Best and Worst Jobs of 2012: Most Stressful Careers

Published at 5:19 pm, April 11, 2012 | Updated at 9:46 pm, August 24, 2015

EastIdahoNews.com Staff

Ingram Publishing/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Careercast.com is out with its list of best and worst jobs of 2012. It’s bad news for journalists, but much brighter for the folks who program the code that keeps this website humming.

Using a methodology that looked at physical demands, work environment, income, stress and hiring outlook, career website Careercast.com ranked the top 200 jobs. They also ranked the jobs with the most stress. Not surprisingly, none of the most stressful jobs show up on the best jobs list.

At the top is software engineer and at the bottom is the lumberjack. Felling trees failed to skate above the bottom 10 percent in all ranking categories, excluding income. “Unemployment for lumberjacks is very high, and the demand for their services is expected to continue to fall through 2016. And while working outside all day may seem like a great job perk, being a lumberjack not only is considered the worst job, but also one of the world’s most dangerous,” according to Careercast.com.

And, for that most dangerous job, expect to earn a little more than $32,000 a year. That’s about $56,000 less than the cushy job of a software engineer, which has the average salary at $88,000 a year, according to Careercast.

Here’s a complete look at the best and worst jobs. And, take a look at the most stressful jobs. You may be surprised.

Best Jobs

Software Engineer
Actuary
Human Resources Manager
Dental Hygienist
Financial Planner
Audiologist
Occupational Therapist
Online Advertising Manager
Computer Systems Analyst
Mathematician

Worst Jobs

Lumberjack
Dairy Farmer
Enlisted Military Soldier
Oil Rig Worker
Reporter (Newspaper)
Waiter/Waitress
Meter Reader
Dishwasher
Butcher
Broadcaster

Most Stressful Jobs

Enlisted Soldier
Firefighter
Airline Pilot
Military General
Police Officer
Event Coordinator
Public Relations Executive
Corporate Executive (Senior)
Photojournalist
Taxi Driver

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