On The Christmas Tree Lot (The Washington Post; December 15, 2008): managing the Christmas Tree lots … obtaining the trees from the growers, supervising the staff …
… Faith Rodell, co-owner of North Star Christmas Trees, one of the largest independent Christmas tree retailers/wholesalers around Washington …
If you buy a tree at a local military base such as Fort Meade or Fort Belvoir, you are putting a few bucks in Faith’s pocket. She sells trees wholesale to Boy Scout Troops, Lions Clubs, churches, schools like Oyster Elementary in Northwest D.C. and other non-profits. She also has a few retail locations, including a location in Cherry Hill, one on East-West Highway and one on the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and Norwood Drive, less than a mile from my house.
“It’s a really good spot,” said Faith, referring to the Wisconsin Avenue location. “It’s on a main artery coming out of a city. People head downtown from Montgomery County and boom, this is one of the first lots they get to.”
Faith, 66, and her son, Hugh, 38, run North Star. They sell trees, wreaths, tree stands and other goodies. They sell flowers, pumpkins, and garden plants during the off-season to bring in more money. The Rodells were reluctant to be too specific about their business for fear of tipping off the competition (there is a Christmas tree rival a block down the street on Wisconsin). But I was able to coax some information out of them with the promise I would not reveal state secrets.
How much money can one earn working in the White House? What White House Staffers Make (The Washington Post; July 24, 2008).
Consider the sommelier (w): Yes, a sommelier could be called a waiter or waitress who serves wine at a fancy restaurant, but there is much more to it than that. Sommeliers have to know all about the wine they serve, so as to be able to make expert recommendations as to which wine goes with a particular dinner or dessert. They may be in charge of ordering and storing the wine the restaurant serves. And the sommelier might have to be something of a salesperson too, as the pay might be partly based on commission.
“How may I be of service with your wine list?” the 36-year-old sommelier asks the two couples, who look to be about his age.
“We have a cheese course next,” one of the men says, “and want a wine to go with it. Maybe something a little bit jammy.”
This is an easy one for Myers. “The Primitivo is a great way to go,” he says, pointing out a $12-by-the-glass Quota 29 Primitivo. “It’s one of the parent grapes of zinfandel, with blueberries and blackberries — like zin but with lower alcohol.”
The man nods at Myers, who is a picture of professionalism in a classy navy pinstripe suit, glasses, a salt-and-pepper goatee. He’s got a black cloth draped smoothly across his forearm. …
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Myers is one of just a handful of wine experts in the Washington area who are even close to becoming certified as master sommeliers — a rarified status bestowed by the London-based Court of Master Sommeliers after years of study and a series of grueling exams.
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There are lots of expensive bottles on CityZen’s ever-evolving 550-wine list, but Myers prides himself on keeping 20 percent of the list under $100. He maintains that he doesn’t push the pricier bottles, though he earns a 4 percent commission on all wine sales, which helps boost his annual pay to about $75,000 a year. Sometimes, he says, it’s the customers who seek out high-cost bottles. Recently, Myers had a man tell him: “I lost a bet to my friend here. I have to buy the wine, and it has to hurt; you decide.” The table of four ended up with a ‘98 Chateau Rayas for $600.
Full-Bodied With Unexpected Hints of Metal: Andy Myers is a sommelier who knows as much about Iron Maiden as he does about merlot (The Washington Post; July 20, 2008)
Court of Master Sommeliers.
A warmer climate and more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are good for poison ivy; the noxious vine actually grows better thanks to greenhouse gases. That can mean big problems for suburban homeowners with big yards. Umar Mycka, the “Poison Ivy Horticulturist” finds poison ivy and kills it. Is he really a horticulturist? A horticulturist is generally concerned with growing particular plants; though that work can sometimes entail getting rid of unwanted ones. (He did work as a public garden horticulturist at the Philadelphia Zoo.) Applying weed-killing chemicals and removing weeds is usually the work of a grounds maintenance worker. More…
That graveyard for overused reporters, the copy desk … Is work as a copy editor really that bad? Not everyone thinks so. More…
Making $80,000 a year working as a magician mostly on weekends (at birthday parties) may sound fantastic … but you have to consider that magicians are a self-employed entertainers (roughly 1 in 4 entertainers are self-employed) and the typical self-employed magician has to do a lot when he’s not performing in order to be able to make the weekend gigs happen: he might have to handle his own bookings and collect payments, he might have to take phone calls or answer e-mails from prospective clients, and he needs time to practice and develop new tricks. I don’t doubt that there are many parents who are willing to pay a few hundred dollars to have a magician perform at their kid’s birthday party — especially if their kid’s friends had a magician at their birthday parties. (See this post about selling services to parents of young children.) Working as a children’s-birthday magician might be something one could start doing on a part-time basis, while still working a “regular” job. If it goes well, it could grow into a real full-time business. Of course, it takes talent. More…
It would be easy to imagine that there aren’t any more travel agents. These days, doesn’t everyone just make their own airline, hotel, and rental car reservations on the Internet? Not quite. There are still some people who want to have a real human being, one who has actually traveled himself, help them make their travel plans. More…
Why biologists (and everyone) should read On the Origin of Species
by Darwin: An Original Confession (July 8, 2008; The New York Times)
Another story about a vanishing occupation: watch and clock repairers. They won’t vanish completely, however. There will always be a some small number of workers earning a living by repairing watches and clocks, because there will always be some people who want to keep antique clocks and watches in working order. But because most of us will throw a defunct clock or watch in the trash, there isn’t as much work for watch and clock repairmen as there used to be. More…
Ginseng. In the U.S. we might find it in canned green tea or at a health-foods store. In Asia, it’s considered an important traditional medicine. Asian ginseng growers and hunters (it can be found in the wild or farmed) can’t supply the demand. Ginseng prices are rising. Larry Harding, a farmer in Maryland, saw opportunity. He grows ginseng and sells it worldwide. More…
Lambert Bartak is one of a rare breed of musician … the ballpark organist. More…
A day at work with the federal agents keeping an eye on the nation’s transportation system. More…
Who hires hunter and trappers? Sometimes, a golf course. More…
This article, 10 Six-Figure Jobs without a Professional Degree, lists 10 jobs that don’t require a professional degree (w) (such as usually are needed for careers in architecture, law, medicine, engineering, etc.) that can (eventually, maybe with overtime) lead to earnings of $100,000 per year. It’s notable that over half of these jobs are supervisory or management careers. It’s always true: you earn more money if you’re directing, hiring, and firing others.
