In today’s labor market, a well-paid, lucrative job may sound like wishful thinking. We have all heard grim stories of unsuccessful job hunting, but the news is not all dire. According to career site PayScale.com, the good news is that certain industries are still offering fast growing jobs in this otherwise slow-growth economy.

Not all jobs are “hot,” but those looking to start a new career might be helped by looking specifically at certain jobs that pay well in growing industries. These jobs are largely specialized roles that require dedication and are traditionally available to those with a bachelor’s degree.

The following list uses data from PayScale to rank the top 10 jobs in terms of the pay you will receive after you have gained some years of experience, the necessary education (traditionally a bachelor’s degree), the job’s commonness and the years of experience that it will take to reach your plateau.

Mechanical Engineer – $73,200 After Three Years Experience

For people just starting their careers, mechanical engineering is a good place to begin because it is one of the broadest and most in demand of the engineering disciplines. In short, mechanical engineers use science and mathematics to plan and design tools, engines and machines. Many of these engineers work in manufacturing – chiefly for companies that make primary and fabricated materials, machinery and electrical and transportation equipment. Others work for government agencies, colleges and universities and consulting firms.

Software Developer – $82,400 After Four Years Experience

Software developers build the modules or layers of code that create software programs to run on computers or electronic devices. They are currently in high demand because tech startups and giants like Facebook and Google can’t recruit enough top in-house engineering talent fast enough to keep pace with rivals. Developers needs to have strong communication, creative problem solving and analytical skills.

Financial Analyst – $62,600 After Three Years Experience

Financial analysts help businesses, individuals and organizations to make the best possible investment decisions. The industry is currently hot because of increased complexity and global diversification of investments and growth in overall amount of assets under management. Hiring is being conducted by private firms, hospitals, non-profits, local state and federal governments and colleges. According to Mindflash, there is a 20% projected hiring growth and 49,600 projected openings in 2011. Interested applicants should show a mind for research, strong communication, analytical skills and proficiency with borrowing structures.

Electrical Engineer – $84,700 After Four Years Experience

A job in electrical engineering involves designing, developing and maintaining electrical systems and/or components to required specifications, focusing on economy, safety, reliability, quality and sustainability. They may specialize in areas such as power systems, equipment manufacturing or building design. Although jobs in electrical engineering are competitive, statistics show that there is an exponential increase in electrical engineering salaries after just a few years of experience.

Web Developer – $60,900 After Three Years Experience

According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook, the overall job outlook in the field of web development is expected to grow “much faster” than other occupations. Web developers and web designers can choose to freelance (the job pool is vast and varied) or they can work for corporations, schools, non-profits, government organizations or for design firms. Not only do they need to understand technology, they need to be creative problem solvers with strong communication skills.

Financial Advisor – $93,900 After Four Years Experience

Financial advisors provide clients with advice on financial matters, making recommendations on ways to best utilize their money. They provide a broad range of budgeting, tax, investment, and estate advice and there are many career pathways such as working for large financial services firms, boutique advisory practices or as solo practitioners. Financial advisors can enjoy a very high ceiling on income potential as their expertise grows.

Employment Recruiter – $55,400 After Three Years Experience

Certain industries are benefiting from the challenging job market, and it should be no surprise that employment recruiters are in high demand for their services to assist the unemployed in finding a suitable job. Employment recruiters’ daily duties consist of searching out candidates for specific job openings, reviewing resumes, interviewing candidates, administering employment tests, keeping up on rules regarding employment and possibly marketing services to independent companies. For this role an outgoing personality and an understanding of the nuances of the market is a necessity.

Construction Estimator – $67,400 After Four Years Experience

Construction estimators create cost estimates for construction companies based on materials, labor, location and projected timelines. They may work on residential, commercial or municipal building projects. Those interested in this field need to demonstrate strong math and analytical skills, an eye for detail and interpersonal skills for coordinating team members.

Project Engineer, Construction – $69,200 After Three Years Experience

Project engineers plan, design and oversee the construction and maintenance of building structures and facilities. The ideal candidate is a strong leader who is organized and has some practical experience in the construction business. The project engineer has the responsibility for making sure that the project is finished on time and they have to coordinate everything from workers to heavy equipment rental and materials delivery.

