Neurosurgeons are one of the happiest careers in the United States.
At CareerExplorer, we conduct an ongoing survey with millions of people and ask them how satisfied they are with their careers. As it turns out, neurosurgeons rate their career happiness 4.1 out of 5 stars which puts them in the top 6% of careers.
To put this into perspective, we compared how happy neurosurgeons are to similar careers in the industry. Take a look at the results below:
Salaries and satisfaction ratings in similar careers
| Career | Satisfaction | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Gynecologist | 4.2 | N/A |
| Ophthalmologist | 4.1 | $201k |
| Neurosurgeon | 4.1 | N/A |
| Dermatologist | 4.1 | $201k |
| Pediatrician | 4.0 | $171k |
| Neurologist | 4.0 | $201k |
| Cytotechnologist | 4.0 | $61k |
So what does it mean to be happy in your career? Let’s break it down into different dimensions:
- Salary: Are neurosurgeons happy with their salary?
- Meaning: Do neurosurgeons find their jobs meaningful?
- Personality fit: How well suited are people’s personalities to their everyday tasks as neurosurgeons?
- Work environment: How enjoyable are neurosurgeon’s work environments?
- Skills utilization: Are neurosurgeons making the best use of their abilities?
Are neurosurgeons happy with their salary?
Neurosurgeons rated their satisfaction with their salaries 4.2/5. The majority of neurosurgeons are quite happy with their salaries, with very few having complaints about their income level.
We asked neurosurgeons how fairly compensated they are for their work.
Their response was:
4.2 out of 5 stars
31 neurosurgeons
58% of neurosurgeons rated their compensation 5 stars
23% of neurosurgeons rated their compensation 4 stars
6% of neurosurgeons rated their compensation 3 stars
3% of neurosurgeons rated their compensation 2 stars
10% of neurosurgeons rated their compensation 1 stars
Do neurosurgeons find their jobs meaningful?
On average, neurosurgeons rate the meaningfulness of their work a 4.1/5. Unlike many careers, neurosurgeons have little difficulty finding meaning in their work, and it likely constitutes one of the main reasons people become neurosurgeons.
We asked neurosurgeons how meaningful they found their work.
Their response was:
4.1 out of 5 stars
33 neurosurgeons
52% of neurosurgeons rated how meaningful they found their career 5 stars
24% of neurosurgeons rated how meaningful they found their career 4 stars
12% of neurosurgeons rated how meaningful they found their career 3 stars
6% of neurosurgeons rated how meaningful they found their career 2 stars
6% of neurosurgeons rated how meaningful they found their career 1 stars
How well are people’s personalities suited to everyday tasks as neurosurgeons?
Neurosurgeons rated their personality fit with their work an average of 4.1/5. The majority of neurosurgeons find their personalities quite well suited to their work, with relatively few having complaints about their fit.
We asked neurosurgeons how well their personalities fit into their careers.
Their response was:
4.1 out of 5 stars
32 neurosurgeons
56% of neurosurgeons rated their career fit 5 stars
16% of neurosurgeons rated their career fit 4 stars
16% of neurosurgeons rated their career fit 3 stars
6% of neurosurgeons rated their career fit 2 stars
6% of neurosurgeons rated their career fit 1 stars
How enjoyable is a neurosurgeon’s work environment?
As a whole, neurosurgeons rated their enjoyment of their work environment 4.2/5. A solid majority of neurosurgeons enjoy their work environment, probably contributing to overall higher satisfaction with working as a neurosurgeon.
We asked neurosurgeons how much they enjoyed their work environment.
Their response was:
4.2 out of 5 stars
32 neurosurgeons
53% of neurosurgeons rated their work environment 5 stars
25% of neurosurgeons rated their work environment 4 stars
13% of neurosurgeons rated their work environment 3 stars
6% of neurosurgeons rated their work environment 2 stars
3% of neurosurgeons rated their work environment 1 stars
Are neurosurgeons making the best use of their abilities?
Former neurosurgeons on CareerExplorer have rated their skills utilization 4.1/5. Most neurosurgeons surveyed find that they manage to use their abilities to their fullest as a neurosurgeon, which helps contribute to higher career satisfaction in the long term.
We asked neurosurgeons how well their abilities were used in their careers.
Their response was:
4.1 out of 5 stars
34 neurosurgeons
56% of neurosurgeons rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 5 stars
21% of neurosurgeons rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 4 stars
6% of neurosurgeons rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 3 stars
9% of neurosurgeons rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 2 stars
9% of neurosurgeons rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 1 stars