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In terms of stress, report says jeweler ranks low
Being a jeweler is reportedly among the least stressful careers to have in 2014, according to a recently released report from CareerCast.com, an online resource for job seekers.
New York--Being a jeweler is reportedly among the least stressful careers to have in 2014, according to a recently released report from CareerCast.com, an online resource for job seekers.
CareerCast.com released its lists of Least and Most Stressful Jobs of 2014 this week, ranking careers by assigning point values based on a number of criteria, including travel, deadlines and physical demands.
Jeweler, which was described in the report as someone who “manufactures and repairs rings, bracelets, pins and necklaces using precious or semi-precious metals and stones,” ranked third on the Least Stressful list, topped only by audiologists and hair stylists.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, the Most Stressful jobs included enlisted military personnel, firefighter, airline pilot, newspaper reporter, police officer and taxi driver.
Two jewelers who have been in the industry for decades told National Jeweler on Thursday that, for the most part, they agree with CareerCast.com’s study on the career of a jeweler being a comparatively less stressful one.
Loyd Stanley, the 74-year-old president of Stanley Jewelers Gemologist in North Little Rock, Ark., began his career as a jeweler when he went to work for his father in a jewelry store at 19 years old.
“Over the years there’s been some stresses. We’ve had a store burn, we’ve had some robberies, but basically every day we see people getting married, having anniversaries, and doing things that are happy things, so I believe that (the study) is probably correct in that we’re a pretty stress-free business,” Stanley said.
Jim Rosenheim, owner of the Tiny Jewel Box in Washington, has been a jeweler for 59 years and it is the only career he has ever known.
“We are in the FAO Schwartz business for adults; we are selling toys for adults. We deal with nice people for happy occasions selling nice things, and it’s a pleasure, for my clients and me. I love what I do. I don’t find interaction with people stressful,” he said.
Rosenheim said stresses arising from being a jeweler are mainly satisfying the needs of his clients when he is relying on a third party; for example, if he has special-ordered an item from another vendor and needs it delivered in time for Christmas.
“It can be stressful when you don’t have control,” he said. “But this is a fun business. It’s not life and death. I look forward to coming
to work every day, and I don’t work because I have to--I work because I love doing it.”
While being a jeweler is relatively low stress, it’s not a growing field. The report gave jeweler a projected job growth of -5, a statistic provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in their Occupational Outlook report for 2014-2015.
CareerCast.com took 11 factors into account when considering each of the 200 careers it reviewed for The Least Stressful Jobs of 2014 and The Most Stressful Jobs of 2014: travel, growth potential, deadlines, working in the public eye, competitiveness within the organization, physical demands, environmental conditions, own life at risk, hazards encountered, meeting the public and life of another is at risk.
Kyle Kensing, author of The Most/Least Stressful Jobs of 2014, said in his Least Stressful article that jobs in an office environment score more favorably than a position that requires a person to be exposed to the elements, such as a lumberjack.
Careers that pose imminent physical danger, such as a police officer, also are considered more stressful.
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