"When I qualified, doctors were so ignorant about dietitians, they thought it was our job to cook food," says Chris Cashin. Fed up with such misconceptions, dietitians have worked tirelessly to raise the profile of the profession, and finally, she says, it's paying off, with dietitians now enjoying high status and recognition that they improve nutritional well-being, prevent food-related problems and treat diseases. "One of my colleagues recently received an OBE for their services."

Two months into her teaching placement in Japan, Holly Catling was pulled aside by a colleague who gently informed her that, by pointing at students to answer questions in class, she was inadvertently making a very rude hand gesture.

By the end of today, John Bercow, the former Speaker of the House of Commons and MP for Buckingham, may find himself unemployed. Traditionally, the Speaker's seat is uncontested but Bercow, a controversial figure for many MPs, is facing a range of opponents in today's general election. Before he became Speaker in June 2009, few outside Westminster knew of Bercow; few, that is, other than the UK's 11,500 practising speech and language therapists (SLTs). Indeed, should Bercow find himself on the wrong side of the count tonight, he can take comfort from the fact that, in this small and female-dominated segment of the health service, the Bercow Review lives on.

It may not be the most glamorous part of the body, but, to the UK's 14,000 practising podiatrists, the human foot stands centre stage when it comes to our overall health and well-being. "People don't much like feet," says Lorraine Jones, a member of council at the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists, "and podiatry doesn't tend to make it into the papers unless it's something like David Beckham's Achilles tendon injury or a celebrity's bunions. Yet despite our low profile, as many as four in five adults will need to seek help from a foot specialist at some stage in their lives simply to stay mobile and independent."

After 20 years as a medical sales rep and manager Allan Mackintosh decided to do something different, so he set up as a performance management coach. But now he's back working for a pharmaceutical company, saying industry restructuring offers exciting opportunities for ambitious self-starters.

If you're a British graduate with an interest in languages and policy, you should consider crossing the Channel in the direction of Brussels, the capital of Belgium. At a time when job opportunities for graduates appear bleak in the UK, the European Union wants new recruits to work in the "capital" of Europe where there are scores of other young people and plenty of cafes and restaurants, not to mention large quantities of good beer and chocolate as well as delicious mussels and snails.

The world has moved on since "green jobs" were largely low- paid, worthy occupations on the edges of recycling and litter reduction. Now experts in energy reduction, sustainability and conservation are sought after and can command impressive salaries. In recognition of this, employment agencies have introduced "green" noticeboards to showcase specialist positions. Vacancies advertised on Greenjobsonline.co.uk, for example, include one of the Big 4 accountancy firms in London who are looking for a senior solar consultant at a salary of up to £120,000 a year plus bonus and benefits. The successful applicant will offer taxation and financial structuring advice to global solar project developers and prepare business plans for new entrants.

Psychoanalysis is the study of the unconscious mind, and if you want to study it, you have to have the courage to investigate your own. All trainee psychoanalysts are required to lie on the stereotypical sofa and undergo an intensive personal analysis for a minimum of three years.

People who think that women aren't strong enough to be plumbers should think again. "Anyone who can give birth is stronger than they look," says Hattie Hasan.