A decade ago, “futurism” was barely considered a real occupation. Futurists were likened to soothsayers, crystal ball gazers, and psychics. It was hardly a conventional way to earn a living–but not anymore. Futurism is a respected discipline, and futurists are playing an increasingly important role in industry and government. Universities are teaching courses in “future studies” and even offering full degree programs. The coursework covers how to use a number of predictive tools to make assumptions about the future.

Respect and Recognition

Futurism was legitimized when companies and nonprofit organizations began hiring futurists–also known as “directors of future research” or “ideation specialists” or “marketing specialists.” “Futurists use a set of tools and techniques to assess risks and uncertainties,” explains Ken Hamik, futurist and vice president of marketing and strategy at Triple Aught in Berkeley, CA. “Futurists look at early indicators before anyone else. Their research helps make better decisions, which is an invaluable tool for money managers, securities analysts, and CEOs charting the direction of their companies.”

What are the qualifications? “Most futurists have some or all of the attributes of experienced renaissance managers who excel at strategic planning,” says Hamik. “They have analytical minds and study all the variables before making a decision. They consider the future to be as important as the present.”

Half of the hottest futurist jobs don’t even exist yet, according to Daniel Burrus, author of Technotrends and CEO of Burrus Research Associates. “We’re in the early stages of shifting gears into the e-society,” he says. “Virtually every part of an enterprise will be e-enabled, which includes connectivity, content, commerce, communication, collaboration, and community. Supply chain management, for example, will be taken to new levels.”

A host of new jobs will likely open up, including technical specialists, sales and marketing experts, and experienced managers to pull an organization together.

Language Specialists

Bilingual (English and Spanish) candidates used to have the edge. That’s not going to be enough in the future. Hamik says you’re well positioned if you have multiple language skills. High on the list are English, Chinese, Spanish, and Portuguese. Knowledge of Japanese, German, French, and a few of Indian dialects wouldn’t hurt, either.

Authentic Crafts/Techniques Specialists

The faster we race into the future, the more historians and anthropologists want to know about the past. Not necessarily facts and data, but in how to create a product, machine, building, or farming technique. These specialists uncover drawings, blueprints, or primitive languages that describe how things were built in detail.

“When constructed, they are not replicas or simulations, but the actual objects,” says Hamik. Imagine building an authentic 18th-century stone house. Once the research is completed, software is written that precisely outlines the exact steps and dimensions for creating virtually anything from the past.

Biotechnology and Nanotechnology

The biotechnology field is going to explode, projects John L. Petersen, president of The Arlington Institute, a Virginia think tank specializing in the future. One of the hottest biotech areas is nanotechnology.

“It didn’t exist 15 years ago,” says Petersen, “but now it’s in its early stages and will be fully developed in two to three years.” Nanotechnology explores the fascinating world of atoms where things are measured in nanometers, a distance one-hundred-thousandth the width of human hair. “Sensors, lasers, and virtually all electronic devices will be extraordinarily small,” says Petersen.

Computer Security Experts

Annual global losses from computer break-ins are approximately $1.6 trillion, says Winn Schwartau, a computer security expert and author of Internet and Computer Ethics for Kids and Cybershock. Schwartau projects that government and industry face dangerous security problems over the next two years. In a good or bad economy, security professionals have little difficulty finding jobs. But the demand for security professionals, technicians, programmers, and network specialists will escalate to critical proportions if these positions aren’t filled. “Our national security is at stake,” warns Schwartau.

Meta-Database Analysts

Knowledge transfer, data-mining, and data analysis will be taken to greater heights in a few years, predicts Watts Wacker, a futurist who heads FirstMatter in Westport, CT. “We’re only a couple of years away from the meta-database, which will produce a higher order of insight, making knowledge more accessible. This leads to faster and better decision-making and new jobs related to creating, developing, and managing these vast storages.”

Does the idea of slaving away indoors make you shudder? Don’t fret– there are many ways to work under the glare of midday sun. So, grab your straw hat and get thee outdoors!

Landscape Architect

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 40 percent of all landscape architects are self-employed (translation: they clock their own schedule). Other landscape architects work for the government or for independent firms that adhere to 40-hour workweeks. A landscape architect will typically spend half his time on site and the other half indoors, working on plans. They create harmonious landscapes, balancing purpose, functionality, and related eco-issues. Landscape architects are the masterminds behind parks, golf courses, playgrounds, and corporate headquarters’ grounds.

• More Info: American Society of Landscape Architects; Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards
• Salary Range: $22,800 to $78,900
• Background: Bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture required for many entry-level positions. Some companies even prefer candidates to have an internship or two under their belt. Furthermore, most states require registration or licensing via the Landscape Architect Registration Examination (L.A.R.E.), which is administered by the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards.

Lifeguard

Ah, the perennial outdoor lover’s perfect job: lifeguard. While a small percentage of lifeguards actually spend time indoors at hotels and YMCAs, most work near pools, lakes, and seaside resorts. Perks abound (did we mention the tan?), but the pay and consistency of work can be troublesome. Positions often last from Memorial Day thru Labor Day, with only an enviable few grabbing coveted year-round positions.

• More Info: Check out the United States Lifeguard Association and the American Red Cross for career and certification information
• Salary Range: Starting at around $7/hour
• Background: The Red Cross and the United States Lifesaving Association both offer courses to certify lifeguard wannabes.

Enologist

Enologists are known as “winemakers” or “cellar masters” to you and me. This position is perfect for, shall we say, the more sophisticated outdoors person. If wine is your passion, you can make a go of it just about anywhere in the world. Enologists find work from California and Colorado to Africa and Australia. You’ll work with the head winemaker or producer overseeing the cellars, vineyard operations, winemaking procedure and protocol, quality issues, and testing barrel samples for consistency and standards (hiccup). Using descriptive phrases like oaky, buttery, and tinged with a hint of vanilla is a crucial job requirement.

