

Best jobs in America: Mathematician #1, Software Engineer #5 - Kototama
http://www.careercast.com/jobs/content/JobsRated_Top200Jobs

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jleyank
Note: I'm a software engineer/chemist, and I've not found the latter on the
list yet... A few thoughts come to mind:

1\. #1-3, 8, 10 and 11 you could not pay me to do. They strike me as jobs that
make debugging binary I/O interesting.

2\. #4 means you'll deal with a LOT of ex-pre-meds pissed they didn't make it
into the big time.

3\. #7 and 12 are good jobs, if you happen to find them and if you happen to
get tenure. And write like a demon. And like to teach.

4\. #13, umm, err, boom? Like the idea of a security clearance?

5\. Finally, #20. Great if you like night work, wearing gloves w/o fingertips
and aren't trying to make the big bucks. Unless you write like a demon, have
good TV presence and say BILLIONS well.

Ah, found it. Chemist, #57. Tucked right under Hotel Manager (#56) and Typist
(#54). Not sure there ARE any typist jobs, as the pink-color field sorta
vanished about the turn of the century.

Humor aside, if you're looking at lists like this to debate job choices, for
$GOD's sake pick something that can't be outsourced...

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madcaptenor
This is so last month.

Seriously, though, the consensus among mathematicians (of which I'm one) was
that yes, being a mathematician is great, but not for the reasons this list
suggests. Their criteria basically seem to assume that the best job possible
is one where you get to sit in a climate-controlled office for a few hours a
day, not have too many deadlines, do what appears to be nothing, and still get
paid. It's just a coincidence that being a mathematician looks like that.

