OCCUPATION: PARKING LOT ATTENDANT

Name: Sidney Bushnell

Company: Century Parking Inc.

Thumbs up: “There are no supervisors. They gave me the job and said, ‘Go do it.’ I like the fact that they have confidence in us and trust us--we handle a lot of cash.”

Thumbs down: “These people are good to me. There’s not much I dislike about the job--except I’d like to be making more money.”

Next step: “I was recently put in charge of my own parking lot. Eventually I would like to get into management.”

Advice: “You have to be trustworthy, because you’re dealing with a lot of cash.”

Salary range: In Orange County, between $4.95 and $5.20 hourly, plus tips.

Hours: Depends on the hours of the business the lot serves.

Educational and training requirements: Must be bondable; high school diploma encouraged.

Size of work force: Small. In Orange County, about 400 people work as parking lot attendants.

Expected demand: Increasing as more corporations and businesses begin to install paid parking lots to encourage car-pooling, or to keep unauthorized vehicles off the lots; also, the field has a high turnover rate, creating a steady demand for parking lot attendants. Job description: Assist customers in parking their cars in lots or storage areas and collect fees from customers.

Major employing industries: Parking lot companies, airports, bus or train stations, automobile storage firms.

Advancement: Parking lot attendants can move into supervising their own lots, and eventually into management.

For more information: Call or visit the job service window at any office of the state Employment Development Department. In Orange County, the offices are at 900 E. Pacifico Ave. in Anaheim (714) 978-7421; 233 E. Commonwealth Ave. in Fullerton (714) 680-7800; and 1001 S. Grand Ave. in Santa Ana (714) 558-4294.

INSIDE JOB: Sidney Bushnell, a parking lot attendant, says he likes his job because “there are no supervisors. They gave me the job and said, ‘Go do it.’ He was recently put in charge of his own parking lot and eventually would like to get into management. D5