I graduated from college in May with a degree in public administration. After reading about government deficits, will there be job opportunities in government?

Although the job outlook in government is not great, new opportunities open up everyday as a result of resignations and retirements. To work for the State of Rhode Island, you can apply for three types of jobs: classified, unclassified and nonclassified. Classified positions require continuing supervision and may require licenses, certificates or registrations. Civil service examinations are needed for many of these positions. Unclassified positions include employees of elected officials, courts, boards and commissions.

Nonclassified positions are employees who work for the Board of Governors for Higher Education and include senior administrative staff and faculty of state colleges and universities. Every state job has a job description and job specification so that individuals applying for jobs know the requirements for hiring, selection and continued employment. The state posts a current vacancies list which includes civil service openings, summer and seasonal jobs, positions at the three institutions of higher learning and an application form for employment. There are also job opportunities with the federal government including positions headquartered in Rhode Island. They require completion of a federal application form which is used to screen applicants.

Nationally, the federal government employs more than 2.7 million workers and hires hundreds of thousands of people each year to replace workers who leave employment. The average annual salary for full-time federal government jobs is $67,000; the average annual compensation which includes benefits is $106,000 compared to $53,000 in the private sector according to the United States Bureau of Economic Analysis. The best way to find state and federal jobs is to visit the web pages of state and federal government agencies.

In Rhode Island, what are the best paying occupational groups?

According to the Occupational Wage Report published by the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, the best paying jobs are in management, with a median hourly rate of $40.27, computer and mathematical occupations with a median hourly rate of $31.70 and architecture and engineering with a median hourly rate of $31.63. These occupational groups employ 8.5 percent of the Rhode Island workforce. The top paying occupation by education and training is electronic engineers (except computer) with an annual median pay of $92,120. The most frequently employed occupations in Rhode Island are office and administrative support work with a median hourly rate of $14.58, sales and related occupations at a median hourly rate of $11.18 and food preparation and serving at a median hourly rate of $8.58. These three groups represent 36 percent of the Rhode Island workforce. The Occupational Wage Report provides estimated wage rates for 821 detailed occupations grouped into 449 broad occupations. The wage rates are the average wage paid by Rhode Island employers to the individuals employed in each occupation in May 2006 (the last time data was collected) and do not represent union or company pay scales. More than 2000 Rhode Island employers are randomly selected to participate in the survey. The wage survey reports a median, entry level and experienced wage for each occupation.

How do I find a "flex time" job in a professional field?

Hundreds of companies have adopted flexible work schedules to allow employees to work off-site. The original flextime plan was job sharing where two workers each worked half time. Flextime now includes being able to telecommute or changing the number of hours you work per week. Many employers see the benefits of flextime by hiring part-timers or independent contractors to save on overhead and equipment costs.

Other businesses offer full time employees flexible hours because they find employees to be more productive when they can balance work and family. Flex time is also being offered because of the high cost of commuting to work due to rising gasoline prices. Jobs offering flextime can be found by looking at job sites, such as FlexJobs, that specialize in work at home jobs. Home-based jobs do not generally include benefits such as health care and retirement programs. With professional firms requiring more time coverage to meet the needs of clients, they often seek employees who are willing to work flexible hours, maybe four days a week rather than five.

An example is organizations with peak seasonal periods where employees work more than forty hours a week and then work fewer hours in less busy time periods. For flextime to be successful, the employer and employee need to agree on work expectations, responsibilities and working hours, and have a way to communicate on a regular basis.

As a full-time employee of a company and a weekend entrepreneur, when it is time to give up my job and follow my dream of building a business?

Before you quit your job, ask yourself the following questions: Do I have enough money to start a business? Can I live without a regular paycheck? Can I wait several years for success? Do I have a network of supporters? Am I self-motivated to follow my dream? Do I have the skills and talents to run a business? Do I have a business plan? Starting a business is not easy. You will take risks that cost money. Most new businesses fail in the first 6 to 12 months because their expenses are higher than expected, they do not understand the customer's buying habits and they do not manage cash flow well. You should give up your job when you recognize the risks and rewards of the new venture and have the resources to support you during the start-up period.

I live in the mid-west and would like to live in Rhode Island. I understand Rhode Island's tax structure and cost of housing makes it difficult to live and work in the state. Is this true?

Rhode Island is a good place to live. You have many housing choices ranging from single family homes to condominiums and rental apartments. There are many new high-rise rental apartments and condominiums including some in revitalized historic mill buildings. Housing prices range from the mid-$100,000's to several million dollars depending on the community. Communities such as Cranston, Warwick, West Greenwich and Pawtucket offer a wide range of single and multi-family housing. Barrington, East Greenwich, Jamestown and Newport offer executive style houses and condominiums.

Houses near the water are expensive. The median prices of homes are lower in Rhode Island than Boston, most parts of Connecticut and New York. The personal income tax in Rhode Island is based on federal adjusted gross income and is applied after subtracting allowable deductions and exemptions. The rates range from 3.75 to 9.90 percent. A 7 percent tax is applied to retail sales of tangible personal property. Rhode Island's estate tax regulations are modeled after federal law. Many Rhode Islanders retire to states such as Florida where there is no or a lower tax burden. In 2007-2008, tax rates on residential real estate in the state's 39 cities and towns ranged from $3.17 to $22.84 per $1000 of assessed valuation.

The percent of wages paid for state and local taxes for Rhode Island wage earners is 12.7 percent, 4.7 percent for state income tax and 8 percent for other state and local taxes. This information should help you decide as to whether Rhode Island is too expensive. On the positive side, the quality of life in the state attracts tourists, second home owners and new residents.