軟件工程師獲評年最佳職業
The year 2011 is the best of times for software engineers and the worst of times for roustabouts, according to a survey of the nation's best and worst jobs released on Wednesday.
Software engineers have the top jobs, thanks to the exploding demand for high-tech gadgets and the appetite for applications for iPods, tablets and other devices, said the survey by online jobs site .
Software engineers enjoy a strong outlook for employment, low stress, few physical demands and good wages, it said.
Roustabouts, on the other hand, who are oil rig or gas pipeline workers, have the worst job, it said.
A roustabout's job is dangerous, as shown by the explosion aboard the Transocean Ltd. oil drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico that killed 11 workers in April.
Roustabouts routinely work 12-hour shifts in tough conditions, it said.
The top five jobs, which include mathematician, actuary, statistician and computer systems, typically pay more than twice as much as the lowest jobs -- $83,777 compared to $30,735 per year.
The least desirable jobs along with roustabout for 2011 are iron worker, lumberjack, roofer and taxi driver, it said.
CareerCast evaluated 200 professions based on pay, environment, hiring outlook, stress and physical demands, using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau and trade association studies.
To determine the amount of stress in a job, for example, the study looked at such factors as whether an employee's life was at risk or the number of deadlines and travel.
根據本週三發佈的2011年度最佳和最差職業調查，軟件工程師獲評最佳職業，而石油鑽臺工人則排名墊底。
開展此項調查的招聘網站表示，由於對高科技產品的需求呈爆炸式增長，以及人們對iPod、平板電腦、和其它科技產品應用軟件的喜好，軟件工程師被評爲最佳職業。
調查稱，軟件工程師的就業前景一片大好，壓力小，體力消耗低，還能賺得高薪。
但每天和石油鑽臺或天然氣管道打交道的石油鑽臺工人則被評爲最差職業。
石油鑽臺工人的工作很危險。去年4月，越洋有限公司位於墨西哥灣的鑽井平臺發生爆炸，導致11名工人死亡就是個例子。
調查稱，石油鑽臺工人的工作通常要實行12小時輪班制，而且工作環境及其艱苦。
排在最佳職業前五位的還包括數學家、保險精算師、統計學家、和電腦系統分析師。這些職業的年薪可達83777美元，是排在末位的幾類最差職業年薪（30735美元）的兩倍多。
除了石油鑽臺工人外，2011年最差職業還有鋼鐵工、伐木工、屋頂建築工、和出租車司機。
CareerCast網站對200種職業進行了評估，評估標準包括收入、工作環境、就業前景、壓力、體力消耗等。調查數據來自美國勞工統計局、人口調查局、以及行業協會的研究。
例如，爲確定某種職業所承受的壓力，研究者會參考職員是否會遇到生命危險、完成工作是否經常有最後期限，以及旅行的次數等因素。
Vocabulary:
roustabout: （油井或馬戲場等處的）雜工，非技術工
shift: a person's scheduled period of work, esp. the portion of the day scheduled as a day's work when a shop, service, office, or industry operates continuously during both the day and night: She prefers the morning shift.（輪班，倒班）
