If you’ve resisted the temptation to fell trees, milk cows or go to war, you might be encouraged to know that newspaper journalism has been ranked one of the ‘worst jobs’ in the USA.

Not that there aren’t attractive roles in the evolving newspaper industry… if you can get into software engineering or human relations.

The statistics come from from the ‘Jobs Rated’ report of CareerCast.com, Adicio’s North American job search portal, and possible mirror the parlous state of the US newspaper industry. The list judges jobs on criteria including income, outlook, environmental factors, stress and physical demands.

‘Broadcaster’ is also close to the bottom of the 200-strong list, with the graphic arts also featuring among outdated job titles which have been eliminated. No need for bookbinders and compositors/typesetters apparently, their jobs having been dropped this year, along with those of photographic process workers, telephone operators and railway conductors.

“Many jobs in the media are characterised by high stress, short deadlines, long hours and a poor hiring outlook,” publisher Tony Lee says. “Despite these poor working conditions, competition is steep for what jobs remain after massive consolidation and layoffs in the media industry.”

Meanwhile, not only is software engineer the nation’s best job for the second year running, but employment of computer software engineers is expected to rise by 30 per vent in the next eight years, much faster than the average for any other occupation.

“The top-rated jobs have few physical demands, minimal stress, a good working environment and a strong hiring outlook,” says Lee.

To move up the list, tertiary education appears important, with college education an important criteria for career happiness. “Many of the worst jobs do not even require a high school diploma,” says Lee.

 “While it’s true that some people are happy washing dishes, waiting tables or slicing meat as a career, job seekers who want to compete for the nation’s best jobs need to gain a competitive edge by expanding their knowledge and skill set.”

Best jobs in 2012 vs. how they fared in 2011              Midlevel income

1. Software engineer  (no change)                                      $88,142

2. Actuary (up 1)                                                                  $88,202

3. Human resources manager (new job for 2012)             $99,102

4. Dental hygienist (up 6)                                                   $68,109

5. Financial planner (up 10)                                                $104,161

6. Audiologist (up 3)                                                            $67,137

7. Occupational therapist (up 10)                                      $72,110

8. Online advertising manager (new for 2012)                   $87,255

9. Computer systems analyst (up 4)                                  $78,148

10.  Mathematician (down 7)                                               $99,191

Worst jobs in 2012 and how they fared in 2011            Midlevel Income

200. Lumberjack (down 2)                                                    $32,114

199. Dairy farmer (down 15)                                               $33,119

198. Enlisted military personnel (new job for 2012)             $36,261

197. Oil rig worker (up 3)                                                    $32,132

196. Newspaper reporter (down 8)                                     $35,275

195. Waiter/waitress (down 56)                                           $18,088

194. Meter reader (down 2)                                                $35,171

193. Dishwasher (down 26)                                                 $18,044

192. Butcher (down 10)                                                        $29,156

191. Broadcaster (down 63)                                                $27,324

More information – and the full list – at http://www.careercast.com/jobs-rated