What Careers Have the Best Creature Comforts?

Careers can be compared on many different standards.  Three I have developed can be called 'creature comforts,' or things that might make them contribute to, instead of detract from, a lifestyle.  They are the overall chance for earning enough for what most people would consider a good living, quality of work conditions, and compatibility with other involvements.  The occupation groups, or careers, are the 25 tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics - the ratings on each job within them are from my own research.  I weighted each job within each group equally, using ratings of 1 for low, 2 for medium, and 3 for high, and averaged the numbers.  

For prospects for a good living wage, or the chance of a job to pay the equivalent of at least $40,000 per year in a small city, adjusted for benefits higher or lower than typical at that level, the careers rate as follows: 

 

Occupation Group	1 to 3 Scale	Average Result
Management	2.89	Very High Chance of Good Living Wage
Architecture and Engineering	2.87	Very High Chance of Good Living Wage
Computer and Information Technology	2.75	High Chance of Good Living Wage
Life, Physical, and Social Science	2.68	High Chance of Good Living Wage
Math	2.60	High Chance of Good Living Wage
Business and Financial	2.56	High Chance of Good Living Wage
Legal	2.50	High Chance of Good Living Wage
Education, Training, and Library	2.35	Medium Chance of Good Living Wage
Healthcare	2.29	Medium Chance of Good Living Wage
Community and Social Service	2.20	Medium Chance of Good Living Wage
Transportation and Material Moving	2.14	Medium Chance of Good Living Wage
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair	2.03	Medium Chance of Good Living Wage
Construction and Extraction	2.03	Medium Chance of Good Living Wage
Military	2.00	Medium Chance of Good Living Wage
Protective Service	2.00	Medium Chance of Good Living Wage
Arts and Design	1.90	Medium Chance of Good Living Wage
Media and Communications	1.90	Medium Chance of Good Living Wage
Sales	1.76	Medium Chance of Good Living Wage
Entertainment and Sports	1.38	Low Chance of Good Living Wage
Building and Grounds Cleaning	1.33	Low Chance of Good Living Wage
Production	1.32	Low Chance of Good Living Wage
Personal Care and Service	1.32	Low Chance of Good Living Wage
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry	1.29	Low Chance of Good Living Wage
Office and Administrative Support	1.22	Low Chance of Good Living Wage
Food Preparation and Serving	1.13	Low Chance of Good Living Wage
Overall Average	2.21	Medium Chance of Good Living Wage

Next, we have working environments, both physical and emotional, with the highest ranking for settings most people would consider good, the middle having moderate problems, and the low having severe ones:

Occupation Group	1 to 3 Scale	Average Result
Architecture and Engineering	3.00	Very High Median Quality of Work Conditions
Computer and Information Technology	3.00	Very High Median Quality of Work Conditions
Education, Training, and Library	3.00	Very High Median Quality of Work Conditions
Legal	3.00	Very High Median Quality of Work Conditions
Math	3.00	Very High Median Quality of Work Conditions
Media and Communications	3.00	Very High Median Quality of Work Conditions
Business and Financial	2.96	Very High Median Quality of Work Conditions
Life, Physical, and Social Science	2.94	Very High Median Quality of Work Conditions
Arts and Design	2.90	Very High Median Quality of Work Conditions
Community and Social Service	2.90	Very High Median Quality of Work Conditions
Management	2.89	Very High Median Quality of Work Conditions
Healthcare	2.85	Very High Median Quality of Work Conditions
Office and Administrative Support	2.78	High Median Quality of Work Conditions
Entertainment and Sports	2.75	High Median Quality of Work Conditions
Personal Care and Service	2.72	High Median Quality of Work Conditions
Transportation and Material Moving	2.41	Good Median Quality of Work Conditions
Sales	2.41	Good Median Quality of Work Conditions
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair	2.35	Good Median Quality of Work Conditions
Protective Service	2.14	Fair Median Quality of Work Conditions
Production	2.05	Fair Median Quality of Work Conditions
Food Preparation and Serving	2.00	Fair Median Quality of Work Conditions
Building and Grounds Cleaning	1.83	Fair Median Quality of Work Conditions
Construction and Extraction	1.75	Fair Median Quality of Work Conditions
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry	1.71	Fair Median Quality of Work Conditions
Military	1.00	Poor Median Quality of Work Conditions
Overall Average	2.56	Good Median Quality of Work Conditions

The third is suitability with families and projects.  For the highest rating, a job is typically limited in hours, regular in scheduling, and limited enough in overnight travel to allow for a commonly regular family life and extensive work on unrelated projects and efforts.  The middle and lowest indicate, as before, significant and serious problems respectively.

