Welding one of the worst occupations, according to WSJ

Wall Street Journal:

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The Best The Worst

  1. Mathematician 200. Lumberjack
  2. Actuary 199. Dairy Farmer
  3. Statistician 198. Taxi Driver
  4. Biologist 197. Seaman
  5. Software Engineer 196. EMT
  6. Computer Systems Analyst 195. Garbage Collector
  7. Historian 194. Welder
  8. Sociologist 193. Roustabout
  9. Industrial Designer 192. Ironworker
  10. Accountant 191. Construction Worker
  11. Economist 190. Mail Carrier
  12. Philosopher 189. Sheet Metal Worker
  13. Physicist 188. Auto Mechanic
  14. Parole Officer 187. Butcher
  15. Meteorologist 186. Nuclear Decontamination Tech
  16. Medical Laboratory Technician 185. Nurse (LN)
  17. Paralegal Assistant 184.Painter
  18. Computer Programmer 183. Child Care Worker
  19. Motion Picture Editor 182. Firefighter
  20. Astronomer 181. Brick Layer
Reply to
Ignoramus13440
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Which of those would you do as a hobby?

Reply to
Jim Wilkins

Based on what warped criteria?

Reply to
Pete C.

Welding and messing with computers are two of my favorites.

Reply to
Ignoramus13440

I can paste the whole article if you would like.

Reply to
Ignoramus13440

What a crock of crap. The study was based only on five criteria inherent to every job: environment, income, employment outlook, physical demands and stress.

Gee, Then people wonder why the world is so screwed up. The way they did their study basically says that you want an indoor job, that has no manual labor and requires no real ingenuity to do.

Guess that's why I have some of the worst ones on the list.. Firefighter, EMT, Peace Officer, Auto Mechanic, Welder, Painter

At least I enjoy what I'm doing.

Reply to
Steve W.

186 of course.

Its fun to do on a Saturday.

"First Law of Leftist Debate The more you present a leftist with factual evidence that is counter to his preconceived world view and the more difficult it becomes for him to refute it without losing face the chance of him calling you a racist, bigot, homophobe approaches infinity.

This is despite the thread you are in having not mentioned race or sexual preference in any way that is relevant to the subject." Grey Ghost

Reply to
Gunner Asch

I would very much like to read the whole story. Please paste it if you can.

Thanks in advance

Nadogail

Reply to
nadogail

difference between fact and opinion and thereby to recognize each and its own significance.

Don Young

Reply to
Don Young

Without reading the article, I'm surprised that a study that rates "no real ingenuity" highly puts mathematician at the top of the list, with biologist, software engineer, and comuter systems analyst high as well...

Reply to
Joe Pfeiffer

Lemmeseeee ........... I can be a welder and build things or a parole officer and deal with the scum of the earth all day .............

Wait, wait .......... I know the answer to this one .............

Union Ironworkers make about $40 an hour plus bennies. That's one of the worst jobs? Who made out this list, and on what is it based?

Steve

Reply to
SteveB

Mathematicians and sociologists making $100k a year. No wonder this country is going into the liberal toilet.

Steve

Reply to
SteveB

I was surprised about the parole officer as well. Does not look like a great job to me.

If I remember the article right, they rated it by how physically hard and dangerous is the work and things like "crouching" etc. Not really a great methodology.

Off of the list on the right side, I think welding is the best job actually.

Reply to
Ignoramus13440

Sit at a desk, fill out a few forms each day, hassle a few cons each month, and enjoy near-iron-clad job security while getting paid $40K+ per year.

Lack of physical activity and mental stimulation seemed to be their chief criteria.

IMO, the "best" job is the one that an individual enjoys doing, does well, and pays enough to not only sustain life but provide a few luxuries as well.

Reply to
RAM³

I was a crane operator on an offshore drilling platform for four years. In that job, you supervise a crew of six roustabouts, which was another one of WSJ's worst jobs. We got a lot of uneducated men from the woods of Louisiana and Mississippi, who were glad to be making good paychecks, working 7 days on 7 days off. 84 hours a week, 40 regular pay, and 44 overtime. You'd tell them to move this pile over there, and they'd say how high.

