For some students, deciding on which career path do go down can be a rough decision.

Careercast.com has been ranking the best and worst jobs of the year for 27 years. The report ranks 200 jobs from best to worst based on three percentage components, work environment, stress and hiring outlook.

For the 2015 report, an actuary came in at number one, and the worst job was a newspaper reporter, which ranked at 200.

Some UTEP alumni and students realized that the degree that they chose to pursue was ranked fairly high on the list or at the bottom.

Anuar Jauregui graduated from UTEP Cum Laude in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in computer science. Jauregui works for ExxonMobil in Houston and said that his job is a hybrid of both software engineering, which ranked eighth, and a computer systems analyst, which ranked 10th.

Jauregui said that when looking over the rankings, he agreed that they were, for the most part, accurate.

“I can definitely agree with the levels indicated in the ranking. The work environment in the computer systems field varies greatly depending on the company. Most computer systems work environments are your typical nine to five office cubicle work spaces,” Jauregui said. “But in bigger companies, employees in computer systems are also part of the bigger corporate environment of the ‘business’ and it can be very comfortable.”

The report was initially intended to guide students down the right path when it came to turning their career dreams into realities, along with helping others who are looking for a change in their career to make a smart transition for their future.

Jauregui’s childhood dream is what led him to ultimately choose computer science as his degree of choice.

“I chose this career path originally because I wanted to design video games when I was little, and when I began my research into what degrees I needed, I found that an actual game design degree was too far and too expensive for a fresh high school graduate,” he said. “But after digging a bit more, I found out that a computer science degree would also give me all the necessary skills for my childhood dream.”

After going through college and an internship with NASA, Jauregui’s interests widened and he he was able to see many different opportunities available in many different fields.

“Which led to many job interviews, which led to several offers, and in the end, I just chose the one that best matched my interests,” Jauregui said.

Some students chose to attend graduate school instead of going straight into the job force.

UTEP alumna Esmirna Corona graduated with a bachelor’s degree in social work in 2014. She attends UT Austin, where she is working toward obtaining her master’s degree in clinical social work.

A social worker ranked 70th on the report. Unlike Jauregui, Corona didn’t think the ranking was accurate.

“I’m happy social work has a good rank, but a tad disappointed that it wasn’t higher on the list,” Corona said. “Although social work is a demanding career, it also gives a lot of satisfaction and happiness.”

Corona said that social workers work with people, which creates a different dynamic to the working environment.

“As social workers, we cannot follow a specific ‘guideline’ to use in our work because every person is unique and different,” she said. “Therefore, social workers need to modify every intervention in a manner that will be culturally sensitive and appropriate to the individual.”

Damaris Reyes, senior multimedia journalism major, plans on pursuing a career in journalism.

Journalism professions ranked fairly low on the report, with a photojournalist ranking 195th,   a broadcaster at 196th and a newspaper reporter at 200th. When looking at the rankings, Reyes said that she uses it as motivation.

“Honestly, I think it’s a bummer to hear such things, especially when one is pursuing such a career,” Reyes said. “As far as if it scares me, it depends.”

Reyes said that she can either see it as a threat to her career or she can use it as  encouragement to push her to be better.

“I believe that it’s not the things that make the people, but the people who make the things,” Reyes said.

UTEP alumni Jauregui and Corona left this year’s graduating seniors with some advice.

“Stay strong in your studying. Your grades matter a lot if you want to get a shot at the really big, well-paying, competitive positions,” Jauregui said. “Be involved, join several extra-curricular organizations like Greek life, community service clubs, or any particular organization that spikes your interest, and become a leader in them.”

For Corona it is about enjoying college life and taking a step back to reflect.

“Enjoy every moment of your undergraduate and graduate education. Learn everything, read everything, but most importantly be happy and passionate in whatever you are doing,” Corona said. “Graduate school can be challenging. Sometimes you ask yourself, with the largest coffee mug in hand, ‘why did I do this to myself?’”

Corona said that if you are doing something that you are passionate about, the sacrifices will be worth it.

“At the end of the day, that will be your motivation to keep going,” Corona said.

Amanda Guillen may be reached at [email protected].