The U.S. federal minimum wage recently increased 70 cents from $6.55 to $7.25 per hour. Who will be affected by this boost? Cashiers and fast food workers? Yes, but some minimum wage jobs also come with surprisingly hefty responsibilities.

From preschool teachers to hospitals aides, there are many people in critical roles whose salaries don't necessarily reflect the importance of their professional contributions. You may be surprised to find out who's making the bare minimum.

1. Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)

Bottom 10% earn: $8.79 per hour
U.S. median salary: $11.41 per hour
Job description: Assess injuries, administer emergency medical care, and extricate trapped individuals. Transport injured or sick persons to medical facilities.

An EMT may pull you from a car wreck and keep you alive on your way to the hospital -- and maybe for as little as $9 an hour? New EMTs must be brave, decisive, compassionate, and knowledgeable. Fortunately, their salaries go up after they get some experience under their belts.

Between the clever quips, the incessant cleavage, and the convenient storeroom sex, this year's fall TV lineup makes a day at the office look nothing short of a college frat party. But anyone who's worked as a nurse, publishing assistant, or criminal investigator will tell you that the TV versions of their jobs are far racier than the reality.

To set the record straight, we asked workers in the trenches what TV's hottest prime-time shows get wrong about their jobs. We also dug up what these positions actually pay (hint: often less than their fictional counterparts) and how stiff the competition is, especially in today's tricky job market.

You share a lot with your coworkers over time: Projects. Lunches. Office space. Cocktails. Family photos. Birthday cake. But, even after many years of working together, should you share the details of your salary and compensation package?

No, says compensation expert Dick Dauphinais of Strategic Compensation Partners. "We all know employees talk, and things can never remain totally confidential," he says. "But an outright exchange of salary details probably isn't the best idea."

Keep It Secret, Keep It Safe

When companies have different employees on the same job and one of them is paid differently, many unfairness issues surface. "It can happen in any 'open shop' that differentiates pay for any reason (seniority, performance, etc.)," says Dauphinais. You could run the risk of alienating valued colleagues if they learn you earn more for what they perceive to be the same job.

Dauphinais, who has more than 30 years of human resources experience specializing in both the compensation and benefit areas, instead urges organizations to focus on structure. "I am a big fan of sharing the compensation 'structure' and all the components that dictate how employees progress through that structure with staff members."

The wages of the typical woman who had a job during the worst recession in decades rose faster than those of the typical man, new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show.

Over the past two years, the wages of the median woman -- at the statistical middle -- rose 3.2% when adjusted for inflation. Wages of the median man rose 2%. Minority men were particularly hard hit, while minority women and highly educated women of all races did better.

The typical full-time female worker earned $657 a week in the third quarter, the BLS said. The typical man earned $812 a week. Men are more likely to be unemployed, though: The male jobless rate is 11%; for women, it's 8.4%

Economists cautioned that the wage numbers and the increases don't reflect the large numbers of workers who aren't working at all.

Career websites typically compile a listing of jobs that pay $25 an hour. The list of professions -- and the career training you need to pass the muster of recruiters -- can be daunting. But you don't necessarily need a post-graduate degree to qualify for a job that pays several hundred dollars a day.

While it may be true that helicopter pilots, high-tech administrators, and civil engineers earn $25 an hour or more, so do many other professionals in careers that require only an associate or bachelor's degree to leap onto the playing field.

Of course, you add to your hourly earnings by continuing your education, taking certification courses or advanced degrees that ultimately boost on-the-job responsibilities along with earnings.

Seven careers you might have overlooked paid workers $25 an hour in 2008, meaning you may be able to earn more performing the same role today. These 2008 salaries may also rise by the time you complete an online degree or career training program to pursue future job openings. Let's look at the education you'll need to land a job: