10 of the Highest Paying, Least Stressful Jobs in the World

Thinking about a career change? Consider these career fields that can pad your wallet without long hours or too much anxiety.

21 March, 2018
10 of the Highest Paying, Least Stressful Jobs in the World

Recently, the smart people at Business Insider consulted the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Occupational Information Network (or O*NET, a database that ranks professions on a scale of zero to 100, where the lower number means less stress), and other smart people to identify jobs that fall in a sweet spot—they pay more than $70,000 a year and have a low O*NET ranking. No surprise: Nine of the top ten highest paying jobs fall in the fields of math and science. Here are the ten that pay the most. (Click here for the full list.)

10. ECONOMIST

Stress tolerance: 59

Average annual salary: $109,230

What they do: Economists study the production and distribution of resources, goods, and services.

Education requirements: Bachelor's degree

9. ASTRONOMER

Stress tolerance: 62

Average annual salary: $110,220

What they do: Observe, research, and analyze astronomical phenomena to increase basic knowledge or apply such information to practical problems.

Education requirements: Ph.D. for most research jobs.

8. ACTUARY

Stress tolerance: 64

Average annual salary: $110,560

What they do: Analyze the financial costs of risk and uncertainty.

Education requirements: Bachelor's degree and a series of exams to become certified.

7. Mathematician

Stress tolerance: 57

Average annual salary: $112,560

What they do: Conduct research in fundamental mathematics or in application of mathematical techniques to science, management, and other fields; solve problems in various fields using mathematical methods.

Education requirements: Bachelor's or master's degree for those who want to work in government, and a doctorate may be required to work for private companies.

6. COMPUTER HARDWARE ENGINEER

Stress tolerance: 67

Average annual salary: $114,970

What they do: Research, design, develop, or test computer or computer-related equipment for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use.

Education requirements: Bachelor's degree from an accredited program.

5. OPTOMETRIST

Stress tolerance: 70

Average annual salary: $115,750

What they do: Perform eye exams to check for vision problems and diseases. They prescribe eyeglasses or contact lenses as needed.

Education requirements: Bachelor's, four-year doctor of optometry program, and a state license.

4. PHYSICIST

Stress tolerance: 61

Average annual salary: $118,500

What they do: Conduct research into physical phenomena, develop theories on the basis of observation and experiments, and devise methods to apply physical laws and theories.

Education requirements: Ph.D. for most research jobs.

3. LAW TEACHER

Stress tolerance: 63

Average annual salary: $126,230

What they do: Teach courses in law.

Education requirements: Bachelor's and law degrees.

2. COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGER

Stress tolerance: 64

Average annual salary: $141,000

What they do: Help determine the information technology goals of an organization; responsible for implementing the appropriate computer systems to meet those goals.

Education requirements: Bachelor's degree.

1. ORTHODONTIST

Stress tolerance: 67

Average annual salary: $221,390

What they do: Examine, diagnose, and treat dental misalignments and oral cavity anomalies, design appliances to realign teeth and jaws.

Education requirements: Bachelor's degree, four-year dental school, and two to three years of residency training.

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