By Rana Waxman
The best work life balance jobs could offer you a good salary while allowing you to enjoy your weekends. Even if you do not know what to do with the rest of your life once you earn your college degree, you might explore potential career paths from this angle.
How do you get work-life balance? Work life balance careers allow you to split your time between leisure and work duties. They may stick to reasonable hours such as 9 to 5 which allows you the evening for friends, family, a workout, your puppy, etc. Not to mention, sleep and regular meals.
You would be surprised at how many jobs spill over into crucial “me-time”. So, while salary is likely at the top of your job wish list, you might also filter for what could be healthy and fulfilling options.
25 Jobs with Best Work Life Balance
These days, working full-time often means working more than 40 hours a week, which can make it tough to keep a good balance between work and home. But some jobs do have a little more flexibility than others and these are the work life balance careers.
Glassdoor published a list of 25 best work life balance jobs. Employees rated their work-life balance from best (5) to worst (1). See which ones match your goals.
We’ve paired their data with information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and O*Net Online to give you an idea of the education you might need to enter the field, median annual salary (2020) and job outlook (to 2030).
DATA SCIENTIST
A data scientist is today’s version of statistician and is someone who knows how to work with big data.
Work-Life Balance Rating: 4.2
Salary: $126,830
Job Outlook: 22% (much faster than average)
Entry-level Education: Master’s degree
SEO MANAGER
An SEO manager takes care of search engine optimization, helping websites rank so that people find the company’s products, services, or ideas.
Work-Life Balance Rating: 4.1
Salary: $141,490
Job Outlook: 10% (as fast as average)
Entry-level Education: Bachelor’s degree
TALENT ACQUISITION SPECIALIST
As the name suggests, this role is about finding talent and recruiting to fill job openings.
Work-Life Balance Rating: 4.0
Salary: $63,490
Job Outlook: 10% (as fast as average)
Entry-level Education: Bachelor’s degree
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
A social media manager understands how to use platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to engage with and sell to target audiences.
Work-Life Balance Rating: 4.0
Salary: $55,540
Job Outlook: N/A
Entry-level Education: Bachelor’s degree
SUBSTITUTE TEACHER
A teacher who takes on a temporary role while the main teacher is on leave is a ‘sub’. This role may entail part-time work and education relating to a specific subject and grade-level.
Work-Life Balance Rating: 3.9
Salary: $36,090
Job Outlook: N/A
Entry-level Education: Bachelor’s degree
RECRUITING COORDINATOR
A recruiting coordinator may have a very active role in managing the hiring of new talent.
Work-Life Balance Rating: 3.9
Salary: $63,490
Job Outlook: 10% (as fast as average)
Entry-level Education: Bachelor’s degree
UX DESIGNER
A UX designer focuses on user experience with websites, so they often work on compatibility issues, navigation menus, and aesthetics. Also, could work in video game design.
Work-Life Balance Rating: 3.9
Salary: $77,200
Job Outlook: 13% (faster than average)
Entry-level Education: Bachelor’s degree
DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER
A digital marketing manager could lead online campaigns that draw users to engage with their company’s brand.
Work-Life Balance Rating: 3.9
Salary: $141,490
Job Outlook: 10% (as fast as average)
Entry-level Education: Bachelor’s degree
MARKETING ASSISTANT
As a marketing assistant, you may support the marketing team by helping to prepare reports and assessing customer behavior.
Work-Life Balance Rating: 3.8
Salary: $65,810
Job Outlook: 15% (much faster than average)
Entry-level Education: Bachelor’s degree
WEB DEVELOPER
A web developer creates and upkeeps websites.
Work-Life Balance Rating: 3.8
Salary: $77,200
Job Outlook: 13% (faster than average)
Entry-level Education: Bachelor’s degree
RISK ANALYST
Using their financial skills, a risk analyst could help businesses and people make decisions about investments and potential risks.
Work-Life Balance Rating: 3.8
Salary: $83,360
Job Outlook: 6% (as fast as average)
Entry-level Education: Bachelor’s degree
CIVIL ENGINEER
As a civil engineer, you might watch and solve problems on construction sites as well as design and build infrastructure.
