1. This occupation is a food and drug inspector. Those employed in this job make sure the food won't get us sick, that cars run well, and everyday products you buy and use work properly. The workers monitor all manufactored products, such as foods, textiles, clothing, glassware, cars, electronic products, and computers.

2. This occupation is related to Chemistry if your job is looking for imprints, if you are looking for what materials are in products and if you are making sure the product is safe for human consumption.

3. The educational background that is needed to be an inspector depends on the responsiblities of the inspector. Those who do a "pass/fail" test only need a high school diploma. What is needed to be an inspector is mechanical aptitude, good hand and eye coordination, good vision, and math and communication skills. The subjects to study would be English, Math, shop courses, blueprint reading, biology, chemistry, health, speech, writing skills and mechanics.

4. The average salary of an inspector was $12.22 in 2000. Those in the middle earned between $9.26 and $16.55 an hour. Those in the lowest earned less than $7.33 an hour. The highest earned more than $22.21 an hour. The average salary of the industries employing the highest number of inspectors in 2000 were: Motor vehicles and equipment $21.50, Aircraft and parts $17.00, Electronic components $11.55, Miscellaneous plastic products $11.24, and Personnel supply services $8.25.

5. The working conditions of an inspector vary depending on the task. They work with people from many environments. Most of them do fieldwork. They often work long and irregular hours. Some inspectors examine similar products for an entire shift. Those working in plants are exposed to the noise and hard work of machines. In others, they work with clean air and with suitable conditions for carrying out tests.

6. The job outlook does not look too good. In 2000, inspectors held 602,000 jobs. These numbers are expected to decline through the year 2010. Even through the decline there will be numerous job openings due to a turn over in this occupation. Most of these jobs will be open only to those with experience and have advanced skills. There will also be an increase because of the industrial firms hiring temporary inspectors to increase the trade and staffing strategies.

This is a picture of a man inspecting for rotten food. His job is to make sure that only the good food gets into the grocery stores for human consumption.