10 Most Stressful Jobs of 2010 - 9: Advertising Account Executive

Firefighter - The Most Stressful Job of 2010

Pressure Drop: Workplace stress can damage productivity, mental well-being and physical health. But is an anxiety-free office worth a potential loss in career satisfaction and job security?

Job-related stress has long been the nemesis of workers around the globe. Stress has been linked in studies to everything from low productivity to increased illness to obesity. Fallout from the recession has only compounded the problem. Many work harder for less money, and wonder if they'll still have a job at day's end. Combine this with new technology that makes it easier than ever to work around the clock (and even on vacation), and it's no wonder that on-the-job stress – and finding ways to manage it – has become an ever more important issue.

While it's possible to find countless books, teas, exercise techniques and more offering you a way to relax, this focus on peace at the office raises a question: Is there such a thing as too little workplace stress?

Surveying 200 different professions based on their potential to strain employees' nerves, the 2010 Jobs Rated report reveals some surprising trends among the year's most stressful and least stressful jobs. In particular, many low-stress jobs offer little room for advancement, and often don't appeal to ambitious, educated job seekers. On the other hand, a number of the most stressful jobs are considered highly sought-after positions, and workers frequently undergo rigorous and costly training for the chance at one of these careers. Becoming an Appliance Repairer or Janitor, for example, may be good for the heart rate, but neither career is exactly fulfilling. Given a choice between these professions and, say, becoming a Surgeon or Commercial Pilot, it's not hard to guess what direction many job seekers would choose.

Another eye-opening fact is that among this year's most stressful jobs, only a few suffer from high levels of unemployment. In fact, the nation's most stressful job – Firefighter – has one of the lowest unemployment rates of all. That said, while the fear of losing your job may keep you awake at night, there are other things to worry about if you're working in one of these occupations, which make up the Top 10 Most Stressful Jobs for 2010:

9. Advertising Account Executive
Stress Rank: 192
Stress Score: 74.555
Unemployment: High*
Hours Per Day: 9.5
Time Pressure: Moderate
Competition: Very High

Although not physically demanding, work in advertising is emotionally and mentally stressful. Competition and the pressure of acquiring and maintaining major accounts forces executives in this field to work long and irregular hours. The work requires a high level of creativity, meeting deadlines, close attention to detail and self-motivation.

*Unemployment Data in Detail
Rating Scoring Range
Very Low 0% – 4%
Low 4% –
Moderate 7% –
High 10% –
Very High 14% or More

How do we determine which jobs rate as the most and least stressful? Stress, as measured in this study, covers many elements (see the complete 2010 Jobs Rated report Methodology), but there are three "Mega Factors" that have the largest impact on office anxiety: work environment, job competitiveness and risk. Competition among Advertising Executives and Real Estate Agents, for example, has increased exponentially as the economy has worsened, while Police Officers, Highway Patrol Officers and Firefighters regularly risk their lives and work in extremely dangerous environments. While not always as important, a long workday tends to make the impact of these mega factors even worse.

Even if you aren't a firefighter or senior corporate executive, however, it's likely that some of the same mega factors from the 10 most stressful jobs list also apply to your job. Of course, while high levels of stress are known to have an adverse effect on health and well-being, it's also true that worrying is a fundamental human condition. Perhaps we will always have to endure at least a moderate level of anxiety, no matter how many books we read or relaxation techniques we try. And considering that studies have also shown that without stress, many employees don't give their jobs a 100% effort (and thus become targets for layoffs), perhaps a moderate stress level is an acceptable compromise.

However, if peace of mind is more important to you than excitement or glamour, it may be time to find a profession that's easier on the nerves. In that case, keep reading to check out the 10 Least Stressful Jobs for 2010.

Continue to the 10th Most Stressful Job of 2010

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Israel Vs. iPads

"(T)he Communications Ministry has blocked the import of iPads to Israel, and the customs authority has been directed to confiscate them," wrote Bar Ben Ari and Zohar Blumenkrantz. The ban appears not so much to be the result of a coherent technical decision as a nutcluster of bureaucratic infighting. The Communications Ministry engineers apparently refused to pass the device, since its WiFi operates to different standards than Israeli WiFi, which are similar to European standards. However, the instruction to ban the device was made without the approval of Communications Minister Moshe Kahlon. "The head of customs at Ben-Gurion International Airport said yesterday they have confiscated 10 iPads, including those their owners declared," Haaretz reported. The owners are being charged a fee for every day their iPads are held in a government warehouse and the government is refusing to say whether the iPads will be approved or how they will need to be altered to conform with Israeli law. "Paging Captain Yossarian. Paging Captain John Yossarian to the customs authority, please." http://bit.ly/czfD0M

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New SATC2 Poster Released

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Countdown: T-45

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