Math-tastic or Un-lumber-able?

A new careers website has released a study in which it ranks 200 occupations based on environment, income, employment outlook, physical demands and stress. According to the study, the top ten are:

1. Mathematician
2. Actuary
3. Statistician
4. Biologist
5. Software Engineer
6. Computer Systems Analyst
7. Historian
8. Sociologist
9. Industrial Designer
10. Accountant

I know what you're asking: Where does Economist rank? Well, maybe you weren't but I'll give you the answer anyway: 11th, marginally out of the top ten. Amongst the worst jobs are Nurse (184), Mail Carrier (189), Garbage Collector (194), Taxi Driver (198) and Lumberjack (200). The complete results are available here.

A brief overview of the rankings reveals a heavy bias towards sedentary, office-type jobs and against jobs requiring any amount of manual labour or exposure to the sun. It seems, then, that the study's authors (who probably work in a sendentary, office-type environment) merely assumed that physical demands are inherently bad and undesirable. There are many people who would disagree with that assumption. Not everyone wants to stare at a computer screen all day and some even prefer fresh air and sunshine (impossible!). For example, people who work in occupations like Auto Mechanic (187) and Butcher (186) probably enjoy the physical element. Even I don't see the sedentary, sun-deprived quality of my job (economist) as a distinct advantage.

The strong performance of math-based jobs compelled me to share these results with a former math professor of mine. I also shared my suspicions about the study's methodology. "How can Sociologist be ranked higher than Economist?" I asked in mock disdain. His response, I think, is quite intuitive.

"I think the lesson to be learned here is: the less people care about what you
do, the happier you are. A sociologist isn't all that different from an
economist. It's just that people care more about what the economist is trying to
model and that puts him under greater stress."

Addendum: Kelly McParland of the National Post also noticed the new study. He likewise notes the methodological bias: "'Bad' jobs are ones in which you actually have to expend physical effort, as opposed to sitting in an office staring at a computer screen." He also gives us his version of the Top Ten Jobs:

1. James Bond
2. Scarlett Johansson's personal masseuse
3. If Scarlett's busy, Penelope Cruz would do
4. Ruler of the Turks and Caicos
5. World's greatest golfer
6. Maybe #5 is unreasonable - How about captain of Tiger Woods' yacht?
7. Text driver at Aston Martin
8. Alexander Ovechkin
9. Warren Buffett, 30 years ago
10. Owner of a small but profitable distillery near the Firth of Forth