Jobs affect health. They can be stressful and dangerous or happy and stress-free. Work culture and management of the environment also influences how well people enjoy their work. There are unhealthy and unhealthy professions.

Personal Story

As I write this blog during the last half of March 2020, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is causing chaos worldwide. Many healthcare workers are working long hours without masks or other needed equipment. Some nurses and other workers cannot even go home after their shifts to see their families, since they have been in proximity to people with COVID-19. This makes life very difficult for them. These are some of the reasons health care shift workers are considered to have unhealthy jobs.

Unhealthy Professions

While the following careers help people, they often come with high stress and other characteristics which can cause those in the professions to have negative health consequences. Here are the top ten unhealthy professions and some specific characteristics they can produce.

1. Sales representative- stress, fatigue, long hours, stroke and heart disease

2. Firefighter- stressful, high risk of injuries, sickness, heart attack, and fatalities

3. Lawyer- stress, depression

4. Health care shift worker- stress; exposure to illness, trauma, and death that can lead to depression

5. Transportation driver- stress, injuries

6. Soldier- physical demands, exposure to risky work setting, recurrent traveling, stress

7. Food service- stress, dressing

8. Office/administrative support- lack of physical activity, poor eating habits

9. Roofer- risk of injury or fatality from falls

10. Maintenance manager- isolation, dangerous work, unusual work hours

11. Pilot- poor schedules and frequent traveling, both high risk factors; risks of illnesses; stress

12. Emergency medical technician- risks of disease, infection, or contaminants; mental/physical stress

13. Equipment repair (elevator, refrigerator, medical)- danger risk; contact to illness/injury from disease

14. Surgical assistants and technicians- exposure to illness, stress

15. Public relations- high stress

People who are in these careers can find ways to lessen the unhealthy effects and thrive if they pursue healthful endeavors that improve their health.

Healthy Professions

Here are some of the top ten healthiest careers one could choose.

1. Florist- happy, less stress from being around nature, tend to healthy

2. Chiropractor- stays active, self-employed, flexible schedule, good work-life balance

3. Small Business Employees- personal relationships, flexible schedules, ability to exercise

4. Landscape Gardeners- outside, physical activity

5. University Professors- high salary, breaks, flexible schedule, workload shared with assistants

6. Yoga Instructor- exercise, reduced stress

7. Nutritionist- often eat healthy food and eliminate toxic foods

8. Software engineers- generally happy about what they do, standing desks help their health

9. Fitness instructor- exercise, eat healthy, and drink water

10. Farmer- often eat healthy food they grow and have plenty of physical exercise

The healthiest jobs are ones that encourage healthy eating, movement, and lower stress.

Action

Being physically active, eating healthy, and having less stress on the job is what makes one career considered healthier than another. Be intentional to pursue those things regardless of what profession you choose.

Resources:

https://www.google.com/search?q=what%20profession%20choice%20are%20unhealthy.

https://www.careeraddict.com/top-10-healthiest-careers

May God bless your healthful endeavors!

Joni

P.S. Do you consider your job healthy?