Up high, the water vapor chills, is blown over the land, then it melts, and falls as rain. The land floods. The rain keeps coming. And yet in other regions there is terrible drought.

The carbon footprint of the 200-year Industrial Revolution is why, say scientists called Climatologists.

Climate change is real, they say. The rise in ocean temperature is accelerating, proven absolutely by marine data over the past two decades.

And yet new polls show that about half as many of the public believe climate change is real, than believed it five years ago.

The energy lobbies are spending tons of money to defend themselves. And there is a full-on talk-war. Talk-show pundits say— “No, climate change is a liberal scam! Trust the big energy congloms. We can burn all the stuff we want, they say— coal is clean, burn oil, burn trees— the earth is huge, the oceans are huge, the oceans can swallow it all!”

So, who to believe?

Let’s see, hmmm… do I trust the earth’s top climatologists, or the big-time talk-show screamers? Hmmm, hmmm…

Many of the Pundit-Screamers have stand-up comedy backgrounds. Very impressive! So. Which should I believe? Let’s dig deeper…

Just who are these climatologists? How do they claim to know so much?

For one reason, a bachelor’s degree in meteorology, (or in a closely related field with courses in meteorology), is the minimum educational requirement.

A master’s degree is necessary for some positions. And a Ph.D. degree is required for most basic research positions.

Atmospheric science is the study of the atmosphere—the blanket of air covering the Earth. Atmospheric scientists study the atmosphere’s physical characteristics, motions, and processes, and the way in which these factors affect the rest of our environment. They often become meteorologists, and forecast weather.

In addition to predicting the weather, atmospheric scientists attempt to identify and interpret climate trends, understand past weather, and analyze current weather.

Weather information and atmospheric research are also applied in air-pollution control, agriculture, forestry, air and sea transportation, defense, and the study of possible trends in the Earth’s climate, such as global warming, droughts, and ozone depletion.

Meteorologists use sophisticated computer models of the world’s atmosphere to make long-term, short-term, and local-area forecasts.

While meteorologists study and forecast weather patterns in the short term, Climatologists study seasonal variations in weather over months, years, or even centuries.

Climatologists collect, analyze, and interpret past records of wind, rainfall, sunshine, and temperature in specific areas or regions. Patterns in weather determine whether a coming season will be colder or warmer than usual.

Some atmospheric scientists work exclusively in research. Physical meteorologists, for example, study the atmosphere’s chemical and physical properties; the transmission of light, sound, and radio waves; and the transfer of energy in the atmosphere. They also study other atmospheric phenomena, such as the factors affecting the formation of clouds, rain, and snow; the dispersal of air pollutants over urban areas; and the mechanics of severe storms.

Environmental problems, such as pollution and shortages of fresh water, have widened the scope of the meteorological profession. Environmental meteorologists study these problems and may evaluate and report on air quality for environmental impact statements. Other research meteorologists examine the most effective ways to control or diminish air pollution.

Atmospheric scientists held about 9,400 jobs in 2008. This doesn’t include individuals employed in college and university departments of meteorology or atmospheric science, physics, earth science, or geophysics; these individuals are classified as college or university faculty, rather than atmospheric scientists.

Median annual wages of atmospheric scientists in May 2008 were $81,290. The middle 50 percent earned between $55,140 and $101,340. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $38,990, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $127,100. The average salary for meteorologists employed by the US Federal Government was $93,661, in March 2009.

Entry-level meteorologists in the US Federal Government is a bachelor’s degree—not necessarily in meteorology.

Just for the entry level, you’d need all this— 24 semester hours of meteorology/atmospheric science courses, including 6 hours in the analysis and prediction of weather systems, 6 hours of atmospheric dynamics and thermodynamics, 3 hours of physical meteorology, and 2 hours of remote sensing of the atmosphere or instrumentation.

Other required courses include 3 semester hours of ordinary differential equations, 6 hours of college physics, and at least 9 hours of courses appropriate for a physical science major—such as statistics, chemistry, physical oceanography, physical climatology, physical hydrology, radiative transfer, aeronomy (the study of the upper atmosphere), advanced thermodynamics, advanced electricity and magnetism, light and optics, and computer science.

And that’s just for your Bachelor’s degree.

Impressed? I definitely am. Why would you believe talk-show screamers, over scientists with this depth of knowledge?

Why would you not believe what Climatologists are saying?

And more— if you do believe, and you want to join the fight against Climate Change— why not arm yourself with knowledge, with a degree in Atmospheric Science?

Educate, educate, educate!

General information about careers in atmospheric sciences is provided by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research at: http://www.ucar.edu/student_recruiting

Information about careers in meteorology and a listing of colleges and universities offering meteorology programs is provided by the American Meteorological Society at: http://www.ametsoc.org

Information about meteorology careers in the Federal Government can be obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at: http://www.careers.noaa.gov

Information on obtaining a position as a meteorologist with the Federal Government is available from the Office of Personnel Management through USAJOBS, the Federal Government’s official employment information system. This resource for locating and applying for job opportunities can be accessed at http://www.usajobs.opm.gov or through an interactive voice response telephone system at (703) 724-1850 or TDD (978) 461-8404.

On this savage planet, the animal imperative is to eat, spawn, die— to enforce your DNA against all others, to increase your life-force type, and put it in control.

The red ants and black ants are perfect examples of the tyranny of DNA competition– to see them at war over territory and resources is a vicious spectacle.

But to see humans at war is far worse than ant wars. To see cruelty on such a colossal scale is beyond imagining. Yet on the web, we can see it daily.

Politicians twist the tenets of religions to serve the purposes of tyranny. And great prophets work to reverse those wrongs.

It is no wonder that the great religious movements of the world arose out of such heartbreaking disasters.

In such a terrifying world of uncertainty, many need a solid belief system, and seek solace in faith, where many gather, together believing in a far greater power. They seek faith in a supreme being, benevolent and compassionate. And they want others to share their belief system— in order to make this imperfect world a better place to live.

Every religion stress peace and harmony and love of your fellow beings. Every religion sets rules of moral justice. And every religion appoints leaders to study its written directives, often called scriptures, or sacred texts.

Ministers or priests conduct religious worship ceremonies. They perform many rituals and spiritual functions, associated with the beliefs and practices of their religious faith or denomination. And they are trained to provide individual spiritual and moral guidance and assistance to members of their faith, and to all others in need.

Chances are, somewhere in your life up till now, you were influenced by religion… you were influenced by a representative of religion.

They might have been labeled many things— Priest, Pastor, Mullah, Monk, Pandit, Minister, Chaplain, Evangelist…

Here is what they were trained to do, for you:

• Pray and promote spirituality.
• Read from sacred texts such as the Bible, Torah, or Koran.
• Prepare and deliver public sermons and prayers.
• Organize and lead regular religious services.
• Share information about religious issues by writing articles, giving speeches, or teaching.
• Instruct people who seek conversion to a particular faith.
• Counsel individuals and groups concerning their spiritual, emotional, and personal needs.
• Visit people in homes, hospitals, and prisons to provide them with comfort and support, and serve in medical missions.
• Train leaders of church, community, and youth groups.
• Administer religious rites or ordinances, and assist the homeless and unwanted.

To serve such needs is the ultimate altruism. But what knowledge must be required?

How did they gain this training, this amazing array of gifted knowledge?

They studied.

They learned. They educated.

They worked hard under teachers (who had worked hard under their own teachers, back into the generations of teaching of their religion).

They studied in the colleges and seminaries and temples of their faith. They learned to help the sick and poor, the unwanted, the orphaned and the lost.

It is on them to offset the terrible momentum of mankind’s bestial greed and warlike cruelty.

If you wish to learn, if you feel the calling to a religious sense of purpose, inquire at the church or temple of your choice, or use the online links here to begin to answer your questions.

Many institutions are open to you. Many degree programs await you. The religions hunger for you.

Investigate them thoroughly, and be certain you have chosen well. Be sure your choice reflects your own personal beliefs. Your future depends upon it.

Then… educate, educate, educate!

You go through your daily life with other humans. It’s odd, how unaware they are, of the enormity of forces that claw at planet earth, from outer space.

You look into the distant nays of space, and the light that you see is very old— “fossil light”, you call it. That light took billions of years to reach your eyes.

In fact, when that light left its source, human beings did not yet exist on earth!

And yet here you are, with that light entering your eyes, sending electric messages up the synapses of your optic nerves, to form images within your brain.

