, in a move to cut salary costs. Even some NFL players themselves believe salaries, particularly for rookies, are unfair. 

So just what do NFL player salaries look like these days? According to a recent USA TODAY survey of player compensation, the top-paid player for 2008 is Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger at $27.7 million, followed by Minnesota defensive end Jared Allen at $21.1 million, Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald at $17.1 million, and Oakland quarterback JaMarcus Russell at $16.9 million. The survey includes all signing bonuses in the initial contract year, as well as base pay and other bonuses. The story notes that teams are willing to fork over big bucks for NFL player salaries, especially for a quarterback who holds the promise of being a "marquee player."

Name: Rick Lanning
Job Title: Ghostwriter and Photographer
Where: Missouri – United States
Employer: Self-employed. I just finished writing a book for a retired investment banker who lives in the Caribbean. He was born in London and managed an investment fund of over $22 billion daily trading in currencies.
Years of Experience: 25 years
Relevant Experience: I had my own radio show and have written for some 50 magazines since 1970.
Education: High school graduate, two years of college and a graduate of a creative writing school in Hollywood, CA.
Annual Salary: See PayScale’s Reseach Center for the median Author Salary in the U.S.

Looking for a career that offers challenge, excitement, and creativity? How about a career that includes traveling to exotic locations and bumping elbows with the rich and famous? This may sound too good to be true, but, if you have a knack for the written word, can build rapport with diverse people, and love to tell a great story, you might be the perfect candidate for a career as a ghostwriter.

For Ghostwriter Rick Lanning, a typical work day could include meeting Willie Nelson or jetting off to the Caribbean to work with his next big client. In this Salary Story, Rick reflects on the interesting people, places, and stories he has encountered during his 25 years as a ghostwriter.

Name: Carrie Broadhead
Job Title: Human Resources Generalist and Employee Relations
Where: Sidney/Victoria, BC - Canada
Employer: Viking Air Limited
Years of Experience: Over 3 years
Other Relevant Experience: University Career Center (Center for Life Calling and Career Development), recruitment company background, and university level courses relating to HR.
Education: BA in Psychology with numerous business courses related to HR and extra courses as I have grown within my job.
Annual Salary: Use PayScale’s Research Center to find Salaries for Human Resources Managers, and Human Resource Generalist Salaries by Experience.

According to PayScale’s recent College Salary Report, human resources careers are some of the most popular and highest paying Jobs for Psychology Majors. But aside from earning a positive Human Resources Wage Scale, human resources professionals play an integral role in creating healthy balance within the workplace.

In this Salary Story we meet Carrie Broadhead, a human resources generalist who has completed a BA in Psychology, plus various coursework in business. Carrie’s responsibilities are broad and continue to expand as her employer, Viking Air Limited, expands it's workforce. As any human resources generalist knows, no corporate success is sustainable without positive employee relations, and at Viking Air Limited, Carrie's primary responsibility is managing positive employee relations on a daily basis.

There is little disagreement about whether global warming happening, only some, like Gov. Sarah Palin, question whether it is caused by people. Beyond that fight, there is another debate: what could be the effect of these environmental factors on jobs?

While "green collar jobs" were overshadowed during the general election by the financial meltdown, they remain a top component of President-elect Obama's energy plan, with predictions of 5,000,000 new jobs. Could the green sector be that important to our future economy?

According to a report on CNN.com, the effect of environmental factors on jobs could be an employment boom, or bust. The Apollo Institute, an organization that wants a government renewable energy project, predicts three million new green jobs over the next ten years. However, the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California Berkeley expects closer to one million new jobs by 2020.

Could your salary weather the effect of environmental factors on jobs?  Find out with PayScale's full salary survey.

U.S. unemployment rates under President Bush have reached a 14-year high. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment climbed to 6.5 percent in October, as the country shed 240,000 jobs. U.S. unemployment rates under President Bush have certainly increased--for example, the unemployment rate for October 2007 was 4.7 percent. So far this year, the country has lost 1.2 million jobs, and over half of the decrease took place in just the last three months. Some suggest the situation could grow more bleak: Goldman Sachs projects the unemployment rate will reach 8.5 percent by the end of 2009. Another source I spoke with recently believes it could soar as high as 10 percent in the near future.

With U.S. unemployment rates under President Bush rising, there's more talk of the nation being caught in a recession. In a New York Times story, Stuart G. Hoffman, chief economist at PNC Financial Services Group in Pittsburgh, notes, “The economy is slipping deeper into a recessionary sinkhole that is getting broader. The layoffs are getting larger, and coming faster. We’re likely to see at least another six months of more jobs reports like this.” In a Wall Street Journal roundup of economists' reactions to the unemployment report, Joshua Shapiro of MFR Inc. says, "History tells that once the labor market weakens as much as it has in the past several months, job-shedding takes on a life of its own and tends to persist for a long while. We expect the employment data to be dreadful for many months to come and consequently for consumer spending to continue to decline."

The job losses were far-reaching: manufacturing lost 90,000 jobs, construction shed 49,000, professional and business services saw a decline of 51,000, and retail trade employment lost 38,000. Health care, however, added 26,000 jobs.

As the unemployment rate in America increases and President Bush's tenure draws to a close, all eyes are on President-elect Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress set to take the reins in Washington in January. Will the new leadership provide relief?

Posted by Dr. Al Lee

"Career change at middle age." Just the words seem daunting, but in our ever-changing job market and the current economic downturn, more and more people are switching careers, some by choice, and others out of economic necessity.

One common route to a career change is further education. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, back in 2006 employees with a graduate or professional degree earned an average salary of $80K, while those with bachelor's degrees earned an average of $55K; that's a big difference in pay. If you're interested in heading back to school, check out online degree programs in the PayScale Education Center.

How would a new degree affect your salary?  Find out with the PayScale Salary Calculator.