• More Info: Consult the American Society for Enology & Viticulture and the Society of Wine Educators
• Salary Range: According the California Employment Development Department, salary levels of enologists depend on the size of the winery and education and experience of individuals. Those with ample experience may earn more than $5,000 a month in the larger wineries.
• Background: This career requires a wee bit of planning. You’ll need a BS in Enology, Winemaking, or a related field. Most employers are looking for hands-on experience in the two- to five-year range.

Park Ranger

Think Smokey the Bear has a good gig? You could live the high-life just as easily: clean air and natural living. As a park or forest ranger, your duties range from watching out for forest fires to keeping the peace across America’s forestland. In your first few years, you’ll log plenty of outdoor time checking on trees and fauna and ensuring the safety of campers. You’ll work in concert with fire and law enforcement agencies to rescue wayward hikers from steep ravines. As you escalate in responsibility, you may find yourself inside more often, working on schedules and managing new recruits. The veteran park ranger trade-off: more money, less time outdoors.

• More Info: The National Park Service, National Association of State Park Directors, and National Recreation and Park Association
• Salary Range: Not bad these days. Expect anything from unpaid volunteering to nearly $50,000 annually–depending on experience and education.
• Background: Forest folks need at least a bachelor’s degree in forestry or biology, with an emphasis in forest plant and animal life. A related major (environmental science, public administration, archeology, science, or history) will often suffice. However, many can hike up the ladder of ranger success by working their way up from park volunteer. Experience goes a long way in this neck of the career woods.

Other tan-inducing gigs careers to consider: Professional beach volleyball player, civil engineer, cruise ship captain, mailman, or professional sailor (think America’s Cup). With so many options available, how can any self-respecting sun-worshipper afford to stay indoors?

Research Links Volunteerism & Profits

Betty B. Stallings, a San Francisco-based trainer, consultant, and author who specializes in volunteerism, cites a 1993 survey in which more than 50 percent of businesses surveyed acknowledged a link between volunteer programs and profitability. Stallings states that research involving Fortune 500 companies demonstrates “an exponentially increasing number of employee volunteer programs.” These programs bring corporations and communities together as partners, and have been shown to be beneficial in attracting talented employees and in motivating staff.

Stallings points to General Mills, Federal Express, and Intel as examples of companies that have reported enhanced skills among employees who have participated in corporate-sponsored volunteer programs. Specific skills mentioned include leadership, teamwork, decision-making, communication, and time management.

“The employees themselves derive considerable benefits as well,” Stallings writes. “Through their volunteering, they have developed new business contacts, gained experience in strategic planning, [and] become involved with community leaders. There is a decided link, too, between physical and mental health and participation in volunteer activities.”

Volunteers Undervalue Experience

Surprisingly, many volunteers don’t realize that their altruism can result in acquiring highly marketable skills. Anita Collins, a licensed independent clinical social worker and life-planning coach, says people—especially women—tend to undervalue their volunteer experience simply because they don’t get paid for it.

“There is still a strong bias about volunteer work—that we shouldn’t list it on a resume because it’s not considered a real job,” Collins explains. “I encourage my clients to include it because they’ve brought value to an organization with the skills they were using and developing.”

Collins, who practices in Worcester, MA, suggests that one of the best ways to identify those skills is to analyze the volunteer activity as if you were writing a job description. What tasks were performed? What was accomplished? What goals were achieved?

“In my work, I find that women in midlife are really stopping and saying, ‘I have 30 productive years ahead of me, and I want to spend them in a way that makes sense to me and makes me happy,’” Collins says. “The challenge for me is to help them identify why they’re not satisfied now, and how to move to the next phase.

“Many of these women have had wonderful non-paid work histories,” Collins continues. “They run organizations, work on committees, address neighborhood and school issues, and put together major charitable events and fund-raising campaigns. The fact is, they have skills and experience to do just about anything they choose, and that information most definitely belongs on their resumes. I try to help my clients realize the value of their volunteer experience, and connect that with their careers. Without that value piece as an underpinning, they often have a hard time finding satisfaction.”

This writer can attest to the value of showcasing volunteer work on a resume. A few years ago, while in the throes of a career transition, I served as a volunteer board member for a patient-services program of The American Cancer Society. In helping plan a multifaceted event, I co-wrote a video script, helped produce printed materials, and organized a workshop on women’s cancer issues. The event was a success and the video earned a recognition award from a local ad club. Referencing this activity on my resume has led to several lucrative freelance assignments that I would not otherwise have been offered.

Perceptions Are Changing

Collins says it’s gratifying to see that the perception of volunteerism has changed. Unlike 20 or 30 years ago, the value of volunteer contributions is recognized.

When you think about what’s involved in, for instance, organizing a charity golf tournament, “you realize that it takes organizational, management, marketing, and public relations skills, as well as dedication, stamina and a willingness to work very hard,” says Collins. “Those attributes are attractive to potential employers. And they can open up entire new career avenues that you might not have considered.”

Ms. Ulmer, 56, signed on to be an intern at consulting firm Triad Communication in Washington, working alongside a college student who listens to hip-hop and frets about life after graduation. Laid off and looking for something to do, she jumped at the grunt-work opportunity. “It’s all fun money for me.”

This summer, the regular crop of interns has some interlopers in its midst: the over-30 crowd. From small businesses and restaurants to large health-care companies and public-relations firms, eager workplace veterans are lining up for a shot at the bottom rung of the ladder for little or no pay, just like those college kids. And companies are happy to let them in the door. While only 5% of internships were open to folks past their college years in 1995, that number has climbed to 20% today, according to career-information company Vault Inc.

Some of these aging interns don’t have much choice, with jobs scarce in a down economy. Others say they’re using internships as a convenient way to try something different, take a break from the job track or just dabble. In New York, there’s a 35-year-old ex-VP playing pastry chef at an upscale restaurant. A Chicago TV station had a lawyer running errands for the boss.

