Keller @ Large: Jobs With The Most And Least Stress

BOSTON (CBS) - Are you stressed out at work? Welcome to the club, if you're in the military, a firefighter, a commercial airline pilot or a public-relations executive.

Listen to Jon's commentary:

Those were the most stressful jobs in a recent survey by a job-related website, which included criteria ranging from physical demands and workplace hazards to deadlines, competitiveness, and that most fearsome of stress factors, interaction with the public.

Corporate executive, photojournalist, newspaper reporter, cab driver and police officer rounded out the list, which makes sense, although I can't understand how political analyst failed to make the cut.

Money isn't everything, but most of those stress-inducing jobs at least come with relatively high financial rewards.

I said "most," cab drivers and reporters.

That's more than can be said for the least stressfuljobs, which include the likes of hairdressers and librarians. People in those professions benefit, so the survey claims, from independence, workplace safety, and lack of travel.

But number one on the least-stressful list was a job that does pay well – university professors, who are asked to do little more than think, or at least pretend to be doing so.

Just kidding, professors, but don't bother complaining.

Your no-heavy-lifting, well-compensated, stress-free jobs come with a catch – everyone knows you have it pretty easy, and thus, no one is interested in hearing you complain about anything.

All this makes for fun water-cooler talk, but I don't vouch for the accuracy of this survey. It seems to me the most stress comes from a job you hate working with colleagues you can't stand.

Give me work and co-workers I enjoy and all those stress factors don't matter quite as much.

Then again, I think I could find a way to enjoy the cushy life of a college professor – but after this commentary, it may have to be on an out-of-state campus.

You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.