As the debate over job creation in America continues to heat up in Washington, turns out there are several careers worth taking a closer look at.
But it's not alway high-profile jobs that are the most fulfilling. Many times, it's those that provide a comfortable work-life balance, according to jobs search engine CareerCast.com, who calculated the most underrated jobs according to stress, danger, physical demands, outlook and income. Often these jobs have median to high income levels and offer workers time for a life outside of their work.
"I have the best of both worlds. I get to do the work that I want, but I don't have the high demands that a lawyer does," Jennifer Dahms, a paralegal, told CareerCast.com. Her chosen occupation may be the most underrated job according to CareerCast.com, but Dahms doesn't see it that way. "I wouldn't say that my job is underrated," she added, "I would say it's equally balanced."
With the competition for jobs so intense, finding any semblance of work-life balance has become increasingly difficult. Many women between the ages of 33 to 46 in particular are finding little time for their families and some are opting out of having kids entirely. Another recent study found that increasing numbers of professionals now view the standard 40-hour work week as part time.
Yet a certain level of work-life balance can be beneficial to employers, and a growing body of research seems to back that up, Miller-McCune reports.
Here are the 12 most underrated jobs, according to CareerCast.com:
