You know that satisfying feeling …
… of working 7.5 hours before returning home, taking your time making dinner and spending the rest of your night thinking about things unrelated to your job? If you know the feeling, lucky you. If you don’t, join the club. Jobs that allow employees to easily manage their work and personal lives are rare, so U.S. News sought to showcase the standouts. The following positions from the Best Jobs of 2015 rankings received qualitative scores of “low” or “below average” for stress and “high” or “above average” for flexibility. They’re listed in alphabetical order.
Bookkeeping, Accounting and Audit Clerk
Job seekers who appreciate numbers, organization and work-life balance may consider becoming a bookkeeping, accounting or audit clerk. These professionals keep financial records for organizations, and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about a quarter of them did so part time in 2012. While these clerks make a modest salary of about $37,000 compared with other business jobs, they also enjoy more flexibility and less stress than most of their industry colleagues.
Landscaper and Groundskeeper
Those who would rather be on their feet in the open air than sit in a stuffy office may consider a position in landscaping and groundskeeping. This industry is expected to grow a little north of 12 percent by 2022, with jobs most in demand during spring and summer. And while these positions don’t pay particularly well — a median salary of about $24,000 — they typically offer flexible schedules and relatively low stress.
Massage Therapist
Massage therapists can be game-changers for their clients, whether they are helping folks manage pain, recover from injuries, improve circulation or simply feel more relaxed. And while these professionals are in the business of making people feel better, here’s something massage therapists can enjoy, too: The BLS expects this industry to grow a staggering 23 percent by 2022, which is more than twice the average growth rate for all occupations.
Office Clerk
These professionals’ day-to-day agenda typically involves low-stress administrative tasks such as making copies, maintaining records and answering phones. According to the BLS, the median average wage for office clerks hovered just over $13 per hour in 2012, and about 1 in 4 of them worked part time.
Recreation and Fitness Worker
This umbrella term covers several types of positions. On the recreation side, there are folks who work at camps and parks, and on the fitness side, there are those who work at gyms, studios and health clubs. It’s fitting that people whose jobs revolve around the health of others enjoy a healthy work-life balance themselves, with little stress and high flexibility.
Web Developer
Not only does this job make this exclusive list of best professions for work-life balance, but Web developer is also No. 11 among the U.S. News Best Jobs overall. In addition to the coveted low-stress, high-flexibility combo, Web developers tend to have many opportunities for upward mobility. If this role sounds enticing and you’re interested in designing and creating websites, you may be in luck: The BLS projects about 28,500 new Web developer jobs by 2022.
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The 6 Best Jobs for Work-Life Balance originally appeared on usnews.com
