Briefs

CareerJournal.com editors conferred with Les Krantz, a nonfiction publisher and researcher based in Lake Geneva, Wis. -- for some help. Mr. Krantz has researched good jobs -- and bad ones -- using data from sources such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics and judging by some of his own hunches.

Mr. Krantz uses six main factors to judge a job: income, stress, physical demands, outlook, security and work environment. Sometimes, data behind the factors is old, and sometimes it's tough to come by -- thus, the hunches. Along the way, Mr. Krantz makes some assumptions about those factors' importance for workers -- assumptions that some might disagree with. One assumption, for example, is that it's better to work indoors in an air-conditioned office than to work outside. Another assumption is that it's better to be in a noncompetitive environment. Yet another is that it's important to earn more money.

According to Mr. Krantz, among the top 10 jobs are:

• Accountant
• Actuary
• Biologist
• Computer-systems analyst
• Software engineer
• Statistician

• Construction worker (laborer)
• Cowboy
• Dancer
• Fisherman
• Garbage collector
• Ironworker