When was the last time you said, "Man, I wish I had a less stressful job!"
Three minutes ago, right?!
But if pressed, would you know exactly what type of jobs are the least stressful?
Well, CareerCast is out with its annual list of the Least Stressful Jobs of 2013 as well as the Most Stressful Jobs.
So what makes a job "least" stressful?
"If you look at the list, the key that you see there is these are jobs where people are in control of their day – working as fast as they feel they need to be effective," said Tony Lee, publisher of CareerCast.com. "You don't have somebody kind of breathing over your shoulder. There's no physical risk at all, and no one is depending on you in your job to make their life expectancy last longer!"
"These are jobs that that keep your blood pressure nice and low," Lee said.
And while you won't hear a lot of "thank yous" for the most stressful jobs, these least stressful jobs are loaded with them!
"Most people tend to be thankful for what they do," Lee said. "They get a lot of 'thank yous' and smiles and warm fuzzies!"
Wow, low blood pressure and warm fuzzies – where do I sign? Are there any downsides?
"They don't necessarily pay particularly well," Lee said. "Salaries on average are higher for the most stressful jobs than the least stressful."
So what are the least stressful jobs of 2013 and is yours on the list? Read ahead to find out.
1. University Professor
Median Salary: $62,050
And the winner of Least Stressful Job of 2013 is … university professor!
Professor is a newcomer to the list this year, and it shot straight to the top.
"If you look at the criteria for stressful jobs, things like working under deadlines, physical demands of the job, environmental conditions hazards, is your life at risk, are you responsible for the life of someone else, they rank like 'zero' on pretty much all of them!" Lee said.
Plus, they're in total control. They teach as many classes as they want and what they want to teach. They tell the students what to do and reign over the classroom. They are the managers of their own stress level.
The most stressful thing about being a professor?
"Interacting with other professors!" Lee said.
2. Seamstress/Tailor
Median Salary: $25,850
The big advantage here is time flexibility. People bring things in, and the seamstress or tailor tells them when it will be ready.
"Most seamstresses and tailors are independent business people, so that means they're in control of their day," Lee said. "If they want to take off early see their kids play, if they want to not work and go fishing, they can do that and take a little bit longer to get things done."
Of course, you also get a lot of "thank yous" for repairing or tailoring clothing to fit better.
And, like the librarian with the books, you have an added bonus – clothes don't talk back!
3. Medical Records Technician
Median Salary: $32,350
These are technicians – not administrative assistants – who are specially trained to deal with medical records. Making sure patient files are updated, given to the correct people, etc.
Like the lab work, this is a critical job that you don't want to mess up, so they're given more room to move at their own pace. Plus, it's a 9-to-5 job.
"You walk in to work, you turn it on. You walk out, you turn it off," Lee said. "It's not like something's going to weigh on you and keep you from sleeping!"
4. Jeweler
Median Salary: $35,170
"Jewelers tend to be self-employed and work in an environment where they're given a lot of flexibility and leeway," Lee said. "Because they have an expertise, they're given the bandwidth to make their own decisions about how they manage their workday," Lee said.
Not to mention, you're surrounded by pretty, sparkly things all day, and you get a lot of "thank yous" for helping people pick out pretty, sparkly things!
5. Medical Laboratory Technician
Median Salary: $46,680
These are specially trained technicians who deal with lab tests (blood tests, urine tests, etc.) and data from those samples.
Due to the critical importance of getting the analyses of these tests right, there isn't a lot of pressure.
"They're given the latitude to do the job at their own pace because it's important that they get it right," Lee said.
Three minutes ago, right?!
But if pressed, would you know exactly what type of jobs are the least stressful?
Well, CareerCast is out with its annual list of the Least Stressful Jobs of 2013 as well as the Most Stressful Jobs.
So what makes a job "least" stressful?
"If you look at the list, the key that you see there is these are jobs where people are in control of their day – working as fast as they feel they need to be effective," said Tony Lee, publisher of CareerCast.com. "You don't have somebody kind of breathing over your shoulder. There's no physical risk at all, and no one is depending on you in your job to make their life expectancy last longer!"
"These are jobs that that keep your blood pressure nice and low," Lee said.
And while you won't hear a lot of "thank yous" for the most stressful jobs, these least stressful jobs are loaded with them!
"Most people tend to be thankful for what they do," Lee said. "They get a lot of 'thank yous' and smiles and warm fuzzies!"
Wow, low blood pressure and warm fuzzies – where do I sign? Are there any downsides?
"They don't necessarily pay particularly well," Lee said. "Salaries on average are higher for the most stressful jobs than the least stressful."
So what are the least stressful jobs of 2013 and is yours on the list? Read ahead to find out.
1. University Professor
Median Salary: $62,050
And the winner of Least Stressful Job of 2013 is … university professor!
Professor is a newcomer to the list this year, and it shot straight to the top.
"If you look at the criteria for stressful jobs, things like working under deadlines, physical demands of the job, environmental conditions hazards, is your life at risk, are you responsible for the life of someone else, they rank like 'zero' on pretty much all of them!" Lee said.
Plus, they're in total control. They teach as many classes as they want and what they want to teach. They tell the students what to do and reign over the classroom. They are the managers of their own stress level.
The most stressful thing about being a professor?
"Interacting with other professors!" Lee said.
2. Seamstress/Tailor
Median Salary: $25,850
The big advantage here is time flexibility. People bring things in, and the seamstress or tailor tells them when it will be ready.
"Most seamstresses and tailors are independent business people, so that means they're in control of their day," Lee said. "If they want to take off early see their kids play, if they want to not work and go fishing, they can do that and take a little bit longer to get things done."
Of course, you also get a lot of "thank yous" for repairing or tailoring clothing to fit better.
And, like the librarian with the books, you have an added bonus – clothes don't talk back!
3. Medical Records Technician
Median Salary: $32,350
These are technicians – not administrative assistants – who are specially trained to deal with medical records. Making sure patient files are updated, given to the correct people, etc.
Like the lab work, this is a critical job that you don't want to mess up, so they're given more room to move at their own pace. Plus, it's a 9-to-5 job.
"You walk in to work, you turn it on. You walk out, you turn it off," Lee said. "It's not like something's going to weigh on you and keep you from sleeping!"
4. Jeweler
Median Salary: $35,170
"Jewelers tend to be self-employed and work in an environment where they're given a lot of flexibility and leeway," Lee said. "Because they have an expertise, they're given the bandwidth to make their own decisions about how they manage their workday," Lee said.
Not to mention, you're surrounded by pretty, sparkly things all day, and you get a lot of "thank yous" for helping people pick out pretty, sparkly things!
5. Medical Laboratory Technician
Median Salary: $46,680
These are specially trained technicians who deal with lab tests (blood tests, urine tests, etc.) and data from those samples.
Due to the critical importance of getting the analyses of these tests right, there isn't a lot of pressure.
"They're given the latitude to do the job at their own pace because it's important that they get it right," Lee said.