Top 10 Best Jobs for 2012

The job of Software Engineer ranks tops in CareerCast’s annual report on the nation’s best and worst jobs, followed by Actuary and Human Resources Manager.

Again this year CareerCast researchers ranked more than 200 jobs in five key areas: work environment, physical demands, job outlook, income levels, and stress levels. Jobs receive a score in each individual category, and when these are added together, the career with the best overall score is ranked 1st, while the one with the worst overall score is ranked 200th.

Rounding out the top ten for 2012:

• Dental Hygienist
• Financial Planner
• Audiologist
• Occupational Therapist
• Online Advertising Manager
• Computer Systems Analyst
• Mathematician

Several professions made their inaugural appearance on the list: HR Manager, Financial Planner Occupational Therapist and Online Advertising Manager.