You want to be a network anchorperson, a Wall Street wheeler-dealer, a high-tech hotshot? Doesn`t everybody? ”Inside Track,” by Ross and Kathryn Petras (Vintage Books), tells how to get into America`s prestige industries, from advertising to television, and into top-notch companies, from American Express to Xerox.
Q–What`s the best TV network to work at?
A–CNN. It`s a lean company, and people there are advanced very quickly. You won`t make a lot of money, but if you`re smart, you can learn fast. People at CNN are easily 10 years younger than those in comparable jobs at ABC, CBS and NBC.
Q–Is IBM really an uptight place? And is Apple Computer just one big frat house?
A–Apple has changed. Now that they`ve run into some hard times, they`re not the Hawaiian-shirt-and-jeans company anymore. The Ping-Pong table in the reception area is gone. They`re much more bottom-line-oriented these days. The marketing and sales people are much more important now than before. IBM has a lot of blue suits and white shirts, but the people who work there–the ones who like a rigid structure–really love it. They`ve signed on for life, like career officers in the military.
Q–How much do beginning lawyers and investment bankers earn? And what`s the salary for entry-level positions in television and movies?
A–At a top law firm, students right out of school get between $30,000 and $50,000. And they`re not all Ivy League school graduates. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, the top law firm in gross revenues, prefers people from second- and third-tier schools as long as they have chutzpah. Investment bankers start at $25,000 to $35,000 and up. There are so many people who want to get into broadcasting that they start at $9,000 to $15,000. In the movie industry you may start as a production assistant–really a gofer–for $300 a week, but if you`re good, you can be making $60,000 in two to three years.
Q–Is there any such thing as a ”fun” job? Is there any profession where you can make a lot of money, have a good time and not have to work all that hard?
A–Unfortunately, no. Most successful people work very hard.
Q–In general, who works the hardest?
A–Investment bankers and lawyers involved in mergers and acquisitions. They`re often under incredible pressure. When in the midst of a deal, they may work around the clock seven days a week. One woman told us it was not unusual to get a late-night phone call from her boss saying, ”Meet me at the airport in half an hour.” One man told us he makes a lot of money but literally has no time to spend it.
