Low pay + high stress + college degree = Triple-whammy jobs

Some jobs pay well but require hard work and slavish devotion. Others are easy, but the paycheck is as light as the workload. Then there are the jobs that are neither lucrative nor relaxing. Add the expectation of a college degree, and you have the “triple-whammy” jobs, said Al Lee, director of quantitative analysis for PayScale.com, a Seattle-based online provider of employee compensation data.

PayScale.com recently surveyed about 36,000 people and asked them to rate their job stress. Researchers then correlated stress data with compensation statistics to come up with a list of the 30 most-stressful, worst-paying jobs, eliminating those that don’t typically require a college degree.

Some of the results were unexpected.

“It was surprising to see minister as a stressful job. They often project calmness,” Lee said.

Most jobs that ranked fairly or highly stressful either deal with tight deadlines, vulnerable populations or high stakes. Some take high-stress, low-paying jobs to break into a new field. Others “feel they are making the world a better place. It’s not about the money,” Lee said.

And some are “stress junkies,” Lee added, who thrive in fast-paced, high-pressure environments.

People in stressful, low-paying jobs aren’t necessarily unhappy. In fact, other PayScale.com surveys have found that ministers tend to have higher than average job satisfaction and view their work as meaningful.

“It’s not to say these people aren’t satisfied with their jobs. They just find them stressful,” Lee said.

With the difficult economy and many people considering career changes, The Columbian wanted to talk to local people with the five most stressful jobs and find out what makes the work worthwhile.

For four of the five people we spoke with, the position on PayScale.com’s list is just one aspect of what they do — either because they need other work to supplement their income or the PayScale.com job title is too narrow and captures only part of their services.

The challenges and rewards vary from job to job, but all said one of the aspects of their work they particularly love is the variety each day brings.

Art is in the eye of the beholder, making it both a rewarding and challenging career for people such as Collard.

“As an artist, you’re laying your soul out there, your creative energy. If it gets criticized, it can be hurtful to a point. But if it is received well, it’s the best feeling in the world,” said the 50-year-old owner and principal of J.S. Collard Design in Battle Ground.

Part of Collard’s job involves creating animated elements for business Web sites. His work can be seen on the site for parking supply company Pacific Cascade/The ParkingZone, for example. He animated the company logo and created a background of green vines to emphasize the business’ commitment to sustainability.

Collard studied fine art at Brigham Young University. His work ranges from graphic design to Web development to painting murals.

Interactive media appeals to Collard because it combines his interests in art and technology.

“I get the enjoyment of being able to create something dynamic, interactive, that can’t be placed on a canvas,” said Collard, who’s worked in art and graphic design for 27 years.

Sometimes reconciling his creative vision with what the client wants can be challenging, though.

“They (want to) put ‘War and Peace’ inside Reader’s Digest. They want too much. They complicate the creative process,” he said.

Putting a dollar value on art can be difficult, as well.

“People tend to think, ‘It’s just art, it’s just a computer program. You can pop that out,’” he said. “People don’t really understand that if they go for a quality product, they have to pay a little more.”

Collard combats this with a diversified business model. Interactive media represents about 30 percent of what he does.

PayScale.com lists the national median pay for a multimedia artist at $43,700. Collard said that sounds about right for someone who works in-house at an agency and is salaried. Freelancers just starting out would probably earn $25-$50 per hour, and more established artists could command $75-$150 an hour, he said.

Having a business offering a range of services is not only financially advantageous, but it’s also creatively fulling and fits his personality, Collard said.

“It keeps it exciting. A lot of artists have the attention span of a gnat.”

Bob Wadden, production assistant

What makes his job stressful: A hierarchal power structure

What he loves about his job: Diverse job sites

In 1990, Wadden went to meet a friend on the Portland set of “Frozen Assets,” and that one brush with the film industry changed the course of the Vancouver auto body repairman’s life. Wadden was asked to be an extra, and from there went on to do more background acting work and coordinate extras for shoots.

About a year later, he decided to refocus his efforts and become a production assistant. He took classes at the Northwest Film Center’s School of Film in Portland to learn the trade. His work has taken him everywhere from the sewers of Portland for the History Channel series “Cities of the Underworld” to the summit of Mount Hood for a Wham-O toy commercial.

“We don’t know where we’re going to go or what we’re going to do next, which is the excitement,” said Wadden, 56. “I can be in the crater of a volcano one day. I can be in an operating room the next day, under the city of Portland in the sewers the next day, in the desert the next day.”

The job has given Wadden the opportunity to meet some interesting people, as well as explore diverse locales. His collection of photos includes shots of him with Academy Award-winning actress Marlee Matlin, whom he worked with on the 1993 movie “Hear No Evil,” and actor Ed Asner.

As a production assistant, Wadden is responsible for helping make sure whatever film, television or commercial shoot he’s on runs smoothly. He usually carries about 75 pounds of gear with him, everything from markers to flashlights to sunblock.

“When somebody wants something, I’m at their beck and call,” he said.

Wadden enjoys the utility of his job, but there are challenges to being at the bottom of the pyramid.

“Problems roll downhill,” he said. “If something is not on time, on budget, they yell at me.”

Despite all the responsibility, production assistants don’t get the glory that producers, directors and assistant directors do, nor the big paychecks.

PayScale.com lists the national median salary for a production assistant at $37,000, but Wadden thinks $25,000-$26,000 is more realistic. He listed the standard daily rate for a production assistant at about $250, plus bonuses.

Being a production assistant isn’t a steady gig, so income fluctuates.

“You only work when there’s work to be done,” he said.

For Wadden, the money he makes as a production assistant is supplemental. He earns most of his income from his two Vancouver businesses, RGW Auto Shop and RGW Auto Sales.

Once he retires from the auto business, Wadden would like to write, direct and produce his own movies. His years as a production assistant will be an asset, he said.

“I came from the bottom, so it makes me a stronger person.”