You know so many things about where we are. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, spins like an immense frisbee. Earth lives in a very small solar system, way out in the boonies of the Milky Way.

How do you know all this?

And you know that Earth’s star, the one we call The Sun, is a medium-sized star, half its life gone. Nothing remarkable about our star, the solar system, or the galaxy itself.

Our planet lives in a swarm of billions of giant flying rocks called the Asteroid Belt— a collision with any one of those rocks would incinerate all life on Earth. It’s happened before. It will happen again. You know it.

But those billions of house-sized flying rocks are a minor threat, compared to something else you’ve been watching.

Because something even bigger is going to happen. Something beyond one asteroid ending life on earth. Something so catastrophic that our solar system will be devoured, along with the entire Milky Way galaxy itself.

Who are you, to know all this? How did you learn it?

The nearest galaxy, Andromeda, is twice the size of the Milky Way. Only 32 light years away. And it is heading straight toward us— at a closing rate of many thousands of miles an hour.

One day Andromeda will reach us, and devour us. Unless it’s not there anymore. Yes, you know all this, and so much more.

That’s right. When you look at it through a telescope, the light falling entering your eyes took 32 years to reach us. 32 years of traveling at the speed of light. So Andromeda could have exploded and disappeared 31 years ago, and we still would not know it for one m ore year!

How on Earth do you know all this?!!?

You know all this, because— you are an Astronomer.

You conduct research to understand the nature of the universe and everything in it. You observe, measure, interpret, and develop theories to explain celestial and physical phenomena using mathematics.

From the vastness of space, to the infinitesimal scale of subatomic particles, you study the fundamental properties of the natural world. You apply the knowledge gained to design new technologies.

Astronomers like you use the principles of physics and mathematics— to learn about the fundamental nature of the universe and its components, including the sun, moon, planets, stars, and galaxies. (That’s why Astronomy is sometimes considered a subfield of physics.)

You also apply your knowledge to solve problems in navigation, space flight, and satellite communications— even more, to develop the instrumentation and techniques used to observe and collect astronomical data.

Most astronomers work in research and development. Some conduct basic research with the sole aim of increasing scientific knowledge. Others conduct applied research and development, which builds upon the discoveries made through basic research to develop practical applications of this knowledge, such as new devices, products, and processes.

Almost all astronomers do research. Some are theoreticians, working on the laws governing the structure and evolution of astronomical objects. Others analyze large quantities of data… data gathered by observatories and satellites. You then write scientific papers or reports on your findings.

Some astronomers actually operate large space-based or ground-based telescopes, usually as part of a team. However, astronomers may spend only a few weeks each year making observations with optical telescopes, radio telescopes, and other instruments.

For many years, satellites and other space-based instruments, such as the Hubble space telescope, have provided prodigious amounts of astronomical data.

New astronomy technology has lead to improvements in analytical techniques and instruments—- computers and optical telescopes and mounts are creating a resurgence in ground-based research.

Most people are familiar with the small group of astronomers who work in museums housing planetariums. These astronomers develop and revise programs presented to the public and may direct planetarium operations.

Because of the depth of knowledge involved, a doctoral degree is the usual educational requirement for top astronomers.

Master’s degree holders qualify for some jobs in applied research and development. Bachelor’s degree holders often qualify as research assistants.

Additional experience and training in a postdoctoral research appointment, although not required, is important for physicists and astronomers aspiring to permanent positions in basic research in universities and government laboratories. Many physics and astronomy Ph.D. holders ultimately teach at the college or university level.

Master’s degree holders usually do not qualify for basic research positions, but may qualify for many kinds of jobs requiring a physics background, including positions in manufacturing and applied research and development.

Increasingly, many master’s degree programs are specifically preparing students for physics-related research and development that does not require a Ph.D. degree. These programs teach students specific research skills that can be used in private-industry jobs. In addition, a master’s degree coupled with State certification usually qualifies one for teaching jobs in high schools or at 2-year colleges.

Holders of a bachelor’s or master’s degree in astronomy might assist astronomers doing research, or operate space-based and ground-based telescopes and other astronomical instrumentation.

Those planning a career in the subject should have a strong physics background. In fact, an undergraduate degree in either physics or astronomy is excellent preparation, followed by a Ph.D. in astronomy.

In the US, employment of physicists and astronomers is expected to grow 16 percent, faster than the average (for all occupations during the 2008-18 decade).

Median annual wages of astronomers were $101,300 in May 2008.

The middle 50 percent earned between $63,610 and $133,630, the lowest 10 percent less than $45,330, and the highest 10 percent more than $156,720.

The average annual salary for astronomy and space scientists, $130,833.

About 75 universities grant degrees in astronomy, either through an astronomy, physics, or combined physics-astronomy department. With about 40 doctoral programs in astronomy, applicants face considerable competition for available slots.

Astronomers live in a much larger world than most of the rest of us.

They look into the past, and they gaze into the future. They know where we’ve been, and where we are going.

Does living in a world of limitless seeking appeal to you? Do you want to reach for the stars?

Earn the degree and become an Astronomer.

Live in an altered state of consciousness, ever-enlarging.

Spend your life gazing into the dawn of time, into creation itself, and behold TEOTWAWKI!

Because you are a human being, and the human species is on a cosmic Death List.

There is little doubt left (in the minds of professional Biologists) that Earth is currently faced with a rapid and shocking loss of species.

This increase is massive and historic— an exponential loss, already rivaling the five great mass extinctions of the geological past.

As long ago as 1993, Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson estimated that Earth is losing 30,000 species per year — three species per hour! That rate is increasing daily.

The human species is on that list somewhere— but where?

Anthropologists, being human, are in pre-panic mode. And Conservation Biologists now believe that this biodiversity crisis — this “Sixth Extinction” — is coming at us fast and hard.

You think they are over-reacting? You wish. (We both wish.)

Anthropologists have identified five great extinctions in the past history of life on our planet.

The major global biotic turnovers were all caused by physical events— events outside normal climatic (and other physical disturbances) which species, and entire ecosystems, experience and usually survive.

What caused these five earlier deadly events? This causality is the HUGE difference in the Sixth Extinction.

Why? Because the previous five mass extinctions were catastrophes with natural causes— the sixth is very unnatural.

Let’s take a quick look at the first five—

• First major extinction (c. 440 mya): Climate change (relatively severe and sudden global cooling).
• Second major extinction (c. 370 mya): Many species gone forever.
• Third major Extinction (c. 245 mya): Bolide impact similar to the end-Cretaceous event. 54% of families lost.
• Fourth major extinction (c. 210 mya): Major global event at the end of the Triassic Period.
• Fifth major extinction (c. 65 mya): Asteroid or volcanic and seismic events destroy dinosaurs and 90% of all life on earth. Lucky for us… paving the way for mammal life and eventually humans to proliferate.)

So, how is the Sixth Extinction different from previous events?

The world’s top Conservation Biologists say that the current mass extinction is caused by us, by humans. Almost all Anthropologists agree.

You may argue that humans are natural events on Earth. But we humans have CHOICE.

And here are the choices that Conservation Biologists and Anthropologist identify, that have brought us to the Sixth Extinction—

• transformation of the landscape
• overexploitation of species
• pollution
• the introduction of alien species

We are bringing about massive changes in the environment. Anthropologists divide the Sixth Extinction into two discrete phases:

• Phase One began when the first modern humans began to disperse to different parts of the world about 100,000 years ago.
• Phase Two began about 10,000 years ago when humans turned to agriculture.

Humans began disrupting the environment as soon as they appeared on Earth.

• They disrupted ecosystems by overhunting game species, which never experienced contact with humans before.
• And perhaps they spread microbial disease-causing organisms as well.

What fan we do? The world’s ecosystems have been plunged into chaos, with some conservation biologists thinking that no system, not even the vast oceans, remains untouched by human presence.

That cause, in the case of the Sixth Extinction, is ourselves — Homo sapiens. This means we can continue on the path to our own extinction, or, preferably, we modify our behavior toward the global ecosystem of which we are still very much a part.

The latter must happen before the Sixth Extinction can be declared over, and life can once again rebound.

DO YOU WANT TO TAKE PART IN THE ATTEMPT TO SAVE OUR WORLD?

If your answer is YES!, then Anthropology and Conservation Biology are two major fields for you to investigate.

Anthropologists study the origin and the physical, social, and cultural development and behavior of humans.

Biophysical anthropologists research the evolution of the human body, look for the earliest evidences of human life, and analyze how culture and biology influence one another.

