Study Says Software Engineers Have the Best US Jobs

D H NG writes "According to a new study by CareerCast.com, software engineers have the best jobs of 2011 in the United States, based on factors such as income, working environment, stress, physical demands and job outlook, using Labor Department and Census data. Mid-level software engineers make between $87,000 and $132,000 a year, putting them in the top 25% of the 200 professions studied by income. Software engineers beat out last year's number one job, actuary, which came in third, behind mathematician."

Comments

Re:Actuary? Really?

[damn_registrars]

You'll notice that the criteria don't include "intellectual fulfillment." Actuaries rate pretty highly in all the criteria the study considers, but perhaps their job is not as interesting as some others.

I know some actuaries, and they find their jobs very intellectually stimulating and fulfilling.

However, at least in the US, the results the actuaries come up with are invariably used to screw people out of money. No insurance rates have ever gone down as a result of an actuary's work - the results are used only to decide which group of people a company can justify screwing just a little bit harder.

Hence those of us who don't find that kind of work to be interesting or fulfilling then also find that the work is on ethically shaky ground as well. And those of us who would find the work to be interesting or fulfilling would still find the work to be ethically questionable.

Frankly from my vantage point pimps and drug dealers are more honest than insurance company employees. Insurance companies I place on the same level ethically as politicians and used car salesman.