But not all of these graying apprentices are winning friends, of course. For out-of-work veterans, the notion of companies beefing up their ranks with experienced workers in short-term internships can be infuriating. Then there are the young interns forced to work side-by-side with condescending boomers. Jonathan Krause, a 22-year-old law student, found himself teamed with an older intern at a government office. The woman not only patronized him, but snorted whenever she heard him making after-work plans to meet his friends at a bar. “At first I was irritated, then I tried to provoke her,” he says.

Internships used to be just for kids, of course. Then came the dot-com boom of the late ’90s, when jobs were plentiful and labor was scarce, and some employers were forced to go outside the traditional intern mold to fill their slots. Now that the economy has slowed, companies from public relations giant Fleishman-Hillard to law firm Cleary Gottlieb are welcoming older interns. And why not? It’s a way to get better help for less, and without a long-term commitment. McKesson Corp., a health-care information company, has five over-30 interns out of a total of 40 at one of its units.

Thrill of the Kitchen

That’s all just fine with dabblers like Marissa Rothkopf Bates, who is starting a six-week internship as a pastry chef’s apprentice at a tony New York seafood restaurant. When she was laid off from her job as a vice president at Oxygen Media, she quickly signed up for cooking school and a follow-up “externship.” After following a chef around for a day and whipping up chocolate treats, she exalted in the “adrenaline thrill” of the kitchen. But once she’s done garnishing desserts, she figures she’ll look for another media job: “I don’t actually see myself becoming a chef.”

Michael Feldman, a 34-year-old former software entrepreneur, actually converted his internship into a cushy new job. After seeing his business go down the tubes last year, Mr. Feldman talked a friend into bringing him on as an intern at his online food-delivery service, arguing there was no downside since he would only get paid on commission. He then negotiated flexible hours to accommodate his morning triathlon-training schedule. “Sometimes I’ll roll in the door at noon,” he says.

While nobody’s expecting a gigantic rush of middle-aged interns, the summer workplace may well continue to get more mature. For starters, rules about workplace equality make it tougher for employers to consider age when hiring. Earlier this year, one Massachusetts company was forced to revisit its internship policy after rejecting an applicant for being too old (the would-be intern complained to state authorities). Plus, many employers like having older interns around. At McKesson’s information solutions unit, senior vice president Terry Geraghty says it’s a no-brainer to bring summer help with years of experience into the fold.

‘Stop the World’

Still, these May-September internships can have drawbacks for both sides. Experts say some boomers are more likely to worry about what comes next rather than the internship itself. Others may think it’s fun to try something new, but should make sure they aren’t just trying to avoid the commitment of a real job. Says Lynn Friedman, a clinical psychologist and workplace consultant in Bethesda, Md.: “I see a lot of ‘Stop the world, I want to get off.’”

Even if interns are excited going in, they may find the glamour fades quickly when they see just how little money they are getting. Alex Livingston moved to Los Angeles to serve as the unpaid producer for “Wide Awake in Nothing,” a film-student friend’s movie about a group of rebellious factory workers. He had a blast working 15-hour days for seven weeks straight, but then he jumped at a paying job — as a software engineer.

Starting Over

Companies and organizations vary widely regarding their approach to employing older interns. Below, a sampling of some of the programs:

Perks just keep getting harder to find. However, there are jobs for which perks are a part of the compensation package.

In healthy, happy mid-20^th century America, when the executive level was the career ideal to strive for, the key to the senior washroom stood as the symbol of success — the magical instrument that unlocked a secret door, behind which a select, beknighted few undertook decisions that moved and shook America. Gaining entrance to that chamber was a rite of passage signifying one’s advancement to elite status.

By the go-go 1980s, perks had become more diverse, more expansive and a little more fun. Condos in Vail, membership in exclusive country clubs, catered lunches, chauffeured limos, fully stocked bars, helicopters to the Hamptons, villas in Mexico — these were the goodies at the top of the corporate heap, the trickle-up blessings of Reaganomics. In time, those perks took on a life of their own. What began as symbols of success and as motivation on the climb up the corporate ladder, became benefits to be expected of the potential employer. What, no luxury box for the local professional football team? No corporate health club? No personal assistant? Sorry, I’ll take my career elsewhere.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the top — the recession of the early 1990s. Now the economy is once again prompting another wave of corporate belt-tightening. And, there are other factors that come into play, such as the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS is increasingly looking at perks and taxing the recipients, not to mention putting pressure on the companies to treat them as part of a taxable-income package.

Even freebies, the access to which employees see as normal and necessary to the work environment, can be recast as a perk by scrupulous financial officers. Writing implements may not seem like an amenity to an office worker, but one well-known company that places temporary computer operators charges its employees for extra pens if they lose the one they’re given. Similarly, most professionals view a telephone as an indispensable piece of business equipment — but does that mean employees must, or should, have unlimited access to it? Indeed, for many cost-conscious companies, access codes for each employee to the company’s long-distance service are becoming increasingly popular as a means of preventing abuse of phone privileges. Just print up a list of who called where, and a boss can track whether a call was made for business or personal purposes.

The perk isn’t dead, but it is being viewed in a new light — the light of reason in the cost-conscious, post-New Economy era. As Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman pointed out years ago, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. The money going toward perks has to come from somewhere. Might that money be better spent on something that more directly influences the bottom line?

Even the beneficiaries of presumed perks may start to see them differently. It’s common for sports teams to provide journalists with complimentary food and beverages at games, but most often the bounty isn’t of the healthiest variety — hot dogs, fried chicken, pizza. To someone watching his or her weight, the complimentary buffet isn’t a perk any longer. Employees of a company or nonprofit organization that seems to spend an inordinate amount of its funds on baubles to keep the workers happy may begin to question the direction of the company or the mission of the organization. And in the new hands-on corporate environment, some top executives are moving out of their plush, wood-paneled corner offices and back into cubicles out on the floor to become more involved in the everyday workings of the business and its employees.

