The Wall Street Journal recently had an article on the best and worst jobs in the U.S., based on a mix of criteria including pay, stress level, work environment and employment outlook.
Any guesses for the best jobs?
The top 5 are:
- Mathematician
- Actuary
- Statistician
- Biologist
- Software Engineer
The top three places reminds me of a line in an old episode of The Simpson’s where a space shuttle crew is described as consisting of “a statistician, a mathematician, and another kind of statistician.”
Interestingly, “Philosopher” came in very high on the list. I would have expected it to have a low stress level, no demands from the boss, “I need some epistemology ASAP and a first draft of aesthetics on my desk by the end of the week, or else the Miller account will take their business to the non-Western philosophy firm!” But I didn’t know the pay was good.
The worst jobs, of the 200 surveyed? Lumberjack, followed by Dairy farmer and Taxi Driver. I don’t know any lumberjacks, but my uncle is a dairy farmer in Wisconsin, and he seems happy and peaceful in his work.