We also had many a college student and other workers who were trying something new or people without direction. Almost to the man, the worst were any who had an education. They didn't want to follow orders, and always had a better way of doing things. They didn't understand the whole process, and balked at doing things without a full explanation.

I could not imagine taking men from the left hand column, and having them work one summer at entry level jobs in the right hand column. 99% of them wouldn't make it, quit, or get hurt. Let me have a sociologist, a mathematician, and a historian and let them clean out a mud tank or a cement hopper. Let them follow me around for a day, running up and down flights of stairs in the blowing rain, working 12 hour shifts sometimes 90 days straight, and I'll make a REAL man out of them.

I know that a lot of the jobs on the left side column take education and intelligence. But then, so do the ones on the right, just in different ways. An ironworker who works ten years in the trade and is still alive has to have some smarts. Same with most any craft listed on the right.

Good, bad, best, worst. I got my own ideas. Where can I write a story like that feller did and get a fat paycheck? I can do it, and put a reality slant on it. You want something dreamed up, get a designer. You want it built, you call the real men. It don't get done without both, and neither is worth more than the other.

One boss I had would quiz new workers with this question:

Who's the most important man on the ship? Answers: The captain, he drives. The engineer, he keeps the engines running. The deck hand, the boat doesn't leave the dock unless he unties it. The cook, he keeps everyone fed. And so it went.

At the end, the boss would tell them that there is NO most important man, that it takes a team, and without ALL of them, the ship wouldn't leave the dock, or it would crash or sink. And that's what happens a lot of times when they don't work as a team.

Steve

Reply to
SteveB

It would be even more fun if it was Nuclear Detonation Tech (which is how I read it the first time).

Reply to
Curt Welch

\

Oh hell yes!!!!!

Better living through high energy physics!

Gunner

"First Law of Leftist Debate The more you present a leftist with factual evidence that is counter to his preconceived world view and the more difficult it becomes for him to refute it without losing face the chance of him calling you a racist, bigot, homophobe approaches infinity.

This is despite the thread you are in having not mentioned race or sexual preference in any way that is relevant to the subject." Grey Ghost

Reply to
Gunner Asch
  1. Astronomer... Nice for hobby... By, TinMan

Which of those would you do as a hobby?

Reply to
TinMan

As requested...

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Doing the Math to Find the Good Jobs Mathematicians Land Top Spot in New Ranking of Best and Worst Occupations in the U.S.

By SARAH E. NEEDLEMAN

Nineteen years ago, Jennifer Courter set out on a career path that has since provided her with a steady stream of lucrative, low-stress jobs. Now, her occupation -- mathematician -- has landed at the top spot on a new study ranking the best and worst jobs in the U.S. [Best and Worst Jobs] Scott Brundage

"It's a lot more than just some boring subject that everybody has to take in school," says Ms. Courter, a research mathematician at mental images Inc., a maker of 3D-visualization software in San Francisco. "It's the science of problem-solving."

The study, to be released Tuesday from CareerCast.com, a new job site, evaluates 200 professions to determine the best and worst according to five criteria inherent to every job: environment, income, employment outlook, physical demands and stress. (CareerCast.com is published by Adicio Inc., in which Wall Street Journal owner News Corp. holds a minority stake.)

The findings were compiled by Les Krantz, author of "Jobs Rated Almanac," and are based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau, as well as studies from trade associations and Mr. Krantz's own expertise.

According to the study, mathematicians fared best in part because they typically work in favorable conditions -- indoors and in places free of toxic fumes or noise -- unlike those toward the bottom of the list like sewage-plant operator, painter and bricklayer. They also aren't expected to do any heavy lifting, crawling or crouching -- attributes associated with occupations such as firefighter, auto mechanic and plumber.

The study also considers pay, which was determined by measuring each job's median income and growth potential. Mathematicians' annual income was pegged at $94,160, but Ms. Courter, 38, says her salary exceeds that amount.

