Job Ranking: Actuaries Have More Fun

After ranking 200 different job categories on five critera such as stress, physical demands, and income, the Careercast.com Web site now says the best jobs (ranked in order) include being a mathematician, an actuary, a statistician, a biologist, and a software engineer.

An actuary, the Web site said, “interprets statistics to determine probabilities of accidents, sickness, and death, and loss of property from theft and natural disasters.”

A prerequisite for the top three slots, Careercast commented: “a calculator and solitude” (see Being a Lumberjack is No Fun ). The two categories at the other end of the list: lumber jack and dairy farmer.

Researchers relied on five criteria to compare jobs: stress, physical demands, hiring outlook, compensation, and work environment.

Top Jobs

1. Mathematician

2. Actuary

3. Statistician

4. Biologist

5. Software Engineer

6. Computer Systems Analyst

7. Historian

8. Sociologist

9. Industrial Designer

10. Accountant

Source: Careercast.com