Survey: Software Engineers Have the Best Jobs in U.S.

A recent survey by Money Magazine and Salary.com ranked the top job titles in the United States and found that software engineer positions are at the top of the list, followed by college professors and financial advisers.

The survey of 26,000 U.S. employees with 166 different job titles took into account such factors as potential growth, compensation, flexibility and stress levels, among others.

Software engineers make an average yearly salary of $80,500, with a 10-year growth rate of 46 percent and an average of 44,800 jobs opening yearly, according to the survey.

Computer IT analysts took the seventh ranking, with average yearly salaries of $83,500, a 10-year growth rate of 36 percent and an average of 67,300 job openings per year, according to the survey.

The average survey respondent was slightly younger than 40 years old, and had been on the job for nearly eight and a half years.

Among the key findings of the survey are the facts that the most satisfied employees tended to work longer hours, and long work hours and the boss’ behavior are the top causes of unhappiness at the workplace.

According to the survey, the top 10 U.S. jobs in 2006 are as follows:

1) Software engineer

2) College professor

3) Financial adviser

4) Human resources manager

5) Physician assistant

6) Market research analysts

7) Computer IT analysts

8) Real estate appraiser

9) Pharmacist

10) Psychologist

Check out the top 50 jobs, and read a write-up of the findings.

For related news coverage, read CIO Poll: Tech Spending Continues to Increase and Software Engineer Wins ESPN.com NCAA Men’s Tournament Challenge.

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