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Del Murder
01-15-2009, 06:44 PM
The Best and Worst Jobs in the U.S. - WSJ.com (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123119236117055127.html)

So, is your job on the list? Mine is number 2. :)

Here's the complete list:

JobsRated.com -- A Comprehensive Ranking of 200 Different Jobs (http://www.careercast.com/jobs/content/JobsRated_Top200Jobs)

Forums moderator seems to have skipped the list this year though.

Værn
01-15-2009, 06:57 PM
Omg... one of my friends was talking about how awesome it would be to be a lumberjack a couple weeks ago, and it's right at the bottom of the list XD

Sooo... You created a thread about ranking jobs to replace a thread about people's opinions on math... Aside from mathematician being #1, I don't really see a major connection...?

Bunny
01-15-2009, 07:02 PM
Hm.. unemployed doesn't seem to be on that list either.

Flying Mullet
01-15-2009, 07:03 PM
#5 for me. The worst jobs looks like a recent episode recap of <i>Dirty Jobs</i>.

edczxcvbnm
01-15-2009, 07:03 PM
I disagree with the list because it doesn't take job satisfaction into account. People will put up with a lot of crap if they really enjoy the work or they get a lot of personal value out of it. They have a top 10 satisfaction list that I think it interesting.

Whistling While You Work: The 10 Most Satisfying Careers in America (http://www.careercast.com/jobs/content/JobsRated_BestHappiness)

My current job is in the top 10 BTW.

Edit: To clarify my Job is in the top 10 on Del's list. My job isn't even on the most satisfying XD

Rye
01-15-2009, 07:07 PM
Teaching is sixth most satisfying!

It's not on Del's list. Probably because anyone who isn't in a state with a high standard of education probably hates teaching, because you're paid less for children who need more help. It is very ironic that the best paid teachers often have the least of the work, because they teach very bright children.

Flying Mullet
01-15-2009, 07:09 PM
I disagree with the list because it doesn't take job satisfaction into account. People will put up with a lot of crap if they really enjoy the work or they get a lot of personal value out of it. They have a top 10 satisfaction list that I think it interesting.

Whistling While You Work: The 10 Most Satisfying Careers in America (http://www.careercast.com/jobs/content/JobsRated_BestHappiness)

My current job is in the top 10 BTW.
The Teacher and Special Education Teacher are very relative to where you teach. I wonder where the respondents live?

edczxcvbnm
01-15-2009, 07:13 PM
I don't know how they do this testing at all but I imagine that the top schools and the :skull::skull::skull::skull:ty schools collide somewhere creating a middle ground or something XD I just thought that list was interesting as most of the jobs on there are not even in the top 100 on the other list.

Bahamut2000X
01-15-2009, 07:15 PM
Philosopher, is a job now? Sweet I've had the coolest job for ages! Yet no one's been paying me. Time to go complain to the government they haven't paid me for all my overtime spent on being philosophical!

Flying Mullet
01-15-2009, 07:15 PM
And for even more contrast Firefighter is worst 20 in Del's list and top 10 in ed's list! :spin:

Madame Adequate
01-15-2009, 07:17 PM
Philosopher, is a job now? Sweet I've had the coolest job for ages! Yet no one's been paying me. Time to go complain to the government they haven't paid me for all my overtime spent on being philosophical!

I was JUST thinking the same. I figure I'm owed for about five years work at least - not counting that my philosophy is distributed online, and thus EVERY state owes me!

Also the zeroth job is Supreme Overlord.

Rye
01-15-2009, 07:17 PM
I think it depends on the area, but firefighters and police officers have it made around where I live. I'm not exactly sure about firefighters, but police here easily make 100,000 a year after advancing in the force, even though it's a really safe area. A lot of my relatives are police! I wish I was a tough girl, then I'd do it.

Miriel
01-15-2009, 07:19 PM
Artists were like #80 on Best/Worst list, and #5 on the Satisfaction list. I like the satisfaction list more. :p

My Photographers convention collided with a Meteorologist (#15 on the best list) convention this past week, and let me tell ya, photographers are definitely a more fun group to hang out with. :p

Zeldy
01-15-2009, 07:21 PM
Sociologist is #8 and I defnitly want to do something with sociology, not necessarily a sociologist though. Teaching is like #127 and I'd like to do that.

Goldenboko
01-15-2009, 07:23 PM
#5 for me. The worst jobs looks like a recent episode recap of <i>Dirty Jobs</i>.

Nice.

Go team math!

