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CareerCast.com has released a list of its 12 most overrated and underrated jobs in the country, showing that money isn't everything when it comes to the best careers.
Overrated jobs are defined as those that seem attractive from the outside but that sound better than they really are. The may have a poor outlook for jobs, too many candidates entering the field, poor working conditions or high barriers to entry. Underrated jobs have a positive hiring outlook, with rising salary, high autonomy and lower stress levels.
The careers website used data from its annual overall jobs report, last released in April, with updated data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics among other sources. CareerCast regularly scans surveys that measure job satisfaction and the economic outlook of careers.
Tony Lee, publisher of CareerCast, noted that this year, the job of "computer programmer" appeared on the overrated list for the first time.
"People think, 'If I can program, I'm golden'," Lee said. But the hiring outlook and salary growth for that job has slowed. "It's not quite as exciting and glamorous as people think. You're not inventing Google. You're writing code to help make something run better."
Here are CareerCast.com's most overrated jobs and their median salaries:
quicklist: category: $79,680 title: 1 text: Advertising Account Exec
quicklist: category: >$166,400 title: 2 text: Surgeon
quicklist: category: $71,720 title:3 text: Stockbroker
quicklist: category: $95,450 title:4 text: Public Relations Manager
quicklist: category: $168,140 title:5 text: Senior Corporate Executive
quicklist: category: $45,810 title:6 text: Event Coordinator
quicklist: category: $73,090 title:7 text: Architect
quicklist: category: $114,200 title:8 text: Commercial Airline Pilot
quicklist: category: $113,530 title:9 text: Attorney
quicklist: category: $74,280 title:10 text: Computer Programmer
quicklist: category: $91,860 title:11 text: Economist
quicklist: category: $67,650 title:12 text: Psychologist
quicklist: category: $79,680 title: 1 text: Computer Systems Analyst
quicklist: category: $84,460 title: 2 text: Veterinarian
quicklist: category: $72,700 title:3 text: Biologist
quicklist: category: $60,300 title:4 text: Market Research Analyst
quicklist: category: $63,550 title:5 text: Accountant
quicklist: category: $31,020 title:6 text: Emergency Medical Technician
quicklist: category: $46,990 title:7 text: Legal Assistant
quicklist: category: $79,340 title:8 text: Civil Engineer
quicklist: category: $87,760 title:9 text: School Principal
quicklist: category: $49,140 title:10 text: Plumber
quicklist: category: $49,840 title:11 text: Electrician
quicklist: category: $55,370 title:12 text: Librarian