Apr 18, 2007 21:58
Money really can't buy happiness, study finds
Clergy are the most satisfied with their jobs; lawyers, doctors down on the list
By Barbara Rose
Tribune staff reporter
Published April 17, 2007
The old saw "money can't buy happiness" apparently holds true when it comes to work.
Highly-paid professionals like doctors and lawyers didn't make the cut when researchers set out to find the most satisfied workers.
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Other occupations in which more than 60 percent said they were very satisfied included teachers, painters and sculptors, psychologists and authors.
"The most satisfying jobs are mostly professions, especially those involving caring for, teaching and protecting others and creative pursuits," said Tom W. Smith, director of NORC's General Social Survey, a poll supported by the National Science Foundation.
For the most satisfied workers, intrinsic rewards are key, the study suggests.
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Others in helping professions describe their work as a calling.
"I believe I was probably put on this earth to make someone's life a little easier, that's what I get out of my job," said Gina Kolk, an Oak Park physical therapist who has practiced 23 years. "I love my job. I think it's because I see results very quickly. I see positive things happen to people very quickly. I get rewarded every day by what I do."
Satisfaction generally rises with social status, and higher status often goes hand in hand with higher pay, Smith said. An exception is doctors, a high-paying profession that ranked No. 1 in occupational prestige. General practitioners earn more than twice as much as physical therapists, for instance, averaging $140,370 annually compared with $65,350, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Yet doctors scored lower in satisfaction and happiness.
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TOP OCCUPATIONS IN JOB SATISFACTION
1. Clergy
2. Physical therapists
3. Firefighters
4. Education administrators
5. Painters, sculptors
BOTTOM OCCUPATIONS IN JOB SATISFACTION
1. Roofers
2. Waiters, servers
3. Laborers (not construction)
4. Bartenders
5. Hand packers and packagers
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