The unhappiest jobs in America

The misery index CareerBliss.com recently released its new list of the "Unhappiest Jobs in America," based on analysis from more than 100,400 employee-generated reviews between February 2011 and January 2012. Employees were asked to rate 10 factors that affect workplace happiness, including one's relationship with the boss and co-workers, work environment, job resources, compensation, growth opportunities, company culture, company reputation, daily tasks and control over the work one does on a daily basis.

I think "the misery index" is a good title for this article. It is unfortunate but some people find pleasure in going to work every day and some do not. Please do post if your job is on the list or even if it is not. I found it unfortunate that teachers and nurses were on the list. To me both are generally respected from the out side.

source.

reply to post by RedGolem


I used to love my job as a teacher. Working with young kids, impacting and changing lives...what a wonderful career and legacy.

Things have changed. Maybe teaching requires so much sacrifice, is so emotionally draining, that it sucks the happiness right out of you. Maybe reading constant criticism from all fronts drags you down. I don't know.

I think teaching is one of the most misunderstood professions out there. I am a teacher because I care about children and want to make a difference. Yet how many anti-education threads do we see on ATS daily? A constant barrage of ridicule and scorn.

Sigh.

reply to post by smyleegrl


Smyleegrl
thanks for posting. I do hear what you mean by the constant ridicule and scorn. I hear it on a daily basis also. Not always from the media but from coworkers. I can see real easy where that would make things very difficult for a teacher. My mother was a teacher so I did hear some of what one has to go through. I also think what and where the teacher is teaching must make a big difference. I have had some that are good and bad, some that are complete A HOLES. Also for the flip side of the coin have had some tell me they love teaching and will never give it up.
Again thanks for your post and information.

reply to post by RedGolem


Yes, there are terrible people who are teachers and the damage they do is heartbreaking. My son, who started kindergarten this last year, had such a teacher. A horrible work environment, when you try to keep the lines between colleagues and parents sharply defined. That won't happen again.

I teach in a very poor area. What I see these kids deal with daily...heartbreaking. And to realize about the only way they can break the cycle is with education...and their adult family members place no value on education at all.

You know, just in typing this, some of my old fire has come back. Taking the focus off of my angst and remembering why I chose to be a teacher in the first place: to help others. And I do make a difference, I know.

Thank you for helping me remember what's important, redgolem. Much obliged!!!!!

reply to post by smyleegrl


Smyleegrl
Teaching in a poor area I expect you do see some of the worst of things. I do put value on education and in general most of my family always has. For me personally I am not a smart person so education has always been hard for me. Perhaps that is why I do put some value on it.
Keeping your passion when working in what may be a very difficult are tells me you are a special person. Best wishes to you when ever your next season might start.

reply to post by RedGolem


With the exception of Security Officer, all of those jobs require a formal and ongoing education. They need this ongoing education to stay current and boost their chances of moving up in their careers.

This adds to a already stressful life as bills pile up. For example, I know the school teachers in my district are paid quite well, but they still have to dip into their wallets for school supplies, both for themselves and the students. A teacher in the same position in the City of Cleveland school district gets paid significantly less, yet has to do the same.

Why is this happening? The Teachers Union leadership has some explaining to do in my opinion. I know that taxes play a part, but they do not constitute the whole ball of wax.

The Security position is a crappy job. You must secure a building or site and yet can get fired for doing just that. And the pay is not good either. Caveat: The Maritime Security contractors do get paid well, but they are never home either.

I love my job. It doesn't require a whole lot of brain power, but it does require a strong body and strong work ethic. And the pay is quite good as well.

As far as I am concerned, the company pays me to work out, which is a whole lot better than me paying a gym to get the same thing.

reply to post by TDawgRex


Rex
thanks for posting, and I am glad you are happy with your job. I agree with what you said about the security job. The irony of it is they are being paid to protect something very valuable or protect a lot of lives. Being paid low is just asking for some one to come in and give them a good bribe.

Originally posted by smyleegrl
reply to post by RedGolem

 

I used to love my job as a teacher. Working with young kids, impacting and changing lives...what a wonderful career and legacy.

Things have changed. Maybe teaching requires so much sacrifice, is so emotionally draining, that it sucks the happiness right out of you. Maybe reading constant criticism from all fronts drags you down. I don't know.

I think teaching is one of the most misunderstood professions out there. I am a teacher because I care about children and want to make a difference. Yet how many anti-education threads do we see on ATS daily? A constant barrage of ridicule and scorn.

Sigh.

It's hard to remember sometimes, but you just have to keep telling yourself:


They don't even stop to think that without the teachers they are attacking, they wouldn't even be able to type out the hateful posts they make

Originally posted by TDawgRex
reply to post by RedGolem

 

With the exception of Security Officer, all of those jobs require a formal and ongoing education. They need this ongoing education to stay current and boost their chances of moving up in their careers.

This adds to a already stressful life as bills pile up. For example, I know the school teachers in my district are paid quite well, but they still have to dip into their wallets for school supplies, both for themselves and the students. A teacher in the same position in the City of Cleveland school district gets paid significantly less, yet has to do the same.

Why is this happening? The Teachers Union leadership has some explaining to do in my opinion. I know that taxes play a part, but they do not constitute the whole ball of wax.

The Security position is a crappy job. You must secure a building or site and yet can get fired for doing just that. And the pay is not good either. Caveat: The Maritime Security contractors do get paid well, but they are never home either.

