Aircraft mechanics keep planes running smoothly. They practice preventive maintenance, inspecting engines, landing gear, instruments and brakes on a regular schedule. They may use X-rays or magnetic inspection to check for unseen cracks in the plane. Mechanics may work on specific parts of the plane, such as the frame or or the engine, or the entire aircraft.

SALARY: $36,858, median

EDUCATION: Mechanics must be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration. That requires education and/or experience and passing written and practical exams. Certificates specify which part of the plane mechanics may service; the best job prospects are for those with the broadest certification.

Body repairers fix car's appearances, ironing out smashed fenders, repainting damaged cars and replacing crumpled bumpers. Technicians provide routine service to cars and trucks and repair or replace engine or other moving parts parts when they fail. Technicians must first diagnose the problem and then determine how to fix it. Both occupations have become increasingly technical; technological advances have changed the design of today's vehicles dramatically.

SALARY: Starting is $7.50 to $9 an hour; $7.50 to $10 hourly, average for repairers; $15 hourly, average for technicians. Commissions are sometimes paid for more efficient work.

EDUCATION: Formal training is almost mandatory. Vocational high school, technical training or community college is important. Technicians take licensing exams.

A chef is in charge of food preparation and presentation for restaurants, hotels, cruise ships or resorts. Chefs use their knowledge and talent to make food taste good, provide good nutrition and look attractive. An inventive chef can make both his and a restaurant's reputation. Today's chefs are marketing not only their recipes in cookbooks, but prepared foods under their own labels. Cooks prepare food in large institutions and small restaurants. Bakers or pastry chefs prepare bread and rolls, and also create exotic confections; they work anywhere from large hotels to neighborhood bakeries.

SALARY: Chefs and bakers with associate's degrees average $22,000 to $28,000 to start.Executive chefs command a good deal more; those with experience, a bachelor's degree and culinary training have been known to get $50,000 to start.

EDUCATION: Culinary arts training, offered at the high school level and above, is increasingly preferred. Chefs, in particular, need extensive training and experience. Increasingly, they need management training. Apprenticeship programs are also available.

Cosmetologists cut and style hair and advise people on hair care. They color and curl hair. They may give advice on make-up and nail care; manicurists specialize in nail care. Aestheticians clean and analyze skin. Barbers, too, cut, style, color and curl hair; they may shave their male customers. The trend in beauty care is toward full-service and unisex salons.

SALARY: Wages are augmented by tips; earnings vary widely. National median, though, is $14,800. Many work part time; some rent chairs from salons on a daily or hourly basis.

EDUCATION: Cosmetologists and barbers must be 16 to be licensed in Massachusetts. They must take an approved course and pass written and practical exams. Once licensed, barbers serve an 18-month apprenticeship and then may apply to become master barbers. After two years of work experience, a cosmetologist, too, may upgrade the license.

These mechanics service and maintain the heavier diesel engines that power many mass transit vehicles, farm machinery and construction equipment. Diesel mechancis often work for companies that service their own vehicles and perform regular inspections; they then repair or replace worn parts. They may do everything from adjusting brakes to removing engines for more serious repairs.

SALARY: $439 a week, national median. 1992.

EDUCATION: Technology is changing diesel engines, too, and formal education at a vocational school or technical or community college is strongly preferred.

Flight attendants ensure airline passenger's welfare. They serve meals, help children traveling on their own, and offer reading material and blankets. They must be ready for any emergency, from a patient's sudden illness to evacuation of the entire plane. They must know first aid and be able to direct and assist passengers in emergency landing situations.

SALARY: Starting median, $12,700; after six years, the median is $18,700. Senior attendants may earn as much as $40,000.

EDUCATION: Airlines prefer those with college training and provide an intensive training course of their own. Applicants must like working with people. Often, they must have the ability to speak another language

When a person dies, a funeral director takes care of preparing the body for burial and arranging final services. Funeral directors oversee wakes and funeral services, which may be held at the funeral home. They are usually licensed embalmers. Many funeral homes are family businesses that have been in the family for generations. Funeral directors are also businessmen; they must maintain their premises, hire workers and keep accounts.

SALARY: $62,506 for directors who were owners or managers; mid-level managers averaged $44,062.

EDUCATION: Funeral directors must be licensed. In Massachusetts, they must be high school graduates, have one year of college in mortuary science and serve an apprenticeship.

These are the people who help keep us warm in winter and cool in summer. They must understand all parts of complicated systems, from the ducts which deliver warm or cool air to the supply lines that bring gas or oil to the system. Increasingly, computers are part of climate control systems and installation and repair of such computers a technician's job. They may work for themselves, for contractors large and small or in the industry.

SALARY: Median nationally, about $26,000.

EDUCATION: While the trade can still be learned on the job, employers prefer to hire those with formal training. Vocational schools and apprenticeships offer one option for installers and repairpeople; community colleges offer yet another level of training.

Hotel and restaurant managers may oversee the entire operation of an institution or just one part of it, such as the front office or the kitchen.They hire and schedule workers, order supplies, greet the public and, in food service work, plan menus. Food services are sometimes part of a hotel and they may be supervised by a manager; the head of the kitchen in a restaurant is often the executive chef. They may work for a large company, an individual, or themselves.

SALARY: Beginning salaries are between $27,000 and $30,000. The average for hotel general managers is $57,000, assistant hotel managers,$44,000. $28,600, median base salary of restaurant managers; $22,000 median for assistant managers. Managers in both hotels and restaurants are eligible for bonuses.

EDUCATION: Both hotels and restaurants prefer to hire those with college training; experience in the field enhances both employability and salary offers. A bachelor's degree is essential for advancement. Many companies offer training after hiring; however, these are more self-directed and faster than in the past.

A travel agent can book a single airline ticket, an entire trip, including accommodations, rental cars and transportation, or a cruise. He can advise travelers on attractions, weather and restaurants. He may work for himself or an agency. Reservation and ticket agents work for airlines and other companies making reservations and tickets.

SALARY: $16,000 to $20,000 to start; business experience can boost the starting salary.

EDUCATION: Today's agent needs specialized training, especially in the computerized reservations systems, which are becoming more sophisticated all the time. This can be acquired through a certificate program offered by a professional school, or a college-level two- or four-year degree.

DEMAND: Entry-level positions are plentiful right now. In general, the market is growing and opportunities are very good.