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CareerBuilder.com Survey Shows How Astrology and Birth Order Factor Into Careers and Compensation

CHICAGO, August 20, 2008 - Are middle children more likely to program computers or fight fires? Do Scorpios or Capricorns belong to a higher earning bracket? A new survey from CareerBuilder.com looks at profession, compensation and job satisfaction in relation to birth order and astrology sign. The survey of more than 8,700 workers was conducted nationwide across industries.


Birth Order

Compensation
The survey found that a higher percentage of workers who were the first born in their families earned $100,000 or more annually compared to their siblings. The last born were the least likely to earn six figures. Comparing those who make $35,000 or less per year, more middle children identified themselves as part of this earning bracket.

Professions Workers Are More Likely Drawn to Than Their Siblings

  • First Born - government, engineering, pharmacy and science

  • Middle Child - nursing, law enforcement, fire-fighting and machine operation

  • Last Born - art/design, sales and information technology

  • Job Level
    Workers who were first born were more likely to report holding a vice president or senior management level position. Middle children were more likely to identify with professional/technical staff level positions while the last born were more likely to report holding administrative/clerical level positions.

    Job Satisfaction
    Middle children reported being the most satisfied with their current positions while the last born reported being the least satisfied.

    Astrological Sign

    Compensation
    Scorpio, Leo, Taurus and Cancer signs were among the most likely to earn $100,000 or more annually while Aquarius and Capricorn signs were among the most likely to earn $35,000 or less.

    Professions That Draw Different Signs

  • Aquarius - sales, military, engineering, mechanic, food preparation, facilities management and transportation

  • Pisces - social work, personal care, IT, facilities management and mechanic
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  • Aries - government, construction, hotel /recreation, IT, education and transportation
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  • Taurus - nursing, engineering, attorney/judge, marketing/public relations and higher education
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  • Gemini - art/design/architecture, nursing and personal care, sales, law enforcement, firefighter and machine operation
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  • Cancer - government, legal services, advertising, higher education, machine operation, transportation and military
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  • Leo - government, legal services, art/design/architecture, engineering, entertainment, real estate and education
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  • Virgo - social work, sales, hotel/recreation, editing/writing and food preparation
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  • Libra - social work, government, advertising, machine operation, law enforcement, firefighter, sales and education
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  • Scorpio - legal services, engineering, science, education, construction and skilled trades
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  • Sagittarius - editing/writing, marketing/public relations, entertainment, hotel/recreation, IT and military
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  • Capricorn - art/design/architecture, nursing, science, IT, sales, farming and food preparation

  • Job Satisfaction
    Pisces, Sagittarius and Capricorn signs reported being the most satisfied with their current jobs while Gemini and Cancer signs reported being the least satisfied.

    Survey Methodology
    This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive® on behalf of CareerBuilder.com among 8,785 US employees (employed full-time; not self-employed) between May 22 and June 13, 2008. Percentages for some questions are based on a subset of responses to certain questions. With a pure probability sample of 8,785 one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 1.0 percentage points. Sampling error for data from sub-samples is higher and varies.

    About CareerBuilder.com
    CareerBuilder.com is the nation’s largest online job site with more than 23 million unique visitors and over 1.6 million jobs. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company, The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI) and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT), the company offers a vast online and print network to help job seekers connect with employers. CareerBuilder.com powers the career centers for more than 1,600 partners, including 140 newspapers and leading portals such as AOL and MSN. More than 300,000 employers take advantage of CareerBuilder.com’s easy job postings, 28 million-plus resumes, Diversity Channel and more. CareerBuilder.com and its subsidiaries operate in the U.S., Europe, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit http://www.careerbuilder.com.

    CareerBuilder Media Contact
    For all media inquiries and interview requests, contact:

    Jennifer Grasz
    (P) 773-527-1164
    (E) jennifer.grasz@careerbuilder.com