Best Jobs for 2011

Looking for a new line of work this year? Here are the jobs to most avoid and the ones you'll find most desirable.

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You may think you have the worst job in America, but unless you routinely work 12-hour shifts in scorching desert heat or frigid ocean storms, at the constant risk of severe injury or death, you shouldn't complain.

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The career guidance website CareerCast.com has evaluated 200 professions across a wide variety of industries, skill levels and salary ranges to determine the best and worst jobs of 2011. To measure each job CareerCast used five core criteria: pay, outlook, work environment, stress and physical demands. It gathered data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau, trade association studies and other sources.

Each of the core categories was broken down into elements, with each element given points. In the final result, a higher point total means a less desirable job, and a lower score reflects a more desirable one.

Despite the risks, low pay and adverse conditions of the worst jobs in America, desperate job-seekers are inclined to apply for any open position in tough economic times--though sometimes, no job is better than a bad job. The hunt for a new career may be stressful, but it's hardly life-threatening or as physically draining as some of the worst jobs this year.

For the second consecutive year, roustabout ranks as the worst job of 2011, thanks to upheaval in the oil industry and the brutal conditions in which employees work. "Roustabout is a miserable job to begin with, and the Gulf disaster only made things worse," says Tony Lee, publisher of CareerCast.com and its sister site, JobsRated.com.

Roustabouts are oil rig and pipeline maintenance workers, and put in long, brutal hours, often isolated from family and friends for weeks at a time and at unremitting risk of injury or death. They perform strenuous labor in hostile environments, all for very little pay. The profession, like others on the list, is facing an employment crisis.

Roofers and painters, meanwhile, continue to suffer from the bursting of the housing bubble, Lee says. "Construction fell last year, and demand for jobs in the industry plummeted this year," he adds. "Painter and roofer are also outdoor jobs that are risky and physically demanding." Roofer ranks No. 4, and painter No. 8, among the worst jobs for 2011.

On the other hand the best jobs for 2011 aren't dangerous, physically demanding or highly stressful--but they do require proficiency in science, math or technology and a college degree.

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Thanks partly to our infatuation with cellphone apps and cloud computing, technical positions have jumped to the top of the lists this year. The No. 1 job, software engineer, requires computer knowledge, skill with numbers and an ability to design and create software. "We are in a technological revolution right now, and there is heated demand for software engineers," Lee says. The profession is considered a low stress one with good pay and a positive hiring outlook--and it isn't the only one.

Mathematician, biologist and actuary are all professions that have reappeared high in the rankings by providing enjoyable work environments and substantial salaries, but the biggest jump this year was for audiologist, which rose from No. 43 in 2010 to No. 9 in 2011. "A large number of audiologists are hitting retirement age," Lee says. Baby boomers, meanwhile, are reaching an age where their hearing starts to go. More patients and a demand for new professionals make audiology one of the best fields to go into in America.

Other best jobs for 2011 include dental hygienist, meteorologist and statistician.

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CareerCast, which has ranked the best and worst jobs in America for 15 years, seeks to find professions that provide the best overall experience for employees, not just jobs that shine in one particular area.

The Best Jobs for 2011

1. Software Engineer


Chip Chipman/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Researches, designs, develops and maintains software systems along with hardware development for medical, scientific and industrial purposes.

Overall Score: 60

Work Environment: 150

Physical Demands: 5

Stress: 10.4

Median Income: $87,140

Hiring Outlook: 27.4

2. Mathematician


PhotoAlto/Michele Constantini/Getty Images
Applies mathematical theories and formulas to teach or solve problems in a business, educational or industrial environment.

Overall Score: 73

Work Environment: 89.72

Physical Demands: 3.97

Stress: 12.78

Median Income: $94,178

Hiring Outlook: 19.78

3. Actuary


AP Photo/John Bazemore
Interprets statistics to determine the probabilities of accidents, sickness, death and loss of property from theft and natural disasters.

Overall Score: 123

Work Environment: 179.44

Physical Demands: 3.97

Stress: 16.04

Median Income: $87,204

Hiring Outlook: 17.04

4. Statistician


George Pchemyan/istockphoto
Tabulates, analyzes and interprets the numeric results of experiments and surveys.

Overall Score: 129

Work Environment: 89.52

Physical Demands: 3.95

Stress: 14.08

Median Income: $73,208

Hiring Outlook: 11.08

5. Computer Systems Analyst


Dan Driedger/istockphoto
Plans and develops computer systems for businesses and scientific institutions.

Overall Score: 147

Work Environment: 90.78

Physical Demands: 5.08

Stress: 16.53

Median Income: $77,153

Hiring Outlook: 15.53

Click here to see the full list of the Best Jobs for 2011

The Worst Jobs for 2011

1. Roustabout


Christian Lagereek/istockphoto
Performs routine physical labor and maintenance on oil rigs and pipelines, both onshore and off.

Overall Score: 892

Work Environment: 892

Physical Demands: 36.89

Stress: 26.43

Median Income: $32,143

Hiring Outlook: -19.57

2. Ironworker


AP Photo/Mark Lennihan
Raises the steel framework of buildings, bridges and other structures.

Overall Score: 887

Work Environment: 1,593.72

Physical Demands: 36.85

Stress: 31.270

Median Income: $34,127

Hiring Outlook: -12.73

3. Lumberjack


Jeffrey Hochstrasser/istockphoto
Fells, cuts and transports timber to be processed into lumber, paper and other wood products.

Overall Score: 868

Work Environment: 1817.53

Physical Demands: 38.87

Stress: 40.09

Median Income: $32,109

Hiring Outlook: 0.09

4. Roofer


Ju-Lee/istockphoto
Installs roofs on new buildings, performs repairs on old roofs and re-roofs old buildings.

Overall Score: 863

Work Environment: 1,481.2

Physical Demands: 33.46

Stress: 30.68

Median Income: $34,168

Hiring Outlook: -9.32

5. Taxi Driver


Rafael Ben-Ari/Chameleons Eye/Newscom
Operates a taxicab over the streets and roads of a municipality, picking up and dropping off passengers upon request.

Overall Score: 821

Work Environment: 2,317.21

Physical Demands: 14.46

Stress: 46.27

Median Income: $21,127

Hiring Outlook: 5.27

Click here to see the full list of the Worst Jobs for 2011

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