As people re-evaluate their place in the world — both in their careers and in life outside the job — they may also begin to re-evaluate the worth and necessity of the freebies that have become part and parcel of the commercial environment. Whereas once it may have been common to accept gifts from potential clients or customers, the new business climate has begun to call some of that palm-greasing into question. We hold our elected representatives to high standards in terms of receiving gifts as a way to influence decisions. Should the decision-makers in the business world be held similarly accountable? You may be trying to decide between two companies with similar products or services. Is the value of those products or services truly reflected in the size of a company’s vacation retreat or corporate jet? Maybe the young, hungry company that hasn’t yet established itself enough to indulge in such perquisites is the one you’d rather work at.

Still, perks, amenities and benefits will continue to be a drawing card for professionals deciding on new careers or evaluating job offers. Our advice? Don’t let the glitter of those attractive baubles sway you from your prime concern, which should be: Is the job right for you? Will you enjoy doing this job day in and day out? Will you be personally rewarded — not just financially, not just with advancement, and not just with certain amenities and privileges, but with a feeling of self-fulfillment? That, ultimately, is the best perk of all.

Want a job that will wow them at parties? Then study the sciences.

That’s the message from the Harris Poll’s annual survey of attitudes toward a cross section of occupations. Of 1,011 adults surveyed nationwide, 51% said scientist was a job with “very great prestige.” Doctors were right behind with 50%, followed by military officers and teachers, each with 47%, and police officers, with 40%.

Of that top five, though, only the uniformed professions saw gains from the prior year. Military officers rose seven percentage points, while police climbed three points, moves that Harris attributed to the effects of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the war in Afghanistan.

Scientists fell two points from last year, while doctors dropped 11 percentage points. Teachers saw esteem for their positions fall seven percentage points, Harris said.

Amid the corporate accounting scandals, at the bottom of this year’s list were accountants. Only 13% of those surveyed said they felt the profession carried “very great prestige,” down two percentage points.

Here are more highlights from the latest survey.

* * *

“For each of the following, would you tell me if you feel it is an occupation of very great prestige, considerable prestige, some prestige or hardly any prestige at all?”

** In earlier surveys Harris used the words “policeman” (now changed to “police officer”) and businessman (now changed to “business executive”) which may account for the changes from 2001 to 2002.

* * *

Trend for “very great prestige” from 1977 to 2002

NA not asked

** Questions contain reference to “man” in these profession titles reflecting how they were originally asked. They remain the same in order not to disrupt the trending of the data related to these professions.

* * *

Methodology: This poll was conducted via telephone between Aug. 15 and 19, among a nationwide cross section of 1,011 adults. Figures for age, sex, race, education, number of adults and number of voice/telephone lines in the household were weighted where necessary to align with population proportions. Harris Interactive estimates the results have a statistical precision of plus or minus three percentage points compared to results if the entire adult population had been polled with complete accuracy.

Smart college students know their career futures won’t be stable. Most new graduates will work in several fields or jobs over their lifetimes and will be continually adapting to ever-faster technical developments.

But you can take steps to be ready for an uncertain work world. First, accept that your education doesn’t stop with college or graduate school. To be successful and rise up through the ranks, you’ll need to be a lifelong learner. Second, be ready for change. View new systems and processes as opportunities and volunteer to get involved with them.

“Students should get ahead of the technology curve and look at leading-edge fields, like augmented or virtual reality or nanotechnology,” says Glen Hiemstra, a futurist in Kirkland, Wash.

Despite all the flux, there will be plenty of jobs. Through 2012 U.S. employment is expected to increase 14% and the supply of workers will grow 12%. Jobs will be plentiful, especially for professionals. Due to shortages, employers will seek out women, minorities, welfare recipients, retired seniors and even prisoners to fill openings.

Currently, the economy is so strong that some students assume they’ll land jobs easily via the Internet and are neglecting college job fairs and other college recruiting events, says Craig Mosurinjohn, director of career services at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

“Student registrations at career fairs are suffering a little because they want to do it on their own,” he says.

For managers, skills in an industry will likely be less important than functional skills, such as leadership or communications, says Roger Herman, a management consultant and futurist with the Herman Group in Greensboro, N.C. “Employers are more willing to let people move from industry to industry,” he says. “Partly, it’s because they don’t have any choice.”

Five Tips for a Successful Future

Nonetheless, employment in some fields will be red-hot. Services businesses, such as personnel or health-care supply agencies or computer training and repair businesses, will account for virtually all job growth through 2012, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. The nation also will become more dependent on technology. Between 2002 and 2012, employment in computer and data processing services will swell by 117%, faster than any other industry.

Public relations is an industry where employment is expected to grow 45% by 2012. This is good news for Cedric Bass, a master’s of business administration student at Florida International University in Miami. He wants to work in corporate PR after completing his degree by the end of 2009. While he didn’t choose the field because of its hot forecast, “my career prospects seem very promising,” he says. “The job market in the different regions is booming.”

While students shouldn’t pursue a career solely because employment is booming in that field, it doesn’t hurt to consider employers in fast-growing industries.

Five Tips for Young Professionals

When making forecasts about your career future, one thing is sure: it’s going to be buffeted by change. As a young professional, you can take steps to be ready for some likely twists and turns, says Glen Heimstra, founder of futurist.com in Kirkland, Wash.:

Get on a learning curve. Identify what you need to learn in the next six months and create a plan for accomplishing this goal. Continue to set learning agendas for yourself. As the world keeps changing, successful professionals will stay up with new developments.

Be technically knowledgeable. Virtually all work in the future will require technical competence. You don’t have to be a programmer, but you should be competent on basic computer systems and software programs and aware of how technology can be applied.

