Firefighting Rated One of the Most Stressful Careers

The report analyzed 200 different professions, measuring work environment, job competitiveness and risk to determine the rankings.

On the other end of the stress spectrum are the most stressful jobs: Enlisted Military Personnel, Military General, Firefighter, Commercial Airline Pilot and Public Relations Executive. Soldiers’ lives are always at risk, but military officers, firefighters and pilots also are responsible for the well being of others. No task could score higher on the stress scale’s metric than being responsible for other people’s lives. Travel, working in the public eye, physical demand and danger also are high for military personnel, who also face a growing challenge of finding work when their service time ends.

“Among civilian careers, firefighter and pilot have the highest stress rankings,” says Lee. “Not everyone is cut out for a career that involves running into burning buildings and fighting forest fires, or handling an airliner in terrible weather.”

Although not a dangerous career, Public Relations Executives need to be able to think and act quickly under stress. The profession lives in the public eye, and it’s also one of the professions attracting the most college students, which makes landing and keeping a good job that much more difficult. 

The 10 Least Stressful Jobs for 2013                        Median Salary
 
1.    University Professor                                                $62.050                       
2.    Seamstress/Tailor                                                   $25,850                       
3.    Medical Records Technician                                   $32,350                                            
4.    Jeweler                                                                   $35,170                                          
5.    Medical Laboratory Technician                               $46,680                       
6.    Audiologist                                                              $66,660                       
7.    Dietitian                                                                  $53,250                       
8.    Hair Stylist                                                              $22,500                                          
9.    Librarian                                                                 $54,500                       
10. Drill Press Operator                                                $31,910                       
 
Top 10 Most Stressful Jobs for 2013                        Median Salary           
 
1.    Enlisted Military Personnel                                    $41,998 (E-7, 8 years experience)
2.    Military General                                                     $196,300                       
3.    Firefighter                                                              $42,250                       
4.    Commercial Airline Pilot                                        $92,060                       
5.    Public Relations Executive                                    $57,550                       
6.    Senior Corporate Executive                                   $101,250                       
7.    Photojournalist                                                       $29,130                       
8.    Newspaper Reporter                                              $36,000                       
9.    Taxi Driver                                                            $22,440                       
10.  Police Officer                                                        $55,010                       
 
Visit www.CareerCast to view the full report
 
The criteria used by CareerCast.com researchers to determine the most and least stressful jobs include 21 different job demands that invoke stress. Each demand was assigned a range of points, and a high score was given if the demand was a major part of the job, while fewer points were given if the demand wasn’t normally required.