by Andrea Hsu

Though the latest jobless figures show that times still aren't very good, more than 130 million Americans still have jobs. Some people go to work because they love what they do. Others do it solely for the paycheck. Most of us are probably somewhere in between.

Derek Hopkins falls into the first category. He knew from boyhood he wanted to be an auctioneer. When he was 12, he began volunteering at auctions and practicing his "chant." He later attended the Missouri Auction School, known in the business as "the Harvard of Auctioneering." Now, he's a freelance auctioneer. We caught up with him at an auction in Martinsburg, W. Va., earlier this summer:

Derek's story is part of The Way We Work, a multimedia package launched on NPR.org today. Go there for two other stories — of a nurse-midwife and a Target employee. And tune in later today on All Things Considered for more about "the way we work." Click here to find an NPR station near you.

(Andrea is a producer on All Things Considered.)