Is Your Career One of the Best or the Worst of 2012?

When you think of your ideal career, what does it look like? Are you lying on the beach typing emails on your BlackBerry, or are you building lean muscle by chopping down trees in the middle of nowhere? They say perspective is everything, but since we have to analyze and rank everything these days, Careercast.com recently came out with their list of best and worst jobs of 2012.

So, how did they decide what defines a good job vs. a bad one? By weighing several factors, such as physical, environmental, income (of course), stress, and hiring outlook. Now, just because a job is stressful doesn’t mean it’s one of the worst. In fact, last we checked, brain surgeons experience a lot of stress, but probably aren’t worrying about the rent. On the other hand, that butcher job might be low stress, but when you weigh the job outlook, you might want to consider medical school.

What are the top 5 “best” jobs according to Careercast?

1. Software engineer
2. Actuary
3. Human resource manager
4. Dental hygienist
5. Financial planner

It’s not surprising that software engineer topped the list. After all, the robots are taking over, and they get paid pretty well.

And now, for the 5 “worst” jobs on their list:

1. Lumberjack
2. Dairy farmer
3. Enlisted military soldier
4. Oil rig worker
5. Reporter

Why are these worst jobs? For starters, being a lumberjack is very dangerous work. And when you factor in that they only make about $32,000 a year, it is understandable why most people don’t dream about growing up to be the next Paul Bunyon anymore.

Do you love stress as much as most people? Yes? Great! You might enjoy one of these careers they ranked among the most stressful:

1. Enlisted soldier
2. Firefighter
3. Airline pilot
4. Military general
5. Police officer

Is the career you want on this list? While we don’t recommend changing your mind about a career based on what other people are saying about it, it’s smart to do some research to find out median salaries, job outlook, and other factors that might affect your job search – and satisfaction in the future.