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Filed in Advertising, Marketing, Promotions, Public Relations, a, Computer and Information Systems Managers, Earnings, Income, Salary, Wages, and Wealth, Education Administrators, Fashion Designers, Financial Managers, Human Resources, Training, and Labor Relations Managers, Medical and Health Services Managers, Registered Nurses
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Singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega writes about Surviving the Hits (The New York Times; June 18, 2008).
For most who attempt it, being an artist is usually not a good way to make money. We’ve heard of young artists without much money living as best they can in New York. (See this post.) What about older artists? More…
If you were in charge of moving a coin collection — one of the largest and most valuable in the world, weighing tons and worth many millions of dollars — from a building where it’s been housed for years into a new building, with the maximum of safety and security, how would you do it? More…
According to this article, The Amazing Adventures Of Supergrad (The Washington Post; June 8, 2008), some employers can’t do enough to woo certain very special college grads. And it seems likely these college grads are the ones whose parents had the means to make sure they came out of high school and college with the best resume money could buy. What a surprise! The most opportunity for the scions of those who have the most. So much for American economic mobility (w).
Related: Washington Post discussion transcript
Sometimes, a photojournalist has the opportunity (in some cases, it can’t quite be called “luck”) to take a photograph that becomes part of history. More…
Fredric Baur, chemist and food storage product designer.
Fredric Baur dreamed up the original Pringles can. Now he’s buried in one.
The Man Buried in a Pringles Can (June 4, 2008; Time)
Working overseas on foreign aid and development projects is a dream job for many people. Why not? The pay can be very good. Benefits often include free housing. Your household budget can easily provide for a maid or housekeeper, maybe a local security guard, perhaps a nanny. Household staff would be impossible on the same budget back in the U.S. The work, making life better in chronically poor countries, is difficult to impossible. You’ll be praised for whatever success you achieve, but you can’t be blamed too much if your project doesn’t quite meets its goals. Your business card and your citizenship will open lots of doors and gain you instant respect. Back home you’ll be regarded as something like a saint. And in addition to all those foreign-aid career positives, don’t forget: according to those who know, good food just tastes better in a country where lots of folks don’t have enough to eat. More…
We’ve heard the scary stories about bees disappearing … and we know: no bees, no food. So we wondered, where do beekeepers get bees? Basically, from another, bigger, beekeeper. More…
“Professor X” is an English professor. He teaches a introductory English classes to people for whom a certain number of college credits is a job requirement. He writes about his experience, and asks if it’s really a good idea for everyone to go to college. More…
For the most part this blog is about what folks do at their jobs. But here’s an article about what happens as someone goes from being employed to unemployed. More…
According to Wikipedia, “A body man is, in American political jargon, a personal assistant to a politician or political candidate. A body man accompanies the politician or candidate virtually everywhere, often arranging lodging, transportation or meals, and providing companionship, snacks, a cellphone, and any other necessary assistance.” (w)
At least one newspaper, The New York Times, has run stories about at least two of these jacks-of-all-trades whose duties run from the alpha to the omega of the service occupations: More…
Would-be homeowners get behind on their mortgage loan. A house is empty. But the grass still needs cutting. Doors and windows need to be secured. Other work may need to be done. The bank or mortgage lender that foreclosed on the property hires contractors to take care of empty these houses. It sounds like it could be a bit spooky, going into vacated houses, not knowing what you might find there. Here’s an article (also see this post) about mortgage field services workers, the contractors who do maintenance and repair work, on foreclosed properties owned by mortgage lenders. More…
How many people earn a living selling things on EBay? A look at the statistics. More…
Retail sales just like in the old days in New York’s Lower East Side. More…
A newspaper story about a program that trains teachers to be principals gives a look at the day-to-day worklife of a school principal.
It was a few minutes before 9:30 a.m., and Glynis Jordan had already had a busy day patrolling the halls of Fairmont Heights High School. She’d shepherded kids to class, sent one boy to detention because he was running late, sent another back to his locker to put on a school uniform and covered a class for a teacher who wasn’t there.
Jordan, a 12-year veteran of middle and high school classrooms and now a trainee in a program that embeds experienced educators in schools for a year to learn how to become principals, this was all part of learning the ropes.
“Security to the career center,” a female voice squawked through Jordan’s radio. “Security to the career center, please.”
Jordan, a tall woman in a dark brown top, jeans and brown shoes, comfortable clothes for a job that requires her to be moving constantly, walked quickly down the hallway. When she found the room, she knocked on the door, not knowing what was on the other side. It turned out to be a classroom where a substitute had lost control.
“You can’t be afraid of them,” Jordan said later. “You can’t have one ounce of fear, or you lose the whole school.”
Living the ABCs of Running a School: Nonprofit Program Is Helping Prince George’s Schools Train New Principals (The Washington Post; December 11, 2007)