Bunny
01-15-2009, 07:26 PM
Everyone's a philosopher now. That's pretty neat.

rubah
01-15-2009, 07:36 PM
#33: Aerospace Engineer:
Overall Ranking: 33
Overall Score: 308
Work Environment: 230.300
Physical Demands: 6.21
Stress: 34.545
Income: $94,113
Hours per Week: 45

41. Nuclear Engineer
Overall Ranking: 41
Overall Score: 333
Work Environment: 322.420
Physical Demands: 6.21
Stress: 39.151
Income: $97,101
Hours per Week: 45

74. Mechanical Engineer
Overall Ranking: 74
Overall Score: 421
Work Environment: 278.460
Physical Demands: 10.28
Stress: 38.288
Income: $74,133
Hours per Week: 45

Rye
01-15-2009, 07:47 PM
I still don't understand how teaching isn't ranked higher! Besides the satisfaction of the work, the average teacher in New York makes about a mean average of 75K a year, for not even a full year of work. 35% of teachers retire with an ending salary of quite a bit over $100,000 in New York. And you could not find better benefits, especially for women planning a family. :bigsmile:

EDIT: Auto-mechanics do have it very bad. It's a very physically demanding job, and when it retire, you get no benefits. It's a test to see if you can physically make it past retirement. It's sad. My friend's Dad had a heart attack and he's struggling to keep his job.

Goldenboko
01-15-2009, 07:52 PM
Owning some sort of business it where it's at.

Bunny
01-15-2009, 07:54 PM
I still don't understand how teaching isn't ranked higher! Besides the satisfaction of the work, the average teacher in New York makes about a mean average of 75K a year, for not even a full year of work. 35% of teachers retire with an ending salary of quite a bit over $100,000 in New York. And you could not find better benefits, especially for women planning a family. :bigsmile:

EDIT: Auto-mechanics do have it very bad. It's a very physically demanding job, and when it retire, you get no benefits. It's a test to see if you can physically make it past retirement. It's sad. My friend's Dad had a heart attack and he's struggling to keep his job.

Preschool, Elementary, High School, University?

Flying Mullet
01-15-2009, 07:55 PM
I still don't understand how teaching isn't ranked higher! Besides the satisfaction of the work, the average teacher in New York makes about a mean average of 75K a year, for not even a full year of work. 35% of teachers retire with an ending salary of quite a bit over $100,000 in New York. And you could not find better benefits, especially for women planning a family. :bigsmile:
New York City teachers are known to be some of the best paid teachers in the country with the best benefits. Here in Texas most teachers make 30-35k and the benefits are lousy, if they're even offered a retirement.

Rye
01-15-2009, 08:02 PM
I still don't understand how teaching isn't ranked higher! Besides the satisfaction of the work, the average teacher in New York makes about a mean average of 75K a year, for not even a full year of work. 35% of teachers retire with an ending salary of quite a bit over $100,000 in New York. And you could not find better benefits, especially for women planning a family. :bigsmile:

EDIT: Auto-mechanics do have it very bad. It's a very physically demanding job, and when it retire, you get no benefits. It's a test to see if you can physically make it past retirement. It's sad. My friend's Dad had a heart attack and he's struggling to keep his job.

Preschool, Elementary, High School, University?

High School!

Actually, the NYC teachers are paid quite a bit less than upstate and Long Island teachers. City teachers get 10 grand cut off of their starting salary for double twice the work because city kids are usually much more trouble. D:

I looked it up, apparently, Fire Island has the best average NY wages of a bit under 90K. I've always wanted to visit Fire Island. It has an enormous gay community. :bigsmile:

LunarWeaver
01-15-2009, 08:08 PM
There's a Fire Island? It just replaced Disneyland as my future home.

Teachers have it crappy because they have to put up with annoying children, hyperactive middle school students, or angsty teenagers. That's too much bullcrap to deal with iyam.

Del Murder
01-15-2009, 08:10 PM
Artists were like #80 on Best/Worst list, and #5 on the Satisfaction list. I like the satisfaction list more. :p
Photographer is on the list. Number 125.

Go team math! You all can have your 'satisfying jobs' with your poverty, long hours, and early deaths. I'll take my math job any day of the week.

Værn
01-15-2009, 08:17 PM
Artists were like #80 on Best/Worst list, and #5 on the Satisfaction list. I like the satisfaction list more. :p
Firefighter is even more cracked out. Apparently the more hazardous and stressful jobs are more enjoyable :D

Miriel
01-15-2009, 08:55 PM
Artists were like #80 on Best/Worst list, and #5 on the Satisfaction list. I like the satisfaction list more. :p
Photographer is on the list. Number 125.

Go team math! You all can have your 'satisfying jobs' with your poverty, long hours, and early deaths. I'll take my math job any day of the week.

Silly. :p

There are four variables to job stress/happiness factors. High work autonomy, low autonomy, high work demand and low work demand. It's based on the Karasek model. Karasek basically said that the jobs that are most damaging to your mental and physical health are jobs that have high work demands but combined with a low level of control or personal freedom in that job. Those jobs are actually linked with things like hypertension and heart disease.