 

Occupation Group	1 to 3 Scale	Average Result
Building and Grounds Cleaning	3.00	Excellent Compatibility with Family Life and Outside Activities
Community and Social Service	3.00	Excellent Compatibility with Family Life and Outside Activities
Computer and Information Technology	3.00	Excellent Compatibility with Family Life and Outside Activities
Education, Training, and Library	3.00	Excellent Compatibility with Family Life and Outside Activities
Food Preparation and Serving	3.00	Excellent Compatibility with Family Life and Outside Activities
Math	3.00	Excellent Compatibility with Family Life and Outside Activities
Office and Administrative Support	3.00	Excellent Compatibility with Family Life and Outside Activities
Production	2.98	Excellent Compatibility with Family Life and Outside Activities
Healthcare	2.98	Excellent Compatibility with Family Life and Outside Activities
Construction and Extraction	2.95	Excellent Compatibility with Family Life and Outside Activities
Arts and Design	2.90	Excellent Compatibility with Family Life and Outside Activities
Life, Physical, and Social Science	2.84	Very Good Compatibility with Family Life and Outside Activities
Media and Communications	2.80	Very Good Compatibility with Family Life and Outside Activities
Management	2.79	Very Good Compatibility with Family Life and Outside Activities
Protective Service	2.79	Very Good Compatibility with Family Life and Outside Activities
Personal Care and Service	2.76	Very Good Compatibility with Family Life and Outside Activities
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair	2.70	Very Good Compatibility with Family Life and Outside Activities
Sales	2.65	Very Good Compatibility with Family Life and Outside Activities
Business and Financial	2.64	Very Good Compatibility with Family Life and Outside Activities
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry	2.57	Good Compatibility with Family Life and Outside Activities
Architecture and Engineering	2.53	Good Compatibility with Family Life and Outside Activities
Legal	2.50	Good Compatibility with Family Life and Outside Activities
Transportation and Material Moving	2.45	Good Compatibility with Family Life and Outside Activities
Entertainment and Sports	2.25	Fair Compatibility with Family Life and Outside Activities
Military	1.00	Poor Compatibility with Family Life and Outside Activities
Overall Average	2.81	Good Compatibility with Family Life and Outside Activities

So which careers offer the most overall creature comforts?  Here is the overall comparison.

Occupation Group	Chance for Good Living Wage	Quality of Work Condi-tions	Compati-bility with Family and Outside Activi-ties	All 3 CC Factors
Computer and Information Technology	2.75	3.00	3.00	8.75
Math	2.60	3.00	3.00	8.60
Management	2.89	2.89	2.79	8.57
Life, Physical, and Social Science	2.68	2.94	2.84	8.45
Architecture and Engineering	2.87	3.00	2.53	8.40
Education, Training, and Library	2.35	3.00	3.00	8.35
Business and Financial	2.56	2.96	2.64	8.16
Healthcare	2.29	2.85	2.98	8.13
Community and Social Service	2.20	2.90	3.00	8.10
Legal	2.50	3.00	2.50	8.00
Media and Communications	1.90	3.00	2.80	7.70
Arts and Design	1.90	2.90	2.90	7.70
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair	2.03	2.35	2.70	7.08
Office and Administrative Support	1.22	2.78	3.00	7.00
Transportation and Material Moving	2.14	2.41	2.45	7.00
Protective Service	2.00	2.14	2.79	6.93
Sales	1.76	2.41	2.65	6.82
Personal Care and Service	1.32	2.72	2.76	6.80
Construction and Extraction	2.03	1.75	2.95	6.73
Entertainment and Sports	1.38	2.75	2.25	6.38
Production	1.32	2.05	2.98	6.36
Building and Grounds Cleaning	1.33	1.83	3.00	6.17
Food Preparation and Serving	1.13	2.00	3.00	6.13
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry	1.29	1.71	2.57	5.57
Military	2.00	1.00	1.00	4.00

But before you go into the computer field - watch out!  The job may not last.  Much more to come on what is most important when you choose a job or career for the long term.  For now, a clue - none of the three factors above, not even the chance for a good living, will mean the most.