Best Job in America - Software Engineer?
Posted by Brian FinnertyI’ve just read a new study on the Best Jobs in America presented by Salary.com and Money Magazine. Most of these job satisfaction surveys tend to focus on the obvious quantitative data like salary range and experience, so I rarely give them a second glance. But I’d recommend that you take a look at this research because it includes some qualitative factors to determine the best jobs in the U.S. today. Here’s the top 10 list of desirable jobs in order of preference:
- Software Engineer
- College professor
- Financial adviser
- Human Resources Manager
- Physician assistant
- Market research analyst
- Computer IT analyst
- Real Estate Appraiser
- Pharmacist
- Psychologist
Is anyone else surprised that software engineers are top of the class (ahead of college professors, if you don’t mind)? My wife is a market research analyst and she vouches for the pros (variety) and cons (deadlines) of her profession, which gets a respectable sixth place in the list. So maybe the authors of this research are onto something here. The study is cleverly configured to assess each job based on the following criteria, which help to explain why software engineers should be happy campers in their profession:
- Creativity (A)
- Flexibility (B)
- Stress (B)
- Ease of entry (C)
The opportunity to apply creative problem solving is a very satisfying aspect of the software developer’s world, so I certainly wouldn’t quibble with that category. Another plus is the widespread availability of telecommuting for software developers; not every hard-working soul enjoys that kind of flexibility. The ability to focus your grey matter on cutting edge projects (think Google Calendar or Atlas PageFlakes) is an obvious draw for prospective computer science graduates too. With all the press devoted to outsourcing, you may be surprised to hear that software development is the fastest growing job category in the U.S. with an average of 44,800 annual job openings. Not too shabby in terms of future job prospects and potential for career advancement. The average salary for a software developer doesn’t hold a candle to the generous legal or medical professions, but it’s still pretty decent at $80,500 with a 46% growth rate over 10 years.
On the downside, ease of entry is somewhat limited due to the need for advanced mathematic skills in order to be competent in the field. So it’s not all wine and roses - you need to pay attention to those long math lessons on linear graph algorithms and differential equations, boys and girls. I think the authors may be a little over-generous by giving software development a B grade in the stress category - most developers I know would not paint such a rosy picture of their work-related stress levels! But in a comparable study, who could deny that a dentist or mental health counselor has a more difficult station in life? I’m not ready to draw any firm conclusions from this study, but it does succeed by putting each profession’s joys and woes in perspective.
Speaking of terrible jobs, you should take a look at the less desirable end of the career spectrum. Mike Rowe produces a great TV program called Dirty Jobs every Tuesday night on the Discovery Channel. The very best episode has to be where he steps into the shoes of an “Avian Vomitologist” who collects owl vomit for a living! What a wonderful example of title inflation too! If that episode doesn’t catch your imagination, how about applying for the position of “Roadkill Collector” (strong stomach is considered a plus)? I’m not making this stuff up! On that note, I’ll return to my day job with its comfortable office chair, air conditioning, dozens of unread emails, and a steaming cup of coffee…
