Paralegals have earned the number one spot on CareerCast.com's new list of most underrated jobs. According to Tony Lee, CareerCast's publisher, it was time to "tap its vast data pool and release a list of jobs that may be unglamorous but that have better than average employment rates and incomes," Forbes reports. "While they don't pay the six- or seven-figure compensation of hedge fund managers or heart surgeons, these underrated jobs allow workers to enjoy a decent standard of living and a relatively bright employment outlook."
According to the CareerCast survey, "paralegals and legal assistants make an average annual income of $47,000 [actually closer to $50,000 in 2011], and over the past three years the average unemployment rate in the field has been just 3.1%. The job is also relatively low-stress, involves little contact with the public, and doesn't require employees to breathe in toxic fumes or lift loads of 50 lbs. or more. Those factors land paralegal in the number one spot on the list."
I don't think many paralegals would agree the job is low-stress or that it involves little contact with the public (quite the contrary - paralegals often have client contact as well as interaction with vendors, opposing counsel, and others). However, the job is often underrated; when most people think of legal careers, they think of lawyers. However, paralegals have one of the fastest-growing jobs on the planet and paralegals enjoy a better work-life balance and lower school debt than lawyers .
Other Underrated Legal Jobs: