Business, marketing, and law

Careers and Colleges, Jan-Feb, 2005

SALARY: The median annual salary for marketing assistants is $34,700.

ON THE JOB: Fontana helps arrange the Heart Association gala and food and wine tasting events. A lot of the job involves coordinating the printing of solicitation letters, followed up with invoices and billing. Managing a huge database of names of potential contributors is key.

STARTING OUT: "I always wanted to start my own business and the e-business training from Berkeley taught me office systems software, and how to set up Web pages and how to capture credit card information online. I'm using this knowledge to set up an online business selling health food and vitamins. But I also want real world business experience, which this job gives me."

REWARDS: "I often get to speak directly with those who may contribute and that helps me to be a better salesperson."

CHALLENGES: "Soliciting people is hard--you have to say the right things. But you do it 100 times and you get it right. The job has taught me how to approach people."

MORE INFO: Sales and Marketing Executives international, www.smei.org

--Don Rauf

HR MANAGER

SHERYL ROUTH

AGE: 38

LOCATION: Seattle, WA

JOB: Head of human resources at the game developer Cranium.

EDUCATION: A bachelor's with a major in a business-related field, especially human resources, is helpful. Routh holds a a bachelor's in political science and economics from the University of Washington.

SALARY: The median salary is $78,675.

ON THE JOB: Routh is responsible for staffing. "We're a tight team of 80 people," says Routh. When looking at the planning for the year, Routh meets with other managers to decide on staffing needs for upcoming game production and costs. Budgeting is a major part of her job, as well as employee evaluations and surveys. Routh cites the ability to communicate effectively, work well under pressure, and flexibility as three crucial human resource skills.

STARTING OUT: Routh started her career in a recruiting firm and shifted into human resources.

REWARDS: "Working with really smart people is one of the more rewarding aspects. The most exciting part, however, is making a great hire-someone that I'm confident will be a positive addition to the Cranium family."

CHALLENGES: "When someone's not working out--that's difficult. Or when something happens to the people we care about. We had an employee with cancer, and we had to figure out how to support her and how to get her work done while she was out."

MORE INFO: Society of Human Resource Management, www.shrm.org

--Jesse Nankin

TRAVEL MANAGER

NEAL STEINKEN

AGE: 44

JOB: Manager of product development for Apple Vacations.

EDUCATION: There are no set educational requirements, but those entering the field should have experience working with the public--they should also be friendly and outgoing. Travel experience is also an asset, as well as patience and a mind for details. Some colleges offer majors in travel and tourism. Courses in computers, foreign languages, and geography can be helpful. The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) has a correspondence course that provides a basic understanding of the industry.