According to a survey in the Wall Street Journal. Notice where philosophers are:
1. Mathematician
2. Actuary
3. Statistician
4. Biologist
5. Software Engineer
6. Computer Systems Analyst
7. Historian
8. Sociologist
9. Industrial Designer
10. Accountant
11. Economist
12. Philosopher **********************
13. Physicist
14. Parole Officer
15. Meteorologist
16. Medical Laboratory Technician
17. Paralegal Assistant
18. Computer Programmer
19. Motion Picture Editor
20. Astronomer
The list may be based on some whacky assumptions. For example, a job with lots of deadlines gets bad marks for stress, but biologists are said to have few deadlines. University scientists I know would certainly disagree, particularlygiven grant deadlines, progress reports, tests and grades, reviewing and so on.
Still the thing that stands out for me is that not all these fields are exclusionary!! Once I heard philosophy rated quite high, I thought…. well, never mind, but it’s nice that a good job isn’t necessarily one just for the usual suspects.
Thanks to Philosophy Smoker for the link.
Seems like a pretty loopy ranking. Other entries of note:
76. Piano tuner
82. Attorney
110. Cashier
141. Janitor
156. Surgeon
‘physical demands’ were one of the criteria, and it seems as tho jobs that require any sort of physical activity did badly on that score. i find it hard to believe that, all other things being equal, sitting like a lump in front of a computer screen makes one better off in one’s job. isn’t there pretty good evidence that physical inactivity makes a person depressed? also, inside jobs (inside a building; not committed-by-an-insider) rank better. and yet, i paid extra for the wireless broadband so i could work in the garden. what was i thinking?
The best jobs also include a lot that are not very social, and they don’t seem to take account of the kind of people one would be around.
I’m really surprised about parole officer, though I suspect my understanding of that is largely from detective novels.
Stress probably accounts for the surgeon position, though I would have thought oral surgeons (perhaps particularly in the States) might have a much easier time.
Well, at least we beat out parole officers by 2.