Manufacturing Engineer – $73,900 After Five Years Experience

As the final engineering category in our grouping, manufacturing engineers design and improve manufacturing systems. They may work with commercial and industrial designers to increase production, decrease costs and refine a product’s design and may also look into solutions on how manufacturers can edge out the competition. As well as understanding the technical engineering aspects of the role, an ideal candidate must have an interest in understanding the international marketplace and logistics.

The Bottom Line

All of these jobs only require a bachelor’s degree, but there is always room for increased income with more expertise and possibly a graduate degree. If you’re trained for a career in engineering you stand to be well compensated right out of the gate. Engineering dominates the list of top-paid majors, according to results of a new survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). All top 10 require the practical application of math at some level. Most importantly, they all require dedication to learn a craft, so interest and enjoyment in your chosen career is essential.

“Hot, High-Paying Career Sectors” was provided by Investopedia.com.

$100 billion: That’s the number that has been tossed around Wall Street in recent weeks as the social-networking juggernaut quietly began the process of becoming a publically traded company. Yesterday, investors finally got the information they needed to make a more informed choice as Facebook filed papers with government regulators declaring its intent to sell stock to the public.

Facebook’s Closely Guarded Secrets

Facebook’s hotly anticipated initial public offering (IPO) filing briefly crashed the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website last night, as gaggles of investors and financial journalists downloaded the massive S-1 document.

Facebook’s S-1 was full of information and little factoids that, up until now, were closely guarded secrets of the notoriously enigmatic Silicon Valley phenom. For the first time, the public saw how much money Facebook has made over the years  – and how it spends it. With this information finally public, investors can now come up with their own valuation for Facebook.

A $100 Billion Valuation

Founder Mark Zuckerberg (along with a whole slug of investment banks and big private investors) think that a $100 billion valuation is right on the money for the company. That would mean Facebook, an eight-year-old company, would have a higher valuation than more-established giants, like Goldman Sachs or Amazon.com. Zuckerberg would become worth around $26 billion if the $100 billion figure came true, making him one of the world’s richest men at the tender age of 27.

Determining the value of Facebook is equal parts art and science; there are thousands of things to consider and hundreds of moving parts. But at its core, a company’s stock price is basically worth the present value of its future cash flows, augmented by the firm’s propensity to grow is revenues.

How Does Facebook Stack Up?

Well, the firm is rapidly growing its revenues, which is a good thing. But revenue growth, although still rapid, has started to show signs of slowing down. In 2010, Facebook’s revenues jumped up 154% from the previous year to $1.9 billion, as the firm started to rapidly expand across the country. But last year, revenue growth was up by just 88% from 2010 at $3.7 billion. The slowdown in growth is very troubling, as it means that the firm’s earnings potential may not be as great as some might have hoped.

Investors are happy to pay a premium for a company if they see it rapidly expanding. While Facebook is expected to continue growing its revenues, it may not be as fast as some investors expect, given the high valuation that the company claims. After expenses, Facebook made $1 billion in profits last year (valuing the company at 100 times earnings). Multiples that high have not been seen since the dotcom heyday of the late 1990s. To put it into perspective, Google currently trades at 20 times its current profits.

Trouble Ahead?

It’s hard to really make out the firm’s future potential earnings power given some uncertainties. The company warned in its S-1 that users may eventually lose interest in the website (remember MySpace and Friendster?).

Additionally, Facebook depends on advertising to supply 85% of its revenues, with one company, Zygna, the online social-gaming company, providing 12% of that revenue. A slip in advertising dollars could send revenues plummeting. To make matters more complicated, Facebook is concerned that more and more people will choose to access Facebook via their mobile phones. That’s a problem, as they have not developed a way to advertise neatly through smart phones just yet.

Will Investors Agree?

Facebook’s valuation will ultimately be determined in April when its shares hit the market for the first time. The bankers will announce Facebook’s initial stock price usually the day before the stock goes on sale to retail investors. The firm valued its class B stock at around $30 a pop in December. It will be interesting to see if investors agree with that number.

Cyrus Sanati is a frelance financial journalist whose work has appeared in dozens of leading publications, including The New York Times, BreakingViews.com, and WSJ.com. Follow Cyrus on Twitter @csanati

Super Bowl gambling isn’t just limited to innocent wagers amongst friends. In fact, the amount wagered on the Super Bowl is the equivalent of a massive industry, with most of the money going untaxed.

