Business law marketing - Career Watch 2004 Special Report

Careers and Colleges, Jan-Feb, 2004

ON THE JOB: "JAG provides legal advice to Air Force members--if they need help with tenant issues, adoption, bankruptcy, tax returns, wills, etc. I also work on military courtroom cases involving robbery, assault, bad checks. If the crime happened on an Air Force base it's military jurisdiction.

"When I was based in Tampa, I worked on legal issues regarding wetland preservation, such as making sure aircraft operations don't impact endangered species on the base. In Korea, I worked with Korean judges and prosecutors on a case where an airman was accused of disorderly conduct."

STARTING OUT: Plummer worked for one year as a tax attorney in Syracuse, but then decided "I wanted to be part of something bigger."

REWARDS: "I have the opportunity to serve my country and work on a variety of cases. I have traveled and worked in many different locations."

CHALLENGES: Lawyers like Maj. Plummer use analytical and communication skills to develop persuasive arguments for their clients. They interpret laws, rules, and regulations. "Although travel is exciting [for a military lawyer], relocating a lot can be hard," Plummer says. "It's not for everyone."

MORE INFO: The American Bar Association, www.abanet.org; and the U.S. Air Force, www.airforce.com--Don Rauf

RETAIL CLOTHING BUYER

TINA LEE

AGE: 30

LOCATION: New York, NY

JOB: Lee is a buyer of women's coats for a major department store.

EDUCATION: No specific education is required. Experience in retailing and merchandising is mandatory. Lee has a bachelor's degree in English literature from Barnard College in New York City.

SALARY: The median annual salary for purchasing managers is $53,030.

ON THE JOB: Lee buys women's coats from vendors and confirms that her store gets the correct merchandise. She also selects and submits merchandise to be advertised in newspaper ads and the store's catalogs. Buyers seek to buy the highest-quality merchandise at the lowest possible price and then sell the product at a profit. They often study sales records and inventory levels, and keep abreast of changes affecting the supply of and demand for materials.

STARTING OUT: Growing up, Lee was exposed to retailing through the deli that her family owned. She didn't plan to pursue a career in fashion merchandising until she met a store recruiter at a job fair at her college who was looking for an assistant buyer. The position emphasized the basics of retailing and merchandising, which Lee was familiar with. The recruiter's enthusiasm inspired Lee to go into the fashion industry.

REWARDS: For a buyer, success is seeing merchandise fly off the racks. [t means they know their products and their customers. "Knowing that I did a good job in selecting which coats will be sold is rewarding. I love getting positive feedback from customers," Lee says.

CHALLENGES: "Because all of our stores are spread out across the country, I don't get to see all of the women's coats in the stores on a daily basis," she says. "Sometimes it's hard to get a handle on who the customer is and what the competition is doing."