Physical anthropologists examine human remains found at archaeological sites in order to understand population demographics and factors, such as nutrition and disease, which affected these populations.

Conservation Biologists study the impact of the past, and the potential of the future.

They have determined that Earth can’t sustain the trend in human population growth. That Earth is reaching its limit in carrying capacity.

Here’s what Conservation Biologists and Anthropologists believe, extrapolated from their knowledge—

• at most there were 10 million people on earth 10,000 years ago.
• There are now over 6 billion people.
• The numbers continue to increase logarithmically — so that there will be 8 billion by 2020.
• The upper limit to the carrying capacity of humans on earth — of the numbers that agriculture can support — 13-15 billion human beings.

Anthropologists find support for these numbers in the fossil record, proof of human destruction of ecosystems. It shows that wherever early humans migrated, other species became extinct.

Is there hope? Conservation measures, sustainable development? Stabilization of human population numbers and consumption patterns?

The life force is resilient and adaptable. In past extinctions, life obviously has recovered.

But life has only recovered after the CAUSE of the extinction event is gone. In this case, that cause is us— us HUMAN BEINGS!

Can anything save us from ourselves? Can conservation measures stop the Sixth Extinction? Can knowledge?

It’s up to you, future graduates. You can work to point out the path we have taken as a species. And you can help design the path we must take to survive.

Only 10% of the world’s species survived the third mass extinction. Will any survive this one? Will you take the challenge to find a way out of this coming collision— this human-generated doomsday event called the Sixth Extinction?

You Conservation Biologists of the future, you are one hope.

You future Anthropologists are another.

The future belongs to you. What will you DO with it? Only your knowledge can save our world, your world.

Educate, educate, educate!

Foresters— conservation scientists. Such work would require a vast army of forestry experts. The cost would be enormous. Foresters have college degrees.

We all know that deforestation accounts for a huge amount of human it’s emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases.

And now, finally, six major industrial nations have announced a stunning new plan to save the world’s forests.

France, the USA, Japan, Britain, Norway, and Australia are pledging billions of dollars. They are dedicated to the task of preserving woodlands, to protect biodiversity, and the recognition of indigenous people’s rights.

The governor of Amazonias State in Brazil said, “Industrial nations are responsible for most of the emissions in the atmosphere; they owe us a debt.”

True, but slash-and-burn ranching (of a colossal scale seen from satellites) has devastated Amazonia, often called “the lungs of the planet.”

And the Ethiopian prime minister proposed that rich nations would pay poor nations to help control the effects of climate change.

It all sounds amazing. it’s the hope for the planet’s ecosystems that we desperately need.

Conservation scientists will be needed in large numbers, to make this great plan effective worldwide. The world will need more foresters and range managers, to monitor, manage, improve, and protect natural resources.

They will work with landowners and Federal, State, and local governments to devise ways to use and improve the land while safeguarding the environment. They will advise farmers, farm managers, and ranchers on how they can improve their land for agricultural purposes and to control erosion.

Range managers may inventory soils, plants, and animals; develop resource management plans; help to restore degraded ecosystems; or assist in managing a ranch. For example, they may help ranchers attain optimum livestock production by determining the number and kind of animals to graze, the grazing system to use, and the best season for grazing.

Conservation scientists and foresters often specialize in one area, such as wildlife management, soil conservation, urban forestry, pest management, native species, or forest economics. But most work falls into one of three categories: forestry, conservation science focusing on range lands, and conservation science focusing on farming and soil.

Foresters oversee the earth’s forests and direct activities on them for economic, recreational, conservational, and environmental purposes. Individual landowners, the public, and industry own most of the forested land in this country, and they require the expertise of foresters to keep the forests healthy and sustainable.

Often this means coming up with a plan to keep the forests free from disease, harmful insects, and damaging wildfires, for example, planning when and where to plant trees and vegetation and when to cut timber. It may also mean coming up with ways to make the land profitable but still protected for future generations.

Forestry requires extensive tech training. Clinometers measure the height of trees; diameter tapes measure tree diameter; and increment borers and bark gauges measure the growth of trees so that timber volumes can be computed and growth rates estimated.

Remote sensing (aerial photographs and other imagery taken from airplanes and satellites) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data often are used for mapping large forest areas and for detecting widespread trends of forest and land use. Once a map is generated, data are digitized to create a computerized inventory of information required to manage the forest land and its resources. Moreover, hand-held computers, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), and Internet-based applications are used extensively.

Most forester and conservation scientist positions will require a bachelor’s degree.

A bachelor’s degree in forestry, biology, natural resource management, environmental sciences, or a related discipline is the minimum educational requirement for careers in forestry.

However, higher-level research and teaching positions usually need a graduate degree. Foresters who wish to do research or to teach usually need an advanced degree, preferably a Ph.D.

Conservation scientists generally have at least a bachelor’s degree in fields such as ecology, natural resource management, agriculture, biology, or environmental science. A master’s degree or Ph.D. is usually required for teaching and research positions.

Most land-grant colleges and universities offer degrees in forestry. The Society of American Foresters accredits about 50 degree programs throughout the country. Curricula focus on four areas: forest ecology and biology, measurement of forest resources, management of forest resources, and public policy.

Median annual earnings of foresters in 2006 were $51,190. The middle 50 percent earned between $40,870 and $62,290. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $33,490, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $74,570.

In 2006, most bachelor’s degree graduates entering the Federal Government as foresters, range managers, or soil conservationists started at $28,862 or $35,752, depending on academic achievement.

Those with a master’s degree could start at $43,731 or $52,912. Holders of doctorates could start at $63,417.

In 2007, the average US Federal salary for foresters was $65,964; for soil conservationists, $64,284; and for rangeland managers, $60,828.

According to the US National Association of Colleges and Employers, graduates with a bachelor’s degree in conservation and renewable natural resources received an average starting salary offer of $34,678 in July 2007.

In private industry, starting salaries for students with a bachelor’s degree are comparable with starting salaries in Government, but starting salaries in State and local governments were usually lower.

Conservation scientists and foresters who work for Federal, State, and local governments and large private firms generally receive more generous benefits than do those working for smaller firms. Governments usually have good pension, health, and leave plans.

Conservation scientists and foresters manage, develop, and protect natural resources.

Other workers with similar responsibilities include environmental engineers, agricultural and food scientists, biological scientists, environmental scientists and hydrologists, geoscientists, and farmers, ranchers, and agricultural managers.

The rich nations of Earth are at last facing the challenges of conservation science.

They are putting their billions of dollars to work, and conservation managers like foresters will be at the forefront of the battle to stabilize our earth’s ecology.

If you feel strongly about joining this war against the destruction of the very air we breathe, a degree in conservation science will arm you well.

Like US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said, “Protecting the world’s tropical rain forests is not a luxury— it is a necessity!”

For information about forestry careers and schools offering education in forestry, send a self-addressed, stamped business envelope to:

• Society of American Foresters, 5400 Grosvenor Ln., Bethesda, MD 20814-2198. http://www.safnet.org

Information about a career as a range manager, and a list of schools offering training, is available from:

• Society for Range Management, 10030 West 27th Ave., Wheat Ridge, CO 80215-6601. http://www.rangelands.org/srm.shtml

Information on getting a job as a conservation scientist or forester with the Federal Government is available from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) through USAJOBS, the Federal Government’s official employment information system. This resource for locating and applying for job opportunities can be accessed through the Internet at http://www.usajobs.opm.gov or through an interactive voice response telephone system at (703) 724-1850 or TDD (978) 461-8404. These numbers are not toll free, and charges may result.

They’re the insiders, the techno-heroes of any film shoot. Their vision defines the mood and action of the film.

They collaborate with a director. They are visual and workaday persuaders, as well as amazing photographic artists.

Heading into awards season, The Hollywood Reporter (THR) interviewed Roger Deakins, cinematographer for the famed and highly-controversial Coen brothers, and many other fine directors.

Deakins’ recent work includes Company Men (2009), A Serious Man (2008), Doubt (2007 – 2008), The Reader (2007) (With Chris Menges), Revolutionary Road (2007), WALL•E (2007) (Visual Consultant), In the Valley of Elah (2006 – 2007), No Country for old Men (2006), The Assassination of Jesse James (2006), Jarhead (2005), The Village (2004), The LadyKillers (2004), and many many other films you’d instantly recognize.

THR asked Deakins, “How do you define great cinematography?”

