What’s the most stressful job out there? We’ve already counted through our first top ten list, but there were 6 more that deserve their own mention. Yes, it’s obvious that stressful careers are not for those who are meek at heart; they’re for those who are willing to put their family lives second and even their own personal life, to strive for excellence in jobs that many times, require work beyond the normal 9-to-5 shift.
In the world’s most stressful jobs, both the aptitude and attitude of a person can help decide whether to enter a particular career that is competitive and stressful. The careers listed below are nerve-racking for many reasons. They involve saving lives, taking care of others 24/7 or even managing other peoples’ money. However, what makes a career stressful can also make it interesting to work in, and usually, it gives the one who follows it a sense of accomplishment that could never be accomplished otherwise.
Let’s take a look.
6. Air Traffic Controllers
Photo Credit: isafmedia
Carelessness is not an option for air traffic controllers. With many people’s lives in their hands, air traffic controllers have to be the best in their game, day in day out, and often, on nights too. They are given rigorous training in air traffic management; it requires them to stay sharp and focused during work. Language clarity is essential along with good cognitive functions.
A usual day for an air traffic controller involves working two hours at most and then taking a break to unwind, and then repeating that schedule throughout the day. When the sky gets crowded, controllers ensure that each plane is kept at least 3 to 4 miles apart depending on the size of the aircraft and that no two planes cross each other at the same time. Stress is bound to creep into the controller’s life with this much of a work load, working under strict time schedules, and dealing with emergency situations.
5. Emergency Medical Personnel
Photo Credit: Offutt Air Force Base
Emergency medical technicians work 24 hours a day to cater to people who require urgent medical help. The opportunity to be of service to people in need is what gives them the courage to enter into most difficult situations as well.
They deal with all sorts of people on duty, from drug addicts to patients suffering from mental illnesses who can get violent and might harm them. A person’s life depends on the work of emergency medical personnel because they have to think quickly to figure out measures that can save that person’s life.
These technicians work at irregular times, which increases their level of stress, since they might be needed on holidays as well. At the same time, handling and carrying patients is a physically daunting task and puts a lot of stress on their health too.
See the rest of the most stressful jobs on the following pages:
4. Chefs
Photo Credit: Alessandro Giannini
Cooking for everyone’s delight is a stressful job and it gets more tense when you are the head chef and in control of the entire kitchen. Head chefs work 12 hours a day and have to get up early in the morning to check if all the food supplies have arrived fresh. Not to mention, they also work on weekends and holidays missing out on family time.
One of the keys in the kitchen is timing; an anxious customer can only wait a few minutes for his food to show up on his table. More so, every entrée and platter that is about to be served to the erratic customer has to taste impeccable and has to make sure the reputation of the restaurant does not get tainted.
Failing to deliver high quality food in the allotted time is nerve-wracking for chefs. Hence, a day in the life of a chef is important and stressful up until they leave the kitchen to get ready for another enthralling day.
3. Nurses
Photo Credit: Army Medicine
It is often considered that military personnel have a more stressful job than others in society because of the trauma they face in the war zones. But according to the Impact of Event Scale, it was found that nurses face more stress and have a stress score of 43.35 with 44 being the highest. Additionally, at the score above 44 an individual isn’t capable of performing tasks or function normally.
Nurses are appointed for various patient units like intensive care or emergency units. They can have all sorts of patients and bear with their complaints and ruthless behavior all the time. Even with such negative feedback, along with the consistent blame game, nurses stay with their patients all the way, without showcasing their anger and emotions.
Physical exhaustion is another element that is included in a nurse’s job description. Sometimes nurses have to cover shifts for those absent, which increases the number of patients, in addition to those already assigned to them. So, the workload, together with time constraints, adds to the stress, thereby obstructing their daily tasks.
2. Football coaches
Photo Credit: I’ll Never Grow Up
The mental exhaustion of making players work together as a team and solving conflicts between them is part of a football coach’s job. Even so, football coaches are always on the media’s radar and under constant criticism. Winning is the key ingredient that helps coaches keep their job for another season or two, but the success of every match depends on the players’ performance.
Coaches not only have to keep their health in check but also must monitor their players’ collective health even more carefully, because players need to perform at their best and keep themselves fit all the time. This profession also results in burnouts for coaches, because they are on the go with the players constantly and also have to deal with the board that is overlooking the team’s funds and scrutinizing the coach’s every move. But most football coaches love their jobs despite all the stress associated with it, among the reasons being high paychecks, and regular health examinations by doctors and physicians.
1. Stockbrokers
Photo Credit: Andyhill8
A very volatile and unpredictable industry is the reason why stockbrokers are so stressed out. They’re always screening the market for an opportunity or for any movement in the market that determines their profit or loss.
Their job requires commitment and long hours as well as expertise in their field of work, because if they don’t understand the basics of the market they could lose money. It’s stressful when you’re betting your money against the market but a lot more stressful if it’s not your money but someone else’s, which is mostly the case.
So, there is no room for mistakes because along with the client’s money your job is also on the line, and silly mistakes can hamper a good professional record. Family relationships are also affected because stockbrokers are sometimes also working during weekends. This profession is very competitive because stockbrokers cannot take anything for granted, or else they will have to look for another job.
