What careers offer the best work/life balance, least stress?

Thoughts?
Most jobs in the STEM field require a lot of overtime, quite high stress jobs, attached at your desk to a ball and chain etc.
So what careers offer the best work/life balance whilst generating an acceptable income?

Reply 1

AnnaRainbows

Original post by ALittleLost25

If you're picking a career just by looking at those features, it will be stressful and miserable either way, assuming you don't enjoy every single proffession in the world.

Career offering best work/life balance with a good income? I can only guess, but maybe some sort of managing job? I have a few friends who work in companies where, according to them, their managers get paid a lot for minimum amount of work. So that doesn't sound stressful, right?

Good luck anyway :smile:

Reply 2

jblackmoustache

Original post by ALittleLost25

It's definitely not teaching. Most teachers I know complain of being under a lot of stress and a lack of time to themselves (there's a lot of stats out there so i'll leave you to have a look). I would recommend nobody get into teaching at the moment.

To me It seems to be most 'people' jobs that are high stress, high overtime, etc. Social work, healthcare, teaching... In my experience though it's the frontline jobs that are stressful and too demanding whilst the management jobs are much more chilled out; the frontline staff in the trenches whilst the managers are sat at their desk eating cakes, sipping coffee, attending conferences and meetings (an excuse for free food and coffee) and flirting with each other.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 3

fg45344

Academia, like Lecturer or University Professor.

Reply 4

YouAreGhey

Original post by fg45344

Academia, like Lecturer or University Professor.

but you have to mark work/set papers

Reply 5

Lucasium

I hear that the actuarial profession has one of the best balances

Reply 6

jblackmoustache

Original post by fg45344

Academia, like Lecturer or University Professor.

Academia is mega stressful and very competitive. There are a lot of PhDs that are deciding not to go the traditional academia route once they graduate.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 7

Platopus

Original post by ALittleLost25

For me, primary school teaching fits the bill and that is why it is the career I hope to pursue. It pays well, people always need teachers and you get the best holidays.

Reply 8

Tsrsarahhhh

Optometry/pharmacy in a retail setting?

Reply 9

jblackmoustache

Original post by Platopus

For me, primary school teaching fits the bill and that is why it is the career I hope to pursue. It pays well, people always need teachers and you get the best holidays.

Primary seems to be much more competitive than secondary teaching. I've been in Primary Schools before and there were absolutely no male staff, which I find pretty depressing.

There really needs to be more men in primary. Often enough i've found people assume if you're a man that you want to go into secondary.

Reply 10

Platopus

Original post by jblackmoustache

That sucks because I'm a woman... I'm guessing that means it will be more difficult for me to get a job in primary as schools will be looking to employ more men to rectify the gender imbalance in their staff :frown:

Reply 11

1secondsofvamps

Original post by Platopus

For me, primary school teaching fits the bill and that is why it is the career I hope to pursue. It pays well, people always need teachers and you get the best holidays.

I'm hoping to be a primary school teacher as well. It's a decent job with good holidays so if I ever have my own children I'll get to spend time with them. And it's not too stressful as long as you know what you're doing.

What draws me the most to this career is that I'll get to be around children pretty much every day, they are little bundles of joy! At my last work placement I was at a pre school, I enjoyed it so much I literally wanted to adopt them all!

Reply 12

Platopus

Original post by 1secondsofvamps

Good luck! You sound as though you will be a fab teacher :smile:

librarian

Original post by mrahim

librarian

Certainly not stressful, but mega boring. Making a 40 hour work week feel like an 80 hour week when there's little to do

Reply 15

ddrrzzeerr

Civil service. I'm at HMRC the pay is good and the hours are really good.

Reply 16

mrahim

Original post by ALittleLost25

Certainly not stressful, but mega boring. Making a 40 hour work week feel like an 80 hour week when there's little to do

but i think you get a lot of time to yourself, so you can read books, be in a nice environment etc. try filling in spreadsheets and writing pointless reports if you want boring.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 17

brabzzz

A job you enjoy. Then it isn't really work in the true sense of trading your life for money. For some people that is IB, for some it is something altogether more bohemian. But take the person out of their element and life sucks. Shame careers advisors and society does not push that angle. Look at Scandinavia where the top to bottom quartile earnings differential is a fracion of what it is in the 'west' and the logical conclusion is that people do jobs they enjoy and are happier. Be happy, be good at your job and the money may or may not come - but you will be happy. We get 75 years to enjoy life - consider your priorities. Lots of money and lots of stress and power might not be 'it'. At the monent i'd consider anything less than 5 months a year off to be equivalent to slavery - but give it a few years and maybe 9-5 with weekends and paid holidays will seem like heaven - priorities change too.