Her job entails working as part of a virtual team that designs mathematically based computer programs, some of which have been used to make films such as "The Matrix" and "Speed Racer." She telecommutes from her home and rarely works overtime or feels stressed out. "Problem-solving involves a lot of thinking," says Ms. Courter. "I find that calming."

Other jobs at the top of the study's list include actuary, statistician, biologist, software engineer and computer-systems analyst, historian and sociologist. The Best and Worst Jobs

Of 200 Jobs studied, these came out on top -- and at the bottom: The Best The Worst

  1. Mathematician 200. Lumberjack
  2. Actuary 199. Dairy Farmer
  3. Statistician 198. Taxi Driver
  4. Biologist 197. Seaman
  5. Software Engineer 196. EMT
  6. Computer Systems Analyst 195. Garbage Collector
  7. Historian 194. Welder
  8. Sociologist 193. Roustabout
  9. Industrial Designer 192. Ironworker
  10. Accountant 191. Construction Worker
  11. Economist 190. Mail Carrier
  12. Philosopher 189. Sheet Metal Worker
  13. Physicist 188. Auto Mechanic
  14. Parole Officer 187. Butcher
  15. Meteorologist 186. Nuclear Decontamination Tech
  16. Medical Laboratory Technician 185. Nurse (LN)
  17. Paralegal Assistant 184.Painter
  18. Computer Programmer 183. Child Care Worker
  19. Motion Picture Editor 182. Firefighter
  20. Astronomer 181. Brick Layer More on the Methodology
  • For methodology info and detailed job descriptions, go to
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    * See the complete list of job rankings * Read about the last study of the best and worst jobs.

Mark Nord is a sociologist working for the Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service in Washington, D.C. He studies hunger in American households and writes research reports about his findings. "The best part of the job is the sense that I'm making some contribution to good policy making," he says. "The kind of stuff that I crank out gets picked up by advocacy organizations, media and policy officials."

The study estimates sociologists earn $63,195, though Mr. Nord, 62, says his income is about double that amount. He says he isn't surprised by the findings because his job generates little stress and he works a steady 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. schedule. "It's all done at the computer at my desk," he says. "The main occupational hazard is carpal tunnel syndrome."

On the opposite end of the career spectrum are lumberjacks. The study shows these workers, also known as timber cutters and loggers, as having the worst occupation, because of the dangerous nature of their work, a poor employment outlook and low annual pay -- just $32,124.

New protective gear -- such as trouser covers made of fiber-reinforcement materials -- and an increased emphasis on safety have helped to reduce injuries among lumberjacks, says Paul Branch, who manages the timber department at Pike Lumber Co. in Akron, Ind. Still, accidents do occur from time to time, and some even result in death. "It's not a job everybody can do," says Mr. Branch.

But Eric Nellans, who has been cutting timber for the past 11 years for Pike Lumber, is passionate about his profession. "It's a very rewarding job, especially at the end of the day when you see the work you accomplished," he says. Mr. Nellans, 35, didn't become discouraged even after he accidentally knocked down a dead tree and broke his right leg in the process four years ago. "I was back in the woods cutting timber in five weeks," he says.

Other jobs at the bottom of the study: dairy farmer, taxi driver, seaman, emergency medical technician and roofer.

Mike Riegel, a 43-year-old roofer in Flemington, N.J., says he likes working "outside in the fresh air." Since he runs his own business, which he inherited from his father, he can start and end his day early in hot weather or do the opposite when it's cold.

The study estimates roofers earn annual incomes of $34,164, which Mr. Riegel says is consistent with what he pays new employees. Roofers also ranked poorly because of their hazardous working conditions. "You obviously can't be afraid of heights," says Mr. Riegel, who once fell two stories while working on a rooftop in the rain but luckily landed safely on a pile of soft dirt. "I missed some cement by 10 feet."

Write to Sarah E. Needleman at snipped-for-privacy@wsj.com

-- As Iron Sharpens Iron, So One Man Sharpens Another. Proverbs 27:17

Reply to
Rick Barter (rvb)

Only if you have a topheavy assistant ..........

Reply to
SteveB

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