I found a little diagram on google images.

http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/v28/n8/images/0802720e1.gif

So Doctors, while they work in high strain situations, they also have a ton of job autonomy. Making their work satisfying. Call center operators on the other hand do passive, repetitive, non-demanding work, but have extremely limited personal decision-making powers in their job, making them want to shoot themselves in the head. It's actually been shown that people who are required to do mentally stimulating work are a lot more healthy than people who do extremely repetitive work like working in a production line. Karl Marx thought that that kind of work was bad for the human soul. :p

PS. This list of Best/Worst jobs was brought to you by Sociologists, who rule at life. They get paid a crapton, and they get to do interesting relevant work. :cool:

qwertysaur
01-15-2009, 09:06 PM
I'm going to be one of the top 5 in Dels. xD Not sure which one yet though. Tell you all in about 4 years :p

Heath
01-15-2009, 09:39 PM
Excellent. Historian is in at number 7. Now to just ensure that I do well enough and somehow get a First to make that a viable option!

scrumpleberry
01-15-2009, 09:55 PM
the average teacher in New York

Maybe it isn't so good out of New York? Who knows?

Sephex
01-15-2009, 10:02 PM
I program a laser. You would not believe the ***** that pulls in for me. Life is great.

Aerith's Knight
01-15-2009, 10:02 PM
Psh, I'm number 13, but I have a higher salery than anyone in the top ten.

Top ten, my ass. :p

Annual income of over 100,000. BOOYAH!

o_O
01-15-2009, 10:03 PM
#5 for me. The worst jobs looks like a recent episode recap of <i>Dirty Jobs</i>.

Represent! :D

Flying Mullet
01-15-2009, 10:06 PM
Psh, I'm number 13, but I have a higher salery than anyone in the top ten.

Top ten, my ass. :p
"You tell people I am a rocket scientist?!?... I am a theoretical physicist... Rocket scientist... How embarrassing!"

Shiny
01-15-2009, 10:20 PM
#19 but most editors are freelance even the ones who work for major companies like PBS. So they end up doing other jobs in the business. I also have done PA work for people which is basically just a production assistant. Running around doing various things like help setting up the lights. My dad's is number 181. Yeah it's a bad job because there's a higher chance of you dying, but it's one that's important. And I find that most of the jobs on the "best" list are not important whereas most of the jobs on the "worst" list are. Seriously, I'm sure most of you would want a roof over your house, but could do without a philosopher like Rumi teaching you mystics.

edczxcvbnm
01-15-2009, 10:24 PM
Psh, I'm number 13, but I have a higher salery than anyone in the top ten.

Top ten, my ass. :p

Annual income of over 100,000. BOOYAH!

There are many higher paying jobs that are much lower also. Take Attorney. $120,000 and is #80 something. They take way more into account than just how much bank is at stake. Stress and environment also play a huge factor.

Momiji
01-16-2009, 12:35 AM
This list makes no sense to me. Musical Instrument repairpeople are ranked higher than nuclear engineers, and Psychologist (my future career field) is #59? o_O

Shlup
01-16-2009, 01:32 AM
Teachers aren't on there? Really?

Depression Moon
01-16-2009, 01:41 AM
What no game designers, That's biased! At least my current occupation is on there list. I can't stand math and hate to see it as number 1.

Peegee
01-16-2009, 01:50 AM
Thanks to my pay cut I make exactly what I would have if I worked as a philosopher!

Yay!

The important thing about working is being able to save money to do what you plan to do. If you can't meet your goals in the timeframe you need them made (I want to retire early, for example), then you need a better job.

That's my litmus test. Most jobs pay enough to survive another day (they have to or it's pointless to work at those places), so the worse job is still sufficiently good. How sickening is that?

Lawr
01-16-2009, 01:52 AM
My job, Lumberjack, is the worst one EVER. :(

qwertysaur
01-16-2009, 03:11 AM
What no game designers, That's biased! At least my current occupation is on there list. I can't stand math and hate to see it as number 1.
I think that game design falls under Software Engineer (5 on Dels list) :p

Moon Rabbits
01-16-2009, 03:39 AM
In six years I'll hopefully be either a 1, a 3, a 5, or an 18.

Kirobaito
01-16-2009, 04:08 AM
I would not be opposed to being a #7 (Historian).

Bunny
01-16-2009, 04:24 AM
Neither would I, Kirobaito. Let's do it together!

The Summoner of Leviathan
01-16-2009, 04:56 AM
I didn't see cook there but I only do it part-time anyways. I know Chefs are high-stressed. Most smoke, drink and/or abuse drugs. Actually, a majority of people who work in kitchens smoke.

Mirage
01-16-2009, 04:25 PM
95th