184th best, 17th worst

As we start the year off, let's look at where "newspaper reporter" ranks on Careercast.com's list of the 200 best and worst jobs to have in 2010...

Snuggled between "sailor" and "stevedore," the job of reporter is the 184th best job to have and, conversely, the 17th worst.

Some jobs that rank better than newspaper reporter: archaeologist (#50), janitor (#83), sewage plant operator (#117), and nuclear plant decontamination technician (#165).

Photojournalist ranks 189th. Public relations executive ranks 79th.

Careercast.com offers a complicated methodology for how the jobs were ranked, but the basic criteria were environment, income, employment outlook, physical demands and stress. Reporters did particularly bad on stress and employment outlook (ranked "very poor").

The average starting salary for a newspaper reporter is an astoundingly low $22,000, according to the study. The average jumps to $35,000 for a mid-level reporter, and tops out $77,000 - that's $28,000 less than a top-level philosopher.