USA Today listed the 25 worst jobs in America. Painter is number 10. The criteria is based on the quality of the work environment, amount of stress, occupational outlook and income.

It is interesting to read what they consider bad jobs and to point out most of the jobs have projected growth and good income. They have enlisted military personnel as number 5 but have no data to bolster their decision. No wages, job growth percentages or total employment figures.

So according to their list, painters did better then Taxi drivers (which was number 1), loggers, newspaper reporters, retail sales people, military personnel, corrections officers, disc jockeys, broadcasters and advertising sales people.

The occupational outlook for all trades, including painters, is very good. Anyone with a decent skill level can pretty much write their own ticket. Where things get screwy in the trades is that often the people with the skills bring to the table a host of other problems the employer has to decide if it’s worth dealing with or not. Someone with skills, no criminal record, decent appearance, reliable transportation and no chemical dependency can write their own ticket. The demand is through the roof for this type of painter.

This is true for all the trades. Carpenters, electricians, plumbers, etc. There is a huge demand nationwide. Omaha is no exception. The limiting factor to business growth is employees not lack of work.

The emphasis has been on going to college and being “white collar” for so long, their is a real shortage of the people we need as a society to prosper. Many people much smarter then me are trying to unravel that problem. A link to the full article is here.

I would certainly not list painter as a worst job but I’m biased. I know the guys I work with have little stress, secure employment, make decent money and they all know I have their back.