7 Jobs With Low Stress, Decent Pay--and Lots of Opportunities

7 Jobs With Low Stress, Decent Pay--and Lots of Opportunities

Better to Be One Than Visit One -- Dental Hygienist

There's no mystery why being a dental hygenist might not be the first career ambition that springs to mind – after all these are the people who subjected your mouth to plenty of scraping and prodding throughout your childhood. But life on the other side of all those unpleasant instruments has plenty to recommend it to the sober minded – the unemployment rate in the field is a rock bottom 1.2 percent and the average income a respectable $67,107 a year.

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7 Jobs With Low Stress, Decent Pay--and Lots of Opportunities

On the Frontline of the Obesity Epidemic -- Dietitian

With the American population aging, many experts agree that healthcare fields are a good bet for career stability for decades to come. Dietitian meets the criteria of being in the healthcare field but also benefits from another, otherwise unfortunate, demographic trend – Americans are getting fatter and are only going to need more advice on sorting out their diets in the years to come. Maybe that's why dieticians have a shockingly low unemployment rate of 3.2 percent. Join the field and you can expect to earn around $52,127, the annual income average for the profession.

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7 Jobs With Low Stress, Decent Pay--and Lots of Opportunities

Good Jobs But Geeky Reputation -- Software Engineer

CareerCast might be stretching it a bit in calling this career "underrated" as it frequently shows up on lists of best jobs. It's understandable why some might view it as less than glamorous though, with its geeky image of pasty nerds locked in rooms with their computers for long hours. But if you're prepared for a fairly large dose of alone time at work, the advantages of a job as a software engineer are obvious. The average income of  $87,140 a year is substantial and, with Silicon Valley firms battling it out for scarce engineers, unemployment isn't a big problem. In 2010, the rate was a mild 4.6 percent.

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7 Jobs With Low Stress, Decent Pay--and Lots of Opportunities

High Growth for the Highly Educated – Market Research Analyst

What exactly does a market research analyst do? "Collects and evaluates data to make recommendations to businesses concerning trends in consumer purchasing," according to CareerCast, which notes the $62,229 average income for the profession and the 2010 unemployment rate of 7.7 percent.

That's a significantly higher rate than some other gigs on the CareerCast list, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics agrees the job is a good bet for the future. "Employment is expected to grow much faster than average," in the field, according to the BLS, but the bureau also warns that "job opportunities should be best for jobseekers with a master's or Ph.D. degree in marketing or a social science and with strong quantitative skills."

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7 Jobs With Low Stress, Decent Pay--and Lots of Opportunities

A Good Bet, Even in a Bad Economy -- Loan Officer

The middle of a housing bust and in a weak economy may not seem like the best time to take up a career as a loan officer, but even in 2010 when the economy was far from hot the profession had an unemployment rate of 7.7 percent. Average income is $55,239 a year. Assuming banks get back to lending again, eventually, it's a sold, steady job worth considering, according to CareeerCast.

And the Bureau of Labor Statistics agrees, saying "employment of loan officers is projected to grow 10 percent between 2008 and 2018, which is about as fast as the average for all occupations." Opportunities for commercial rather than consumer loan officers are particularly strong, according to the BLS, which reports "excellent opportunities should exist for commercial loan officers as banks report having a hard time finding qualified candidates." 

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7 Jobs With Low Stress, Decent Pay--and Lots of Opportunities

The Wisdom of Bean Counters -- Accountant

Are you good with numbers but put off by the high stress, high competition prospect of work on Wall Street? Working as an accountant might be a better alternative. Sure, the profession has a less than scintillating reputation, but the industry does have plenty of big players willing to offer flexible work arrangements. Plus, the average income of $60,174 isn't bad and the unemployment rate in the field is a decent five percent.

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7 Jobs With Low Stress, Decent Pay--and Lots of Opportunities

A Law Career Without the Law School Debt – Paralegal

The woes of debt-laden law school grads are well documented with too many newly minted lawyers chasing too few jobs. And then there are the lifestyle sacrifices -- the legal profession is notorious for the demands it puts on new associates. But if you're prepared to take a prestige hit in order to suffer a lot less stress, than a career as a paralegal might be a better bet. The average income for the profession is a respectable $47,153 a year and the unemployment rate a comparatively very low 4.6 percent.

(Image courtesy of Flickr user Dan4th, CC 2.0)