Click on “Launch Infographic” to get a picture of just how much is spent on Super Bowl gambling, as well as some of the more unusual bets that get placed.

I hate textbooks. Yes, I’m using the word “hate” here about textbooks.

Why?

Well, when I was a kid in public school, they were too big and too heavy. I still remember parents at my elementary school complaining about their kids’ back pains.

In my private high school, they were not only too big and too heavy, but now my parents had to buy them and they were very expensive. And in college, they were still too big, still too heavy and even more overpriced. The ultimate insult, however, was the fact that professors seemed to use relatively small amounts of each textbook.

What a racket!

And that’s why I’m ecstatic that Apple just marked the beginning of the end of the ridiculous status quo with its expansion of the iBooks store to include interactive iPad textbooks, in partnership with publishing giants McGraw Hill,  Pearson and Mifflin Harcourt.

Now, I don’t expect an overnight change in the textbook industry — or anything close to it. This is merely the beginning of the destruction of the old textbook industry, which is a transition to a new era that is both 1) friendly to consumers and 2) friendly to Apple’s pocketbook.

Will the cost of the iBooks offset the price of an iPad?

According to Apple’s press release, most titles for the iBooks 2 iPad app will be priced at $14.99 or less, which is cheap enough relative to standard textbooks that they”ll offset the cost of an iPad within two or three semesters.

I don’t know about you, but I think the average person would get a lot more use out of an iPad than last semester’s textbooks, which contain information readily available online 24/7.

The tablet market.

Now, as far as Apple’s profit-motive goes, it’s simple: They’re going to sell a heck of a lot of iPads to students and educational institutions in the coming years, and that means an introduction to Apple’s beautiful walled garden where all the devices and content play nice together — not to mention the 30% cut it will take off those book sales.

Plus, it’s unlikely that tablets based upon Google’s Android platform will be able to make inroads here, given the fragmentation and lack of standardization among models and its small market share, which means low familiarity among potential users.

However, there is another important part of the story here that not many folks are noticing and it might not make the aforementioned book publishers happy.

Textbooks are just the beginning.

Apple also announced today the new iBooks Author app, which “lets anyone with a Mac create stunning iBooks textbooks, cookbooks, history books, picture books and more, and publish them to Apple’s iBookstore.”

That sounds an awful lot like Amazon.com’s self-publishing model, which allows authors to take their ideas straight to market without dealing with a traditional publisher. I’ve argued before that Amazon and Apple will end up owning the book industry and with today’s announcement, Apple is certainly making progress towards emulating Amazon’s growing vertical integration.

At the end of the day, we should all celebrate the decimation of a very anti-consumer industry. Well done Apple and well done publishers.

This article, originally titled, “Apple Destroys the Textbook, and Thank Heavens for That,” was provided by Minyanville.com.
Image provided by Shutterstock.

In his State of the Union address last night, President Obama spoke of a possible manufacturing renaissance popping up right here in the United States. With the right tax policies in place, over time, Mr. Obama believes that this potential renaissance could be a reality.  Is there something to this argument?

The Case

While manufacturing a product is currently cheaper in many parts of Asia (where labor costs are low and workers are more malleable), productivity gains and potential tax benefits here at home could be enough to close the wage gap and make US manufacturing competitive again.

Let’s consider the US versus China. In 2000, Chinese manufacturing workers were paid on average around 50 cents an hour while American manufacturing workers were being paid on average around $16.60 an hour. That means labor costs in China were 3% of that in the United States. In addition, the Chinese currency (the Renminbi or Yuan) was artificially cheap compared to the US dollar, making the disparity even greater in real terms. Chinese workers, while generally not as skilled as American workers, were reliable enough to get the job done, so many US companies relocated there – some enticed by Chinese government subsidies. From 2001 to 2004, US imports from China grew at a rate of around 20% a year.

But that growth rate started to slow around 2005, and by 2010 it had fallen to just 4%. Americans were still consuming plenty of Chinese-made products, but they were starting to get full. Meanwhile, in China, wage inflation started to take hold as people got richer. The average Chinese worker is now projected to earn around $4.50 an hour by 2014, nine times more than s/he earned in 2000, according to an analysis by the Boston Consulting Group. To put that in perspective, if the American manufacturing worker experienced the same rate of wage growth, s/he would have a salary of around $150 an hour by 2014.

