What careers lead to the most burnout?

Honestly, it’s probably the most frequently asked question I get,
other than the signs of burnout.

But, I think we all want a little bit of validation. To know whether or not we’re alone in our suffering or not. So, I sought to answer that question. I pulled data from multiple articles, resources, studies, etc. and took the professions that seemed to most frequently show up on the burnout radar most frequently. These are the 11 professions that seem to show up most frequently…but that’s not to say that they’re the only professions on there. So, if you don’t see yours on there…don’t worry. That doesn’t mean burnout is not a thing for that profession.

But with that…let’s get into it… the professions that most frequently appear in studies associated with burnout at work (and in no particular order)…

1

Social workers

It’s no surprise that social workers show up on this list. In fact, in all the articles and studies I looked over, they were perhaps the most frequently appearance. No wonder, right? Social workers deal with some of the worst situations of humanity on a daily basis, do emotionally intense work, and can sometimes have case loads that are truly overwhelming. They also serve some of the neediest (not in a bad way) populations and, in doing so, it’s hard not to take on their client’s experiences and emotions on as their own. It’s really not shocking to find that roughly 75% of social workers experience burnout at some point in their careers.

If you’re a social worker struggling with burnout, check out this website for “11 Ways Social Workers Avoid Job Burnout—And You Can Too” >>

2

Emergency responders & Medical Professionals

(including police officers, firefighters, ER nurses, dispatchers, physicians, pharmacists etc.)

People in the emergency response categories, similar to social workers, experience some of the work of humanity. They see people in dire straights, sometimes struggling to hold onto their very lives. Seriously, they’re dealing with life-or-death situations Add to that the fact that these professions are often working incredibly long hours, may be working night shifts, and often lack sleep, it’s basically a recipe for burnout. One study showed that 34% of emergency department staff and one-third of nurses in the U.S. report an emotional score that’s categorized as burnout. They have excessive workloads and high demands and as such chronically deplete energy stores, which leads to activation of the HPA axis—aka the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis— which is part of the stress response system.

Aka…these peeps burn out. Consistently and frequently.

3

Design professionals

To some, this might seem a surprising inclusion on this list. We typically think of burnout triggers as the types of things described above, but there are emotional components to burnout too—unrealistic expectations that can lead to overwhelm and overwork, constantly changing priorities that can lead to persons constantly needing to re-evaluate their daily activities and unclear feedback. All of these can lead to burnout…and all of these are common experiences for persons in design and of whom 55% felt burned out due to these exact factors.

4

Entrepreneurs & Corporate professionals

why did I group these together, well, let me tell you!

To start, one thing that entrepreneurs and corporate professionals have in common is that they’re in positions and professions where the work really doesn’t end and that can make us all even more susceptible to burnout. According to Comparably, 44% of corporate workers say they’re expected to work while they’re on vacation. Welcome to corporate America, friends! This is basically the truest statement I’ve heard about corporate according to all my Amazon, VISA, and Wells Fargo former clients. And how does this relate to entrepreneurs? Because entrepreneurs often self-impose these same kinds of expectations. Entrepreneurs are often working in the evenings, on weekends, while on vacation, etc. Heck, most of my entrepreneur friends and former clients haven’t taken a true vacation from their businesses in years.

And, when it comes to corporate America, it’s not unexpected. People who’ve reached a managerial or executive role in their company often have a lot of additional responsibilities and pressure. You step into a role where you’re making important decisions and spend hours to make sure everything in your department runs as smoothly as possible, which, as you might guess, is bound to exhaust and burn someone out.

5

Lawyers

This is one of those textbook burnout professions. The one that we always think of. And, well, I’ll say it: it’s damn true. In fact, 73% of lawyers express feeling burnout. Burnout has to do with demands, tough culture and personality types. All of these are definitely things that lawyers experience. I thought this was an interesting fun fact: the Meyers Briggs personality type ISFJ is the most common personality type of a lawyer. This personality? They’re prone to overloading themselves and suppressing emotions. Isn’t that a recipe for burnout and stress?

Additionally, U.S. News and World Report put law as the most stressful career of 2021. And it's true — being a lawyer is a very stressful role, and they often end up in situations that make people pissed off, and that can wreak havoc on you emotionally.

6

Academic STEM professionals

This one is near and dear to me heart. I was a STEM professional. I spent 10 years in academic science. So I was intrigued to read that 40% of students who enter STEM fields will leave those programs within 4 years. Why? These programs are sink-or-swim. And once you get through the initial 4 years, you cannot stop. Relevancy in a STEM field means constant grinding. You cannot stop working and pursuing because you have to innovate and stay cutting-edge. Plus, women in STEM fields struggle in particular. They’re more likely to face a lack of support and a sense of isolation, which—as I’ve written about before—contribute to burnout at work.

One University of North Dakota found that women in university science departments experience higher levels of burnout in comparison to their male counterparts. The Times Higher Education thought that this might be why women leave academia. And honestly, I don’t think they’re wrong. In fact, that wasn’t too far off from my experience.

7

Journalism

My college boyfriend was a journalist. And his life didn’t look easy at all. It was low pay, constant stress, and constant rushing around overwhelm. Plus, the hours are chaos—covering stories, meeting deadlines, etc. Basically, he taught me that good reporters are never really off-duty. Plus, print media isn’t exactly doing well right now and the emotional component of the work can be taxing. You’re often covering stories about the worst in humanity, wondering how much that work is going to be valued, etc. Honestly, the list of emotional components to journalism as a profession is too long to list. But trust me when I say, it’s one of the top stress professions.

8

Retail

One of the other sneaky devils when it comes to burnout is feeling under-appreciated and feeling like you’re not being compensated for it. Retail workers often deal with both, with many having to work multiple low-income, part-time jobs just to make ends meet. Plus, many of them cannot exactly work their way up into management and, even if they do, that comes with its own issues, namely overtime. No wonder the retail industry has a high turnover. It’s a recipe for physical, emotional, and mental burnout.

9

Military personnel

I feel like when people typically think about burnout they think of lawyers, doctors, etc. But, honestly, military personnel are probably the top profession when it comes to burnout. What military professionals deal with - from physical, mental, and emotional burnout - is arguably more so than anyone. They are paid a pittance compared to, arguably, what they should be, deal with intense amounts of physical exertion, are put into emotionally and mentally taxing situations, and more. They go through basic training, learn to fight in combat, and often have to live in a foreign country if necessary to go up against the enemy. It is - frankly - a kill-or-be-killed job, life-or-death, and one that involves witnessing a lot of violence. And then they get home and have to battle PTSD.

The physical, mental, and emotional aspects of the jobs are enough to make anyone burn out, but there’s also the sense of isolation (especially when you get home). Your family and friends (unless they’re also military) might not be able to relate to your experience or be divided by your decision politically. It’s a lot of stress to manage, which is why military are one of the top burnout professions.

10

Teachers & Educators

Ya ya ya—teachers get a lot of time off and some automatic pay raises. But, I’m a professional tutor in my day job and I know on a smaller scale what a lot of educators deal with.

Besides the fact that teachers are never going to get rich doing what they do, they work far beyond school hours and pour a lot of emotional responsibility into their work. Educators do the work they do because they care and they’re really preparing our young people for life after graduation. In so many ways, they’re shaping our future generations and the future of society in that way. Hell, that’s a lot of responsibility.

Ya, it’s fulfilling. Ya, there is time off. But it’s hectic without the paycheck that is associated with so many professions.

What about the least stressful careerS?

According to a study by Career Casts, here are the least stressful careers by ranking:

• Diagnostic Medical Sonographer

• Compliance Officer

• Hairstylist

• Audiologist

• University professor (tenured - that’s an important distinction here)

• Medical records technician

• Jeweler

• Pharmacy technician

• Massage therapist

Additionally, these jobs were noted by Business Insider for being high-paying and low-stress…

• Environmental scientists

• Financial examiners

• Database architects

• Art Directors

• Ship Operators

• Post-secondary Mathematical Science Teachers

• Post-secondary Philosophy & Religion Teachers

Check out the rest of the list at the link above!

What do you think?

Do you agree with these rankings?

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