Thinking about changing careers or looking to start a new one? A good place to start is with a list of jobs that are best to be avoided. These 13 careers rank among the worst in terms of prospects, advancement, working conditions and compensation.
Lumberjack
With a low median salary (about $24,000 a year), very low growth potential, and having been rated by OSHA as the most dangerous job in America, logging has little competition for the title of worst job in today’s market.
Newspaper Reporter
The median salary is just over $37,000 per year, the market is shrinking, and job security is minimal.
Enlisted Military Personnel
The median salary is under $29,000 a year, studies regularly rank military jobs among the most stressful, and of course there is the inherent risk of being placed in a dangerous situation.
Taxi Driver
The median salary is under $23,000, clients can be intoxicated, obstinate, or otherwise unpleasant, and the industry faces increasing competition from the likes of Uber, Lyft, and other ride-share apps.
Broadcaster
The salary is not bad (around $55,000), but with the industry shrinking, job outlook is increasingly poor, fostering an overly competitive market.
Head Cook
Head cooks pull in a median salary of about $42,000 a year, and do so under extremely stressful conditions which often cause burnout.
Flight Attendant
With a shrinking job market caused by airlines downsizing and consolidating, flight attendants deal with both poor prospects and a low median salary ($37,240).
Garbage Collector
A fairly low median income of $32,720 and less than ideal working conditions make this an unsurprising addition to a worst jobs list.
Firefighter
While the median income isn’t awful at $45,250, the job comes with considerable risk and high stress levels that make it considerably less appealing than other jobs with similar compensation.
Corrections Officer
One of the most stressful jobs in America, and one that is becoming increasingly insecure due to privatization, all for a less-than-ideal compensation of around $38,970 per year.
Oil Rig Worker
Working an oil rig is very physically demanding, and often requires working in high-stress environments isolated from major urban centers. Poor compensation ($37,640 per year) and a push for cleaner, sustainable resources make this field particularly unappealing.
Meter Reader
Meter readers make around $36,000 a year, working in relative isolation with little validation for their efforts. Worse, the projected growth in the job market is negative, with the push toward automatization likely to make meter readers obsolete in coming years.
Roofer
Construction work is difficult, and often requires employees to brave weather extremes while performing strenuous tasks, while earning a median income of $34,220. However, the prospects for this job are slightly improving as the market rebounds from economic crisis.