The Wage Gap is Closing

Of course, the American manufacturing worker shouldn’t expect their wages to jump by a factor of nine. By 2014, the average hourly rate for an American is expected to be around $26.10. While there is still a major wage gap compared with that of a Chinese worker, it will now be up to 17% of the American worker.

That is still a big enough incentive for many companies to keep their manufacturing in China. But it isn’t always just about the money. It turns out that US workers are far more productive compared to their Chinese counterparts. When you factor in productivity, that Chinese worker is really costing $15.03 an hour compared to $24.81 for a worker in the Southern US, according to BCG. That might still seem like a big gap, but once you factor in duties and shipping, it starts to make sense for manufacturers to do the work at home versus abroad.

But there is one major flaw in this reasoning worth noting. Labor costs, especially for high tech products, aren’t the only reason why companies choose to relocate to China. It also has to do with supply-chain management and access to raw materials. China has built massive manufacturing hubs around the Pearl River Delta that can make almost anything in a flash. Chinese factories can be retooled and producing custom products in a matter of days, while a similar change would take weeks in the US. Measuring productivity per person as BCG did in their study may not be the best way to compare China and US labor costs. The Chinese work in collectives and with the full support of the government’s centrally-planned economy – a strong force to beat.

The Proposed Tax Breaks

President Obama proposed that Congress give American companies tax breaks if they manufacture their products at home and take away tax breaks that give them the incentive to go abroad. He proposed doubling the tax break for high-tech companies. That will help close the labor and collective productivity gap that China holds over the US, but it still may not be enough for some companies to come around to the idea of manufacturing their products in Alabama over Shenzhen. So the President also said he would create a special task force to ensure that Chinese made goods bound for the US did not receive unfair government subsidies. Removing that advantage might just put US manufacturing on an equal footing with China.

Now, the chances that Democrats and Republicans unite in an election year to pass any of these tax breaks seems unlikely given all the acrimony in Washington these days. Until then, there are still a growing number of American companies, including Master Lock and General Motors, which have decided to take the plunge and move their manufacturing plants back to the US. One day, they could be rewarded for the efforts with a big ol’ tax break — and more manufacturing jobs might follow.

Will you be paying more at the pump now that the Obama Administration has rejected plans to build the Keystone XL crude pipeline? At issue is whether the US would allow TransCanada, a large Canadian energy company, to build a massive pipeline that would transport crude oil from Canada and parts of the US, all the way down to the US refining center around Houston, Texas. Those for and against the pipeline have peppered the media with dozens of reasons why the pipeline should, or should not, be built.

Here are a few issues worth considering when assessing the impact of the pipeline on your wallet.

The Pro-Pipeline Argument.

The pro-pipeline advocates say the project is desperately needed because there is not enough takeaway capacity available to fulfill Canadian crude production. They fear lots of Canadian crude could be shut in the ground with nowhere to go if this pipeline isn’t built quickly. In addition, they say the few pipelines that do connect Canada’s oil production region to the US currently flow where refining capacity is limited. This means less gasoline for your tank. Connecting Canada with the big refineries in Texas, they say, would solve both problems, as it increases takeaway capacity and refining capacity. The result would mean more supply for US consumers, and therefore, lower gasoline prices.

The Anti-Pipeline Argument.

The anti-pipeline advocates say the project will just serve the interest of big oil corporations that want to make more money and it would do nothing to improve the supply picture in the US. They are concerned that the oil flowing to Texas will not go to the US market, but will instead be refined and shipped via Houston’s massive port to other parts of the world. They cite a TransCanada study that estimates Canadian crude could fetch as much as $4 billion more per year if the pipeline is built because the pipeline would open up new markets to them.

For now, Canadian crude destined for export has only been able to flow to the US Mid-Continent. This has allowed refiners there to lower prices for the oil, as they were the only player in town. Building this pipeline, they argue, upsets that dynamic and would force refiners to pay more for Canadian crude, which would translate to higher prices at the pump.

When would it affect prices at the pump?

Both sides present compelling arguments on the economic angle of this story but there are a few things you should know. First, as you may have noticed, oil prices did not move radically last week after the administration failed to give the project the green light. That’s because the oil price quoted today is for delivery in a month. The pipeline is not expected to be completed until 2015 and a lot can happen between now and then. So, for now, oil traders have just stored this information in the back of their minds.

The major variable.

Second, oil is a relatively fungible commodity, which means a barrel of oil sold in Canada is capable of mutual substitution with most other barrels of oil from around the globe, plus or minus a few dollars, based on how easily the crude can be refined into gasoline and other products. It shouldn’t matter too much where the barrel of oil is sold or consumed, as it should be relatively the same price, minus transportation costs, across the globe. The US receives much of its oil from Canada, a strong ally, as well as from Venezuela, where its relationship is problematic, because both are close by. The only real variable to be considered here is the shipping cost and that is determined by the distance and ease of transport of the crude.

The crude export market.

Bearing this in mind, it seems clear why supporters believe adding more export capacity will help world oil markets. If Canadian crude is shut in and cannot get to an export market, then the price of crude around the world should rise. Currently, there is enough export capacity to deliver all available Canadian crude to an export market and the US Mid-Continent for at least the next four to five years. There is around 1 million barrels a day of spare capacity available on current lines.

Is the export market the best place for the crude?

There is an export market but is that market the best place for the crude? There probably won’t be more demand for much more crude in the Mid-Continent as its refineries reach peak capacity, which means Canadian crude could be de-facto shut in. Eventually, that crude needs to reach other export markets to impact world supply. Texas is perhaps the best place for the crude, as it has the ability to refine heavy Canadian crude in large quantities.

Currently, there is just one large pipeline, the Seaway pipeline, linking the US Mid-Continent to Houston but the pipeline is flowing refined products up north and not receiving crude. The pipeline was recently sold and the new owner said they would reverse the flow to send crude down to Houston next year. This is expected to erase much of the differential that Mid-Continent refiners enjoyed by being Canada’s only export market.

Is the US the only export market for Canadian crude?

Does the US have to be the only export market for Canadian crude? Canada could upgrade its own pipelines to take more of its own crude to its refining center in Ontario. It could also build a pipeline west to facilitate export to China and beyond. While it would cost more money to ship oil to China than to the US, it is better than crude being shut in the ground. Both alternative solutions are in the planning stages, so neither is far-fetched.

The Bottom Line

At the end of the day, it is widely believed that the excess Canadian crude will find an export market. The largest differential seems to be the price of shipping extra oil to either Texas by the Keystone XL pipeline, versus somewhere else. Given how massive the world oil market is, that differential in cost will likely be small and should have limited, if any, impact on the price you’ll pay at the pump.

Cyrus Sanati is a frelance financial journalist whose work has appeared in dozens of leading publications, including The New York Times, BreakingViews.com, and WSJ.com. Follow Cyrus on Twitter @csanati

The Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Colleges movements are largely driven by citizens who are not able to pay off their debts. While Countrywide engaged in predatory lending that led to an enormous real estate bubble, Sallie Mae has taken a lot of heat for offering student loans to “unworthy” teenagers with unrealistic and impractical professional goals.

Student loans just came due this past November and December 2011, yet college graduates are in even more debt after earning their degrees.

Outstanding student loans are growing by approximately 5% every year and nearing an exorbitant $1 trillion, surpassing even consumer credit card debt. Salaries are decreasing and college costs — along with living and medical expenses — are rising at an annual rate of 5%.

“New Federal laws make it next to impossible for someone under 21 to get a simple credit card, yet the same people can obligate themselves to tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt with absolutely no problem,” said SmartCredit.com President of Consumer Education, John Ulzheimer. “This, of course, makes no sense as student loan debt is arguably worse than credit card debt.”

According to a recent New Yorker piece, almost 14% of college graduates from the classes of 2006 through 2010 can’t find full-time work. Overall, 55.3% of people ages 16 to 29 have jobs — the lowest percentage since World War II. Today, one in five young adults lives below the poverty line.

If you’re one of those individuals who made the ambitious move to take out student loans, Ulzheimer has four tips to help you fight the struggle:

1. Consolidate multiple loans into one giant one.

Student loans are reported to the credit bureaus on a disbursement basis. For example, if you take out five loans to pay for college, then you’ll have five unpaid loans on your credit reports. The fewer the number of loans on your credit report, the better your credit score.

2. Make all payments in a timely fashion.

A missed payment on a student loan is just as damaging as any other loan. Just because student loans can be deferred for years, doesn’t mean due dates are optional. Just like mortgage, auto and credit card companies, student loan lenders have the same ability to report late payments and defaults to credit reporting agencies.