Improve your personal-interaction skills. More routine work will be automated, leaving employees to do what’s left. Young professionals will stand out if they can interact with and manage people effectively.

Be good at balancing work and life. As work spills over into life, and vice versa, professionals must know when work starts and stops and help other employees to set those boundaries as well.

Take time to look over the horizon. Be a futurist. Cultivate the ability to forecast what’s just around the corner, so you can prepare for it, says Mr. Hiemstra.

As a baby-boomer parent, I know too well the importance of landing a good job after graduation. And I certainly could open plenty of doors for my firstborn. But I hesitate to help him too much. A conflict of interest looms if I ask my news sources to consider him for employment. More importantly, cushioning my fledgling adult’s attempted leap into the job market could deny him the chance to soar on his own. On the other hand, I worry: Am I a parental failure unless I make sure my son succeeds? It’s a dilemma countless parents face.

Some go too far in trying to shape their children’s occupational choices. Certain Dartmouth students must pay for humanities courses themselves because Mom and Dad believe those subjects don’t prepare them for, say, an investment-banking career. “I can’t tell you how many kids I’ve met whose parents have pushed them into [the wrong] field,” reports Kate Wendleton, a New York career coach and founder of The Five O’Clock Club, a job-search strategy group. The result can be burnout by age 30.

Making Choices

Manipulative boomer parents often tout what they did when they started their careers. “They’re 30 years behind the times,” complains Marilyn Moats Kennedy, owner of consultants Career Strategies in Wilmette, Ill.

In July, a midlevel manufacturing executive demanded that Ms. Kennedy persuade her son, a fresh Ivy League college graduate, to accept a $45,000-a-year post with a major management-consulting firm. The young man preferred “to go to California and hang out with his girlfriend,” the career adviser recalls. She refused his request, feeling the son should make his own choices. The youth turned down the job.

When University of Colorado graduation loomed last spring, the anxious parents of environmental biology major Jordan McClelland repeatedly offered to introduce her to their pharmaceutical-industry friends. However, the Westfield, N.J., student wasn’t ready to job hunt — much less don a white lab coat. “I really like the outside. I’d rather not spend my time in an office or a lab,” the 22-year-old explains. “A job may pay $75,000 a year, but what good is it if you’re unhappy?”

Her stubborn resistance frustrated her parents. “I want her to put that degree to use,” insists her mother, Susan, a teacher of gifted elementary-school pupils.

For now, the biology-degree holder is living at home and working as a waitress. She intends to save money while exploring internships and outdoor-education graduate programs. “I don’t see any harm in that,” Jordan McClelland says. “But it [was] hard to get that across to my parents.”

Her mother, 50, agrees. “Pushing her into something won’t help,” she says. “It was a learning experience for all of us.”

Career counselors suggest parents should walk a fine line between doing too much and too little. Introduce your son or daughter to your fellow alums from college, for instance, rather than suppliers and customers, to avoid conflicts of interest. You might also offer reciprocity, agreeing to meet your friends’ job-hunting progeny if they meet with yours.

Just Enough Help

You can encourage your new grad’s initiative by recommending him to an acquaintance only after he makes the first call. Being a good parent “doesn’t mean you get him the job,” cautions Adele Scheele, career-center director of California State University, Northridge.

Ron Crompton, a Dayton, Ohio, Internet marketing executive and a 13-year veteran of Lexis Nexis, tried to strike a balance in assisting his daughter Kristin, 23.

He asked a former Lexis Nexis co-worker to talk with her after 100 resumes she sent seeking human-resources jobs elsewhere had generated few responses by the time she finished her Ohio University degree last November. His ex-colleague, an HR official, met with the young woman to discuss opportunities at the database unit of Anglo-Dutch publisher Reed Elsevier NV.

Because Ms. Crompton lacked HR experience, the official forwarded her resume to the company’s customer-support department. In June, she started work as a customer-service representative there. Despite the six-month delay, Mr. Crompton avoided troubleshooting on his daughter’s behalf at Lexis Nexis. “I wanted to get her started off in a nice company so her outlook on life would be upbeat from the get-go,” the 51-year-old executive says. Once she became a serious candidate, he adds, “I was no longer in the picture.”

So what have I done for my confused college senior? I unsuccessfully attempted to arrange a get-together between him and a former boss of mine. I supplied the name of a prominent political consultant I know in Washington. (Our family link won’t be apparent because my son uses my husband’s surname.)

In coming months, Dan says he mainly will seek my help revising his resume and cover letters. “I would consider it a blow to my self-confidence if I was getting a [job] interview just because I’m your son,” he explains. “I want to be hired because of my skills.”

This may strike you as an unusual chore for someone who works in an office — a cool, air-conditioned facility, no less, with comfortable chairs, a refrigerator full of soda and a radio.

But my employer, an urban and regional planning firm in Oxford, Miss., had been giving me these jobs since hiring me as the gopher/college kid/general lackey. The help-wanted ad for the position stated, “Clerical work-Comfortable environment-Great for students.” A word of advice — don’t believe want ads.

Each week, I picked up beer cans, paper bags and half-eaten potato logs from the yard and mowed the grass. I cleaned the swimming pool a few times. I removed heavy air conditioners from windows for repairs. And all 5 feet 10 inches, 160 pounds of me served as a security guard when we visited a psychotic tenant who thought her neighbors were running a brothel instead of hosting a prayer breakfast.

I did whatever dirty work needed to be done. I thought I was used to grunt work but pouring concrete was the worst yet. When my foot got stuck in the mess, I remembered the “Roadrunner” cartoon in which the coyote becomes instantly frozen in concrete. Feeling as if I were sinking in quicksand, I wrenched at my foot. At last, it came free with a loud sucking noise.

Why Did I Do It?

For an English major like me to put up with these assignments may seem crazy. However, this and other crummy positions I’ve held have enhanced my career options. The key to taking advantage of a bad job is to create experience you can use to further your career.

