WSJ asked highly-satisfied, career-focused people what made them satisfied in their careers and then matched careers that most provided those qualities.

Here are the results (in alphabetical order): These won't be the best careers for everyone. But relative to others, they are more likely to have the things that highly satisfied career-minded people say describe their jobs."

• Curriculum and instructional coordinators
• High-school special-education teachers
• Hospital and clinic managers
• Management consultants and analysts
• Medical researchers
• Physical therapists
• Sales, marketing and advertising managers
• Social workers, counselors and related managers

• Good intellectual stimulation
• Strong job security
• High level of control and freedom in what to do
• Extensive direct contact with customers/clients

WSJ reports." These criteria in hand, we then looked to identify careers that best met them. We scoured occupational data and employment projections from the Department of Labor and interviewed experts. Our eight "Best Careers" fit the bill in each category.

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