How to Become a Wedding Planner

Name: Leslie Weekes
Job Title: Wedding Consultant (and events)
Where: Washington D.C.
Employer: Self-employed, Leslie-Manning Events, LLC  
Years of Experience: 6
Education: BA in English
Salary: See PayScale's Research Center for the median wedding planner salary.

How to Become a Wedding Planner

In the film The Wedding Planner, actress Jennifer Lopez made working as a wedding planner appear to be a barrel of laughs, but in real life, being a wedding planner is a lot of work. We recently spoke to professional wedding consultant Leslie Weekes about how she decided to become a wedding planner and what it's like to run her own business. Leslie gave us great info on how to become a wedding planner (also mentioned on her blog: lesliemanningevents.blogspot.com), wedding planner schools, and the salary of a wedding consultant.

According to Leslie, if you want to become a wedding planner, it helps to be someone who is naturally organized with great attention to detail. Becoming a wedding planner may be challenging, especially as the profession becomes more competitive, but a wedding planner salary - and the ability to create a memorable event - can be highly rewarding. If you're looking to get hitched to an interesting profession, don't miss this Salary Story!

Pyrotechnician Salary: Fireworks for Pay

Name: Mike Tockstein
Job Title: Pyrotechnician (a.k.a. Pyrotechnic Operator)
Where: California
Employer: Independent Contractor for Pyro Spectaculars  
Years of Experience: Licensed Since 2001
Education: M.S. and B.S. in Electrical Engineering
Salary: A pyrotechnician salary is based on a percentage of individual show cost

Pyrotechnician Salary

For readers interested in becoming a pyrotechnician, there’s not a whole lot of info out there on the typical pyrotechnician salary or where to go for pyrotechnician training. Fortunately, we tracked down Mike Tockstein, a pyrotechnician who lit up this Salary Stories interview with info about pyrotechnician jobs, pyrotechnician employers, the general responsibilities of a pyrotechnician, and pyrotechnician training (as mentioned at his website, pyroinnovations.com). Mike also described the requirements for becoming a pyrotechnician and the average pyrotechnician salary. If you've ever wanted to shoot up the sky for pay, keep reading!

Graphic Designer Salaries

Name: David Grey
Job Title: Graphic Designer
Where: Troy, NY
Employer: Self-Employed  
Years of Experience: 8
Education: BA - Psychology, Tufts University, MFA - Graphic Design, California Institute of Art
Salary: See PayScale's Research Center for median graphic designer salaries.

Graphic Designer Salaries

What is a graphic designer? What is the average yearly income of a graphic designer? These are questions we hear quite a bit at Salary Stories. Thus, we turned to graphic designer David Grey to give us a clear picture on what is required to become a graphic designer, factors that affect graphic designer salaries, the life of a freelance graphic designer and more!

He filled us in on the education needed to become a graphic designer, how he built his graphic designer resume, typical graphic designer salaries and the differences in the average yearly income of a graphic designer per location, (i.e. a small town vs. senior graphic design jobs in New York State).

David explained that working as a graphic designer allows him to be creative on a daily basis. When asked what he likes best about his job, exercising his creativity and working for a variety of clients were at the top of his list. For readers interested in learning more about this creative position, plus graphic designer salaries and benefits, this interview is a must-read!

Professional Blogger: Salaries of Journalists Online

Name: Tom Foremski
Job Title: Financial Blogger and Journalist
Where: San Francisco, CA
Employer: Self - Founder SiliconValleyWatcher.com 
Years of Experience: 25+ (journalist), 3+ (professional blogger)
Education: BS in Chemistry

Professional Blogger: Salaries of Journalists Online

With the declining circulation of print, the Internet has become the media of choice for many writers and journalists. Blogging for profit has become increasingly poplular, but can a blogger journalist salary beat print journalist wages?

Financial journalist and blogger Tom Foremski (founder of SiliconValleyWatcher.com) sat down with Salary Stories and shared some career info on journalism, including the benefits of the Internet for journalists, steps on how to become a professional blogger, and the salaries of journalists who favor online journalism to traditional print. Tom also gave us blogging advice and information on what journalist salary to expect as a beginning blogger.

