When I was a little girl and took apart my toys in an attempt to explore their innards, my mom used to say I wanted to find out "where the feet grew." She meant that I was curious about how things worked. I didn't become an engineer as this character trait might have suggested — math was not my forte. Even now, as an adult, I often wonder about what goes on behind the scenes of some of the leisure activities in which I partake. When I go to a Broadway show, for example, I find myself thinking about the goings on backstage. After a trip to Disney World several years ago, I came home and wrote an article about Disney Jobs.

I recently returned from a cruise and as usual, I found myself thinking about the crew and staff. Do they like their jobs? How do they handle living with their co-workers? Do they like shipboard life? Do they miss their families back home? How much money do they earn? How much time do they have off? What do they eat? I found the answers to my questions on the About.com Cruises Site. Guide Linda Garrison has written some articles about cruise jobs. Take a look at Finding a Job in the Cruise Industry to learn about the pros and cons of cruise line employment. Those who want to explore this industry further will be interested in Cruise Ship Jobs - The Hotel Department. Cruise Industry Jobs: Preparing an Application Package is required reading for anyone who wants to work for a cruise line.

Speech pathologists, officially known as speech-language pathologists and sometimes referred to as speech therapists or speech teachers, work with people who have a variety of speech-related disorders. They assess, diagnose, treat and try to prevent these disorders. In order to become a speech pathologist, one must earn a master's degree in speech-language pathology.

Now comes the opportunity to learn more about becoming a speech pathologist. First you should obtain facts about this occupation. Get detailed job descriptions and information on compensation and job outlook in Speech Pathologist: Career Information. Next, you should try to learn more about this field from people who work in it. See what some of our readers who work in this field have to say by reading our Real Life of a Speech Pathologist submissions. Finally, if you are considering pursuing this career further, take the Should You Become a Speech Pathologist? quiz. It can help you find out if you have the characteristics necessary to succeed in this career.

Simply having a job in this terrible economy isn't enough to keep workers satisfied according to a new report published by the Conference Board. A survey of 5,000 U.S. households revealed that only 45% of respondents were satisfied with their jobs. In 1987, the first year the survey was conducted, 61% of respondents were satisfied with their jobs (U.S. Job Satisfaction at Lowest Level in Two Decades).

Those who are unhappy with their jobs must figure out why this is so because spending eight hours a day, five days each week (if not more) doing something you dislike, is awful. It is also detrimental to one's career because workers who are unhappy are also unproductive. Dissatisfaction can have a variety of causes. The economy can be a major one — many people feel stuck in their jobs because they know how hard it will be to find new ones while others resent having to pick up the slack caused by downsizing. In addition cost-cutting measures have led to salary freezes leaving workers making less money than they feel they deserve.

Another cause of job dissatisfaction is being in the wrong career. If that's your problem there are steps you can begin taking to remedy that situation even if you are reluctant to give up your job before the economy improves. See How to Make a Successful Career Change.

The word "lobbyist" often conjures up a negative image. We think of a paid professional who exerts pressure on legislators to vote a certain way, sometimes using questionable methods. Lobbyists are misunderstood, according to About.com Washington, DC Guide Rachel Cooper who writes in her article What is a Lobbyist?, "The lobbying profession is a legitimate and integral part of our democratic political process." Many lobbyists are paid professionals but others are volunteers. The U.S. Constitution protects their activity under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution — the right to free speech, assembly and petition.

Lobbyists work for just about every institution or interest group you can think of. If you have a cause near and dear to your heart (or if you just like to use your powers of persuasion), maybe you can become a lobbyist. Most people who work in this field are college graduates who got their start working in a congressional office on Capitol Hill. Good communication skills are a must as is knowledge of the legislative process and of the industry or cause one represents. You'll find a lot more information in Rachel's article. Also read reader stories written by people who work as lobbyists.