The Best And Worst Jobs In The U.S.

Nineteen years ago, Jennifer Courter set out on a career path that has since provided her with a steady stream of lucrative, low-stress jobs. Now, her occupation -- mathematician -- has landed at the top spot on a new study ranking the best and worst jobs in the U.S.

"It's a lot more than just some boring subject that everybody has to take in school," says Ms. Courter, a research mathematician at mental images Inc., a maker of 3D-visualization software in San Francisco. "It's the science of problem-solving."

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[Betsy10]

Great to see math getting its due recognition. Interesting to see that many of the other top jobs also have math components: http://www.jobsrated.com. Hope the nation"s kids - and their parents - see this report.

[WestcoastSteve]

If the Army is considered as a job, surely it's the worst.

But it's no surprise that many of the jobs that are considered the worst consist of what is called fundamental work, that is work that must be done if our society is to function. Nowadays, the people who make up the political and corporate leadership of Western countries rarely come from a background where they actually have to get their hands dirty, so they often feel that any warm body could do the jobs considered the worst, which of course is BS. The accountants who advise these leaders usually consider what these workers do as an expense, not an asset, so it's no surprise they are often undervalued.

We also see that knowledge workers are ascendant on the 'best' side. I find nothing wrong with that, because it is science and technology that has spurred the rise of Western nations. The jobs knowledge workers have often lead to more work for those who do fundamental work, and spur the progress in business and society that everyone desires.

Knowledge (white collar) workers, though, do tend to get more respect than they actually deserve because people in the 'good' jobs tend to make money for their corporate bosses. In our screwed up society, what makes money gets respect, not what is honorable or necessary.

[csavage]

Notice how nursing and EMTs make the bottom 20? Wonder why we have a 200,000 nurse nursing shortage in this country. Ever wonder why the average nurse works only 10 years? Wonder why it takes hours to be seen in an ER?

I'm suprised that doctors aren't on the list, too-Feels good to know I work over 12 hours a day and weekends too and make less than a mathmetician.....

[ATFIllinois]

Anyone else notice how in that "r.i.g.h.t.-leaning" paper's list the "worst" jobs were mostly Union and the best jobs were mostly white-collar? The Media in this country is pathetic.

[Tatiana]

#2 Actuary? What's that?

[mytwosense]

OMG, I can't believe I forgot to include actuary ( a professional who deals with the financial impact of risk and uncertainty). And about 6 out of 10 actuaries are employed in the insurance industry. Another winner.

[mytwosense]

Mathematician, accountant and economist -- the best? Ok, they may earn a comfortable living, but what are they doing to and about the financial mess we're in.

[ScandalousCandice7]

This list won't hold up in our economy. We are going to get to a point where skilled professions are going to be a necessity. Building things and having a real skill not involving computers is going to be in demand. People are always going to need their hair cut, tables waited on, toilets plunged, whatever. Bread still has to be baked, and restaurants need chefs to cook the food. Having a skill is going to prove to be more sought out in the days to come. We will still need mathematicians obviously and computer techs. But for the last 20 years or more high schools and colleges have pushed that if you want to make money, you go for the computer jobs. It's going to be a tight field. We need to get back to a place were building things and making or creating things is just as important.

[Canuknotusa]

The best job is the one you have.

The worst one is the one you just lost.

[whatsthatsound]

I'm a lumberjack, and I'm okay.

I sleep all night and I work all day.

It's cool.

[poster1122]

I followed the link, and it looks like they score a job as being "good" or "bad" based on: income, stress level, work environment, physical demands, and hours per week.

I do notice that job satisfaction doesn't seem to be on the list, though. An EMT is a high stress, relatively low paying job with lots of physical demands and rough hours. Yet, I've known at least two highly paid software engineers who also took up EMT work because their day job just wasn't doing it for them. Another trained to be a volunteer firefighter, which by definition pays him exactly $0 in exchange for risking his life.

My $0.02: The best job is the one that leaves you feeling satisfied at the end of the day.

[WestcoastSteve]

You have it right. The 'intangibles' often determine what makes a job 'good'. I once worked in a casino. It could have been considered a good job - decent pay and benefits, safe environment, etc. - except for the dirty feeling I had at the end of my shifts. I felt like I had been robbing people all day, and I know I had helped take away money that should have been used for people's rent, food, their kids education, etc. There was no honor in it.

But honor isn't something highly valued in today's work environments, sadly enough.

[PaceSetter]

Better add Milne Point oil field ASRC Energy Services apprentice to the list.

Levi Johnston, the Wasilla teenager planning to marry Gov. Sarah Palin's daughter, Bristol, has quit his North Slope oil field job over questions about his eligibility to participate in an electrical apprenticeship program, Johnston's father said today.

/SNARK!

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/643519.html

Earlier this week Palin threw a frantic media fit, manically calling People Magazine, emailing the AP and contacting the Anchorage Daily News about her daughter and her boyfriend's status (or not) as students.

Supermom Sarah told People Magazine that she wanted to be clear about their continuing work toward high school degrees because any suggestion otherwise "harms Bristol's reputation and Levi's reputation and their chances for good work opportunities."

Maybe add "Sarah Palin's son-in-law" to the list too :)

[gevan]

Appalling that nurse and child care worker rated so poorly. I would 73% like to be a statistician when I grow up.

[totalliberal]

Hey I'm a sailor #197 and make a heck of a lot more than the Mathematician. Been trying to retire for years but they keep offering me more money to stay. It's a great career if your an officer. Tons of work all over the world.

[frantaylor]

Not such a great job if you want to spend time with your children.

[totalliberal]

2 months on, two off to spend with the kids.

[Forester]

Well I'm a lumberjack and that's OK...

Actually I just tell them what to do, and yes it is a hard, dangerous and uncertain occupation. That is why I have learned some Spanish, as it is mostly hispanics working in the woods these days.

The real question is, should America be exporting it's environmental impacts for our timber consumption, or should we be wisely managing it here, where everything in monitored, mitigated and best management practices are legally required (at least in CA)? Are we environmental imperialists? The same can be said for oil. If we consume the stuff, we should have to deal with the reality of production.

Woops - got a little off topic there...

[AmandaBC]

I think the survey rates how good/bad people feel about their jobs, rather than what the best job is in asbolute terms, which would be a total nonsense, because not everyone has the same expectations.
For example, the vast majority of conservatives would hate a job that doesn't involve making a lot of money... I believe that includes teaching/researching mathematics...

Anyhow, the #7 spot isn't too shabby... ;)

[frantaylor]

"The best job is in absolute terms" I wonder what kind of measuring device is used to make these "absolute" distinctions. It's like trying to decide whether red or blue is a "better" color in "absolute" terms.