Check out #4:

[melissajm]

"Here are the Top 10 most gratifying jobs and the percentage of subjects who said they were very satisfied with the job:

Clergy—87 percent percent
Firefighters—80 percent percent
Physical therapists—78 percent percent
Authors—74 percent
Special education teachers—70 percent
Teachers—69 percent
Education administrators—68 percent
Painters and sculptors—67 percent
Psychologists—67 percent
Security and financial services salespersons—65 percent
Operating engineers—64 percent
Office supervisors—61 percent"

So...Everybody happy?

Comments

[maryrobinette.livejournal.com]

Hey! Where are the puppeteers on that list?

[melissajm.livejournal.com]

Ask Yahoo. That's where I got it. ;)

[safewrite.livejournal.com]

I'm happy, how about you?

[melissajm.livejournal.com]

Yep! ;)

[mgsmurf.livejournal.com]

Not sure I've ever dropped a line yet to say hey and that I've found you via speculation's Rumormill where I'm Cheryl McC.

Anyway, the list doesn't really surprise me. Several jobs I could see as thankless like, education (which is my day job), religion, health stuff, and people who make things work (operating engineers and office supervisors). Then jobs that may look like all the glory and really are much more work behind the scenes, like authors and painters and probably firefighters. All things you'd likely have to really love to want to do for a living. But interesting still.

And suppose if I wasn't juggling too much with the new day job I'd probably be happier.

[melissajm.livejournal.com]

Ah, mystery solved! Hi! ;)

[keesa-renee.livejournal.com]

Mememe!! Definitely a happy writer here...in the face of three new rejections....still happy. :-D

Funny, isn't it, how the jobs with the least security, financial rewards, or material benefits are still the ones that make people happiest?

[melissajm.livejournal.com]

I'll be honest-I don't think I'd be happy just writing for a living. For one thing, I'd have starved before the turn of the millenium. ;) Plus, I really appreciate medical insurance.

But...as a hobby/second job/labor of love, nothing beats it! ;D

[yourbob.livejournal.com]

I helped run some statistics once for a small study comparing lifespan of ornithologists, clergy, lawyers and a couple other professions for which comparible data was available for 1850 to 1950.

There had been a theory that because ornithologists used arsenic powder to prepare museum skins during that time, the ornithologists should have had shortened lifespans. Turned out that the only people in the study who lived, on average, longer were the clergy.

We decided the only explanation (being ornithologists) was that it had to do with low-stress but fulfilling work.

This is a cool corroboration of that idea.

[terrymcgarry.livejournal.com]

Yes. :)