Via Cosmic Variance, JobsRated.com has put out a ranking of 200 jobs and can tell us what the best ones are. Guess who won? Mathematicians. Physicists came in at a lowly 13.
Ok…so the methodology isn’t perfect. But still, I’ve got to get some validation from somewhere while waiting to hear back about fellowships…
January 7, 2009 at 2:36 pm
Do you find it odd that “Philosopher” ranks at 12? I mean, as a job. Is it even a job in the first place? “Professor of Philosophy,” or something along those lines, seems like a job to me in the same way “Mathematican” does. But just plain “philosopher,” as they describe it?
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that philosophy isn’t a valid and important practice. I’m just confused about why it’s the 12th best job in the world?
January 7, 2009 at 2:47 pm
I think they mean professor of philosophy. Also, the methodology definitely seems to skew academic jobs to the top, partly due to the lack of manual labor.
January 7, 2009 at 3:52 pm
As I mentioned in my post on the subject, I’m almost certain they’re using “mathematician” to include non-academic mathematicians.
January 20, 2009 at 9:56 pm
But you have to know what the assumed values were. Maybe it’s the best job where best = boring!
Just kidding there, but you get the point. Other bloggers have pointed out something similar. Their criteria were, in the words of one blogger, “arbitrary.”
NS
http://sciencedefeated.wordpress.com/