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Forbes 25 best and worst jobs 17

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sms

Mechanical
May 10, 2001
787
US
Forbes listed their 25 best paying jobs (in the US), and I was interested to note that two engineering positions made the list:

Engineering managers at a mean salary of $110,000 USD
Petroleum engineers at a mean salary of $101,000 USD

Here is the link to the article..





-The future's so bright I gotta wear shades!

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aplmke-
I agree 100%. I have never been comparing job stresses of professionals with life stresses of those in poverty - not once. This whole discussion started with someone saying, "I never realized America screwed over their bottom-enders so bad".
 
Getting back to the OP, I found this article interesting as well...


"The problem is that Britain has relatively few engineers – 5% of higher-education applicants opt for engineering courses against 15% in France and 44% in China. In 2004, there were more media studies undergraduates than physics and chemistry undergraduates combined."

So are you guys in the UK starting to reap the benefits of a tight engineering labor market?

-The future's so bright I gotta wear shades! B-)

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I have never worked in a factory but I have had my fair share of fast food/restaurant jobs as well as professional jobs. I think there are different kinds of stresses for each. With the service industry I was on my feet all day and running around like crazy. So there was a physical stress. I had nothing to worry about if I did my job. No decisions, or resposibilities beyond getting my job done and going home. After a while of doing this there was not even a physical stress. It was just a job to pay the bills.

As an engineer I have had mental stresses. Worrying at night about decisions I made that day. If I screw up its not a 5 dollar value meal its a 100k tooling change. I also get to visit plants and see the end result of my labors. I don't think one line worker I have seen has any form of stress other than sore feet at the end of the day. I am not saying that all blue collar jobs are that way but just the ones I have seen. The only blue collar jobs I have any sympathy for is the newbie construction worker digging a ditch on the side of the road in the middle of winter while standing in water ;) And only a little bit because he probably makes more money than I do :)

On the other hand I believe stress is chosen. Stressed out? Quit! I have done it before and will do it again. Everyone makes their own bed. I don't care what your childhood was like. When you are on your own and responsible for your own life there is always a better way. Just making ends meet? Get a new job. Not educated enough to get that job? Go back to school. I went to school full time (for my BSME) while working full time and raising a family.

A family member of ours works on the line at GM and gets upset when he doesnt get his overtime. He makes 100k a year when he does. Doens't sound stressful to me. Personally if I was stressed out I don't care what they are paying me. To each his own I guess.

Sorry for the rant! I think I am stressing myself out.
 
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