Most Overrated and Underrated Jobs
You won't believe what tops the list.
Sept. 17, 2013 — -- intro:
CareerCast.com has released a list of its 12 most overrated and underrated jobs in the country, showing that money isn't everything when it comes to the best careers.
Overrated jobs are defined as those that seem attractive from the outside but that sound better than they really are. The may have a poor outlook for jobs, too many candidates entering the field, poor working conditions or high barriers to entry. Underrated jobs have a positive hiring outlook, with rising salary, high autonomy and lower stress levels.
The careers website used data from its annual overall jobs report, last released in April, with updated data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics among other sources. CareerCast regularly scans surveys that measure job satisfaction and the economic outlook of careers.
Tony Lee, publisher of CareerCast, noted that this year, the job of "computer programmer" appeared on the overrated list for the first time.
"People think, 'If I can program, I'm golden'," Lee said. But the hiring outlook and salary growth for that job has slowed. "It's not quite as exciting and glamorous as people think. You're not inventing Google. You're writing code to help make something run better."
Here are CareerCast.com's most overrated jobs and their median salaries:
quicklist:category: $79,680title: 1text: Advertising Account Exec
quicklist:category: >$166,400title: 2text: Surgeon
quicklist:category: $71,720title:3text: Stockbroker
quicklist:category: $95,450title:4text: Public Relations Manager
quicklist:category: $168,140title:5text: Senior Corporate Executive
quicklist:category: $45,810title:6text: Event Coordinator
quicklist:category: $73,090title:7text: Architect
quicklist:category: $114,200title:8text: Commercial Airline Pilot
quicklist:category: $113,530title:9text: Attorney
quicklist:category: $74,280title:10text: Computer Programmer
quicklist:category: $91,860title:11text: Economist
quicklist:category: $67,650title:12text: Psychologist
quicklist:category: $79,680title: 1text: Computer Systems Analyst
quicklist:category: $84,460title: 2text: Veterinarian
quicklist:category: $72,700title:3text: Biologist
quicklist:category: $60,300title:4text: Market Research Analyst
quicklist:category: $63,550title:5text: Accountant
quicklist:category: $31,020title:6text: Emergency Medical Technician
quicklist:category: $46,990title:7text: Legal Assistant
quicklist:category: $79,340title:8text: Civil Engineer
quicklist:category: $87,760title:9text: School Principal
quicklist:category: $49,140title:10text: Plumber
quicklist:category: $49,840title:11text: Electrician
quicklist:category: $55,370title:12text: Librarian