'Money magazine and Salary.com released their list of the 50 best jobs in America on Wednesday, and software engineer was at the top spot.

But if the Buzz had its druthers, we'd be launching a new career as a college professor, which ranked second on the list.

It isn't because college professors make so much money. The job has other advantages, such as a low stress level, flexibility and plenty of room for creativity. Oh, yeah, and college professors reported the lowest average number of working hours per week, 30, and the highest average number of vacation days, 31.



Well, in theory, anyway. Dennis Hoffman, an economics professor at Arizona State University, said he has heard all that stuff about what a cushy job he supposedly has, especially the part about all the time off.

"I just love that one," Hoffman said. "It's not the 9 to 5 grind that some folks might endure, but if you add up all the hours for the week, it's more like 50 or 60. [You’ll need to be more specific.] Most of my colleagues are pretty much pounding away. [At what? Articles in their field? Reading? For most academics, these are pleasant activities-- they entered the field because they like to do them. I wouldn‘t call it pounding away. I‘d say people who work at quarries are pounding away.] "

He also noted that because of all the schooling it takes to become a professor, you don't really get started on your career until you are nearly 30. [In other words, look how long you get to be a student.] And then there is the "publish or perish" pressure, especially at research universities [Publish or perish pressure is primarily a pre-tenure phenomenon. And at most schools almost everyone who comes up for tenure gets it.]'