European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 2, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Making it in profession what does it take by Barbara Somerville Cox news service graduation is a scary time even if you know what you want to do with the rest of your life a and most students entering College Don t know. Many american High school students know Little More about careers than what they see on television. You Don t know whether you Are being misled by such enviable characters As Mancuso Burt Reynolds b l Stryker Ben Matlock l a. Law s Arnie Becker or Doogie Howser . To help you sort out the facts from the fiction Here s what some real people say about what it takes to make it in their professions lawyer if you want to be a lawyer because l a. Law fascinates you do it. The camaraderie competitiveness Glamour and general atmosphere of the televised Law firm Are realistic if you work for a big firm said Deborah Avis. She and her husband Warren Avis started out working for big firms to get experience before they went into practice together As Avis amp Avis in North Palm Beach Fla. Quot there is Glamour in the prestige and Power that you get with a big firm Quot Deborah said. There is also Money a maybe $80,000 your first year in now York Warren said. Getting into a big firm is the problem. They suggest picking the firm you want and working there As a clerk during the Summers while you Are in Law school. Do a Good Job and they May take you on. Big firm work Means Long hours and working weekends Warren said because there is a tremendous amount of pressure put on Young associates to produce if they want to be considered for partnership. Working for yourself can mean anxiety Over making a living and the fear of making a mistake Deborah said but you have the fun of a broader practice and choosing your cases. Television news Anchor the Odds of getting an Anchor Job Are against you even if you Are a Beautiful Young woman said Laurel Sauer who anchors the news twice a Day for West Palm beaches a pts. Quot the Days of the meteoric rises in the 70s of Jane Pauley Jessica Savitch Diane Sawyer and Joan Lunden Are gone Quot she said. Quot they made it such a glamorous Field that Competition is stiff and jobs have slowed up now that the Industry has become less male dominated. Quot recently there have been cutbacks and a lot of stations Are tightening up. People Are not moving from station to station As Sauer beat the Odds from the beginning. Of the 350 students in her University of Florida broadcasting class Only three got jobs after graduation. Sauer was one. She became a weekend news Anchor in Panama City Fla., for 15 months and then in Mobile ala., for 18 months before coming to West Palm Beach in 1980. Quot but its a fabulous career for a person who can work under constant deadline pressure Deal with fear and stress and live with feeling you never have enough time for your private author writing books is wonderful once you Start Selling said fort Pierce Fla., writer Joanna Mcgauran who has sold 14 Romance novels. But Don t expect to get a $4 million Advance for a Book you Haven t written. The Advance payment is More like $4,000 to $6,000, once the novel is finished and sold. After you Are successful you might get $10,000, Mcgauran said. But the average annual income from writing for . Writers is $6,000 to $8,000. The Bottom has been falling out of the Romance Market since so Many women in the 70s and Early 80s started writing them As Well As Reading them. Instead of a novel bringing in $30,000, today you have to count on $12,000. The reality she said is that you work at a Job while you write unless you have a spouse to support you. Mcgauran does. She started writing fiction in 1982. She had written four when the first one sold two years later. Mcgauran likes setting her own writing schedule which amounts to about five hours a Day to produce two chapters or maybe Only five pages. Police detective Quot you have got to have one Heck of a Good sense of humor to be a detective because you Are going to be abused misused insulted and assaulted Quot said capt. Jim Diggs chief of detectives in the criminal investigation division of the West Palm Beach police department. Quot you have to love folks and be Able to hold your Cool Quot because a detective works with people when they Are feeling their worst a victims of crime battered children abused spouses families of people who have been killed or Are missing. Quot you see a lot of pain and suffering which takes a toll on you. You have to guard against being cynical thinking everybody is the pay is the same As that of senior patrolmen and the hours can be miserable. If you re in the Middle of a major investigation you May not get Home to see your family for 36 hours at a time Diggs said. But if you Are a self starter a Good listener skilled in writing reports and can Quot read Quot people there Are great rewards he said when you see the positive effects you have on people s lives. Veterinarian an animal doctor has to like people As Well As animals. Quot when you Are on the front line taking care of pets you Are really treating two people a the pet and the owner Quot said or. Bruce r. Coren who operates the South Dixie animal Hospital in West Palm Beach. A Good vet has to be compassionate he said but Able to put emotions aside when an animal has to be put to sleep. Quot you can to let it bother you or you won t give the Best service to your next three patients or do your Best it s easier to get into veterinary schools than it was a few years ago because there Are fewer applicants. About 60 percent of entering classes Are female he said. The problem is that the Cost of the four year course is $50,000 to $100,000, after four years of College and starting salaries Are Low a around $22,000. Computer science data processing will be a fast growing occupation Over the next decade said Calvin Wassmuth project Engineer for Pratt amp Whitney in West Palm Beach. He is responsible for All computer work stations. The Best jobs will go to those with High Grade Point averages and skills in mathematics technical Reading and writing and dealing with people he said. Quot a lot of programmers in school expect to sit in Parodz tend Tel uni quest Cis and equipment Corner and write their own programs. But that s a major misconception Quot he said. Quot they will be working As a team member sometimes sharing work with others and working with customers. They need people and organization doctor can t stand the sight of blood no problem. You learn in medical school that you can get used to the sight and smell of anything or so doctors say. Or. Joan Barice fainted the first time she was in an emergency room and saw blood. Now she practices internal and preventive Medicine in Palm Beach gardens Fla. Quot i love what i do but it is a lot of work and pretty stressful in that you Are making life and death decisions All the time. And it takes a great Deal of expensive training a lot of discipline self denial and study. But anybody can do it. You just put your mind to it and work hard. It is very rewarding when you help someone get Barice thinks women make the Best doctors because a As she puts it a they Are More understanding compassionate and empathic while men Are More scientific minded and detached. Quot but it costs something like $240,000 to get through medical school and you will spend a lot of time working to pay that Back a and that does no to include your internship and dentist dentistry is one of the most stressful professions and does t pay As Well As it did a decade ago because Page 14 a a a the stars and stripes saturday there Are More dentists competing with each other said or. Marvin Engle who has a private practice in West Palm Beach. The upside is that dental school applications Are Down he said so it is easier for College graduates to be accepted for four years of dental school. But not everybody likes to work every Day in a Small room peering into Mouths. Quot its like working on a Fine watch with somebody spitting on your hands Quot Engle said. Quot you work against a tight schedule trying to be on time for your patients and at the same time most of us Are perfectionists who want everything we do to last. That puts a lot of pressure on Many patients Are fearful of stepping into the dental chair and it can be depressing to a dentist to see their reluctance and their White Knuckles. The plus Side Engle said is that dentistry is increasingly exciting because of better techniques products and equipment. Banker Quot you can walk in with no skills at All and we can make a banker out of you Quot Helen Lamore said. As senior vice president and Market manager for Barnett Bank of Palm Beach county Fla., she is responsible for eight Bank branches. Quot i started As a Teller 10 years ago and have held Over 10 jobs at Barnett Bank. I had two years of College and the Bank helped me pay for the other two years promoted and trained me. Over the past 10 years Many women in banking have come from being nothing to really snagging very High powered responsible positions with comparable salaries to but there Are a variety of careers for both sexes and the Only place to learn about banking is from the inside Lamore said. High school graduates should consider training As a Teller because in House training is Given constantly to find what Job matches a person s interest and skills. Tellers Start at $12,000 to $14,000. There is a two year management training program for College graduates that includes classroom work As Well As on the Job training with a seasoned professional. The stars and stripes a a a Page 15