Deakins laughed. “It tells a story. If it’s a seamless mix with all the other elements of the film. I’ve got this thing against images that strike you as being wonderful for their own sake.

THR: “Roger, what are the elements that have made your long relationship with the Coen brothers so successful?”

Deakins: “A sense of humor, I guess. We just see things in that sort of dark, cynical way.”

Think of the academy-award-winning thriller “No Country for Old Men.” What if Deakins had shot it with brightness instead of moody darkness? It’s the tone achieved by his choices that helped the Coens achieve their director’s vision.

Making commercial-quality movies and video programs requires technical expertise and creativity.

Camera operators employed in the entertainment field use motion picture cameras to film movies, television programs, and commercials. Those who film motion pictures also are known as cinematographers. Some specialize in filming cartoons or special effects.

Videographers or cinematographers may be an integral part of the action, using cameras in any of several different mounts. Wider use of digital cameras has enhanced the number of angles and the clarity that a camera operator can provide.

Camera operators who work in the entertainment field often meet with directors, actors, editors, and camera assistants to discuss ways of filming, editing, and improving scenes.

Television, video, and motion picture camera operators and editors usually acquire their skills through formal postsecondary training at vocational schools, colleges, universities, or photographic institutes.

A bachelor’s degree may be required for some positions, particularly those for film and video editors.

Employers seek applicants with a good eye, imagination, and creativity, as well as a good technical understanding of how the camera operates. That’s why education and training are crucial to getting a good start in this high-competition industry.

Many universities, community and junior colleges, vocational-technical institutes, and private trade and technical schools offer courses in camera operation and videography.

Basic university courses cover equipment, processes, and techniques. And it’s increasingly important for camera operators to have a good understanding of computer technology.

Heavy competition for jobs is expected. many talented people are attracted to the broadcasting and motion picture industries. Those with the most training and experience, and the most advanced computer skills will have the best job opportunities.

Rapid expansion of the entertainment market, especially motion picture production and distribution, will spur growth of camera operators. In addition, computer and Internet services will provide new outlets for interactive productions.

Camera operators will be needed to film made-for-Internet broadcasts— such as live music videos, digital movies, sports features, and general information or entertainment programming— delivered directly into the home, either on compact discs or as streaming video over the Internet. This is the future.

Earnings for television, video, and motion picture camera operators in the highest 10 percent were more than $84,500. Median annual earnings were $44,010 in the motion picture and video industries and $32,200 in radio and television broadcasting.

Film and video editors in the highest 10 percent earned more than $110,720. The motion picture and video industries employed the largest numbers of film and video editors.

If making films excites you, if working with creative talent drives you, a future in film might be your door to the future.

Film schools will give you the hands-on training. You’ll learn the artistic or aesthetic aspects of filmmaking.

You need the education and training to be competitive. Those with the most experience and the most advanced computer skills will have the best job opportunities.

Love movies? Love creating videos? Then go get the training… and get started on your film career!

For information about careers as a camera operator, contact:

• International Cinematographer’s Guild, 80 Eighth Ave., 14th Floor, New York, NY 10011.
• National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians, 501 Third St. NW., 6th floor, Washington, DC 20001. http://www.nabetcwa.org

Information about career and employment opportunities for camera operators and film and video editors also is available from local offices of State employment service agencies, local offices of the relevant trade unions, and local television and film production companies that employ these workers.

Six years ago on a snow-blown college football field, halfway into that dream, you used your stunning speed in a tight end pattern, cutting hard, and WHAM! You took a blindside hit that felt like you’d stepped in front of a bus.

White light filled your world, and when you tried to stand up, your right leg folded under you. Like jello. At first you lay there and felt nothing… but you looked up and saw the shock on your teammates faces.

The knee was shattered. An injury that would forever change your life. The dream gone. No more the star running back, not for you. Never again. Three surgeries, before you could even walk again. Then all the therapy. And your hunger for football.

You thought your life was over. You cried when you were alone. The old dream was gone. Gradually you realized, that dream had been a boy’s dream.

And now you needed the dream of a man. So you grew up.

Three years later you attended the USA Football – Pittsburgh Steelers Coaching School.

Now you are a coach. A high school coach, and it’s a life more rich and deep than you’d ever dreamed of. The lives of 46 players and 5 assistant coaches are in your hands. You are paid by the county school system as a teacher.

And you do teach— two things: football and life.

Football is a medium you use to try and teach the kids about overcoming adversity, never giving up and always holding onto hope. You are a father figure to some of the boys from single parent homes. And some with both parents, with even worse problems.

You work hard for their wins, but you work harder to be someone that they can look up to. And you work hard to be fair.

Now you can hardly separate your football coaching from your life coaching. And you have gained personal inner strength from this, maybe more than any of your players ever has. The injury that you once raged about now seems like the biggest opportunity you ever had.

You are a coach.

Mentor, godfather, strategist, psychologist, brother, counselor, life coach, football coach. You share advice, offer guidance, help make plans. You hold people accountable for taking action. More than all of this, you work hardest to be the man you never realized you could be.

Many people hire a health coach to help you with health and fitness goals, like a personal trainer. Other people hire a business coach to help them build or grow a business plan. Some hire a productivity coach to help them get organized and increase productivity.

You are all of those, and more. Maybe some day you’ll work as a life coach. Coaching football has certainly prepared you for an anything.

The odds have been long and the road a rocky one full of surprises.

Some of those who participate in amateur sports dream of becoming paid professional athletes, coaches, or sports officials, but very few beat the long and daunting odds of making a full-time living from professional athletics. Those athletes who make it to the professional level find that careers are short and jobs are insecure. Even though the chances of employment as a professional athlete are slim, there are many opportunities for at least a part-time job as a coach, instructor, referee, or umpire in amateur athletics or in high school, college, or university sports.

Coaches of individuals— sports instructors— may teach professional and nonprofessional athletes individually. They organize, instruct, train, and lead athletes in indoor and outdoor sports such as bowling, tennis, golf, and swimming. Because activities are as diverse as weight lifting, gymnastics, scuba diving, and karate, instructors tend to specialize in one or a few activities.

Coaches and sports instructors sometimes differ in their approaches to athletes because of the focus of their work. For example, while coaches manage the team during a game to optimize its chance for victory, sports instructors—such as those who work for professional tennis players—often are not permitted to instruct their athletes during competition. Sports instructors spend more of their time with athletes working one-on-one, which permits them to design customized training programs for each individual. Motivating athletes to play hard challenges most coaches and sports instructors but is vital for the athlete’s success.

Education and training requirements for coaches vary greatly by the level and type of sport. Regardless of the sport or occupation, these jobs require immense overall knowledge of the game, usually acquired through years of experience at lower levels.

Becoming a professional coach is the culmination of years of effort.

Head coaches at public secondary schools (and sports instructors at all levels) usually must have a bachelor’s degree. For high school coaching and sports instructor jobs, schools usually prefer to hire teachers willing to take on the jobs part time. If no suitable teacher is found, schools hire someone from outside.

Those who are not teachers must meet State requirements for certification to become a head coach. Certification, however, may not be required for coaching and sports instructor jobs in private schools.

Degree programs—- specifically related to coaching— include exercise and sports science, physiology, kinesiology, nutrition and fitness, physical education, and sports medicine.

Many coaches begin their careers as assistant coaches to gain the knowledge and experience needed to become a head coach.

Head coaches at large schools that strive to compete at the highest levels of a sport require substantial experience as a head coach at another school or as an assistant coach. To reach the ranks of professional coaching, a person usually needs years of coaching experience and a winning record in the lower ranks.

Athletes, coaches, umpires, and related workers held about 253,000 jobs in 2006.
Coaches and scouts held 217,000 jobs;
athletes, 18,000;
and umpires, referees, and other sports officials, 19,000.

Among those employed in wage and salary jobs, 47 percent held jobs in public and private educational services. About 13 percent worked in amusement, gambling, and recreation industries, including golf and tennis clubs, gymnasiums, health clubs, judo and karate schools, riding stables, swim clubs, and other sports and recreation facilities. Another six percent worked in the spectator sports industry.

About 1 out of 5 workers in this occupation was self-employed, earning prize money or fees for lessons, scouting, or officiating assignments. Many other coaches and sports officials, although technically not self-employed, have such irregular or tenuous working arrangements that their working conditions resemble those of self-employment.

Employment of athletes, coaches, umpires, and related workers is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2016.

Very tough competition is expected for jobs at the highest levels of sports. Employment of athletes, coaches, umpires, and related workers is expected to increase by 15 percent from 2006 to 2016, which is faster than the average for all occupations.

Employment of coaches and instructors will increase with expansion of school and college athletic programs, and growing demand for private sports instruction. Persons who are State-certified to teach academic subjects in addition to physical education are likely to have the best prospects for obtaining coaching and instructor jobs.

The need to replace the many high school coaches who change occupations or leave the labor force entirely also will provide some coaching opportunities. Opportunities should be best for persons seeking part-time umpire, referee, and other sports official jobs at the high school level.

Competition is expected for higher paying coaching positions at the college level— and will be even greater for jobs in professional sports.

Median annual wage and salary earnings of athletes were $41,060 in May 2006. However, the highest paid professional coaches earn much more.

Earnings vary by level of education, certification, and geographic region. Some instructors and coaches are paid a salary, while others may be paid by the hour, per session, or based on the number of participants.

If athletics has been important in your life, and you want to dedicate your extensive knowledge of physiology and sports, to instruct and inform and encourage sports participants, coaching may be your destiny.

Get that degree in exercise science, sports science, physiology, kinesiology, nutrition, fitness, physical education, or sports medicine.

A great coach will grow beyond what he/she is, into what they can be, and their players will grow with them, like an extended family.

Learn everything you can, and give it all you have to give…

Because that’s what coaches do!

For more information about exercise science, sports science, physiology, kinesiology, nutrition, fitness, physical education, or sports medicine, contact your local university, or search GRAD2B for the many Online Universities offering such degree programs.

For information about sports officiating for team and individual sports, contact:

• National Association of Sports Officials, 2017 Lathrop Ave., Racine, WI 53405. http://www.naso.org

For more information about certification of tennis instructors and coaches, contact:

• Professional Tennis Registry, P.O. Box 4739, Hilton Head Island, SC 29938. http://www.ptrtennis.org
• U.S. Professional Tennis Association, 3535 Briarpark Dr., Suite One, Houston, TX 77042. http://www.uspta.org

This is not some catchy fiction to catch your attention. I wish it were. It’s even worse than that.

There is no cheese, no butter, no dry milk powder, no grains or anything else left in the once-vast U.S. “strategic” food reserve.

Our strategic food reserve— like Joseph’s 7 years of grain storage for the Pharaoh— was our guarantee against any possible famine. The food reserve worked the same way as the Federal reserve is supposed to work with money, keeping our collective needs satisfied and in balance.

That hedge against mass death by hunger in America is now gone. The U.S. government, in it’s infinite wisdom (why ask why?) sold it to raise cash. While the food reserve was being sold off, we arrogantly continued to squander trillions of dollars, on the flashy toys of conquest. The boy-toys the politicians so love to play with. Planes, ships, bombs.

Think it can’t happen, this famine thing? Right now, while you read this, 100 million kids are starving to death.

Most live in so-called “Third World” countries. And there are others much closer, who live within a mile or two of where you sit, right now.

Conveniently, our supermarkets are still crammed with mountains of cheap food, but it’s getting more expensive every day. Living in fear of losing our jobs and homes, we watch “reality” TV shows and sports events, keeping our minds as numb as possible.

After all, we coined the concept even of “comfort food.” How wrong is that? Food eaten not for hunger but for gluttony, pure and simple. Food used as a drug, a tranquilizer for the fears that torment us.

For the first time in the history of Mankind, there are more sickly obese humans than there are sickly starving humans. And we are right to fret about our exploding population of gluttons, the volunteers of obesity.

So how could there be any danger of famine, with so much food in our stores? And what about the coming harvest, and the stocks of commercial foodstuffs?

A record harvest, at least, that’s the hope. But here’s the thing— this one harvest, this lucky score by our farmers— what will we do with it?

Food security is emerging as a global focal point. As the global climate wildly shifts, regions that were always wet and fertile become dry and barren. Other areas that were dry become flooded and washed out.

The U.S. “breadbasket” of the midwest is slowly and inexorably moving northward. Canada will become the zone best tempered for growing wheat and corn, many scientists believe, while Kansas and Iowa and Nebraska may alternately dry out or flood out.

Crops that are engineered to thrive in such flexing conditions, may be humanity’s only hope for survival.

Genetically-altered food is scary, of course. We can’t know the potential for life-altering consequences.

The dilemma is horrifying. Famine, though, that we do understand.

A year ago, Larry Matlack, President of the American Agriculture Movement (AAM), spoke up against the sale of U.S. grain reserves— 18.37 million bushels of wheat from USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust.

Matlack said, “According to the May 1, 2008 CCC inventory report there are only 24.1 million bushels of wheat in inventory, so after this sale there will be only 2.7 million bushels of wheat left the entire CCC inventory.”

That would leave enough wheat to make 1/2 of a loaf of bread for each of the 300 million people in America!

Matlack was even more right that he dreaded. As we’ve said, there is now ZERO grain left in CCC inventory.

Matlack went on to say, “Our concern is not that we are using the remainder of our strategic grain reserves for humanitarian relief. AAM fully supports the action and all humanitarian food relief.”

Who among us can do anything about this? Who has tried?

Activists like Matlack stuck their neck out, they tried.

And great scientists have spent their lives trying. One of the greatest food geneticists just passed away, at age 95, a highly-educated man who used his knowledge to fight famine— Nobel laureate Norman E. Borlaug.

Borlaug was an agricultural scientist who helped develop disease-resistant wheat, so important in many poor countries. A 1970 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, Borlaug was a distinguished professor of international agriculture at Texas A&M. Borlaug started at Texas A&M in 1984, after working as a scientist in a program that introduced scientific techniques for preventing famine in Mexico. He traveled worldwide, working for improvements in agricultural science and food policy.

Borlaug was known as a champion of high-yield crop varieties, and other science and agricultural innovations to help fight hunger in developing nations. All too soon, his work may be crucial in fending off a famine in all the nations, world-wide.

“We all eat at least three times a day in privileged nations, and yet we take food for granted,” Borlaug said, near the end of his long, amazing life. “There has been great progress, and food is more equitably distributed. But hunger is a commonplace, and famine appears all too often.”

We are what we eat. Our bodies are made of the foodstuffs, good or bad, we consume.

If we eat junk our bodies become junk. If we eat nothing, we shrivel and die. We certainly cannot eat warplanes or bombs. But if science got us into this mess, maybe science is the only thing left that can possibly save us, too.

The so-called Third World” is coming closer every day. In famine, there will be no other World but the Third, for everyone.

What can anyone do? That’s not the question. The right question is— what can YOU do?

Educate yourself!

Learn, study, become a food supply activist, a Larry Matlack— create ways to conserve what we already have.

Or create new solutions— learn, educate yourself, and become a genetic scientist, like Dr Norman Borlaug— create ways to produce what we need, without disastrous consequences.

Borlaug created the World Food Prize, which recognizes the work of scientists and humanitarians, who’ve helped fight world hunger through advanced agriculture.

Wouldn’t this be worth your years of study— to get the degree that would empower you with knowledge, giving you the tools to explore solutions and to create hope for Mankind?

Wouldn’t this be a worthy goal for your own higher education? To gain knowledge, to fight the oncoming nightmare of hunger and famine!

A lady in a wheelchair. Two young soccer players. A squirming baby in a young mother’s arms. They belong to you now, for the duration of the flight.

When you speed the big machine down the runway, and you pull up it’s nose just right, and it lifts into the sky, you are master of the small human world that is contained inside the tubular womb of the flying mating.

It is an airplane. You are a pilot. Everyone and everything depends on you.

Ahead is a storm front. You work your machine for altitude to climb above it. On either side of you are your best friends— the giant engines, two whirring groaning fanjets, yielding a seamless enormity of power.

An odd thought strikes you… you are like a climber on Mt Everest, with 100 people stowed in the pack on your back. You are carrying them the same height above the surface of the planet— 7 miles. The science-rich knowledge in your brain is all that stands between their comfortable safety, and a plummet to their fiery crushing death.

Their denial often amazes you, too. They well know what horrors could happen, but yet, they trust you; and why? Your degree, your training, your thousands of flight hours. You’ve earned their trust, just as you’ve earned your seat in the cockpit. Just as your co-pilot is now building cockpit hours, working to earn her seat some day where you now sit.

Ok, focus. Here’s the storm front. You tell everyone to stay seated with belts fastened.

Last year, you hit a big thermal, the nose dived, and before you regained control, some of the passengers flew out of their seats. They were the ones who didn’t listen to your warning over the intercom. You saw footprints on the cabin ceiling when you landed. Two had broken necks. So you are very very glad now, as you climb on through the bumpy air, rising above the front.

You think of the pilot who landed his plane in a river, saving all his passengers. He was good, but more, he was ready, always ready. That guy had been ready every time he flew, that’s how he was able to save them all. Like you, he always readied himself for the worst.

And whatever happens today, between now and landing two thousand miles away, you are ready.

Because 100 lives are in your hands, and their trust is like a kind of devotion to you. And you won’t let them down.

Pilots like you are highly trained professionals who specialize, either flying airplanes or helicopters. Most are airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers who transport passengers and cargo.

However, 1 out of 5 pilots is a commercial pilot involved in dusting crops, spreading seed for reforestation, testing aircraft, flying passengers and cargo to areas not served by regular airlines, directing firefighting efforts, tracking criminals, monitoring traffic, and rescuing and evacuating injured persons.

Before departure, pilots plan their flights carefully. They thoroughly check their aircraft to make sure that the engines, controls, instruments, and other systems are functioning properly. They also make sure that baggage or cargo has been loaded correctly. They confer with flight dispatchers and aviation weather forecasters to find out about weather conditions en route and at their destination. Based on this information, they choose a route, altitude, and speed that will provide the safest, most economical, and smoothest flight. When flying under instrument flight rules—procedures governing the operation of the aircraft when there is poor visibility—the pilot in command, or the company dispatcher, normally files an instrument flight plan with air traffic control so that the flight can be coordinated with other air traffic.

Takeoff and landing are the most difficult parts of the flight, and require close coordination between the two pilots. For example, as the plane accelerates for takeoff, the pilot who is flying the take off concentrates on the runway while the other pilot scans the instrument panel. To calculate the speed they must attain to become airborne, pilots consider the altitude of the airport, outside temperature, weight of the plane, and speed and direction of the wind. The moment the plane reaches takeoff speed, the nonflying pilot informs the flying pilot, who then pulls back on the controls to raise the nose of the plane. Captains and first officers usually alternate flying each leg from takeoff to landing.

Airplane pilots, with the assistance of autopilot and the flight management computer, steer the plane along their planned route and are monitored by the air traffic control stations they pass along the way. They regularly scan the instrument panel to check their fuel supply; the condition of their engines; and the air-conditioning, hydraulic, and other systems.

In contrast, because helicopters are used for short trips at relatively low altitude, helicopter pilots must be constantly on the lookout for trees, bridges, power lines, transmission towers, and other dangerous obstacles as well as low-flying general aviation aircraft. Regardless of the type of aircraft, all pilots must monitor warning devices designed to help detect sudden shifts in wind conditions that can cause crashes.

Pilots must rely completely on their instruments when visibility is poor. On the basis of altimeter readings, they know how high above ground they are and whether they can fly safely over mountains and other obstacles. Special navigation radios give pilots precise information that, with the help of special charts, tells them their exact position. Other very sophisticated equipment provides directions to a point just above the end of a runway and enables pilots to land completely without an outside visual reference. Once on the ground, pilots must complete records on their flight and the aircraft maintenance status for their company and the FAA.

Pilots employed by other organizations, such as charter operators or businesses, have many other duties. They may load the aircraft, handle all passenger luggage to ensure a balanced load, and supervise refueling; other nonflying responsibilities include keeping records, scheduling flights, arranging for major maintenance, and performing minor aircraft maintenance and repairs.

Except on small aircraft, two pilots usually make up the cockpit crew. Generally, the most experienced pilot, the captain, is in command and supervises all other crew members. The pilot and the copilot, often called the first officer, share flying and other duties, such as communicating with air traffic controllers and monitoring the instruments. Some large aircraft have a third crew member, the flight engineer, who assists the pilots by monitoring and operating many of the instruments and systems, making minor in-flight repairs, and watching for other aircraft. The flight engineer also assists the pilots with the company, air traffic control, and cabin crew communications. New technology can perform many flight tasks, however, and virtually all new aircraft now fly with only two pilots, who rely more heavily on computerized controls.

Some pilots are flight instructors. They teach their students in ground-school classes, in simulators, and in dual-controlled planes and helicopters. A few specially trained pilots are examiners or check pilots. They periodically fly with other pilots or pilot’s license applicants to make sure that they are proficient.

Most pilots spend a considerable amount of time away from home because the majority of flights involve overnight layovers. When pilots are away from home, the airlines provide hotel accommodations, transportation between the hotel and airport, and an allowance for meals and other expenses.

Airline pilots, especially those on international routes, often experience jet lag—fatigue caused by many hours of flying through different time zones. To guard against pilot fatigue, which could result in unsafe flying conditions, the FAA requires airlines to allow pilots at least 8 hours of uninterrupted rest in the 24 hours before finishing their flight duty

Commercial pilots face other types of job hazards.

The work of test pilots, who check the flight performance of new and experimental planes, may be bizarre, and at the very least, highly lethal.

Pilots who are crop-dusters may be exposed to toxic chemicals and seldom have the benefit of a regular landing strip.

Helicopter pilots involved in rescue and police work may be subject to personal injury.

Flight instructors may have irregular and seasonal work schedules, depending on their students’ available time and the weather. Instructors frequently work in the evening or on weekends

All pilots who are paid to transport passengers or cargo must have a commercial pilot’s license with an instrument rating issued by the FAA.

Helicopter pilots also must hold a commercial pilot’s license with a helicopter rating.

Although some small airlines hire high school graduates, most airlines require at least 2 years of college and prefer to hire college graduates.

In fact, most entrants to this occupation have a college degree. Because the number of college-educated applicants continues to increase, many employers are making a college degree an educational requirement.

Test pilots often are required to have an engineering degree.

Pilots also need flight experience to qualify for a license. Completing classes at a flight school approved by the FAA can reduce the amount of flight experience required for a pilot’s license.

In 2006, the FAA certified about 600 civilian flying schools, including some colleges and universities that offer degree credit for pilot training. Initial training for airline pilots typically includes a week of company indoctrination; 3 to 6 weeks of ground school and simulator training; and 25 hours of initial operating experience, including a check-ride with an FAA aviation safety inspector.

The U.S. Armed Forces have always been an important source of experienced pilots because of the extensive flying time and experience on jet aircraft and helicopters. Those without Armed Forces training may become pilots by attending flight schools or by taking lessons from FAA-certified flight instructors. Applicants also must pass a strict physical examination to make sure that they are in good health and have 20/20 vision with or without glasses, good hearing, and no physical handicaps that could impair their performance. They must pass a written test that includes questions on the principles of safe flight, navigation techniques, and FAA regulations, and must demonstrate their flying ability to FAA or designated examiners.

To fly during periods of low visibility, pilots must be rated by the FAA to fly by instruments. Pilots may qualify for this rating by having the required hours of flight experience, including 40 hours of experience in flying by instruments; they also must pass a written examination on procedures and FAA regulations covering instrument flying and demonstrate to an examiner their ability to fly by instruments. Requirements for the instrument rating vary depending on the certification level of flight school.

Airline pilots must fulfill additional requirements. Captains must have an airline transport pilot’s license. Applicants for this license must be at least 23 years old and have a minimum of 1,500 hours of flying experience, including night and instrument flying, and must pass FAA written and flight examinations. Usually, they also have one or more advanced ratings depending on the requirements of their particular job. Because pilots must be able to make quick decisions and accurate judgments under pressure, many airline companies reject applicants who do not pass required psychological and aptitude tests. All licenses are valid so long as a pilot can pass the periodic physical and eye examinations and tests of flying skills required by the FAA and company regulations.

Depending on the type of aircraft, new airline pilots start as first officers or flight engineers. Although some airlines favor applicants who already have a flight engineer’s license, they may provide flight engineer training for those who have only the commercial license. Many pilots begin with smaller regional or commuter airlines, where they obtain experience flying passengers on scheduled flights into busy airports in all weather conditions. These jobs often lead to higher paying jobs with bigger, national or major airlines.

Companies other than airlines usually require less flying experience. However, a commercial pilot’s license is a minimum requirement, and employers prefer applicants who have experience in the type of craft they will be flying. New employees usually start as first officers, or fly less sophisticated equipment.

Advancement for pilots usually is limited to other flying jobs. Many pilots start as flight instructors, building up their flying hours while they earn money teaching. As they become more experienced, these pilots occasionally fly charter planes or perhaps get jobs with small air transportation firms, such as air-taxi companies. Some advance to flying corporate planes. A small number get flight engineer jobs with the airlines.

In the airlines, advancement usually depends on seniority provisions of union contracts. After 1 to 5 years, flight engineers advance according to seniority to first officer and, after 5 to 15 years, to captain. Seniority also determines which pilots get the more desirable routes. In a non-airline job, a first officer may advance to captain and, in large companies, to chief pilot or director of aviation in charge of aircraft scheduling, maintenance, and flight procedures

Civilian aircraft pilots and flight engineers held about 107,000 jobs in 2006. About 79,000 worked as airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers. The rest were commercial pilots who worked as flight instructors at local airports or for large businesses that fly company cargo and executives in their own airplanes or helicopters. Some commercial pilots flew small planes for air-taxi companies, usually to or from lightly traveled airports not served by major airlines. Others worked for a variety of businesses, performing tasks such as dusting crops, inspecting pipelines, or conducting sightseeing trips.

Pilots are located across the country, but airline pilots usually are based near major metropolitan airports or airports operating as hubs for the major airlines Federal, State, and local governments also employ pilots. A few pilots are self-employed

Employment of aircraft pilots and flight engineers is projected to grow 13 percent from 2006 to 2016, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Population growth and an expanding economy are expected to boost the demand for air travel, contributing to job growth.

New jobs will be created as airlines expand their capacity to meet this rising demand by increasing the number of planes in operation. However, employment growth will be limited by productivity improvements as airlines switch to larger planes and adopt the low-cost carrier model that emphasizes faster turnaround times for flights, keeping more pilots in the air rather than waiting on the ground. Also, fewer flight engineers will be needed as new planes requiring only two pilots replace older planes that require flight engineers.
Job opportunities are expected to continue to be better with the regional airlines and low-cost carriers, which are growing faster than the major airlines. Opportunities with air cargo carriers also should arise because of increasing security requirements for shipping freight on passenger airlines, growth in electronic commerce, and increased demand for global freight. Business, corporate, and on-demand air taxi travel also should provide some new jobs for pilots.

Despite economic downturns, in the long run, demand for air travel is expected to grow along with the population and the economy. In the short run, however, employment opportunities of pilots generally are sensitive to cyclical swings in the economy. During recessions, when a decline in the demand for air travel forces airlines to curtail the number of flights, airlines may temporarily furlough some pilots.

Earnings of aircraft pilots and flight engineers vary greatly depending whether they work as airline or commercial pilots. Earnings depend on factors such as the type, size, and maximum speed of the plane and the number of hours and miles flown. For example, pilots who fly jet aircraft usually earn higher salaries than pilots who fly turboprops. Airline pilots and flight engineers may earn extra pay for night and international flights.

Airline pilots usually are eligible for life and health insurance plans. They also receive retirement benefits and, if they fail the FAA physical examination at some point in their careers, they get disability payments. In addition, pilots receive an expense allowance, or “per diem,” for every hour they are away from home. Some airlines also provide allowances to pilots for purchasing and cleaning their uniforms. As an additional benefit, pilots and their immediate families usually are entitled to free or reduced-fare transportation on their own and other airlines.

More than half of all aircraft pilots are members of unions. Most of the pilots who fly for the major airlines are members of the Air Line Pilots Association, International, but those employed by one major airline are members of the Allied Pilots Association.

Regional and low-cost airlines offer the best opportunities; pilots attempting to get jobs at the major airlines will face strong competition. Pilots usually start with smaller commuter and regional airlines to acquire the experience needed to qualify for higher paying jobs with national or major airlines.

Many pilots have learned to fly in the military, but growing numbers have college degrees with flight training from civilian flying schools that are certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

If piloting aircraft has long been your personal dream, a college degree is an excellent fundamental base for your career, and the next step is pilot training.

Aviation schools can prepare you for flying. The challenge then becomes the accumulation of sufficient hours, in larger and larger aircraft.

Master the skills that will guide you safely through a storm front, with 100 trusting souls sitting behind you, their lives totally dependent upon your knowledge and courage.

Go ahead, begin your climb up the ladder, from small airlines to the huge international carriers, but make sure you have obtained the fundamental educational foundation.

However you start, pilots will always be needed, no matter what turn the economy takes. Older pilots with seniority are retiring every day.

When your turn comes, to sit on the port side of the big cockpit, be ready!

For information about job opportunities, salaries, and qualifications, write to the personnel manager of the particular airline.

For information on airline pilots, contact:
• Air Line Pilots Association, International, 1625 Massachusetts Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20036.
• Air Transport Association of America, Inc., 1301 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20004.
• Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20591. http://www.faa.gov

For information on helicopter pilots, contact:
• Helicopter Association International, 1635 Prince St., Alexandria, VA 22314.
• For information about job opportunities in companies other than airlines, consult the classified section of aviation trade magazines and apply to companies that operate aircraft at local airports.

Everywhere you go you see things that need to be changed. The local and national and world news upsets you, day to day.

But you feel powerless to influence anyone. Your sense of impotence angers and depresses you.

So many people are suffering because they aren’t being treated fairly… because they have no power. Because they have NO VOICE.

Do you want to be their voice? Do you want the power to really change the world?

Then become an Advocate!

As the ancient wise man said, “better to light a candle, than curse the darkness.”

What is an advocate? A person who feels exactly the way you do about things that are wrong with the world around them. A person who decided to get the tools necessary to use the system in every way possible and legal, to get the power needed to help those who can not help themselves.

First of all, Advocates need strong communication and fundraising skills, to constantly mobilize public support. Higher education, and experience, empower these skills.

Advocacy, grantmaking, and civic organizations are working to better their communities by directly addressing issues of public concern through service, independent action, or civic engagement. These organizations span the political spectrum of ideas and encompass every aspect of human endeavor, from symphonies to little leagues, and from homeless shelters and day care centers, to natural resource conservation advocates.

These organizations are collectively called “nonprofits,” a name that is used to describe institutions and organizations that are neither government nor business. Other names often used include the not-for-profit sector, the third sector, the independent sector, the philanthropic sector, the voluntary sector, or the social sector. Outside the United States, these organizations often are called nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) or civil society organizations.

These other names emphasize the characteristics that distinguish advocacy, grantmaking, and civic organizations from businesses and government. Unlike businesses, these organizations do not exist to make money for owners or investors, but that doesn’t mean that they cannot charge fees or sell products that generate revenue, or that revenue must not exceed expenses.

Instead, these groups are dedicated to a specific mission that enhances the social fabric of society. Unlike government, these organizations are not able to mandate changes through legislation or regulations enforceable by law. Instead, they work toward the mission of their organization by relying on a small group of paid staff and voluntary service and financial support by large numbers of their members or the public.

Advocates work in many areas— business, professional, labor, political, and similar organizations; civic and social organizations; social advocacy organizations; and grantmaking and giving services. Religious organizations also have legal status as nonprofits.

Political organizations promote the interests of national, State, or local political parties and their candidates for elected public positions. Included are political groups organized to raise funds for a political party or individual candidates, such as political action committees (PACs). A variety of other similar organizations also are included in this segment of the advocacy, grantmaking, and civic organizations industry.

There are many types of social advocacy organizations: human rights organizations; environment, conservation, and wildlife organizations, many other social advocacy organizations.

Human rights organizations address issues, such as protecting and promoting the broad constitutional rights and civil liberties of individuals and those suffering from neglect, abuse, or exploitation. They also may promote the interests of specific groups, such as children, women, senior citizens, or persons with disabilities; work to improve relations between racial, ethnic, and cultural groups; or promote voter education and registration.

Environment, conservation, and wildlife organizations promote the preservation and protection of the environment and wildlife. They address issues such as clean air and water; conserving and developing natural resources, including land, plant, water, and energy resources; and protecting and preserving wildlife and endangered species.

Other social advocacy organizations address issues such as peace and international understanding; organize and encourage community action; or advance social causes, such as firearms safety, drunk driving prevention, and drug abuse awareness.

Grantmaking and giving services comprised about 10 percent of advocacy, grantmaking, and civic organizations establishments and include grantmaking foundations, voluntary health organizations, and establishments primarily engaged in raising funds for a wide range of social welfare activities, such as health, educational, scientific, and cultural activities.

Grantmaking foundations, also called charitable trusts, award grants from trust funds based on a competitive selection process or on the preferences of the foundation managers and grantors; some fund a single entity, such as a museum or university.

