5 Low-Stress, High-Pay Jobs (And How to Get Them)
Call it the best of both worlds.
Yes, most of us would love a high-paying job. But, at that the same time, most of us don’t want the stress that often comes with a high-paying job.
Well, we wanted to find the jobs that offered both low stress and high pay. So, we looked at O*NET, a US Department of Labor database that uses survey data to determine how stressful jobs are. A job's stress level is displayed via a “stress tolerance” score, where anything 71 or below is considered relatively low.
Then we matched those jobs with LinkedIn salary data to find positions that are both low stress and pay at least $70,000 annually – which we coupled with LinkedIn Learning courses that teach the skills needed to get them.
One caveat, it’s not to say these jobs are easy. They just tend to be lower stress, relative to other jobs.
1. Civil Engineer
- Average US Salary: $72,000
- Stress Tolerance Score: 71
- US Jobs on LinkedIn: 5,700+
- Job Description: Civil engineers plan, design and oversee the construction and maintenance of structures and infrastructure, like roads and bridges.
- Related LinkedIn Learning Learning Paths: Become a Civil Engineering CAD Technician, Become an Architecture CAD Technician
2. Art Director
- Average US Salary: $70,000
- Stress Tolerance Score: 69
- US Jobs on LinkedIn: 2,900+
- Job Description: Art directors are generally responsible for the overall vision of a design projects: the concept, look, feel, imagery, messaging, execution and even editorial direction.
- Related LinkedIn Learning courses: Learning Art Direction, How to Get a Job in Design, Creativity: Generate Ideas in Greater Quantity and Quality
3. Software Engineer
- Average US Salary: $92,300
- Stress Tolerance Score: 65
- US Jobs on LinkedIn: 99,000+
- Job Description: Software engineers develop, edit and test software solutions.
- Related LinkedIn Learning Learning Paths: Become a Web Developer, Become a Front-End Web Developer, Become a Full-Stack Web Developer
4. Systems Administrator
- Average US Salary: $99,000
- Stress Tolerance Score: 64
- US Jobs on LinkedIn: 11,800+
- Job Description: System administrators are responsible for provisioning, installing, operating and maintaining an organization’s hardware, software and related infrastructure.
- Related LinkedIn Learning Learning Paths: Become an IT Technician, Become a Certified Azure Infrastructure Professional, Become a Windows System Administrator (Server 2012 R2)
5. Statistician
- Average US Salary: $90,000
- Stress Tolerance Score: 59
- US Jobs on LinkedIn: 2,000+
- Job Description: Statisticians primarily gather numerical data and then visualize it to spot trends and make predictions.
- Related LinkedIn Learning Courses: Become a Data Scientist, Statistics Foundations: 1, Excel Statistics Essential Training: 1
Of course, just because some people find these jobs low stress, doesn't mean you will. Instead, you'd be much better off finding what you are passionate about, and pursuing that – even if it does come with a bit more stress.
LinkedIn Learning has thousands of courses covering nearly any professional skill you’d like to learn, from creative to tech to business. Check out our full library today.
Topics: Career success tips
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