Just because your job pays little doesn't mean it makes you unhappy.
Although
To determine which low-paying jobs had surprisingly happy workers, we teamed up with CareerBliss, an online jobs database.
The jobs that made the list are positions with low pay that have satisfaction rankings far above what's expected.
For each surprisingly happy job, CareerBliss gave us the job's actual average salary and the "predicted" average salary - what they would expect people in the job to make, based on their
If you want a happy career and don't care about pay, here are a few jobs to consider.
1. Machine operator
Actual average salary: $34,000
Predicted average salary: $85,646
Average bliss score: 3.70
Machine operators love their colleagues and bosses and also give high marks to their daily tasks and responsibilities.
2. Assistant general manager
Actual average salary: $46,000
Predicted average salary: $83,109
Average bliss score: 3.64
Assistant general managers give high ratings to coworkers (but not bosses) and say they enjoy their daily work.
3. Warehouse manager
Actual average salary: $48,000
Predicted average salary: $82,025
Average bliss score: 3.74
Coworkers are one of the best parts of the job for warehouse managers, along with the daily work routine.
4. Research assistant
Actual average salary: $35,000
Predicted average salary: $67,280
Average bliss score: 4.11
Research assistants love their bosses and colleagues but also feel happy with the job resources they're given and the company culture.
5. Bank teller
Actual average salary: $30,000
Predicted average salary: $61,392
Average bliss score: 3.36
Bank tellers are most satisfied with their colleagues but give lukewarm ratings to their work environment, job resources, and compensation packages.
6. Operations specialist
Actual average salary: $54,000
Predicted average salary: $85,689
Average bliss score: 3.43
The best part of the job for operations specialists is compensation, followed by their daily work and colleagues.
7. Shift supervisor
Actual average salary: $38,000
Predicted average salary: $69,439
Average bliss score: 3.69
Shift supervisors are happiest with their coworkers and bosses and also gave high marks to their work environment.
8. Teaching assistant
Actual average salary: $31,000
Predicted average salary: $61,865
Average bliss score: 4.13
Teaching assistants report positively on almost every aspect of their jobs, led by their evaluations of bosses and coworkers, company culture, and daily work.
9. Assistant store manager
Actual average salary: $39,000
Predicted average salary: $68,900
Average bliss score: 3.38
Colleagues are the best part of the job for assistant store managers by a significant margin.
10. Machinist
Actual average salary: $38,000
Predicted average salary: $66,972
Average bliss score: 3.54
Machinists report really liking their coworkers and the daily work they complete.
11. Graduate research assistant
Actual average salary: $30,000
Predicted average salary: $59,693
Average bliss score: 4.05
For graduate research assistants, the best parts of the job are the people they work with and the way they get to work each day.
12. Assistant manager
Actual average salary: $37,000
Predicted average salary: $66,182
Average bliss score: 3.46
Assistant managers are happiest with their colleagues, followed by their daily work and tasks.
13. Loan processor
Actual average salary: $40,000
Predicted average salary: $65,715
Average bliss score: 3.91
Loan processors give a nearly perfect score to their coworkers and the second-highest score to work environment.
14. Senior analyst
Actual average salary: $59,000
Predicted average salary: $84,247
Average bliss score: 3.76
Senior analysts are happiest with their colleagues and then the type of daily work they do.
15. Production supervisor
Actual average salary: $54,000
Predicted average salary: $79,073
Average bliss score: 3.74
Production supervisors rate their coworkers and daily work equally well in their evaluations.
16. Personal banker
Actual average salary: $34,000
Predicted average salary: $59,698
Average bliss score: 3.58
Personal bankers really like the people they work with and the work environment but are less excited about other factors.
17. Case manager
Actual average salary: $41,000
Predicted average salary: $65,924
Average bliss score: 3.28
Case managers are very happy with their coworkers and neutral on most other satisfaction metrics.
18. Branch manager
Actual average salary: $58,000
Predicted average salary: $81,953
Average bliss score: 3.47
Once again, coworkers and daily work style and tasks gets the highest ratings from branch managers.
19. Medical assistant
Actual average salary: $32,000
Predicted average salary: $56,727
Average bliss score: 3.65
Coworkers, work environment, and daily assignments are most important happiness-wise to medical assistants.
20. Supervisor
Actual average salary: $43,000
Predicted average salary: $67,076
Average bliss score: 3.53
Supervisors of all sorts like their colleagues and daily work but are more ambivalent about growth opportunities.