3. Don’t assume your loans will be written off if you’re not worthy enough to pay them back.

Student debt is not statutorily dischargeable. If your loan is guaranteed by the government, then you cannot eliminate it via a bankruptcy. Student loan debt will follow you until you pay it off — or die.

4. Don’t default on your student loans, and don’t think student loan defaults function like other credit default instruments.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) determines the amount of time defaulted debts can remain on your credit report. The FCRA, however, doesn’t include defaulted student loan debt. Instead, student loan credit reporting is governed by the Higher Education Act. Student loans can bleed badly. Unlike other loans, defaulting on student loans can lead to garnishment of wages, seizure of tax returns and Social Security, and the loss of eligibility for federal VA or FHA loan programs.

“Majoring in Debt, Minoring in College” was provided by Minyanville.com.

With common factors such as traffic, crowds, noise, grime, and crime, cities are generally not perceived as oases of calm.

But what makes one city more stressful to live in than the next? In order to gauge the stress of residents in American cities, data cruncher, Sperling’s Best Places, considered the 50 largest metropolitan areas (which includes suburbs).

The team considered the following factors: Divorce rate, commute times, unemployment, violent crime, property crime, suicides, alcohol consumption, mental health, sleep troubles, and the annual amount of cloudy days.

There wasn’t a lot of variance in several categories. For alcohol consumption per month, each of the top 10 cities ranged from 8.7 to 14 drinks per month; for days per month with poor mental health, the metro areas ranged from 2.9 to 4.3; and for days per month of poor sleep, the range was 6.9 to 8.2.

The data behind this list does not paint a cheery picture. The Sunshine State, in particular, seems much less sunny — dismal, even. What follows are the 10 metropolitan areas that fared the worst using the above criteria.

Bring up the word stress in a conversation and you’d better clear your schedule for the next hour.

A whopping 40 percent of American workers say their jobs are very or extremely stressful, according to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.

Of course, some jobs are more stressful than others. Job-search portal CareerCast has once again crunched the statistics and come up with its list of the 10 most stressful jobs  in America.

“Not all jobs are created equal when it comes to stress levels,” said Tony Lee, publisher of CareerCast.com and JobsRated.com. “Probably the one thing that’s overriding is the amount of control you have. People who have the least amount of control have the most amount of stress — they’re reacting to whatever is happening around them.”

Many of the most stressful jobs involved peril and significant hazard, whether it’s coming into contact with hazardous materials or having other people’s lives in your hands. In all, CareerCast used 11 criteria to come up with its list: travel, income outlook/growth potential, deadlines, working in the public eye, competitiveness, physical demands, environmental conditions, hazards encountered, own life at risk, life of another at risk, and meeting the public.

Think your job is on the list?

Taxi Driver

Average annual income: $22,440

You might think being a taxi driver is a sweet gig — you can set your own hours and, unlike the annoying co-worker in the cubicle next to you, when you get an annoying person in your cab, it’s for a limited time. But taxi drivers are repeat customers on the most stressful list for three key reasons: low pay, long hours — and they’re often victims of crime.

Photojournalist

Average annual income: $40,000

Photojournalists are another group that, at first glance, appear to have it all — they get to travel the world taking photographs of beautiful places, historic events and famous people. But they also make the list of most stressful jobs primarily because they’re always on deadline. Photojournalists are not just out for a stroll taking photos like a tourist. They get called on a moment’s notice to go where the fire is burning, where war is waging, or where the car accident is being cleaned up.

“Talk about control — they have no control,” Lee said.

The competitiveness of the job is also highly stressful — they’re always under pressure to get the shot before their rivals. Often — for example, with the paparazzi — their subjects aren’t willing to be photographed and can become downright hostile.

Senior Corporate Executive

Average annual income: $165,830

The corner office might sound like a cushy job — after all, the pay is great and you have a lot of control, unlike taxi drivers and photojournalists. But the main reason senior corporate executives make the list is because they are directly accountable for the actions of a large group of people and have to answer to shareholders or owners. Plus, they make decisions such as whom to hire and fire and whether to keep a division open or to close it. In good times, the job is not quite as stressful, but after an economic recession like we’ve seen recently, it can be gut-wrenching.

“They have other people’s lives in their hands and that can be very stressful,” Lee said.

