Links 1 What is the potential income for some really tough and dirty jobs? How do these salaries compare with what some would call clean jobs in Human Services?* Prepared for SSAC by Polly McMahon, PhD Spokane Falls Community College © The Washington Center for Improving the Quality of Undergraduate Education. All rights reserved. *2008* Support Quantitative Concepts and Skills Number sense: Average Number sense: Percentages Visualizing data: Bar Graphs SSAC2007:HF5549.PM1.1 Dirty Jobs vs. Clean Jobs – A Comparison of Salaries *Human Services: to plan, manage, and provide social and related community services. Core Quantitative Concept and Skill Making Comparisons: Percentage Difference

Links 2 What are “Dirty Jobs” anyway? You will use direct comparisons to explore the differences. Problem What are income expectations for really dirty jobs? How does this compare with other types of jobs? CLICK IT!

Links 3 Your teachers may reflect on their early years as a time when they did physically demanding and sometimes risky work. Often they did this work to support educational ventures that would lead to a less risky and often a less physically demanding career. These early jobs may be seen as “Dirty Jobs.” For students in Human Services often the only ideal that is realized is that you enjoy helping people and want to earn a solid income. However, there is often little, if any, research done to compare salaries and possibilities in this wide open field. There is quite a difference between a job that is done for survival or just getting to the next step in life and one that fills a heart and mind with passion and a deep- seated quest for lifelong learning. In this module you are asked to research some of the most challenging, the most dirty, and perhaps the most risky of jobs and compare them with other Human Service jobs that may be less risky and demanding. Problem What jobs pay the most according to government pay rates?

Links 4 On average, do “Dirty Jobs” or “Clean Jobs” pay more? Comparison of Salaries = Cell with a number in it = Cell with a formula in it Your first assignment in this module (Slide 6) will be to make a spreadsheet like this one to compare five clean jobs and dirty jobs you select from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Website.

Links 5 Using a Spreadsheet to assess “Dirty Jobs” vs. “Clean Jobs” Assignments You have four assignments to complete in this module. All of the assignments use the spreadsheet program Excel. Follow the directions in each assignment and submit the result as an attachment or submit it through Blackboard as an attachment. Preparation You should become familiar with the basics of the Excel spreadsheet program. You can click on the Links icon at the top right of this page to go to the Links page. There are several tutorials to view. Also within the assignment pages there are similar links to useful information regarding the assignment. Slide 6 Assignment 1: Researching Labor Statistics This assignment guides you through exploration of labor statistics and entering some of that information into a spreadsheet where you will find the average salary of two types of jobs. Slide 7 Assignment 2: Making Bar Graphs In creating a Bar Graph from your spreadsheet data you can use your existing spreadsheet data developed for your Labor Statistics research assignment. Slide 8-9 Assignment 3: Quantifying the Disparity Again, drawing on your existing spreadsheet, you will create two additional columns to display the percentage differences of salary between Dirty Jobs and Clean Jobs. Slide 11 Assignment 4: Demonstrating Your Understanding After you complete the first three assignments in this module, you will answer some final questions to demonstrate your understanding of the material.

Links 6 1.Research the Bureau of Labor Statistics WebsiteBureau of Labor Statistics Website 2.Click on your state. 3.Investigate the state and job categories that interest you. 4.Open the spreadsheet program Excel. 5.Use the reference tips below for more information in understanding this spreadsheet application. 6.Enter at least five job titles and salaries into your spreadsheet in two columns. Make sure that this table is consistent with the Excel spreadsheet on Slide 4. 7.Use the AVERAGE function in Excel to find out the mean or average salary of your chosen jobs. 8.See Slide 9 for example.Slide 9 for example Submit this Assignment as an attachment and send through or submit on Blackboard as an attachment. Assignment 1: Research Labor Statistics Click Here for Help Understanding Basic Excel Operations Know more about the AVERAGE function. Click here.