For instance, the planning firm that used me as office slave creates written reports and documents for city governments, the state Supreme Court and high-paying private clients. After I’d worked there a few months, I asked my boss if I could assist in writing them. After all, I had an English degree and the the engineers and geographers at the company didn’t.

He agreed and started me off typing reports and correcting a few grammatical errors. But while typing a poorly written market-research study, I asked if I could rewrite it.

“I don’t want to step on anybody’s toes, but this could be written better,” I said. I reminded him that I had done a substantial amount of writing. My arguments proved convincing, and I was allowed to redo the report. It turned out well, the client was pleased and I gained impressive experience for my resume.

Later, the boss asked me to tidy shelves used to store reports. After choking on the dust, I ventured another proposal.

“Could I organize the reports and build a database on the computer?” I asked. This was a somewhat self-serving request, since I was tired of being asked to huntdown documents for other staffers. “This way, we could search the database and locate reports immediately,” I said.

Once again, he gave me the OK and I gained more experience for my resume.

Easy to Persuade

You’d be surprised how easily you can convince employers to give you more responsibility. After all, they want work completed at the lowest possible cost. Assume you have a marketing degree but are waiting tables temporarily. Why not ask your manager if you can help write newspaper ads for the restaurant? “But I’m only a waitress,” you say, as though it’s a terminal illness.

So what. Do you think your employer will say, “No, I’d rather pay Megabucks Advertising huge amounts of money instead of giving you the chance”? All you have to do is ask. By recognizing and seizing opportunities, you can gain valuable career experience from the crummiest job.

If you’re a management major, ask to sit in on meetings and observe how the senior manager directs the discussion. If you’re an accounting student, request permission to help with the payroll.

Every job–no matter how heinous–offers ways to gain career experience. One summer I worked on a farm cleaning horse stalls. Each day, I shoveled horse manure into buckets and dumped them into a wagon. But my resume notes the experience I gained helping the farm with advertising and promotion. I gained the responsibility because I asked for it.

When I list my exhausting planning-firm job on my resume, I don’t say I poured concrete. Instead, I mention the market-research study and computer databases I created.

The Ultimate Reward

Through my campus recruiting program, I arranged to interview with American Management Systems Inc., an information-technology consulting firm based in Fairfax, Va. I was the only liberal arts major invited to interview, and as I sat in front of the recruiter’s desk and glanced down at my resume, I knew why. He’d highlighted the items describing the market-research study and computer databases. I might never have gotten to see him if I hadn’t created opportunities for myself at that rotten job.

Despite having an English degree, I was offered a consulting position with AMS, which I accepted. I’m convinced that I was hired because of the experiences I’d gained from a whole series of not-so-hot jobs.

If I’d simply taken out the trash and shoveled manure, I might still be doing grunt work. While my consulting role doesn’t require me to describe the properties of wet concrete, my gopher experience benefited my career. There’s no such thing as a crummy job if you know how to create opportunities to gain experience.

New graduates usually join consulting firms as analysts or associate consultants, while M.B.A.-level hires typically receive the title of consultant. At the entry level, fresh out of college, you can expect to earn annual pay of between $35,000 and $50,000 to start, while M.B.A.s may garner up to $130,000.

But consulting is so demanding that it pays to look before you leap. Consultants are problem solvers — a kind of “outsourced” intelligence — hired to provide an unprejudiced, experienced view of a company’s quandaries and challenges.

“One of the best things about my job is that it’s constantly changing,” says one consultant. “We work on assignments that range from a month to a few years, and in different industries. Your knowledge and experience are flexible, and I appreciate that.”

Consulting firms usually fall under three broad categories:

• Strategy consultants work with senior management to assess such big-picture issues as whether to merge with another company or enter Asian markets.
• Operations consultants examine the internal workings of an organization and ways a client can reach operational goals by cutting costs, restructuring departments or allocating resources differently, raising product quality or other methods.
• Information-technology consultants help clients use or adopt new technologies. Information technology ando operations consultants often remain on site to ensure their recommendations and changes are enacted, which produces a steady income stream for their firms.

Working as a consultant has obvious benefits, including in-depth knowledge of companies and industries, prestige and relatively high pay. It also has a downside. Most consultants travel extensively, which is often viewed as a perk — at least in the beginning. Do you want to visit London, Singapore or Brasilia? As a consultant, you may have a chance.

“I’ve done some amazing things because of the locations of my assignments,” says one young consultant. “I flew the Concorde, was in Lillehammer for the winter Olympics, gambled in Monte Carlo, went to the opera at Covent Garden, had dinner in the Eiffel Tower, spent a summer afternoon at a beach in Nice, and the list goes on.”

But many consultants are required to be available for travel 100% of the time and are away between three and five days a week. At this pace, travel stops being a perk after three to six months, many consultants say. It’s especially onerous if you have a family or significant other.

Add to the travel grind a 50- to 80-hour work week, and you begin to understand why many consultants burn out after a few years on the job. At least ex-consultants have great career prospects and a wide choice of options because of their multi-faceted work experience.

Consulting firms hire graduates from all majors, from art history to zoology. While consultancies appreciate business and quantitative skills and computer experience, they’re primarily seeking intelligent, analytical, articulate and flexible prospects with a basic aptitude for business. Says one recent graduate: “We do a lot of numbers work, but we figure that if someone is smart, they can be taught.”

Interviewers at consulting firms measure aptitude through “case interviews,” which require candidates to walk through a business scenario, analyze the situation and make recommendations.

If you think you’ve got what it takes to be a consultant, review the following inside scoop on the 10 top consulting firms, based on surveys with thousands of employees at leading firms:

– Ms. Lerner is editorial director of Vault.com, a New York City information services provider for job seekers. More information can be found in “The Vault Report Guide to Consulting.”

