The Most Demanding Careers
Demanding careers are those that require a lot of the worker relative to the pay and benefits received. Careers considered demanding are usually high stress, labor intensive, involve long hours and commitment, and are a major factor in the quality of life of employees. People who work in the most demanding careers often do so for a sense of self-worth and personal satisfaction.
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Firefighter
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In his "All Work and No Play: The Nation's Top Eight Most-Demanding Jobs" for Career Cast, Andrew Strieber lists firefighter as the number one most demanding career. Striber indicates the margin between firefighters and the second-most demanding job is significant "thanks to a combination of long hours, life-threatening situations, physical demands, and responsibility for the lives of others." Firefighters take on these risks and responsibilities for the modest pay of $44,218 for an average 55-hour work week.
Surgeon
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Number two on Strieber's list is surgeon. Medical professionals, in general, often face very demanding jobs, as evidenced by the fact that physicians and psychiatrists are also among the top eight demanding jobs on the list. Surgeon's are typically well-compensated for their efforts with an average income of $309,118. However, with on-call hours and other duties, they have little time to spend their money with a 55-hour average week. In her World Wide Learn article "Quickly Growing Employment Sectors Offer In-Demand Careers," Wendy Croix indicates demand for medical professionals, including surgeons, is expected to rise through 2014.
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Home Health Aide
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Croix indicates that one in five jobs through 2014 will be in health care and home health aide is projected as the most in-demand job through that time. The challenge is finding people willing to take on the tremendous stress involved in caring for the aging population of 55 and over. Turnover is extremely high among home health aides because of the labor, stress, physical and emotional burnout, according to Croix, not to mention the low pay of just $8.58 to $9.69 per hour.
Police Officer
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Police officer is another extremely demanding and risky profession. Strieber includes this occupation as fourth on his list of demanding careers. Police officers often risk their safety and lives to prevent and protect against crime, investigate it and serve the public. Pay of $51,160 for a 47-1/2-hour work week is modest given the daily stress and conflict police officers experience. Adding to the demanding nature of the job is lack of empathy and appreciation from many people.
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References
- Photo Credit firefighter and flames 2 image by Tino Hemmann from Fotolia.com
