Quite interesting, this article. Now, the article doesn't say that the jobs listed are the top 8 most stressful jobs. Just a list of 8 jobs which are stressful. Having said that, if everyone were to compile their own top 8, I'm sure some of the jobs below would appear on their list.
Personally, I do agree with the list below, or at least some of them. Other stressful jobs which I can think of are restaurant chefs, lawyers, judges, engineers, & financial analysts. Ohhhh, I reckon pastors, too. Pastors have their own unique challenges & particular stresses. Just ask my church's pastor, or any aspiring future pastors - they will agree to that. But I would imagine that pastors do derive great joy from their service to the church & to God.
Personally, I do agree with the list below, or at least some of them. Other stressful jobs which I can think of are restaurant chefs, lawyers, judges, engineers, & financial analysts. Ohhhh, I reckon pastors, too. Pastors have their own unique challenges & particular stresses. Just ask my church's pastor, or any aspiring future pastors - they will agree to that. But I would imagine that pastors do derive great joy from their service to the church & to God.
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8 High-Stress Jobs
Anthony Balderrama, CareerBuilder.com writer
Anthony Balderrama, CareerBuilder.com writer
If you want to find a job that is free of stress, you're out of luck. Only characters in movies and on TV have jobs that don't cause occasional hair-pulling or high blood pressure. These are the same people who have huge apartments overlooking skylines and plenty of time to hang out with friends. Their jobs have unbelievably flexible hours.
In real life, however, every job you take, no matter how big or small, finds you stressed out once in a while. Whether you're dealing with an endless line of customers, a demanding executive or an uncertain economy, anxiety will find you. It's just part of life.
According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, occupational stress originates from a variety of issues, including:
· Long hours with few or no breaks
· Employees unable to participate in the decision-making process.
· Job insecurity and large amounts of impending change
· Physical danger
Some jobs have more stress than others. That's not to say they're bad jobs, they just require people who are strong enough to handle the increased stress that comes their way. Here are eight of them:
1. Retail Salespersons
Why: Jobs in sales require you to convince customers to spend money. Customers don't necessarily want to spend money and even if they do, they have a variety of places to shop. Salespeople have to prove their merchandise is the best option. If that weren't stressful enough, retail compensation is often commission-based, which means your paycheck is tied to how much you sell.
What they earn: $24,530
2. Doctors and nurses
Why: Doctors and nurses deal with life and death on a regular basis, a pressure found in few occupations. They have to handle patients while accessing an encyclopedia of medical knowledge. Doctors and nurses who work in hospitals or clinics that don't keep regular business hours often work on little sleep and are on call even on days off. In recent years doctors have also been forced to deal with an increase in malpractice lawsuits.
What they earn: Internal medicine physician: $166,420; Registered nurse: $62,480
3. Accountants
Why: Crunching numbers requires attention to detail that can make your eyes cross. Not only are you dealing with a client's finances, but you also have to take into account volumes of rules and regulations that change each year. Plus, you're expected to know about minute loopholes and read tiny print that nobody else does.
What they earn: $44,632
4. Teachers
Why: Elementary and high school teachers put up with a lot. Students aren't always easy to control or motivate. Parents who can't understand why their children aren't doing better often place the blame with teachers. And pressure to prepare students for standardized tests mean they can't always stick to the lesson plans they'd prefer to teach.
What they earn: Elementary teacher: $43,421; High school teacher: $46,531
5. Firefighters
Why: When firefighters are on call, they've got to be ready to respond to emergencies that range from minor car accidents to huge explosions. They might go an entire shift with no emergency or they might get a call that keeps them out for hours. Perhaps most importantly, they're playing with fire literally. That's stressful enough.
What they earn: $44,130
6. Farmers
Why: Agriculture requires constant attention, from waking up early to strenuous physical activity. That alone isn't stressful, but having no control over nature is. Droughts, floods, fires or other natural disasters can ruin months of hard work, and you can't do much about it.
What they earn: $23,508
7. Automotive assembly workers
Why: The automotive industry has always been volatile as manufacturers respond to the whims of consumers who want coupés one moment and SUVs the next. Add the pressure of assembling vehicles so that people who spend thousands of dollars can travel safely, and you've got a stressful job.
What they earn: $42,480
8. Stock brokers
Why: You can feel a bit helpless working at a job that's at the mercy of the stock market and economy. When things are going great, you reap the rewards, but when the financial climate isn't so great or the future is uncertain, you have no choice but to ride it out. Plus, competition is high for these jobs.
What they earn: $61,151
*Salary data based on CBSalary.com's average annual salary and the Bureau of Labor Statistics's mean annual salary.
In real life, however, every job you take, no matter how big or small, finds you stressed out once in a while. Whether you're dealing with an endless line of customers, a demanding executive or an uncertain economy, anxiety will find you. It's just part of life.
According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, occupational stress originates from a variety of issues, including:
· Long hours with few or no breaks
· Employees unable to participate in the decision-making process.