Ten Top U.S. Consulting Firms

1. McKinsey & Co.

McKinsey is the most powerful consulting firm in the world. In boardrooms and corporate offices around the world, it is known simply as “The Firm,” the first recourse for advice when business woes strike. Such a reputation makes McKinsey consultants highly sought after and expensive to hire; its 4,500 consultants, citizens of 81 countries, generate an estimated $450,000 per person annually. Customers include some of the bluest-chip companies in the world, such as PepsiCo, AT&T, GE, IBM and General Motors Corps.

Since many ex-McKinsey consultants serve on company boards (up to a third of all boards, according to some estimates), the firm has long-term ties and relationships with CEOs at many major organizations.

Specialties: McKinsey is known as a strategy firm; its consultants usually are engaged to help create long-term strategic plans for a company, product or operation. In most cases, consultants work with senior-level executives at client companies.

Good: McKinsey tops most consulting firms for prestige and name-recognition; the firm is in a class of its own. The firm is consistently tapped for world-wide assignments, which means peerless opportunities for diverse experience and travel (65% of the firm’s revenues are generated overseas). Because of great connections, ex-consultants have excellent career prospects.

Bad: Not everyone makes it to the winner’s circle. Under the firm’s strict “up or out” policy, only one in 11 who start make it to senior partner. New associates have six years to make partner — and partners have six more years to make it to director levels. Insiders add that if you don’t like travel, think twice about McKinsey.

Ugly: Allegations of sexual discrimination still plague the firm. Former McKinsey associate Suzanne Porter claims the firm discriminated against her by not promoting her to partner despite outstanding reviews. McKinsey has since settled the suit.

To apply:

Recruiting Administrator
McKinsey & Co. Inc.
55 E. 52nd St.
New York, N.Y. 10022 USA
(212) 446-7993
(212) 446-7200 (fax)

2. Bain

After being plagued by lawsuits, layoffs and near-bankruptcy in the early 1990s, Bain has leaped back to the top of its game. The firm is ranked among the world’s most prestigious consultants, along with McKinsey and the Boston Consulting Group — which once employed founder William Bain. Bain is rare among major consulting firms for having a woman, Chairman of the Board, Orit Gadiesh, at the top. The firm employs 1,500 consultants.

Specialties: Bain is a world leader in strategy consulting and has a strong international bent. Unlike some other strategy firms, Bain stresses that all its strategy recommendations must be immediately useful. Everything “comes down to what the client will do differently Monday morning,” says Ms. Gadiesh.

Good: Equal in prestige to its close competitors, Bain has a smaller, more congenial feel than larger rivals and views encouraging a friendly environment as a worthwhile expense. Among special touches is the “Bain Band,” an amateur assembly of Bain employee-musicians who serenade fellow “Bainies” at company events. Insiders say pay is generous and raises average more than 15% a year.

Bad: Bain employees must hew to conservative dress codes and travel extensively. Work hours are long as well — consultants can expect to spend at least one day per weekend working or at the airport.

Ugly: Some say (quietly) that Ms. Gadiesh’s purple-red locks and “over-the-top” costume jewelry lean toward “unsightly” considering she’s the head of a major firm.

To apply:

Bain
2 Copley Place
Boston, Mass. 02116
(617) 572 2000
(617) 572 2427 (fax)

3. The Boston Consulting Group

In an industry where some firms have been accused of using the same research and offering identical solutions to clients, The Boston Consulting Group prides itself on treating each client’s case as a unique problem with a unique solution. BCG is famed for its “BCG Matrix,” a strategy tool which explains the relationship between company profitability and market share. The company has 1,500 consultants.

Specialties: BCG is a strategy consulting firm, known for creating matrices and diagrams to clarify strategy issues. Since 1985, BCG has been especially active in Eastern Europe, advising companies on deregulation and privatization issues.

Good: BCG is known for its attention to quality-of-life issues; while considered as prestigious as McKinsey and Bain, it requires fewer hours weekly — about 55 on average — and consultants can expect a few weekends each month to be their own.

Bad: BCG’s “do-everything-from-scratch” policy can mean extra legwork for employees. The firm also bases bonuses on demonstrated actual performance, which means that when results don’t meet expectations, you shouldn’t expect extra pay.

Ugly: BCG’s graphs and matrices were unique when first introduced in the ’80s; now the firm has lots of competition and the matrix isn’t as glamorous.

To apply (undergrads: include transcript):

Boston Consulting Group
Recruiting Coordinator
135 E. 57th St., 22nd Floor
New York, N.Y. 10022
(212) 446-2800
(212) 754-4424 (fax)

4. Monitor Co.

Founded by Harvard professors in 1983 and inspired by the teachings of founding member Michael Porter (who first developed the strategy theory “Porter’s Five Forces”), Monitor is a congenial, prestigious 700-consultant firm in Cambridge, Mass.

All Monitor consultants have the same title — consultant. The firm prides itself on being a meritocracy and offers unusually large merit bonuses — as high as 50% of salary.

Specialties: Not surprising for a firm started by academics, Monitor designs theories and programs to ensure successful implementation of its strategy recommendations. For instance, Action Learning is a technique to help circumvent the objections of clients who balk at advice from outsiders and make sure strategic change is long-lasting.

Good: Monitor’s massive performance bonuses and collegial, “almost academic” atmosphere. The latter is especially conducive to personal growth.

Bad: Monitor’s feared interview process features a group interview where stressed-out applicants attempt to solve a problem together, while being silently observed by Monitor interviewers.

Ugly: Lousy typists may want to brush up — Monitor recently downsized nearly all its research and clerical support staff.

To apply:

Monitor Co.
25 First St.
Cambridge, Mass. 02141
(617) 252-2000
(617) 252-2100 (fax)

5. Arthur D. Little

The oldest consulting firm in existence (founded in 1886), ADL is especially known for attention to technological issues and has a staff of innovative engineers and environmental scientists. ADL also runs a patent service, which shepherds inventors through the patent process in return for half of the proceeds. Consulting employees number 1,800.

