The 10 Happiest Jobs

Happiness at work may be difficult to nail down, despite the fact that almost everyone seeks a career that will bring them joy. According to a number of studies, persons who get meaning from the tasks they do on a daily basis tend to report higher levels of happiness and contentment. But happiness is a subjective concept that may signify a variety of things to different individuals. A profession that requires working outside, for instance, could be appealing to some people but unappealing to others.

It's common for people's interests and passions to shift as well. It is possible that the job that you presently fantasize about having may not wind up being your ultimate professional ambition. It's possible that your love of animals may lead you to consider a career as a veterinarian, only for you to later discover that you're not ready to deal with the emotional strain that comes with the position.

The unfortunate truth is that just half of all employees in the United States can claim to be "extremely pleased" with their occupations. The majority of people believe that factors such as a low-stress workplace, a respectable wage, helpful coworkers, a good work-life balance, and the ability to conduct meaningful work are the most important factors in determining job satisfaction and happiness.

So, what kinds of work make people the happiest? The following is a list of the 10 occupations that we determined to be the happiest and most rewarding after doing research on a variety of career pathways and utilizing characteristics such as job satisfaction, evaluations of job meaningfulness, job outlook, work-life balance, and income competition.

The 10 Jobs That Will Make You the Most Happy and Satisfied

symbol for the user group Dental Hygienist

You would not think that a job where you spend all day cleaning teeth could bring you pleasure, but it can. The results of a poll conducted by PayScale indicate that dental hygienists are among the top 50 most satisfied workers out of more than 500 different occupations. According to Glassdoor's 2019 poll of employee happiness, the role is also in second place.

Dental hygienists are responsible for more than just cleaning patients' teeth and gums; they also do oral cancer screenings, take X-rays, and teach patients on how to maintain good oral health. A good number of hygienists take pleasure in the opportunity to cultivate connections with patients while also enhancing and assisting in the maintenance of their dental health.

book-open icon Administrator of Educational Programs

The administration of education, especially at the primary and secondary school levels, is often regarded as one of the most fulfilling fields of work. With an overall job satisfaction rating of 88 percent, these professionals finished in sixth place on PayScale's list of the most satisfied workers in the workforce. Additionally, administrators place a very high value on the meaningful aspects of their work (95 percent ).

In terms of the work that they do, elementary and secondary education administrators, such as principals, vice principals, school directors, and superintendents, put together curricula, manage staff, counsel students, and oversee school budgets. In addition, elementary and secondary education administrators are responsible for ensuring that schools meet state and federal education requirements.

Therapists in Physical Therapy

As a physical therapist, one of the most rewarding aspects of one's job is the opportunity to assist patients in regaining their physical fitness and returning to their normal activities. According to a poll conducted by PayScale, an astounding ninety percent of physical therapists believe their work has significant purpose. In addition, about four out of five physical therapists who were polled reported having excellent levels of professional satisfaction.

Patients suffering from injuries, impairments, and other physical ailments may seek treatment from physical therapists, who diagnose and treat these patients. In addition, they aid patients in managing their chronic health problems, enhancing or restoring their mobility, and minimizing or eliminating their discomfort.

symbol of a conversation session A Speech-Language Pathologist

PayScale conducted a poll of speech-language pathologists and found that 90% of respondents considered their work to have a high level of personal significance, while 80% or more of respondents were very pleased with their jobs.

Speech-language pathologists help patients manage and overcome issues linked to speech, communication, language, and swallowing by providing them with therapy and management strategies. People of all ages who are unable to communicate properly as a result of hearing problems, chronic diseases, trauma, or neurological impairments are helped by their crucial work.

Therapist in Radiation Radiation

In the poll conducted by PayScale, almost nine out of ten radiation therapists said that their employment are very gratifying. In addition, 93% of these professionals believed that the work they did made a significant contribution to the world, which is a major determinant of job satisfaction.

Radiation therapists, who work under the supervision of oncologists and radiologists, assist in the treatment of patients who are afflicted with cancer as well as other illnesses by providing radiation therapies in an effort to destroy or reduce the size of tumors. In addition to this, they keep a record of the outcomes and continue to monitor the patients' illnesses.

Forester

The management of our nation's forests relies heavily on the expertise of foresters, who play an essential part in this process. PayScale found that 85 percent of foresters reported high levels of work satisfaction, which may be due to the amount of time spent outside in the natural environment.

Maintaining wilderness areas, managing animal habitats, developing and supervising trail systems, implementing rules and regulations, rehabilitating forests, and educating the public on sustainable timber harvesting are some of the primary responsibilities of foresters. Other responsibilities include developing and overseeing trail systems.

Optometrist

Eyes are said to be the window to the soul, but might they also be the window to a profession that fulfills a person's aspirations and makes them happy? According to PayScale, optometrists are among of the happiest professionals since more than 80 percent of them feel that their employment provides them with both fulfillment and significance.

Optometrists are the eye care professionals who perform regular services, and they should not be confused with ophthalmologists or opticians. Normal responsibilities include of doing eye examinations, diagnosing eye-related illnesses, writing prescriptions for eyeglasses and contact lenses, offering therapy to patients to assist them in managing eye ailments, and performing minor surgical procedures.

Therapists in Occupational Work

According to a poll conducted by PayScale on employee opinions on job satisfaction, more than three-quarters of occupational therapists said that their work provided a high degree of both purpose and fulfillment. The combination of these rankings, the position's competitive income, and the high growth rate that is expected for the profession makes occupational therapy a very gratifying area to work in.

Occupational therapists are trained to assist patients who have suffered from illness, injury, or disability in regaining the skills essential to carry out day-to-day activities by using a variety of therapeutic approaches. Helping patients manage with dementia or recover from a stroke, assisting children with disabilities so they may engage in school activities, educating family members, and offering suggestions for adaptable equipment at the client's home, school, or job are all possible tasks.

Manager of Human Resources (HR)

If you believe yourself to be someone who gets along well with others, you could be interested in working in human resources (HR) management. There is a high level of work satisfaction among HR managers, as shown by their ranking of 11th on Glassdoor, which received a score of 4.2 out of 5.

HR managers are responsible for developing new programs and policies, as well as putting them into effect, in the areas of staffing, training, payroll, benefits, employee relations, governmental rules, health and safety procedures, and other areas. They also assist business executives in determining strategies to optimize the value of an organization's workforce in order to achieve both high efficiency and production levels.

Actuary

It's possible that learning that actuaries are among the occupations with the greatest satisfaction may come as a surprise to you. According to a poll conducted by PayScale, eighty percent of actuaries reported being very satisfied with their careers. Actuaries are also ranked among the top 10 careers by the job search website CareerCast, which uses criteria such as work atmosphere, stress levels, and predicted employment growth to determine its rankings.

Actuaries spend the majority of their careers working in the insurance and finance sectors. Their primary responsibility is to evaluate the many types of financial risk that are linked with the sale of insurance policies, investments, pension plans, and other financial strategies. These financial specialists make their predictions about the likelihood of an event happening by using sophisticated modeling and statistical analysis technologies.