Marine Biologist Salary: Becoming a Marine Biologist

Name: Dr. James B. Wood
Job Title: Marine Biologist
Where: Bermuda
Employer: BIOS (Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences)  
Years of Experience: 7 (post Ph.D)
Education: Ph.D
Salary: A Marine Biologist Salary Range is $45 to $110k

Marine Biologist Salary: Becoming a Marine Biologist

For readers who want more info about the average marine biologist salary or careers in marine biology, you have come to the right interview. We recently spoke to Dr. James B. Wood, a marine biologist stationed in Bermuda, who discussed his steps in becoming a marine biologist.

James explained the qualifications for becoming a marine biologist, the average marine biologist salary in the academic world, and different options for students who are excited about careers in marine biology.  He also gave a very realistic outlook for careers in marine biology and revealed some of the factors that can impact a marine biologist salary. James explained that careers in marine biology can be both challenging and exciting, but limited funding for research means greater competition for marine biologists, as well as less job security.

Marine biology may be a labor of love, but if you're excited and determined about becoming a marine biologist, James says to go for it. Keep reading to find out how this successful scientist has shaped his own career in marine biology.

Professional Musician Careers: Average Musician Salary

Name: Stefano Capobianco
Job Title: Musician (Singer/Songwriter/Producer)
Where: Los Angeles, CA
Employer: Self-Employed (Stefanovox.com)
Years of Experience: 18
Education: Bachelor of Arts
Salary: $50K (See PayScale's Research Center for the average musician salary by years of experience)

Professional Musician Careers: Average Musician Salary

Since a musician's salary can vary as much as music itself, the average musician salary may seem elusive. During our interview with professional musician Stefano Capobianco, we learned that the average musician salary is shaped by many factors, including the size of venues that one plays, types of music (covers or original) and income earned from TV or films. We asked this veteran player about his professional musician career and musical influences, the average musician salary, educational requirements for a musician, what advice he has for anyone interested in professional musician careers, and that all important question: why musicians get the girls.

Many people dream about being rockstars, but professional musician careers require hard work. If you're wondering how to make your dreams come true, whether you just finished your first guitar lesson or you're about to take your band on the road, don't miss this success story about one professional musician career.

Average Salary for a Youth Pastor

Name: Brian Eberly
Job Title: Youth Pastor (Pastor to Students)
Where: Tigard, Oregon
Employer: 180 Student Ministries and Tigard First Baptist Church
Years of Experience: 20
Education: Bachelor Degree from Multnomah Bible College, Portland, OR
Salary: See PayScale's Research Center for the average salary for a youth pastor.

Average Salary for a Youth Pastor

A youth pastor job description can be varied and unique, often involving a combination of ministry, community outreach, and couseling. Because of this variation, youth pastor salaries also tend to vary. For those interested in pursuing a career as a youth pastor, you don't want to miss this Salary Story with Brian Eberly, a youth pastor with 20 years of experience to share.

In this interview, Brian discusses his youth pastor job (which he blogs about on brianeberly.com), steps to becoming a youth pastor and important characteristics of effective youth pastors. He also provides info on the many factors that affect youth pastor salaries. If you've ever wondered about a youth pastor career, then keep reading!

Makeup Artist Salary

Name: Wendy York
Job Title: Makeup Artist
Where: Providence, Rhode Island 
Employer: Self-Employed
Years of Experience: Over 20
Education: Some college and licensed in cosmotology
Salary: Use the PayScale Research Center to find the median makeup artist salary.

Makeup Artist Salary

According to Wendy York, a self-made makeup artist, embarking on a freelance makeup artist career can be tough, but creativity and freedom are the rewards. If you're interested in working as a makeup artist, but don't know whether to start with makeup artist internships, a makeup artist apprenticeship, or how to find job vacancies for makeup artists, this interview is a must-read.

Wendy spoke to us about the typical makeup artist salary, her career as a makeup artist (mentioned at freelancersunion.org), and secrets of makeup artists. She also discussed the challenges and rewards of being self-employed, including how to manage finances while seeking job vacancies for freelance makeup artists. This Salary Story is a great opportunity to learn more about salaries for makeup artists and how to become a professional makeup artist.