You're too sexy for that job

Ruth Mantell, reporting for MarketWatch, elaborates on the details of a study done by the Center for Economic and Policy Research and the Center for Social Policy at the University of Massachusetts, identifying America's "10 worst jobs".

Most of it was as you would expect. There's a bunch of bad-paying jobs out there, and always have been. As a career choice, these jobs are not such a good plan. But most of the jobs listed are ones that, for better or worse, serve as happy training grounds for the larger workforce, as entrees, as it were, for workplace novices, and temporary salary ATMs for students, itinerants and others. But if you're not in one of those categories, those jobs are dead-ends.

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One of the surprising things from the study, the thing that makes for sexy headlines, is that one of the worst jobs on the list is that of "model". That shouldn't surprise given that the bulk of the time spent trying to be a model is in a "cattle call", except this is a cattle call without the beef. I'm sure they've mentioned this to America's Next Top Model and all the other little models (and ballerinas) in waiting, and waiting and waiting.

Here are some excerpts from the story:

"Last year, models made a median hourly wage of $11.22, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a bit less than twice the minimum wage of $5.85. Not so glamorous.

"Most models take other jobs. They're waiters. It gives them the flexibility to go to model calls and auditions," said Ean Williams, executive director of DC Fashion Week, a designer showcase held twice a year in the nation's capital. "There are a lot of people that are very beautiful, very talented, that don't make it in the business."

John Schmitt, a senior economist with CEPR, said the categories heavily composed of bad jobs haven't improved in recent years. "The composition is basically the same. It's not like suddenly it's a different world for people," he said.

In 2005, almost one-third of American workers had a job that met all three bad criteria, about the same share as in 1979, according to the report. "Even worse, despite substantial economic growth since the end of the 1970s, the share of bad jobs in the U.S. economy has remained essentially unchanged for over a quarter century," according to the report.

With 12.8 million estimated employees, the restaurant industry is the largest employer outside of the government, according to the National Restaurant Association. By 2017, the industry is expected to add 2 million jobs, according to NRA. "The restaurant industry has been a jobs juggernaut in the economic expansion," said B. Hudson Riehle, NRA's senior vice president for research and information services. "The industry has become a national training ground."

Occupations with the highest concentrations of bad jobs

1. Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop -- 87.0%
2. Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop -- 87.0%
3. Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers -- 85.4%
4. Fabric and apparel patternmakers -- 82.2%
5. Lifeguards and other protective-service workers -- 81.6%
6. Waiters and waitresses -- 80.4%
7. Tour and travel guides -- 79.4%
8. Models, demonstrators, and product promoters -- 79.2%
9. Dishwashers -- 78.8%
10. Motion picture projectionists -- 78.1%

Guambat held such imperious positions as Information Distributor (paper boy), Purveyor of Gastronomical Delights (hamburger slinger), Sanitation Engineer (janitor), Audio/Visual Technician (projectionist), Landscape Artist (gardener) and Mailroom Guy (mailroom guy) along his road to the good life.

Note carefully: "along the road TO the good life." Ain't there yet. But not on a dead end, either.

Getting there is half the fun and most of the memories - well, maybe less than half the fun.