A new survey by online jobs site CareerCast.com has found that software engineers place first among the nation’s best jobs.
The rankings of 200 professions were based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau and trade association studies. The survey considered salary, environment, stress, hiring outlook and physical demands.
Reuters notes that the top five jobs typically paid about $83,777–over double the average $30,735 salary of the lowest-ranked jobs. Included among the top five professions were mathematician, actuary, statistician and computer systems analyst.
The emerging industries of web applications and cloud computing helped place software engineers in first place. “A proliferation of companies making applications for smartphones and tablets, along with the push to develop “cloud” software hosted entirely online, has made the job market for software engineers broader and more diverse,” notes CareerCast.com.
A majority of the jobs ranked in the top 10 spots require proficiency in math, science or technology. All of them require higher education or specialized training.
“Job seekers who want to compete for the nation’s best jobs will gain a competitive edge by expanding their knowledge and skill set through higher education,” said Tony Lee, publisher of the rankings, who was quoted in a press release. “Conversely, the majority of the nation’s worst jobs do not require a high school diploma.”
Taxi drivers, roofers, lumberjacks, ironworkers and roustabouts were ranked as the nation’s worst jobs. Roustabouts, which placed last, are oil rig or gas pipeline workers and routinely work 12-hour shifts in difficult conditions.
Lee noted that the rankings obviously were not based entirely on earnings. “If the worst job was ranked solely on salary, dishwasher would have been at the bottom of the list with a mid-level income of $18,053, while surgeon, which is the highest-paying job with a mid-level salary of $365,258, would have been the top job,” he said in a statement. “But once you factor in stress, environmental factors, hiring outlook and other factors, income becomes just one piece of the puzzle.”
Source:-http://www.braintrack.com/college-and-work-news/articles/software-engineer-ranked-best-job-for-2011-11010502