Public Relations Executive

Average annual income: $91,810

Public relations executives, while well compensated, have one of the most thankless jobs — they’re constantly under pressure from clients to get more press and justify their pay. “Great! You got the front page of The New York Times. How about The Wall Street Journal? The ‘Today’ show?” And the people they’re pitching their clients to on a daily basis — journalists and booking agents — aren’t always happy to hear from them.

PR execs are constantly trying to keep all the plates spinning. Then, just when they’re all whirring, a fire starts and they have to put it out. Again — very little control. You’re at the beck and call of your clients and called at a moment’s notice when a client emergency erupts.

“You’re the one on the front line trying to make everything OK,” Lee said.

Event Coordinator

Average annual income: $45,260

This job sounds like a blast — you’re constantly picking out cocktail napkins and sampling cake, right? Your “office” is often some of the most beautiful venues — the places that brides choose to have their most special day. But while you were fantasizing about ice sculptures, you forgot about one teensy little thing: Bridezillas. Whether you’re planning a wedding or a big corporate event, this is a very special day — if not THE MOST special one — for your clients, and it had better be perfect.

“There’s pressure on you to make sure it goes off without a flaw,” Lee said. “Because when it doesn’t, it can be very public and stressful. You might even lose your job. Talk about being out of control.”

Police Officer

Average annual income: $53,540

You don’t need to have watched many episodes of a crime show to know that being a police officer is stressful. There’s a reason why “Law and Order” has been on the air for 20 years and there are 571 varieties of “CSI.” There’s a lot of drama.

Law enforcement officers are constantly dealing with situations out of their control — they arrive at harrowing scenes every day where they need to figure out what’s going on, and they’re up against criminals who are often armed and ready to shoot. Police officers have to save the good guys, while fending off the bad guys — and not get shot or injured in the process. They also have to make split-second decisions that involve life or death — one accidental shooting of an innocent man and their careers are on the line and on the front page of every local newspaper.

“It couldn’t be much more stressful,” Lee said. “That’s why they have shorter careers and bigger pensions.”

Military General

Average annual income: $196,300

Military generals are the highest paid of all 10 most stressful jobs — more so than even senior corporate executives. While you might think that since they’re off the front lines they would move off the list of the most stressful jobs, but not so fast — they have a lot of stress because, like corporate executives, people’s lives are in their hands. Only we’re not talking layoffs. Generals choose to put people on the front lines of war, some of whom may be injured or killed.

“When they decide to move a group of people, they’re putting their lives in danger,” Lee said. “They’re making life and death decisions. That’s pretty stressful.”

Airline Pilot

Average annual income: $103,210

While many a little boy and girl may dream of being a pilot, it’s more than just the feeling of soaring through the air. Pilots work long hours and have to navigate in any weather condition. Their risks include everything from mechanical failure to terrorism, and it’s not just their safety at risk — it’s the safety of every passenger and crew member on board.
“The bottom line is that they are ultimately responsible for all the passengers,” Lee said. “It puts a high level of stress on them.”

Firefighter

Average annual income: $45,250

Firefighters don’t just have the occasional dangerous work situation, just about every call they get is dangerous. Firefighters run toward buildings that are filled with fire, smoke, and hazardous materials that the rest of us would run away from. For the people trapped inside burning structures, it’s probably the most dangerous day of their lives. For firefighters, it’s just another day on the job.

“They’re the first one into a burning building and the last one out carrying the baby,” Lee said. “It’s life or death every day. It takes a very special person to be a firefighter.”

Enlisted Military Soldier

Average annual income: $35,580

It should come as no surprise that soldiers have the most stressful job. These are the men and women out on the front lines of war every day.
“They’re walking on roads with (improvised explosive devices) buried all around them,” Lee said, not to mention the hostile conditions of locals who don’t always want foreign soldiers on their soil. “In a war zone, it doesn’t get much more stressful than that,” he said.

Plus, unlike most of the other professions on the list, these men and women don’t get to go home every night to their families. Their shifts never end. “When you’re a soldier, you’re always on, even when you’re off,” Lee said.

“America’s Most Stressful Jobs of 2012” was provided by CNBC.com.

According to a study by Steven Shapiro, author of Goal-Free Living, 45% of Americans usually set New Year’s resolutions, though just 8 % are successful in achieving them. That’s not to suggest that New Year’s resolutions are a waste of your time. In fact, they may just be the catalyst to real-life change. University of Scranton psychology professor, John Norcross, PhD, found that people who commit to making a change through a resolution are ten times more likely to succeed than those that don’t. However, there is a science to successful goal-setting and it starts by taking small baby steps that lead to big success.

