Some jobs are more stressful than others. A recent study from CareerCast analyzed careers according to 11 specific demands placed on workers that are known to cause stress. The list evaluated factors like like travel time, competitiveness, and deadlines.
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Professions that were especially dangerous, and also extremely important, topped out the most stressful spots. Now it’s time to look at the other side of the data.
Here are today’s least stressful jobs. (The salary data noted here is from PayScale’s Research Center).
1. Hair Stylist – median pay, $9.42 per hour.
Stress score: 5.47
Compared with the most stressful job, which has a stress score of 71.59, (firefighter), hair stylists seem to have it made. We know that they don’t exactly have a dangerous job, not does it require much travel, but we wonder if stylists would agree that their job is so stress-free. Any time you work with people, things can get pretty stressful.
2. Audiologist – $63,097 median annual salary.
Stress score: 6.30
Perhaps the quiet nature of the audiologist’s workplace helped lower the profession’s stress score. Or, maybe it’s the fact that audiologists help clients every day. The work is meaningful and rewarding. Plus, most get to set their own hours, and the compensation isn’t half bad.
3. University professor (tenured) – $86,798 median annual salary.
Stress score: 6.94
Although some teaching jobs fell into the scariest jobs of 2015 category, college professor always seems to do quite well in the low-stress rankings. However, the recent debate regarding the future of a tenure track for professors, is likely to change the availability of these jobs going forward.
4. Medical Records Technician – median pay, $11.94 per hour.
Stress score: 7.55
This work is steady and relatively low stress. The job site is quiet and hours are regular. Even better, this field is expanding. Twenty-two percent job growth is expected by 2022.
For more, check out the full list of least stressful jobs of 2015.
Tell Us What You Think
Do you have a stress free job? Tell us about it! We want to hear from you! Leave a comment or join the discussion on Twitter.
Having been a high school teacher I know that it is stressful and they do not even pay enough for the hard work. Now, I am a physician and that too is stressful but at least we get paid! Though I loved having my summers off. I t certainly is a tradeoff.
Yeah, anything in education is not easy. I’m sick and tired of people vilifying educators. Until you’ve done the job and spent the thousands of dollars on continuing education credits, I suggest you stop attacking those who are brave and caring enough to teach.
Everyone thinks their job is stressful and the other guy’s is not. The truth be told, when you work a job long enough, you are the one that allows the stress get to you.
My friend is a hairstylist and it is stressful. She only has a few good spurts of clients through the year. She is contracted with Warner Bros, so you would think that she would be working all the time, NOPE. The majority of the year she is either doing make up and spray tans on fitness people before there competition or friends here and there. She is always stressed about making money. I think that if you possibly are living… Read more »
Professor wine bag…your choice in career. What about your long summers and time of to re-coop? Not buying your stress rational.
Try being an RN on a Tele unit of a Level One Trauma facility in Downtown Los Angeles. You don’t know long hours until you’ve worked a 12 or 13 hour shift in a place like that.
The least stressful jobs are those where good leaders have developed and entrusted their staff into getting the job done right and in time. The leader ensures that no staff member is burnt out by ensuring sufficient staff count for the workload. If you ask me, firstly employ the right people than empower, develop and trust your staff. And before you know it, your job will be the least stressful job ever!
Being a stylist myself, this is bogus.. making people happy 100% of the time isn’t as easy as it sounds. And small children that want nothing to do with you..
This is not true . These jobs are not as stressful as being a chef Job or even a sales person job
I think this is just a bit of fun surely so just reading it as no different to those facebook things that tell you what type of bird you are
I just retired from 42 years being a professor of anthropology. My biggest complaint is fellow faculty-most university departments are like “Game of Thrones.” The next pain is the administration – the modern method of university administration is not professors doing it for a few years but for full time managers – many have never even worked in a classroom, and they are more and more shifting their jobs onto faculty. Students are the least trouble and the main source… Read more »
I am over road truck driver talk about Stress
I don’t think we can easily quantify stress level purely by job description. So much depends on the individual’s personality type, work environment etc. Also, it is actually good to have a substantial amount of “healthy” stress to keep us motivated.
The audiologist is pure genius to list, you get to work in a quiet environment! Also, optometrist’s assistant could also be listed.
Seems like you have a large chip on your shoulder, Whitney. Might want to start seeing a therapist about that.
I DO know that being the director of a preschool center is NOT on the list of less stressful jobs! Parents, staff, supervision, etc. can be very stressful!!
Curious what perspective you have on professors’ jobs not being low stress. I’ve worked in several industries, including higher education with the Big Ten. Professors have a cakewalk. Come-and-go as they please, their own office–usually with a window (as opposed to IT/IS professionals who typically work in a cube in a basement or warehouse), they have a HUGE level of autonomy in both their daily work life, as well as the longer term. They aren’t constantly having to answer or… Read more »
University professors have least stressful jobs? Really? Dealing with indiscipline, complaints and students demanding a better grade for no valid reasons take emotional toll, especially when being a role model, you cannot be rude. And then, amount of work? For each hours of lecture, it takes 4 hours at least four hours of preparations; add to that grading, preparing exams, office hours, department and university meeting, advising graduate students, refereeing research papers, doing research and publishing articles, editorial work, and… Read more »
I disagree that Medical Records Technician’s jobs are always low stress. In some settings, different people are demanding things of you simultaneously, or, if anything is lost, they yell at you. I am not an MRT, but do work with one. She is frequently in tears. The one at my previous job came in to work at 6 a.m., and often couldn’t leave until after 4 p.m., because of the workload. She finally quit due to the stress and the… Read more »
Nice infrmtn abt lyf