Upholsterer for furniture manufacturer. Salary: $9/hour 

You accidentally hot-glue your hand to an ottoman the first week on the job. Although you quickly master the tasks for all the types of furniture that the company makes, everyone still calls you "Otto."

Reupholsterer's Assistant. Salary: $12/hour 

You get your valuable "one year of experience required" and start hitting the reupholstery shops in town until you land a job as an assistant. The hours are long, but you get to work on a more interesting variety of furniture. You learn more about the trade with every new task.

Shop Owner. Salary: $32,000/year 

After five years of upholstering and reupholstering furniture of all kinds, you take the plunge and open your own shop. You start out of your garage. Soon work starts spilling into the kitchen and living room, and your partner tactfully suggests you move your business to a real shop. By "tactfully," we mean, "forcefully."

Boss. Salary: $38,000/year 

Business is so good that you can afford to hire an employee—your nephew. He works part-time after school most days, and you train him to do all the stuff you don't like, such as ripping out tacks and nails, and cleaning up the mess. This gives you more time to visit prospective clients and bring in additional business.

Upholsterer to the Doctors. Salary $70,000 

At your dentist's waiting room, you notice the chair arms and couch armrests are almost worn through from nervous patients clawing at them. Your dentist agrees to let you reupholster them. She's so delighted with your work that she has you do the furniture in her other two offices and refers all her dentist and doctor friends to you. The path to your door is so beaten that you have to reupholster it.