· Job insecurity and large amounts of impending change
· Physical danger
Some jobs have more stress than others. That's not to say they're bad jobs, they just require people who are strong enough to handle the increased stress that comes their way. Here are eight of them:
1. Retail Salespersons
Why: Jobs in sales require you to convince customers to spend money. Customers don't necessarily want to spend money and even if they do, they have a variety of places to shop. Salespeople have to prove their merchandise is the best option. If that weren't stressful enough, retail compensation is often commission-based, which means your paycheck is tied to how much you sell.
What they earn: $24,530
2. Doctors and nurses
Why: Doctors and nurses deal with life and death on a regular basis, a pressure found in few occupations. They have to handle patients while accessing an encyclopedia of medical knowledge. Doctors and nurses who work in hospitals or clinics that don't keep regular business hours often work on little sleep and are on call even on days off. In recent years doctors have also been forced to deal with an increase in malpractice lawsuits.
What they earn: Internal medicine physician: $166,420; Registered nurse: $62,480
3. Accountants
Why: Crunching numbers requires attention to detail that can make your eyes cross. Not only are you dealing with a client's finances, but you also have to take into account volumes of rules and regulations that change each year. Plus, you're expected to know about minute loopholes and read tiny print that nobody else does.
What they earn: $44,632
4. Teachers
Why: Elementary and high school teachers put up with a lot. Students aren't always easy to control or motivate. Parents who can't understand why their children aren't doing better often place the blame with teachers. And pressure to prepare students for standardized tests mean they can't always stick to the lesson plans they'd prefer to teach.
What they earn: Elementary teacher: $43,421; High school teacher: $46,531
5. Firefighters
Why: When firefighters are on call, they've got to be ready to respond to emergencies that range from minor car accidents to huge explosions. They might go an entire shift with no emergency or they might get a call that keeps them out for hours. Perhaps most importantly, they're playing with fire literally. That's stressful enough.
What they earn: $44,130
6. Farmers
Why: Agriculture requires constant attention, from waking up early to strenuous physical activity. That alone isn't stressful, but having no control over nature is. Droughts, floods, fires or other natural disasters can ruin months of hard work, and you can't do much about it.
What they earn: $23,508
7. Automotive assembly workers
Why: The automotive industry has always been volatile as manufacturers respond to the whims of consumers who want coupés one moment and SUVs the next. Add the pressure of assembling vehicles so that people who spend thousands of dollars can travel safely, and you've got a stressful job.
What they earn: $42,480
8. Stock brokers
Why: You can feel a bit helpless working at a job that's at the mercy of the stock market and economy. When things are going great, you reap the rewards, but when the financial climate isn't so great or the future is uncertain, you have no choice but to ride it out. Plus, competition is high for these jobs.
What they earn: $61,151
*Salary data based on CBSalary.com's average annual salary and the Bureau of Labor Statistics's mean annual salary.
3 comments:
You should add Pastor's to Chinese Churches to that list. A good friend of mine told me recently that in the US the fallout rate of Pastors in Chinese Churches (Pastors who leave their church after 3 years or less) is approximately 95%...
And that's why we not only need to pray for more people to be raised up to be Pastors - but also for our very own Pastors...that God would sustain them through their work, that (our) sin may not be a hindrance to their work, and that God would protect against Satan's attacks...
:)
True, my friend.
My post does mention pastors (which appears general), but you're most probably right to say that the high-stress is more prevalent among Chinese church pastors than pastors from other backgrounds.
Goodness gracious....95% fallout rate?? That's very alarming, to say the least. A fallout rate of even half of that would still be concerning. But 95%!!
Would u know of any dominant reasons to cause such a high fallout rate in American Chinese churches?? Is it the particular stress of taking care of Chinese churches? Is it because those pastors were hindered/lured by sin? Do tell!
There are a few reasons why the dropout rate is so big:
- Not all the situations are the same, some pastors move on to other ministries/churches and some head overseas.
- a very small percentage drop out because of personal sin - but that's a stat which is more general rather than American/Australian Chinese Church specific
- probably the two biggest reasons for pastor's dropping out are the cultural reasons and their views of ministry before they entered.
That is some Pastors have not had a grounded enough view of ministry within churches (generally) and when they meet some struggles or difficult periods they fall out of ministry, though not necessarily fall away from the faith. Which is why apprenticeships like the one Steph and I have been doing are important - they ground people in the reality of ministry before you enter bible college and come out with great expectations.
But I think the larger reason why there is such a massive fall out rate is because of the cultural reasons. Chinese churches tend to be more Chinese than they are biblical. 'Saving Face' and not openly sharing about sin, filial piety beyond scripturally honouring our elders, don't preach about money, factions...the list goes on.
Which is why Andrew Hong's blogs on Confucianism have been so important for us to read and reflect upon. A lot of the problems in our church we face due to Chinese-ness can be drawn directly back to the influence of Confucius and not the bible. Confucianism, as a philosophy and a way of life, is incredibly anti-biblical.
So...do you think we're more Chinese than biblical? :) And in what ways can we go about changing that?
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