Most–and least–rewarding careers
The popular book The Jobs-Rated Almanac attempts to rate careers. Alas, in its attempt to be as objective as possible, it seems to have missed the mark. For example, its No. 2-rated career is actuary. Yes, it's lucrative and the working conditions safe, but most people would find a life of analyzing insurance statistics, pardon the pun, deadly.
In contrast, my job ratings are based on both objective and subjective criteria. The objective information is gleaned largely from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook, known informally as the OOH (www.bls.gov/oco). The subjective info is a distillation of what I've learned from my confidential discussions with 2,400 clients, plus countless conversations outside the office. I have always been fascinated by people's work, so for decades, I've been asking people—at parties, in supermarket lines, everywhere–to tell me about their jobs.
Of course, a career that is excellent for one person is poor for another, but I believe valid generalizations can be made. Please also remember that my recommendations are based on a relatively small number of interviews. This guide should be but one data point in a thorough effort to choose a career. At the end of each profile, I've listed additional resources, such as a link to more details on that career in the OOH, other useful websites, or a book that I believe would offer insights. It's also helpful to do informational interviews with people in the field that interests you, and to shadow them for a day if you can. Thorough research, a bit of real-world feedback, and a brief test-drive should take the guesswork out of finding the right career.