We (Amanda and Lorena) were talking about this

Great Pay, No Degree Required

By Anthony Balderrama, CareerBuilder.com writer

What do Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and entertainment mogul David Geffen have in common? Huge bank accounts and no student loans. These industry leaders are some of the most successful people in business and none of them has a college degree.
The belief that you need a college education to have a well-paying and rewarding job is quickly fading. A four-year degree definitely has its benefits in the business world, but it’s not the only path to a successful career.
In fact, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), eight of the 10 fastest-growing occupations through 2014 don’t require a bachelor's degree. And these jobs, which include health technology, plumbing, firefighting and automotive repair, are less vulnerable to outsourcing. After all, if a fire breaks out, you need the fire department to be a few blocks away, not halfway around the world.
While the educational requirements for many good jobs have risen, many occupations still don’t require a four-year degree. Several of these positions require vocational training or an associate degree. All of them require some on-the-job training or an apprenticeship.
Here are 25 of the top-paying jobs that don't require a four-year degree and their average salaries, based on data from the BLS and CBSalary.com.

1. Air traffic controller: $102,030
2. Funeral director: $79,517
3. Operations manager: $77,839
4. Industrial production manager: $73,000
5. Transportation manager: $72,662
6. Storage and distribution manager: $69,898
7. Computer technical support specialist: $67,689
8. Gaming manager: $64,880
9. First-line supervisor/manager of police and detective: $64,430
10. Nuclear power reactor operator: $64,090
11. Computer specialist: $59,480
12. First-line, nonretail supervisors/manager: $59,300
13. Nuclear technician: $59,200
14. First-line supervisor/manager of fire fighting and prevention worker: $58,920
15. Real estate broker: $58,720
16. Elevator installer and repairer: $58,710
17. Sales representative, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products: $58,580
18. Dental hygienist: $59,790
19. Radiation therapist: $57,700
20. Nuclear medicine technologist: $56,450
21. Power plant distributor and dispatcher: $57,330
22. Fashion designer: $55,840
23. Ship engineer: $54,950
24. Detective and criminal investigator: $53,990
25. Commercial pilot: $53,870

For some of these occupations, the highest earners in the field make a significantly higher amount than the national average. For example, the top funeral directors can make $225,500. Some nonretail sales representatives can earn as much as $114,540, nearly double the national average. Operations managers, who already rank highly on the list, can make $132,537. As with any occupations, location factors heavily into how much you earn. (For example, major metropolitan areas will probably pay more than smaller towns.)
"The thing to keep in mind is that there are something like 50 million jobs out there that don't require a bachelor's degree and pay upwards of $40,000 a year," says Harlow Unger, author of "But What If I Don't Want to Go to College? A Guide to Success Through Alternative Education."
He goes on to say that according to the U.S. Department of Labor, by 2010, almost two-thirds of all projected job openings will require only on-the-job training.
So while a college degree was de rigueur for the baby boom generation, that's not necessarily the case now. In today's highly technical and service-related market, workers are judged more on their skills than their sheepskins.

Do's and Don'ts

I am sure we all are well read and informed about how to take care of our babies. But here are some few tips. Enjoy!

Just click on the link below and scroll down.

http://www.c00lstuff.com/1133/Do_s_and_don_ts_with_babies/

Click to Save Animals

All you have to do is visit the website, and an animal somewhere will have something to eat... Yum! http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=3

Martha Alert & Class Action Lawsuit Alert

Just a tip that I made up as I was using it this morning: when you are expecting guests, use your guest bathroom before they arrive. Just walk in there with nothing in hand, take a shower, look through all the goodies on the counter, get ready to go, and you'll know (and remember, because the walk to the linen closet can be CHILLY) EXACTLY what you need to have a well-stocked guest bathroom.

This also gives you a quick and easy way to clean the shower (while you are in it) if it isn't too bad in there, without dragging out all the serious cleaning supplies.

Happy hostessing!