There are two types of grantmaking foundations: private foundations and public foundations. Most of the funds of a private foundation come from one source—an individual, a family, or a corporation. Public foundations, in contrast, normally receive their funds from multiple sources, which may include private foundations, individuals, government agencies, and fees for services.

New information technology also is increasing the capacity of advocacy, grantmaking, and civic organizations to advocate their causes and to raise funds. Interactive Web sites, e-mail and electronic philanthropy, and electronically generated databases have transformed the way these organizations communicate with the public, grantmakers, and donors.

Advocates responsible for fundraising may travel frequently to meet with supporters and potential donors, often in evenings and on weekends. Fundraising can be highly stressful because the financial health of the organization depends on being successful. Advocates employed in the delivery of social services also work in very stressful environments because many of their clients are struggling with a wide range of problems related to child care, child welfare, juvenile justice, addiction, health, unemployment, and inadequate workforce skills.

Advocacy, grantmaking, and civic organizations had 1.2 million wage and salary jobs in 2006. About 74 percent of them were in civic and social organizations or professional and similar organizations.

Advocacy, grantmaking, and civic organizations establishments are found throughout the nation, but the greatest numbers of jobs are found in California and New York, the States with the greatest population.

Among professional specialty occupations that play an important role in advocacy, grantmaking, and civic organizations, public relations specialists handle functions such as media, community, consumer, and governmental relations; political campaigns; interest-group representation; conflict mediation; or employee and investor relations. They prepare press releases and contact people in the media who might print or broadcast their material.

Many public relations Advocates go on to specialize in fundraising, sometimes having the title director of development. Fundraisers find the money and other gifts needed to keep an organizations operations operating by asking for large gifts from individual donors, soliciting bequests, hosting special events, applying for grants, and launching phone and letter appeals. In small organizations, the director of development does all these things; in large ones, fundraisers specialize.

Social and human service Advocates provide direct and indirect client services to ensure that individuals in their care reach their maximum level of functioning. They assess clients’ needs, establish their eligibility for benefits, and help them obtain services such as food stamps, Medicaid, or welfare.

The types of jobs and skills required for advocacy, grantmaking, and civic organizations vary with the type and size of the organization. But all organizations need individuals with strong communication and fundraising skills, because they must constantly mobilize public support for their activities.

Creativity and initiative are important as many workers are responsible for a wide range of activities, such as creating new events designed to communicate and sell an organizations goals and objectives. Basic knowledge about accounting, finance, management, information systems, advertising, and marketing provide an important advantage for those trying to enter the advocacy, grantmaking, and civic organizations industry. In some cases, a second language may be needed for jobs that involve international activities. The highly competitive industry also needs individuals who have adequate technical skills to efficiently operate and maintain their computer systems.

As of 2006, more than 250 colleges and universities offered courses on the management of nonprofit organizations. About 70 programs offered noncredit courses in fundraising and nonprofit management and more than 50 programs offered continuing education courses.

About 119 schools offered at least one course for undergraduate credit and more than 90 were affiliated with American Humanics (an alliance of colleges, universities and nonprofit organizations preparing undergraduates for careers with youth and human service agencies).

In 2006, there were more than 90 master’s degree programs, usually in business administration or in public administration, with a focus on nonprofit or philanthropic studies.

About 160 colleges and universities had at least one course related to management of nonprofits within a graduate department. Of these programs, more than 110 offered a graduate degree with a concentration in the management of nonprofit organizations and about 40 offered one or two graduate courses, usually in financial management and generic nonprofit management.

The formal education and experience of chief executives or executive directors varies as widely as the nature of their responsibilities. There are many ways to prepare for the job of running an advocacy, grantmaking, and civic organization.

Most paid executive directors in large organizations have graduate degrees, often in business or public administration, some specifically in nonprofit management. Some executive directors start their careers in other positions, such as fundraiser or communications director. Others start on the program side of an organization, offering services directly to the public. They might be teachers, health care workers, ecologists, or another type of professional.

Accountants and auditors need a good understanding of business computer systems and some hands-on knowledge of accounting software. An accounting or finance degree with some management course work or a business administration degree with some accounting course work is a good background to have.

A master of business administration or other advanced degree may be desirable for more senior positions. The certified nonprofit accounting professional (CNAP) accreditation also provides the additional credibility needed in some larger organizations.

Social community service managers need a bachelor’s degree. They must possess knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

Formal education almost always is necessary for advancement. In general, advancement requires a bachelor’s or master’s degree in human services, counseling, rehabilitation, social work, or a related field. There are no defined standards for entry into a public relations career.

A college degree combined with public relations experience, usually gained through an internship, is considered excellent preparation for public relations work. People who choose public relations as a career need an outgoing personality, self-confidence, an understanding of human psychology, and an enthusiasm for motivating people. Many public relations specialists advance to become directors of development or fundraisers.

Directors of development find the money and other gifts needed to keep the organizations operations thriving. For self-enrichment teachers working in the advocacy, grantmaking, and civic organizations industry, a college degree that encompasses education or human resources courses and general business courses is good preparation.

Opportunities for advancement as a self-enrichment teacher vary from State to State and program to program. They may advance to administrative positions, or experienced self-enrichment teachers may mentor new instructors and volunteers. Educational requirements for teacher assistants vary by State or school district and range from a high school diploma to some college training, although employers increasingly prefer applicants with some college training. Teacher assistants must have good writing skills and be able to communicate effectively with students and teachers. Advancement for teacher assistants—usually in the form of higher earnings or increased responsibility—comes primarily with experience or additional education.

Advancement to professional occupations within an organization normally requires additional formal education, such as a college degree. While most workers receive on-the-job training, executive secretaries and administrative assistants acquire skills in various ways. Training ranges from high school vocational education programs that teach office skills and keyboarding to 1-year and 2-year programs in office administration offered by business schools, vocational-technical institutes, and community colleges.

Turnover and employment growth should result in a large number of job openings. Wage and salary jobs in advocacy, grantmaking, and civic organizations are projected to increase 13 percent over the 2006-16 period, compared to 11 percent growth projected for all industries combined.

Social and demographic shifts will continue to increase the demand for services offered by advocacy, grantmaking, and civic organizations and spur job growth. For example, rapid growth of the elderly population will increase the demand for home health and nursing home care. Other demographic shifts include the growing numbers of immigrants and refugees; a high divorce rate creating more single parent households; more out-of-wedlock births; and greater ethnic and cultural diversity. These shifts will increase the demand for many services such as child day care, home health and nursing home care, family counseling, foster care, relocation assistance, and substance abuse treatment and prevention.

State and local governments usually are expected to fulfill new and growing social service roles, but many lack the resources to meet the rising demands. As a result, governments will increasingly turn to advocacy, grantmaking, and civic organizations, utilizing their experience at offering efficient and effective social services. In other cases, governments will form joint ventures or partnerships with these organizations to operate services more effectively. Governments also are expected to contract out some services, which will continue to be a major source of employment growth in the advocacy, grantmaking, and civic organizations industry.

A large number of job openings should result from employment growth and turnover, partially due to the industry’s relatively low wages, as workers retire or leave the industry for other reasons. Earnings of wage and salary workers in advocacy, grantmaking, and civic organizations averaged $15.81 an hour, compared with $16.76 per hour for all workers in private industry in 2006. The lower earnings reflect the large proportion of entry-level, part-time jobs. Weekly earnings among civic and social organizations were significantly lower than average, $232, compared with $568 for all workers in private industry in 2006.

About 11 percent of workers in the advocacy, grantmaking, and civic organizations industry were union members or were covered by a union contract in 2006, less than the 13 percent rate throughout all industries.

Advocacy, grantmaking, and civic organizations had 1.2 million wage and salary jobs in 2006, with 74 percent in civic, social, professional and similar organizations. Advocates need strong communication and fundraising skills, to constantly mobilize public support.

So… the injustices in the world around have always bothered you?

You want your life to be dedicated to changing those injustices?

And you are eager and willing to do the work, to gain the knowledge and the tools to make a difference?

Go get the education, the degree, that equips you for advocacy! Become the voice of the voiceless!

Become an Advocate!

For more information about career opportunities in advocacy, grantmaking, and civic organizations, contact:
• American Society of Associate Executives, 1575 I St. NW., Washington, DC 20005. http://www.asaenet.org
• Independent Sector, 1200 18th St. NW., Suite 200, Washington, DC 20036. http://www.independentsector.org
• The Foundation Center, 79 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10003. http://fdncenter.org