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Have you ever come home from work and thought, I need to find a new job? Is the stress level of your job causing you to feel drained at the end of the day? If so, there are a few low-stress jobs that you can consider that also pay well. To help you identify the best low-stress jobs with good pay, I asked recruiters and business leaders for their best job recommendations. From Instructional Coach to Research Analyst to Astronomer, there are several good-paying jobs that are considered to be less stressful.
Low-Stress Jobs with High Pay
Instructional Coach
Being an Instructional Coach is a low-stress job that can pay well for former teachers. You can do this job independently as an entrepreneur or for a local school district. Most positions require experience in the classroom to instruct, train, support, and coach other teachers. As an Instructional Coach, you would be able to support other teachers and provide intervention methods for students without having to work in the classroom or directly interact with students.
- Annette Harris, Founder, Harris Financial Coaching
Roller Coaster Painting
I recently read that painting roller coasters is a lucrative career. Employees can earn up to $75,000 plus extra when they have to travel for work. You're in amusement parks, get to enjoy the outdoors, and can listen to your own music all day long. Unless you fear heights, that sounds like a relatively low-stress environment to work in!
- Logan Mallory, Marketing VP, Motivosity
Art Director
If you've got an eye for art, have impeccable taste, and want a stress-free job, the career of an art director is what you should consider. Able to work in every creative industry, like TV production, video game development, or even advertising, you'll be able to do what you love and occupy positions that won't take a toll on your mental health. All you will have to worry about will be making every project you're involved in eye-catching and aesthetic.
- Natalia Brzezinska, Marketing & Outreach Manager, PhotoAiD
Chemical Engineer
This will depend somewhat on the person - different people have unique stress and anxiety triggers, and the only way to identify those is through good old-fashioned self-awareness. I generally think of a low-stress job as one that has relaxed or long-term deadlines, a relatively independent and autonomous work environment, and little to no responsibility to determine or meet client expectations.
By those standards, I would put chemical engineers among the least-stressed professionals. They're more likely to work in behind-the-scenes laboratory settings on the R&D side of companies, which is important and valuable work but often has less expectation for a fast turnaround than other roles in these organizations. Regarding the pay, the median salary for chemical engineers is around $100,000 and can often be much higher.
- Jon Hill, Chairman & CEO, The Energists
Research Analyst
Analytical jobs are generally low-stress jobs – and they're lucrative. Operations research analysts, for instance, rely on their math skills to take on complex issues. They crunch numbers, analyze trends, and present their findings to business leaders, who usually make all the decisions on strategies. Analysts are holed up in an office with little interaction and are generally left to their own devices. You would need to meet deadlines, but otherwise, the job comes with little stress. A lot of education is required, but once you make it as a research analyst, the job offers will keep coming.
- Alan Ahdoot, Founder & Partner, Adamson Ahdoot Law
Editing and Proofreading
Proofreading and editing content is low-stress roles. Typically, as an editor, you are assigned several documents to look over per day. Most tasks have a flexible timeline, and the projects that require a quick turnaround can be prioritized over the others on your to-do list. Depending on the hours required of the role, you may be working full or part-time, but either way, the roles are paid well. You can get raises or higher initial salaries depending on your experience and if you specialize in a particular type of editing or if you are proofreading specialty documentation.
- Torrey Hogan, Executive Assistant & Proofreader, Find My Profession
Statistician
The best role to take on if you are looking for a low level of stress but a high payout would be a Statistician. If you are a lover of numbers and facts but maybe not so much a lover of selling and communicating with customers and buyers, this job is perfect as you can crunch the numbers in the safety and peace of your home or office.
- Tracey Beveridge, HR Director, Personnel Checks
Orthodontist
Orthodontists specialize in diagnosing, preventing, and correcting jaw and teeth irregularities. In practice, they fix not only misaligned teeth and bad bites but also– if not primarily - self-esteem. The average annual pay for an orthodontist in the United States is $304,842. A lot. At the same time, it is not a stressful job. After all, an orthodontist's primary goal is to give a patient a beautiful smile.
Sounds positive, doesn't it?
- Agata Szczepanek, Community Manager, Resume Now
Astronomer
Observing the stars and studying exoplanets with ground-based equipment is a clear job choice. An astronomer leaves all the intense studies and stress in university. Instead, math, science, and research are the focus. With this career yielding a salary of 110k to 150k, this profession can land you a high-paying position at NASA. Secondly, researching and documenting data makes this job stress-free and a breath of fresh air from all the intense studies to obtain a doctoral degree. Finally, having the opportunity to embrace the darkness and silence of the night sky is a rewarding and fulfilling career if you prefer a calm work environment.
- Benjamin Earley, CEO, HOLT