Losing weight, exercising more, quitting smoking, improving finances and reducing stress are all popular New Year’s resolutions, but how do you make them stick? Researchers at California State University, Sacramento, have found that how you define your “mission” when goal-setting is paramount to achieving it. It starts by being specific about what you want to achieve, defining your goal in the present tense and establishing a clear “deadline” for each step needed to reach that goal. Success also involves taking note of your accomplishments and celebrating small victories. Here are ways to apply the goal-setting science to set small resolutions that will lead to big changes.

Resolution #1: Save More Money

Action Plan: Many people delay saving because they wait until they feel like they have enough money to save. The only perfect time to start saving is now, and the key to saving is to literally forget about a portion of your income. Until you establish the discipline not to spend, automatic savings plans (ASP) are the best place to start. Start by identifying a small portion of money that will go directly from your paycheck into an ASP and make the money hard to access by destroying any ATM or debit card associated with it. Because you’ll never see the money, you’re less likely to miss it.

As you adjust to your new savings behavior, keep advancing in small steps. Once you’ve conquered saving a small amount of money regularly, the next goal is to reduce spending, even if it’s just by ten percent, for three months. Start saving that amount as well. Once you’ve conquered that feat, go a little further, slashing spending by 15 or 20% for a few months, all of which you’ll also put in your savings account. Once you’ve established the discipline to save, set your sights bigger, like saving to buy a house or a car.

Resolution #2: Exercise More

Action Plan: Instead of aiming to simply “workout,” clearly define your plan of attack. For example, commit to going to the gym three times each week, for at least 30 minutes, for four weeks. Keep a calendar so you can literally schedule your workout and mark it off once you’ve completed it. Once you meet your goal, give yourself a little pat on the back and develop your next four-week challenge, adding five or ten more minutes to your workout, little by little. Fitness researchers found that defining goals in concrete terms, measuring progress and having a plan for going forward, leads not only to goal-attainment, but also to lasting behavior.

Resolution #3: Eat Better

Action Plan: Like fitness goals, you need a clear plan, like eliminating one processed food from dinner and replacing it a fresh vegetable. You can build from there to work the same strategy into breakfast and lunch. Just like a fitness plan, write down your successes and celebrate your achievements. Dr. Norcross also found that stimulus control is a key component in goal-achievement. For example, if you know that walking past your favorite bakery will lead you straight towards the empty carbs, take a different path. Likewise, negative goal-setting, like taping a picture of yourself at a weight you dislike on the refrigerator, doesn’t work either, so keep it positive.

Resolution #4: Take Better Care of Your Health

Action Plan: Start small and commit to flossing your teeth each night to prevent gum disease, which is linked to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Schedule a routine physical with your physician (to be completed by the end of January) and develop your next goal and baby steps from its findings. You can even make simple changes, like shutting down your electronics a half hour earlier at night to improve the quality of your sleep or drinking two more glasses of water each day.

Resolution #5: Decrease Stress

Action Plan: Commit to meditating for less than ten minutes each day. Doug Hanvey, teacher of mindfulness at Indiana University and author of The Mindfulness Diet, believes that despite many of the stereotypes around meditation, it only takes seven or eight minutes to start incorporating meditation into your daily routine, which can make marked improvements in your stress and attitude. Hanvey suggests sitting on a chair while keeping a straight posture to keep your mind alert. Focus your mind on the sensations of your breath as you inhale through the nose and mouth. When your mind wanders, bring your attention back to breathing.

While it may seem more challenging at first, try meditating in silence, rather than using background music to achieve a meditative state more quickly. Hanvey says many people get scared off by meditation because they believe the goal is to stop the mind and sit perfectly still in silence for a long period of time. The real goal of meditation is much simpler: To allow everything to be, in each moment, just as it is. Start small and build further, eventually incorporating a few refreshing yoga poses into your practice. Before you know it, you’ll have found a relaxing routine that allows you to decompress and appreciate your life more.

Stephanie Taylor Christensen is a former financial services marketer based in Columbus, OH. The founder of Wellness On Less, she also writes on small business, consumer interest, wellness, career and personal finance topics.