Specialties: ADL has a more scientific bent than many consulting firms. It’s renowned for environmental consulting practice and operations and information technology consulting. The latter includes recommending appropriate technologies (including e-commerce) and program structures. ADL also has a strategy consulting practice and makes long-term strategy recommendations.

Good: ADL is an “entrepreneurial” firm where all employees hold stock. Consultants say they “enjoy working on small teams with scientists and other experts.”

Bad: ADL is a hawk about costs; many consultants complain about having to fly coach.

Ugly: Insiders say ADL’s headquarters looks “like an underfunded community college.”

To apply:

Arthur D. Little
25 Acorn Park
Cambridge, Mass. 02140
(617) 498-6933
(617) 498-7140 (fax)

6. Booz Allen & Hamilton

Booz Allen is especially renowned for consulting to government agencies, but also does more than its share of pro bono work with charities and nonprofits. The firm makes a point of integrating client management into its consulting teams and spends about half of its time on implementation — ensuring that recommendations are put into place and work. Booz Allen has 5,900 consultants.

Specialties: Booz Allen offers integrated strategy, operations and information technology consulting to solve “CEO-level” problems. It is well-known for consulting to government agencies and has several specialized government practices, including defense, environment, transportation, space and international government.

Good: Employees at Booz Allen love the “lack of bureaucracy” and resulting flexible schedules and career paths; travel perks also are reputed to be “exceptional.”

Bad: The flip side of independence is “lack of structure and support”; insiders say it’s “difficult to progress without a mentor.”

Ugly: In the past, Booz Allen’s working environment was considered “macho” and “frankly repulsive” to women, but efforts have been made to correct this image.

To apply:

Director of Recruiting
Booz Allen & Hamilton
101 Park Ave.
New York, N.Y. 10178
(212) 697-1900
(212) 551-6732 (fax)

7. Mercer Management Consulting

Mercer is aggressive and in a hurry to reach the top of the consulting industry. This young, fast-growing subsidiary of Marsh & MacLennan has acquired dozens of smaller firms in the last 14 years. The firm is young; as a hybrid offspring of Temple, Barker & Sloan and Strategic Planning Associates, it took the name Mercer Management Consulting in 1992. The firm has 1,200 consultants.

Specialties: Mercer has four major areas of expertise: financial services, transportation, communications/information/entertainment and a catch-all, mostly manufacturing group. While Mercer is primarily a strategy consulting firm, it often draws on the expertise of consultants from other Marsh & MacLennan groups, including William M. Mercer Cos., National Economic Research Associates and Lippincott & Margulies, involved in, respectively, human resource, microeconomic and identity consulting.

Good: As a subsidiary of a major, publicly traded insurance company, the firm offers “unusually diverse and generous” health-care benefits, says an insider. Other perks, such as stock options, are “juicy as well.” Mercer also gives new consultants the responsibility that can help them grow in their jobs.

Bad: Mercer’s quick growth and frequent acquisitions mean “the bureaucracy is growing almost as fast,” say employees.

Ugly: Mercer employs “case-team associates” — assistants to consultants with less prestigious undergraduate degrees, and tensions have arisen between assistants and consultants of similar age and educational levels.

To apply:

Mercer Management Consulting
2300 N St., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20037
(202) 778-7000
(202) 293-1371 (fax)

8. AT Kearney

In 1995, AT Kearney merged with Plano, Texas-based juggernaut Electronic Data Systems (EDS), recently detached from General Motors Corp. Industry observers were skeptical about the success of the union, but the resulting consulting giant, with its strategic and info-tech expertise, has been a resounding success. AT Kearney has 4,700 employees, including 2,700 consultants.

Specialties: AT Kearney offers strategic consulting but is especially well regarded for aerospace, financial, health-care and retail industry specialties. The firm has a strong operations consulting niche and a good track record, deriving more than 75% percent of business from past clients. Its acquisition by EDS, a global information services firm, has vastly improved AT Kearney’s information-technology capabilities.

Good: With its new interest and expertise in technology, the firm is poised to profit from the information-technology boom. Percentage gains in revenues have grown by double digits for 14 years running.

Bad: Straightlaced CEO Fred Steingraber forbids casual days; consultants must wear suits every day.

Ugly: The dearth of women at AT Kearney is “embarrassing” to firm consultants; only five female vice presidents are employed there.

To apply:

AT Kearney
Corporate Recruiting
222 W. Adams St.
Chicago, Ill. 60606
(312) 223-6030
(312) 223-7548 (fax)

9. Mitchell Madison Group

This new, fast-growing consulting firm was founded in 1995 by refugees from McKinsey & Co. who were frustrated at what they saw as the wasted potential of many good employees. In three years, the firm has grown to 750 consultants from fewer than 50 in 1995, mostly through proficient financial consulting work.

Specialties: Mitchell Madison has made a name by saving companies money. Using its track record in financial institution cost reduction as an entree and concentrating on deregulating industries, Mitchell Madison has won assignments in the automotive, media, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, telecommunications and electronic technology sectors. Major growth areas are health care, chemicals and high technology.

Good: Mitchell Madison’s newness means that dissension and independence aren’t only tolerated, but encouraged; decisions are made in “round table” vs. “hierarchical” fashion.

Bad: Consultants at Mitchell Madison report working extremely long hours, even for management-consulting standards. Having to work 15 hours a day, six days a week, plus half of Sunday isn’t atypical, say employees.

Ugly: A lack of training and clerical support means “you’re out there on your own,” say insiders. And Mitchell Madison has grown so quickly that glitches are inevitable and “somehow become your fault.”

To apply:

Mitchell Madison Group
520 Madison Ave.
New York, N.Y. 10022
Recruiting hotline: (212) 372-9100
Recruiting fax: (212) 372-4408