The 10 Best Jobs in America Today - SJSU



Math oriented careers provide the top jobs according to:

The 10 Best Jobs in America Today

by Tony Lee of ( )

Remember that kid in elementary school who always had a pencil and calculator nearby, and while the rest of us drew pictures, read comic books or played cards, that kid was happily crunching numbers -- for fun. Fast forward 20 years or so, and it turns out that kid probably has one of best careers around today, according to an exclusive new study of the nation's best and worst jobs.

Compiling research on 200 different positions, this year's report ranks mathematician as the country's best job, followed by actuary and statistician -- three jobs for which a calculator and solitude are prerequisites. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Monty Python troupe made famous the song, "I'm a lumberjack and I'm OK." Unfortunately, our study finds that lumberjacks have the nation's worst job, followed by dairy farmers and taxi drivers, which seems to bear out the old grade-school adage that "it's better to earn a living with your head rather than with your hands."

Of course, it doesn't take much effort to determine that mathematician is a more attractive job to most people than lumberjack. But ranking 200 jobs from best to worst is no easy feat. To compile this year's report, researchers relied on five criteria to compare jobs as different as librarian and sheet metal worker. Those criteria: stress, physical demands, hiring outlook, compensation and work environment (for more info on scoring, visit ).

If advanced equations aren't your strong suit, however, there are plenty of other jobs that score well, too. After the top three math-oriented careers, the rest of the top 10 read like a who's who of well-educated professions:

1. Mathematician

Applies mathematical theories and formulas to teach or solve problems in a business, educational, or industrial climate.

2. Actuary

Interprets statistics to determine probabilities of accidents, sickness, and death, and loss of property from theft and natural disasters.

3. Statistician

Tabulates, analyzes, and interprets the numeric results of experiments and surveys.

See for the remainder of the article. Also see for a related article in the Wall Street Journal, for a NY Times article about statistics jobs and for more information about careers related to mathematics see .

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Rankings of jobs related to mathematics in the top 80 jobs in the list from

1. Mathematician -- overall score 104, average salary $94,160

2. Actuary -- overall score 128, average salary $88,146

3. Statistician -- overall score 152, average salary $72,197

4. Biologist -- overall score 153, average salary $74,273

5. Software Engineer -- overall score 178, average salary $86,139

6. Computer Systems Analyst -- overall score 182, average salary $75,160

9. Industrial Designer-- overall score 205, average salary $58,206

10. Accountant-- overall score 208, average salary $59,173

11. Economist-- overall score 210, average salary $83,222

13. Physicist -- overall score 230, average salary $100,140

15. Meteorologist -- overall score of 239, average salary of $81,234

16. Computer Programmer -- overall score of 249, average salary of $70,176

20. Astronomer -- overall score of 255, average salary of $102,233

21. Petroleum Engineer-- overall score of 260, average salary of $107,139

22. Insurance Underwriter-- overall score of 262, average salary of $56,183

22. Web Developer -- overall score of 264, average salary of $62,092

30. Geologist-- overall score of 296, average salary of $78,255

33. Aerospace Engineer-- overall score of 308, average salary of $94,113

41. Nuclear Engineer-- overall score of 333, average salary of $97,101

44. Market Research Analyst-- overall score of 336, average salary of $62,244

49. Industrial Engineer-- overall score of 348, average salary of $72,125

62. Electrical Engineer-- overall score of 378, average salary of $82,134

65. Financial Planner-- overall score of 387, average salary of $48,067

71. Civil Engineer-- overall score of 411, average salary of $74,133

74. Mechanical Engineer-- overall score of 421, average salary of $74,133

Note that rankings such as this list are based on subjective judgments of the list maker. Your subjective judgments may be different but the list can suggest careers that warrant further investigation.

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