• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, May 1, 2017

Talk about kicking someone when they’re down — repeatedly. For a third straight year, the position of newspaper reporter has been acclaimed the “worst job in America” by CareerCast, which produces annual rankings of 200 professions, based on their compensation, opportunity for future growth, competition, stress, and risks, as documented by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

According to the CareerCast annual report, newspaper reporters have a median salary of $37,820, with a predicted average job growth of -8%. Interestingly, broadcast reporters are in the same boat, with a median salary of $38,870 and a predicted growth rate of -9%.

CareerCast explains some other factors make these jobs less than enticing as well.

“Journalists covering politics in particular, have been under extreme pressure as they strive to credibly cover the news and keep our nation informed. Working extensively in the public eye and often under tight deadlines contributes to the high stress rankings for both Newspaper Reporters and Broadcasters.

"In addition, both industries have felt the years-long squeeze of diminishing job prospects, due to declining advertising revenue that has impacted the newspaper, radio and television industries.”

And there you have it!

It’s telling that some of the other “worst jobs” also involve legacy media positions threatened by technology. Spots on the “bottom 10” worst jobs list include radio DJ and advertising salesperson. Other honorees include pest control workers, enlisted military personnel, loggers, retail salesperson and taxi driver.

There is no question that familiarity with information technology is a huge factor in job quality. Turning to the other end of the spectrum, CareerCast’s list of the top 10 best jobs is led by IT-intensive roles:  statistician, medical services manager, operations research analyst, information security analyst, and data scientist.

Also in the top 10 are university professor, mathematician and software engineer, with occupational therapist and speech pathologist rounding out the list.

Not far behind (in the top 20 list) are actuary, biomedical engineer and computer systems analyst. Math and coding, kids – study math and coding!