Links 7 Assignment Details for Bar Graph Design 1.Open the Excel application file which you created to research Labor Statistics. 2.Click on the link found at the bottom right side of this box for hints on developing a basic bar graph. 3.Use your own average salaries from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Website or from the reference spreadsheet on Slide 4. 4.Enter these averages in two columns. 5.Use the Chart Function in Excel to create your Bar Graph based on those columns. 6. See Slide 9 for example.Slide 9 for example Submit this Assignment as an attachment and send through or submit on Blackboard as an attachment. Assignment 2: Drawing Bar Graphs Click Here Click Here for Help Developing a Basic Bar Graph

Links 8 Assignment Details for Percentages 1.Open the Excel application file which you created to research Labor Statistics. 2.You can use your own average salaries from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Website or from the reference spreadsheet on Slide 4. This time list the highest paying job first then the rest in descending order. Do this for “Dirty Jobs” in one column and “Clean Jobs” in an adjacent column. 3.The remaining cells in the column will relate to the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th jobs etc. 4.See Slide 10 for examples of quantitative comparisons.Slide 10 for examples of quantitative comparisons Assignment 3: Quantifying the Disparity Click Here for Help Understanding Basic Excel Operations There are various ways of using numbers to make a comparison between disparate quantities. For example if one length is 4 feet and another is 3 feet, you can say that the first is 33% longer than the second. Or you can say that the second is 25% shorter than the first. Or you can say that the first is 133% as large as the second. Or you can say that the second is 75% as large as the first. It is important that you understand why these numbers are the way they are. It may seem easy, but people commonly make mistakes. For example, let’s say the first length is 4 feet, and the second length is 12 feet. Then, it would be a mistake to say that the second is three times longer than the first. Any of the following would be correct: (1) The second is three times as long as the first; (2) the second is two times longer than the first; or (3) the second is 200% longer than the first.

Links 9 Submit this Assignment as an attachment and send through or submit on Blackboard as an attachment. COMPARISONS Arrange the salaries into two side-by-side lists in a new spreadsheet (Assignment 1). Return to Assignment 1. Return to Assignment 1 Make column graphs of the first five jobs which show a direct comparison! (Assignment 2). Return to Assignment 2.Return to Assignment 2 Click Here Click Here for Help Understanding Basic Excel Operations

Links 10 Describing the Comparison in Words RELATIVE DIFFERENCES Return to Assignment 3 Be sure you understand the meaning of the statements in the last column.

Links 11 Final Questions 1.What is a good source for labor statistics? 2.What is the purpose of the AVERAGE function in the application Excel? 3.Which function is used in Excel to create a bar graph? 4.If 25 out of 100 people earn less money than the norm what is this number in terms of percentage? 5.The Excel application program is also called a ______________. 6.What is the difference between a row and a column in a spreadsheet? 7.Give some examples of higher paying “Dirty Jobs”. 8.Give some examples of higher paying “Clean Jobs”. 9.Give an example of a spreadsheet formula. 10.Describe quantitatively in words the disparity in salary between a job paying $100,000 per year and one paying $25,000 per year. Submit this Assignment as an attachment and send through or submit on Blackboard as an attachment. Assignment 4: Some Final Questions

Links 12 The choices we make in careers are influenced by many factors. Passion, education, lifestyle, compensation and other choices guide us. Will a good career choice make us happy in this area of our lives? Dan Gilbert, a psychology professor at Harvard, and author of “Stumbling on Happiness” gave a talk at the TED conference in You can see it here. You may be intrigued on several levels by viewing his talk on happiness. here We have explored “Dirty Jobs” vs “Clean Jobs” but the so-called obvious choices between jobs may or may not make us happy. Skills gained: In researching the Bureau of Labor Statistics Website you found two types of jobs and created a formula in an Excel spreadsheet which allowed you to compare salaries and find an average salary. You then viewed the differences expressed in percentages for each of the two types of jobs and created a bar graph as a way to visualize the data. Finally, you considered the various ways of using words to compare the salaries. A Spreadsheet can be a wonderful tool to explore our world. We hope you enjoyed this journey into the world of “Dirty Jobs” vs “Clean Jobs”. Closing Thoughts

Links 13 References and End Notes LINKS How to Use Excel Tutorials collected by SERC How to Use Excel University of South Dakota Excel Tutorial Clemson Physics Lab Excel Average Function Tech On The Net Dirty Jobs Song Discovery Channel / YouTube.com Spreadsheets Across The Curriculum SSAC Dan Gilbert TED 2004 on the subject of happiness. Back to Slide 5