essays
Writing, Editing, and Other Poor Career Choices
Electric Lit is committed to publishing—and paying writers—through the pandemic without any layoffs or pay cuts. Please consider supporting us during this difficult time. Donate here.
.
The Wall Street Journal reports that actuaries have the best jobs in the world. The worst job? Newspaper reporter. Those careers bookend a list of the 200 Best and Worst Jobs of 2013, “based on five criteria: physical demands, work environment, income, stress, and hiring outlook.”
So where does writing rank? While being an author (156) is slightly better than being a magazine editor (168), it’s still worse than being a funeral director (116), nuclear decontamination technician (65), or podiatrist (23). However, being a technical writer (60) isn’t too bad.
If you feel like your life as a novelist is nothing but unfulfilling navel gazing, you may want to look a little further south and become a foot doctor instead. Or you could look on the bright side: at least “author” is still considered a career.
Find the full 200 Best and Worst Jobs of 2013 here.