I love my job. It doesn't require a whole lot of brain power, but it does require a strong body and strong work ethic. And the pay is quite good as well.

As far as I am concerned, the company pays me to work out, which is a whole lot better than me paying a gym to get the same thing.

Yet, compared to the education level they have and the extra hours they put in, they don't get paid well at all
Sure, it would be great if it was a job right out of high school, no formal training, no student loans, but most people who go to college for as long as teachers do end up making $250,000+ per year or more.
It's definitely a "calling" opposed to a "career". It's the ones in it for the wrong reasons that ruin it for everyone else
They need to find a way to raise the standards as well as the compensation to weed out the ones who shouldn't be there to start with and teaching can have the respect and admiration it deserves once again.

I have a counselor wayyyyyy back in High School who always said "If the best and brightest don't go into education, who does that leave to teach the next generation?". She was a very wise lady...

Other than Security Officer, and maybe teacher, I think that list is ridiculous.

They obviously didn't poll many people from the lower class. It makes me irate that people with the term "engineer" and "manager" in their title are complaining so much about their job.

How about this, a job that totally sucks, and you don't even earn a living wage. THAT'S and unhappy job. Not some manager sitting in an officer who is complaining because they already maxed out their income at 50 grand a year and their company doesn't revolve around them.

I have a few teachers in my family, and they make a very good living. One has been teaching for about 10 years and the other 6. I'm still confused where all of these low paid teachers are. Both of them love their job, btw.

This sounds like a list made by millionaires who are looking down on the people only making 50-80 grand a year thinking how awful their lives must be.

reply to post by PurpleChiten


My Vice-Principal (Who became our VP right after retiring as a Marine DI back in the '70's), told me upon the 10th year class reunion. "This is when you see the rewards of your work."

As an old school NCO myself, it is a sentiment that I hold highly. True rewards for your sacrifice do not always come immediately. Sometimes they take time.

He also told me, twenty years later, (a high school dropout during my Junior year), that I am one of the few who have made him proud. He said he never thought that would never happen, but at least he kept a open mind.

The guy was the schools enforcer. He played favorites to no one. He was one tough, but fair SOB.

I for one will miss him when he passes. But the school system will definitely miss him.

Whoever made this list has never been a waiter/waitress. The food industry and dining is a horrible, miserable place. I waited tables from 15-21 years old, and still do it rarely when I can at 22 now. You get treated like you're a low life scumbag, and many of your customers look at you and tip you as if you're just using the money to go out and buy cigarettes and beer. What they don't realize is that I'm in the navy reserves in a special program, and I'm nearly finished with college and about to take my GRE for graduate school admission.

The way i've been treated and seen other waitresses get treated sickens me sometimes. All for $2.83 an hour...

reply to post by Schmidt1989


Schmidt
thanks so much for posting your story. If it matters I went to Careerbliss to check there list. They only have the top ten listed and waiter was not on the list. I do think you are right though. In my opinion any job that deals with the general public is a difficult one from the beginning. Congratulations on finishing your school and making it to grad school, also for your time in the Navy.

I'm not sure I agree with that list, although I definitely would NOT want to work as one of those manager types, but that has more to do with my personality type; I'd just find it boring, even if it paid decent.

I have, however, worked as a security officer (and worked with nurses as a security officer, as I was in local hospitals), I've been a student, so I know what teachers go through, and I've got an engineering degree, and currently work in sales, though not as an engineer; I sell electrical parts to engineers and tradesmen. (don't you love the current state of the economy? )

Security officer wasn't that great, but it's definitely not the worst job I ever had. (that would be landscaping :p) It was definitely underpaid, and didn't really have a lot to recommend it. I did have some decent coworkers, and at least working in a hospital I was able to chat with the nurses on staff, hehe. Most of the time the job was pretty dull, and the times it wasn't, it was usually because I was dealing with some psychotic patient trying to hurt somebody or something like that :p The job did have its moments, though; the best day I ever had at that job was the day I found a woman's missing daughter who had Down's syndrome; the mother was literally sobbing, she was so happy. It was one of the few days working at that job where at the end of the day I went home feeling like I'd actually made a difference.

As I mentioned, I worked with nurses, and by and large they seemed fairly happy with their jobs. There were some unhappy nurses, but they were usually the sort that would've been unhappy no matter what they were doing or what job they had. Nurses make good money, at least here, and most of the ones I spoke to enjoyed their job and found it quite rewarding.

As for teachers, I think I could see a bunch of them not liking their jobs. Some students are quite difficult; I should know :p One of the reasons I decided against teaching when I was considering career options was that I felt I couldn't deal with students who didn't want to learn. It's hard to say, but I'll bet half the teachers I had liked their jobs and the other half didn't.

As for sales engineer... well, if I had any sort of engineering job, I'd be really happy, because I'd actually be using my degree :p Plus, I'd be making real wages, and not stuck living with my parents at age 30 because I can't afford to move out with what my job pays... but that's another story

People at Forbes are so out of touch. No mention of fast food, janitors, factory workers, garbage men, crime scene cleanup, taxi drivers, plumbers, etc. I am surprised they even mentioned security.

reply to post by DragonsDemesne


Dragons
thanks for all your stories. I have also worked in sales, and it just might rank right up there as number one or number two of the worst that I have had. I hope you can be an engineer some day if that is what you want. I have not known many nurses but have had quite a few teachers. Some seem happy some do not, some are just a holes. I do agree with the above poster that there are professions that push the jobs listed out of top place.