If you paid for a BarBri review course between March 15, 2001 and January 4, 2008, visit www.parkbarbrisettlement.com for a claim form to join the "class" - if it happens, you'll get somewhere between 30 and 40 dollars, which pales in comparison to what we all paid for those classes, but hey, it's 30 or 40 more dollars than we have right now.

Hello from NY

Hi everyone,

It's been six months since we moved to NY, yet we talk about Miami every day. We miss our student life style. Lorena, enjoy while it lasts! Although, I understand that you can't wait to start a family :) and join the SigFig baby club. I am so excited that the SigFig population is growing! Speaking of babies, congratulations to all moms and moms-to-be (dads too).

I am officially unemployed, yeah! Last Friday I resigned from a bank where I worked for about 8 years. Now I have one and very important job-raising Hayden. Hayden is 3 months old already and he is doing great. He smiles a lot and loves to look at people's faces. He can just stare at someone for minutes and then smiles. Very rewarding. He is learning to sit (we love Bumbo) and to reach and grab toys. I packed away a huge box of clothes that he outgrew and it made me very sad. First of all, we spent so much money on clothes that he wore only two times, and second, I am convinced that all baby's clothes are mislabeled. Amanda, Kelly and others who may be pregnant and we just don't know it yet, if you need a little advice from a new mom, then anything that is sized 3 months is for newborns, 6 months for 3 months, 9 months for 6 months and so on. They shrink after the first wash and become a size or two smaller. Sometimes, very frustrating. So...Hayden is 3 months old and I buy 9-12 months clothing. Who knew?

A Few Freebies/Contests

-For those of you who would like to have a $25,000 room renovation (who wouldn't?):  http://www.roomadaygiveaway.com/index.aspx

-A really nice free book and AWESOME coupons from Publix, if you are "in a family way" or happen to really like nursing pads and diaper rash cream (it could happen): 

http://www.publix.com/babyclub/

-Information and free magazines about babies and their parents (some really interesting articles are in these magazines, actually): 

http://www.babyzone.com/freestuff/moreoffers.asp

-For those of you who are (or may be - YES, we are always looking to see if you have a glass of wine in-hand) in the market for maternity clothes, a chance to win an entire wardrobe: 

http://www.destinationmaternity.com/sweepstakehome.asp

Or this one at Old Navy.

-For those of you who could benefit from free diapers and requisite supplies for a YEAR: 

http://www.happyhealthypregnancy.com/offers/index.aspx?globnav=hhp

Good luck!

Hello Sig Fig Friends

Hola everybody,

I am very excited that we can exchange all kinds of tips, information, pictures and things;
Congratulations to Kelly J. and M.C. for the good news (more sig-fig babies) and of course to my dear friend Amanda who is having a baby boy the name Harper this coming March. (Remember right after you Jessica hahahahahahahahaha)

We are doing Great (Dan and me) I am Still working at Peace for the Children Foundation and Dan is on his last semester (Can't Wait!!!) We went to Mexico for two weeks last December, we had a lot of fun (eat like is not tomorrow) I was really sad to leave my Family and at the same time Happy to be back in Miami.
Herbi is doing Great he spent three weeks with Aunt Amanda and he absolutely love it (Thank you Aunt Amanda)

Can't Wait to hear from you (by the way I love the new book "Shocking" I know)

Love
Lorena

Welcome!

Hello SigFigs and guests. This is a place to share the wisdom, anecdotes, photographs, questions, tips, and general musings you've accumulated over your life.

A brief introduction, in case you are not familiar with the SigFigs, we are a group of women who met through our "Significant Figures," (spouses, etc.) began spending time together, and found that we had more in common than the books we read and the wine we (occasionally) drink. Incredibly, we'd found friends who, though they now live all over the country, still crave the opportunity to sit down and share with a great group of women. Watch out world, you've been invited to our "book club" (to paraphrase Lance Armstrong, "it's not about the book"). Enjoy!