‘Actuary best, newspaper reporting worst’ US job

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

The worst job in the US is considered to be that of the newspaper reporter as it is a low pay, high stress job, according to a carrer survey. DAILY NEWS photo, Hasan ALTINIŞIK

The top-ranked job in the United States in 2013 has been identified as an actuary - or one who assesses risk through mathematics - while the newspaper reporter was named the worst, according to CareerCast’s annual report.

The worst job in the country was considered to be that of the newspaper reporter as it is a low pay, high stress job. In contrast, the job of an actuary was said by respondents to the survey to be “challenging, well-paid, and low-stress.”

“It’s a process of lifelong learning,” CareerCast quoted Cecil Bykerk of the American Academy of Actuaries as saying. The top 10 jobs of the year put biomedical engineer in the second spot, software engineer in third, audiologist in fourth, and financial planner in fifth.

The range of national median pay among the top 10 jobs in the 2013 survey goes from a low of $64,750 for financial planners to a high of $94,990 for optometrists. The median pay for an actuary is $87,650, CareerCast said.

However, on the other hand, the median pay for the newspaper position, the worst job, is reported at $36,000. Its projected growth rate is minus 6 percent, as compared to dental hygienists, which have a projected growth rate of 38 percent, CareerCast said.

The 10 worst jobs included the positions of lumberjack, (the second worst), followed by enlisted military personnel, actor, oil rig worker, dairy farmer, meter reader, mail carrier, roofer and flight attendant, CareerCast said.

CareerCast used a prorated scale to judge each job in categories of emotional and physical factors, stress levels, compensation and potential for growth.