Weldon Hawley has one of the worst jobs in America.
And he loves it.
Hawley and his crew of cowboys at the W.T. Waggoner Estate in Vernon, Texas, wake by 5 each morning, work countless cattle, and spend backbreaking days on horseback under a scorching sun.
“It’s definitely physically demanding,” the ranch manager said. “That’s what makes it a good job.”
So what of a new ranking that lists “cowboy” among the five worst occupations?
“It’s a great job for the ones of us that do that,” said Hawley, who began his career as a cowboy more than 20 years ago.
That may be. But the new Jobs Rated Almanac also notes that, despite the idyllic image, cowboys are paid about $31,000 a year, have limited prospects for advancement and face some of the greatest physical demands.
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Only the physically demanding and low-paying work of the fisherman and the lumberjack ranked lower in the sixth edition of the list.
As for the nation’s best jobs, top spot went to biologists, edging out the actuaries and financial planners ranked best in previous editions before falling to No. 2 and No. 3 this time around.
The book’s editor, Les Krantz, used statistics from the Department of Labor, the U.S. Census, professional organizations and telephone surveys in ranking 250 jobs–some of them uncommon, such as roustabout (No. 239) and stevedore (No. 241).
The jobs are ranked according to six variables: income, stress, physical demands, potential growth, job security and work environment.
Biologists, by Krantz’s analysis, earn an average of more than $92,000 a year and have the best future prospects, sparked in large part by the completion of the human genome map and last year’s anthrax scare.
While working cattle doesn’t make cowboys rich, Hawley said Waggoner’s crew gets some perks such as health insurance and free housing with utilities.
“The pay–you wouldn’t say that was the greatest in the world,” Hawley said. “But your houses are furnished. Your beef’s furnished. Your bills are furnished.”