Excellent pay, minimum effort

In America, the deciding factors to whether a job rocks are the ease with which you perform your duties, the working environment, and the time leftover for recreation -- the money comes after those.

When asked about the categories for the best job, some professionals in their 20s responded with “excellent pay, minimum effort.” This is exactly what mathematician Jennifer Courter's job delivers, a whopping salary of more than USD95,000 (P4.43 million) per year, and a desk job where she has control of her time. Control here is spelled as “home-based and virtually no overtime.”

Some of you may think, “You call analyzing mathematical equations minimum effort?” Well, if you are a mathematician, juggling numbers will probably be a walk in the park, as many mathematicians have spent the better part of their formative years dribbling numbers instead of a basketball, like the Prince of Mathematics, Carl Friedrick Gauss.

Courter actually works on computer programs that are responsible for the groundbreaking animation in “The Matrix” and “Speed Racer.”

In the Philippines, many mathematicians become professors while handling consultancy gigs on the side. While the pay may be relatively high, most Filipino numbers lovers still commute to and from the office.

A matter of opinion

Whether in America or in the Philippines, having a “bad” job and a rewarding one is just a matter of opinion. Eric Nellans, a lumberjack for 11 years, takes pride in what he is able to accomplish, despite the dangers of his job and its decided lack of glamor.

Rey Ef Regidor, a Filipino barely in his 30s, meanwhile, finds fulfillment in being able to contribute to society despite a job that may not have been his first choice. He worked as a resident doctor at a Marikina hospital and, in order to support his family, took a job at a Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) firm focusing on medico-legal tasks.

"I needed to work to support my family, so I had to focus on work instead of preparing for the boards. Given the chance, yes, I want to practice medicine. It's not the money that attracts me, really, there's nothing to be attracted to in the first place, and being away from my family is not an ideal way to bond with them," he said in an interview.

“[However], I would rather work in a set up where I can make use of my degree. I think what attracts me in the practice is the ability to do something that not everyone has the privilege to do. It definitely sounds idealistic, and I don't think every doctor would agree with me.”

Doctors in the Philippines, it seems, don't earn much money, despite popular opinion. According to Regidor, a resident in a private hospital only earns about P8,000 a month, with the pay sometimes coming in two to three months late. Government hospital residents earn more, he said, “around P15,000 to P30,000, but the workload could be back-breaking.”

Doctors aren't on the list of 20 best and worst jobs posted by the Wall Street Journal (original list from CareerCast.com) – a good sign, maybe, meaning while being a doctor isn't the best nor the worst job in the world, it is a decent enough occupation.

Best job in the world

Ben Southall, who won the “Best Job In the World” contest in Australia, is currently on a world tour promoting Australia’s natural beauty.

As a caretaker of Hamilton Island in Queensland, Australia, his job, which pays USD130,000 (P5.95 million), would have expired after 6 months, but he recently signed an 18-month contract as Australia's tourism ambassador. He is in New York as of this writing.

Southall gets to sleep on an island villa with a view of the Coral Sea, off north-eastern Australia. After he swims on his private pool, he starts his daily work routine checking out the birds and the bees. He then proceeds to blogging about his exploits around the island, after which time he may get invited to other tourist destinations, or social functions aboard yachts, or a quick interview with Oprah.

Sure, most would say that is the life. However, “the best job” does have some occupational hazards -- the 24-year-old charity worker has just recovered from a sting by an Irukandji jellyfish. Small as a matchstick, you can’t see it, and even underwater nets can’t keep it out. It's lethal -- it claimed the lives of two tourists in 2002.

Would anyone say that Southall’s job is the best in terms of not just the risks involved, but his accomplishments? Some might say he was just lazing around, that he didn't achieve anything like rule the world or discover a new medicine. His being a charity worker must have benefitted more people. People who need provision of their basic needs.

As in any type of job, perks and downsides are always present. Deciding to keep that job is not just related to whether it gives excellent pay with minimum effort, but has to also have the fringe benefit of that person feeling that he or she has helped other people.

Photo: “Office with a view - Day 212 of Project 365” by Matthew, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved.

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