The 10 Highest Paying Jobs With the Lowest Stress
Everybody wants to make money, but nobody really wants to put in the hard work. I mean shit, being a plastic surgeon and making $350k a year sounds lit. But dealing with blood, passed out patients, and injecting people’s butts? Not to mention all the years of school and tests? Yeah…nah.
Same goes for working on Wall Street. The money is great…but all the hours you put in and all the stress almost makes it not worth it. Unless you’re the type of dude who aspires to be Jordan Belfort, then I guess it’s worth it.
If you want a job that makes good money and won’t make you want to pull all your hair out and resort to a cocaine addiction, maybe figure out how to do a job that makes a lot of money but doesn’t require lots of stress.
Business Insider consulted the O*NET (a database that ranks jobs on a scale of zero to 100, where the lower number means less stress) and listed the top ten earning jobs with lowest stress rating. We’ve listed them out for you here, and if you don’t like math and science you’re probs going to be disappointed. Sorry.
10. Economist
Stress Tolerance: 59
Average Salary: $109,230
The job description sounds just like your Economics 101 class, you study goods and services. So chill.
9. Astronomer
Stress Tolerance: 62
Average Salary: $110,220
Your local stoner’s dream job. Yes, you can get paid to look and stars and shit. Oh, but there’s a catch. You need a Ph.D.
8. Actuary
Stress Tolerance: 64
Average Salary: $110,560
If you don’t mind a bit of math and finance, this could be your calling. All you need is a Bachelor’s degree and a couple exams, then you’re on your way to analyzing financial risks.
7. Mathematician
Stress Tolerance: 57
Average Salary: $112,560
You can stop making fun of your friend who’s majoring in math now, I guess.
6. Computer Hardware Engineer
Stress Tolerance: 67
Average Salary: $114,970
This sounds hard and boring, but at least you’ll get well compensated and be zen af while staring at the computer for hours.
5. Optometrist
Stress Tolerance: 70
Average Salary: $115,750
A great option for those of us who want to make money, have the time/money to spend four years in grad school, and don’t want to get anywhere near bodily fluids.
4. Physicist
Stress Tolerance: 61
Average Salary: $118,500
This is another one of those jobs like “mathematician,” where nobody knows what you actually do. But whatever it is, you’ll make decent money and not stress a lot doing it. Cool.
3. Law Teacher
Stress Tolerance: 63
Average Salary: $126,230
Good news! If you want to be a lawyer but decide after taking The Bar Exam that being a lawyer is too stressful, you can always just teach it to college students instead.
2. Computer and Information Systems Manager
Stress Tolerance: 64
Average Salary: $141,000
Whoever told you that you should get a minor in information systems was right, too bad you took one look at the textbook and said “nah.”
1. Orthodontist
Stress Tolerance: 67
Average Salary: $221,390
Okay, dentists might not be “real” doctors, but orthodontists make close to the same amount of money, plus have way less stress because like, their patients are probs never going to be on their death beds. But also, ew, mouths.
