Occupations stand up to test

If you believe an online survey published last week, my profession as a newspaper journalist is ranked as the worst job for 2013.

Coming in at 200, print journalists ranked lower than lumberjacks who finished bottom in last year’s survey.

The career website, careercast.com, which carried out the survey ranked 200 jobs from best to worst based on five criteria — physical demands, work environment, income, stress, and hiring outlook.

Rockingham-based dental hygienist Rita McCabe was all smiles though when the survey ranked her job as one of the top-10 best careers.

Dental hygienists were ranked sixth behind financial planner, audiologist, software engineer, biomedical engineer and the number-one job which was considered to be an actuary.

Ms McCabe, who completed her degree at Curtin University in 2010 and has worked at All Saints Dental Group in Rockingham for the past two-and-a-half years, said it was the flexibility of her work hours which was one of the many positives of her job.

“You can choose what hours you want to do, you can work part time, full time, you can do one day, two days, whatever you want,” she said.

The 29-year-old said she chose to work full time and every second Saturday.

Ms McCabe said people were often confused about what her job was as a dental hygienist, confusing it with duties of a dental nurse.

“A dental nurse is an assistant for the dentist and is not allowed to do any treatment,” she said.

“Whereas dental hygiene and dental therapy, you learn to treat patients and hygiene is more treating and preventing gum disease.”

As for having the worst job, the constant deadlines do test a journalist’s stress levels at times, and working public holidays when family and friends are enjoying three-day weekends is a downside.

But front-row seats, behind-the-scene access, and interviews with political leaders and sports stars outweigh the negatives — I think I have the best job in the world.

Top-10 jobs

• Actuary.

• Biomedical engineer.

• Software engineer.

• Audiologist.

• Financial planner.

• Dental hygienist.

• Occupational therapist.

• Optometrist.

• Physical therapist.

• Computer systems analyst.

Based on a survey by careercast.com