Work-Life Balance Rating: 3.8
Salary: $88,570
Job Outlook: 8% (as fast as average)
Entry-level Education: Bachelor’s degree
CLIENT MANAGER
In this role, you may have different accounts to manage, serving your clients’ interests as they engage with your product or service.
Work-Life Balance Rating: 3.8
Salary: $132,290
Job Outlook: 7% (as fast as average)
Entry-level Education: Bachelor’s degree
INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNER
An instructional designer crafts education material such as courses. Some people in this role also oversee school curricula and standards.
Work-Life Balance Rating: 3.8
Salary: $66,970
Job Outlook: 10% (as fast as average)
Entry-level Education: Master’s degree
MARKETING ANALYST
As a marketing analysist, plan to spend your time researching trends and making sense of them to help a business profit.
Work-Life Balance Rating: 3.8
Salary: $65,810
Job Outlook: 22% (much faster than average)
Entry-level Education: Bachelor’s degree
SOFTWARE QA ENGINEER
The QA stands for ‘quality assurance’. So, in this role, you could expect to identify problems with applications or programs and report defects.
Work-Life Balance Rating: 3.8
Salary: $110,140
Job Outlook: 22% (much faster than average)
Entry-level Education: Bachelor’s degree
WEB DESIGNER
A web designer uses their creativity to work on the look and feel of websites.
Work-Life Balance Rating: 3.8
Salary: $77,200
Job Outlook: 13% (faster than average)
Entry-level Education: Bachelor’s degree
RESEARCH TECHNICIAN
A research technician could assist social scientists in the laboratory or with surveys.
Work-Life Balance Rating: 3.8
Salary: $49,210
Job Outlook: 5-10% (as fast as average)
Entry-level Education: Bachelor’s degree
PROGRAM ANALYST
A program analyst assesses computer programs and may work to make them more efficient.
Work-Life Balance Rating: 3.7
Salary: $93,730
Job Outlook: 7% (as fast as average)
Entry-level Education: Bachelor’s degree
DATA ANALYST
As a data analyst, you might assess and gather information from databases, sales histories, and customer feedback to solve complex issues.
Work-Life Balance Rating: 3.7
Salary: $86,200
Job Outlook: 25% (much faster than average)
Entry-level Education: Bachelor’s degree
CONTENT MANAGER
A content manager could oversee editing and presenting content on a website that lines up with a company’s brand voice and target audience.
Work-Life Balance Rating: 3.7
Salary: $63,400
Job Outlook: 5% (slower than average)
Entry-level Education: Bachelor’s degree
SOLUTIONS ENGINEER
A computer solutions engineer is a problem solver. In this role, one might solve complex applications problems, network, and administration issues.
Work-Life Balance Rating: 3.7
Salary: $84,810
Job Outlook: 5% (slower than average)
Entry-level Education: Bachelor’s degree
LAB ASSISTANT
A lab assistant could work in a medical lab and help with processes (collect specimens for e.g.) as well as research.
Work-Life Balance Rating: 3.7
Salary: $54,180
Job Outlook: 11% (faster than average)
Entry-level Education: Bachelor’s degree
SOFTWARE DEVELOPER
As a software developer, you are likely to design computer applications.
Work-Life Balance Rating: 3.7
Salary: $110,140
Job Outlook: 22% (much faster than average)
Entry-level Education: Bachelor’s degree
FRONT END DEVELOPER
A front-end developer works on the technical features of websites. For example, integrating graphics, creating the layout, and apps like check out tools for e-commerce.
Work-Life Balance Rating: 3.7
Salary: $77,200
Job Outlook: 13% (faster than average)
Entry-level Education: Bachelor’s degree
How to Find and Prepare for Jobs with Best Work Life Balance
Job search engines such as Glassdoor often list jobs under various names. They may do this because the hiring company wants to highlight specific skills. So, approach the job search with an open mind. We used O*Net Online because it uses BLS data as well as lists a variety of job titles for each career path.
Once you find a job that you want to apply for, research the company culture. See what employees say and if there are any comments about work life balance, or lack of it. High employee turnover may also indicate a lack of work life balance, so take note.
An externship is a great way to test-drive a job to see if you like it and an internship can help you gain work experience for a competitive edge when it comes time to land a job. Use our job and internship search to find the perfect opportunity for you!