Not every job out there is stressful, and being employed doesn’t have to mean you come home every night worn out and nervous. Hating what you do can lead to frustration, dissatisfaction and sometimes even depression, and it’s a known fact that too much stress affects your physical well-being as well. Therefore, finding a job that fulfills you and makes you happy is something everyone wants. Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D. (a career-information expert) conducted a study about work-related stress levels which included 767 occupations, and found that the occupations where stress is at lower levels bring more profit and a higher pay. However, it obviously also depends on the area of expertise. The data for this research was gathered from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Occupational Information Network.
Here are the 8 best-paying stress-free job opportunities where you will be able to earn a decent living without losing your nerves:
1. Food Scientist ($66,870)
Food scientists averagely have a stress tolerance of 55.8 (on a scale 0-100) and they earn around $66,870 per year, according to the above mentioned research. Lower scores of stress tolerance mean that there is less stress on the job, and the score is relatively low here. To become a food scientist you need to obtain at least a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and from an accredited university, but your chances to get a job in this area of expertise grow if you have a Ph.D. Food scientists’ job is to test the food and make sure it is safe, and to ensure that the production at the agricultural establishments is according to standards.
2. Geographer ($75,610)
The level of stress in this occupation is 58.0 which, again, is pretty low compared to some other professions. The stress is lower if you actually enjoy studying nature and conducting research on physical aspects of regions and how they affect the activities of humans. Geographers earn $75,610 on average per year and they are usually required to have a master’s degree, but for entry positions they are often accepted even with a bachelor’s degree.
3. Mathematician ($104,350)
Mathematicians conduct studies in the field of fundamental mathematics, or work on the application of mathematical techniques in many other fields, as well as using the knowledge of mathematics to solve problems in many scientific fields. If your goal is to get a government job, a master’s or at least a bachelor’s degree may be enough, but if you wish to work for a private company and receive a higher salary, you may need to get a Ph.D. first. An average annual salary of a mathematician is $104,350 while the stress tolerance is 57.3. Pretty decent salary for a stress-free job position.
4. Physicist ($117,300)
If you want to become a physicist, you will be glad to hear that their average annual salary is $117,300 and they don’t stress a lot. Of course, you can’t be a highly paid physicist without a Ph.D. (at least that is the case for most research positions). A physicist’s job can be very interesting – they study physical phenomena, develop theories and find ways to apply those theories along with physical laws. It actually sounds like a lot of fun if you like that sort of thing.
5. Geoscientist ($105,390)
To become a geoscientist, you need to at least receive your bachelor’s degree, and an additional license. This can be a very stress-free (or so-to-say stress relieving job) as geoscientists spend their working hours studying the physical aspects of the Earth, mostly out on the field. Their stress tolerance is 62.5 and their annual salary is to wish for – $105,390.
6. Law Teacher ($126,270)
To be a law teacher, you don’t need to have a Ph.D., but you do have to have a law degree besides your bachelor’s. As law teachers usually work at universities, they teach courses in law to already developed persons who understand what the teacher is saying and know how to behave. This factor contributes to this job being as stress-free as it is, or at least it causes less stress (62.8) than some other so well paid positions. A law teacher earns $126,270 on average per year, which, you will agree, is a fairly good amount of money.
7. Computer and Information Systems Manager ($136,280)
People who are talented in this field and have a bachelor’s degree can get a job at a company where they will work on determining the information technology goals of certain organizations and helping them reach those goals by creating and implementing certain computer systems that will help. The stress tolerance of these workers is around 64.3, which is among the highest stress levels among these jobs mentioned, but the pay makes up for those few percents. A computer and information systems manager earns around $136,280 per year. Not bad at all if you ask me.
8. Orthodontist ($201,000)
For examining, diagnosing and treating problems in the oral cavity, orthodontists receive an annual salary of around $201,000. You will probably agree that this is one of the highest-paid positions us normal people can achieve. To become an orthodontist, you need a bachelor’s degree along with the completed four years of dental school and two years spent in residency training. Alright, the education process for this job really takes a lot of time, but it definitely pays off and doesn’t make you too stressed out – 67.0 is the stress tolerance.