The Most/Least Satisfying Jobs
 

Firefighters, the clergy and others with professional jobs that involve helping or serving people are more satisfied with their work and overall are happier than those in other professions, according to results from a national survey.
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“The most satisfying jobs are mostly professions, especially those involving caring for, teaching and protecting others and creative pursuits,” said Tom Smith, director of the General Social Survey (GSS) at the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.

The 2006 General Social Survey is based on interviews with randomly selected people who collectively represent a cross section of Americans. In the current study, interviewers asked more than 27,000 people questions about job satisfaction and general happiness. Individuals' level of contentment affects their overall sense of happiness, Smith said.

“Work occupies a large part of each worker’s day, is one’s main source of social standing, helps to define who a person is and affects one’s health both physically and mentally,” Smith states in a published report on the study. “Because of work’s central role in many people’s lives, satisfaction with one’s job is an important component in overall well-being.”

Job satisfaction

Across all occupations, on average 47 percent of those surveyed said they were satisfied with their jobs and 33 percent reported being very happy.

Here are the Top 10 most gratifying jobs and the percentage of subjects who said they were very satisfied with the job:

* Clergy—87 percent percent
* Firefighters—80 percent percent
* Physical therapists—78 percent percent
* Authors—74 percent
* Special education teachers—70 percent
* Teachers—69 percent
* Education administrators—68 percent
* Painters and sculptors—67 percent
* Psychologists—67 percent
* Security and financial services salespersons—65 percent
* Operating engineers—64 percent
* Office supervisors—61 percent

A few common jobs in which about 50 percent of participants reported high satisfaction included: police and detectives, registered nurses, accountants, and editors and reporters.

The perceived prestige surrounding an occupation also had an effect on job satisfaction and general happiness. Not all jobs linked with prestige topped these charts, however, including doctors and lawyers. Smith attributes this to the high degree of responsibility and stress associated with such jobs.

“The least satisfying dozen jobs are mostly low-skill, manual and service occupations, especially involving customer service and food/beverage preparation and serving,” Smith said.

Here are the 10 least gratifying jobs, where few participants reported being very satisfied:

* Laborers, except construction—21 percent
* Apparel clothing salespersons—24 percent
* Handpackers and packagers—24 percent
* Food preparers—24 percent
* Roofers—25 percent
* Cashiers—25 percent
* Furniture and home-furnishing salespersons—25 percent
* Bartenders—26 percent
* Freight, stock and material handlers—26 percent
* Waiters and servers—27 percent

Happiness scores

Three occupations—clergy, firefighters and special education teachers—topped both the job-satisfaction and overall happiness lists. Roofers made it on the bottom of both charts, with just 14 percent of roofers surveyed reporting they were very happy.

People who scored high on the happiness scale had the following jobs:

* Clergy
* Firefighters
* Transportation ticket and reservation agents
* Housekeepers and butlers
* Hardware/building supplies salespersons
* Architects
* Mechanics and repairers
* Special education teachers
* Actors and directors
* Science technicians

Jobs that plummeted to the bottom of the happiness chart along with the roofers included garage and service station attendants and molding and casting machine operators.

Smith said the results could be useful for job-seekers as “psychological reward” is another factor, in addition to salary and employment security, that can be considered when choosing a profession.

Courtesy:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/...satisfyingjobs


The most and least satisfying jobs, and then the happiest jobs.

Where do you fit in?

That's right... 27%


Although I am happy with my job.

Cool stats. I am very satisfied with being an educator, and it's more of a calling than a job to me.

Several years ago, Grancey and I were shanghai'd into going over to our neighbor's house one evening and they ambushed us with a friend of theirs who was pitching some goofy pyramid scheme. As convincing as this guy was, I was turned off within the first couple of minutes when he suggested how cool it would be for me to leave my job, follow his lead, and make tons of money effortlessly. I couldn't get past the part about never being a teacher again. I couldn't face that.

There is something terribly addicting about helping other people learn. There is definitely a selfish satisfaction aspect to being a teacher, I admit.

Currently I work as a nanny with an aim to being a teacher. My role as nanny generally would fall more towards the old-fashioned governess type than a simple babysitter. We do science experiments, we work on penmanship and reading comprehension, and we can count to 10 in four languages (among other things). We also occasionally run through the sprinkler, but that's just good old-fashioned fun. So far, some of the most satisfying moments have been when I've received compliments from the parents I work for regarding their daughter's expanding vocabulary (she knows the difference between an entomologist and an etymologist).

Come September I'll start substitute teaching, and while I'm a bit nervous about it, I'm quite sure it will end up being a whole lot of fun too.

Try being a server: you get all the fun of teacher, psychologist, politician, and babysitter all for 60 grand a year (I shit you not).

We all serve each other, all the time. Inherently social, there's no alternative.

I design and write computer software, plus provide technical direction to a few people I work with. I enjoy my job and look forward to working most days. I've done this for a long time and have worked on all kinds of stuff. The most fun part of the job is spending time problem solving and not having the same routine every day. The least favorite is having workdays where I spend half the day or so in meetings or when I have to deal with bureaucrats and lawyers.

I think that job satisfaction has a lot to do with the work environment. When I was teaching at my last school in Columbus, Ohio, I loved teaching. I was very satisfied and happy. Unfortunately, it was only a temp teaching job and people don't generally leave schools like that to make new positions.

I'm overall not satisfied with teaching now because the kids aren't learning and I've tried everything I know of to try to reach them. I'm finishing my seventh year of teaching and have gotten my master's degree in curriculum and instruction. However, unless I find a better school, I'm out. I have found more frustration than satisfaction in the past couple of years.

I think people should do what they love and find a positive environment to do it in. I'm doing what I love, but not in the right place...someday it'll happen again.

[QUOTE=shesus]I think that job satisfaction has a lot to do with the work environment.

I agree.
Peoples perceptions of a job are not always accurate either. I fly corporate aircraft, and so I spend a lot of time with very wealthy people and I am entrusted with some extremely expensive equipment. But for all that, the job is little more than highly sophisticated bus driving.
I don't fly for the money it's lousy. (I make a very reasonable income from a property development partnership with my brother)

I do it because I love the equipment, the variety of travel and the speed I suppose. ( the speed is a big plus for me..!)

I don't think I could say it was a satisfying job in every aspect but it is enough to keep my attention for most of the time and the hours are good..

I would've said "anything in the public sector!"

My jobs not on the list, but I'm pretty satisfied being a delivery driver. Only issues I ever have is with a small percentage of customers and clueless management, but thats hard to not have working at a large company.

I agree, it is not just what you do, but where you do it, who you do it with and how much you get paid for it (said the blonde to the bishop). I worked in the public sector and passionately hated it. Now I do the same thing in the private sector, self employed, and love it.

21%, woo! - Bang on the mark i think.

Another reason why i need a new job...