What does it mean to be happy at work, and what defines job satisfaction? Is it all about the big salary?
These are the questions that inspired the latest study from the team at career.io. It analyzed thousands of Glassdoor reviews to create a list of the happiest and unhappiest job titles across the USA.
Here’s a look at the results.
America’s Happiest Job Title
No one loves their jobs more than U.S. real estate agents, according to career.io research. The Glassdoor reviews show that these property brokers ranked their profession a very impressive 4.24 out of 5.
Real estate agents love the autonomy and flexibility of the job role. They also take a lot of satisfaction from helping people find their dream homes, especially first-time buyers just getting a foot onto the property ladder.
The Unhappiest Job in America
Mail carriers are having a tough time staying motivated and getting up for those (very) early starts. Data from Glassdoor posts show that they’re the unhappiest type of worker in the U.S., rating their job a lowly 2.83 stars.
“Why are we so unhappy?” reads one review. “Long hours, low pay, risk of being attacked by criminals, and underappreciated by the general public.”
Maybe we should all try to be a little kinder to these unsung heroes. After all, the mail won’t deliver itself.
Happy Jobs That Don’t Require a Degree
High school students are under enormous pressure to get into college and earn that all-important degree.
And while higher education is important (and can be a big salary booster), you don’t need a degree to build a successful, well-paid, and rewarding career.
Just ask the carpenters, real estate agents, and flight attendants who shared their career on Glassdoor. Many of them are not college-educated but still posted glowing reviews of their career choices and day-to-day job roles.
No Degree Jobs with the Unhappiest Workers
Pest control technician ranks as one of the unhappiest jobs that doesn’t require a degree. However, their lack of job satisfaction may have more to do with dealing with rats, pests, and other creepy crawlies all day. Plus, this is another of those essential but unglamorous trades that rarely receive the respect and appreciation they deserve.
Security guards also expressed a similar amount of job frustration on Glassdoor. And who can blame them? It’s a tough job that often involves dealing with the very worst behavior of the general public.
Happiest High-Paying Jobs
Google’s data scientists ranked as the happiest high-paid workers in this study, rating their jobs as a 4-star profession on Glassdoor.
“Wonderful experience to work here,” posted one Data Science Project Manager at Google. “Amazing culture, amenities, benefits, locations, flexibility, trust.”
And they have a juicy pay package with that fantastic workplace culture. The average salary for a Google data scientist is close to six figures.
High-Paying but Unhappy Jobs
This last chart makes for some concerning reading. Secondary school and special education teachers ranked in the top three of the USA’s highest-paying but least satisfying jobs.
And they’re not the only critical workers who feel undervalued. Police detectives and therapists are two more professionals unhappy at work, despite taking home a high salary. Not good.
