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Special events coordinator
Special events coordinator
Anne Giapapas has a ton of responsibility.
Median pay: $35,900
% who say their job is stressful: 75%

Planning a major event or party is a ton of work, and can easily turn into a real circus if you don't hire a pro to pull it all together.

"My colleague was throwing a circus-themed event, and one hour before the event started, Peanut the elephant died in the ballroom," said Anne Giapapas, a special events coordinator in San Luis Obispo, Calif. "Without time to move the elephant, they threw a tarp over Peanut and made it look like a circus tent. No one even knew what was underneath during the event."

But the elephant in the room may be the least of a special events coordinator's troubles. Juggling vendors, collecting payments, shepherding guests and taking on bridezillas is just another day at the office.

NEXT: Probation/parole officer
Last updated October 29 2009: 4:28 PM ET
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Source: PayScale.com.
How Payscale.com defined high stress and low pay jobs: Starting from a database of over 2000 jobs, Payscale used data from over 36,000 respondents who ranked their jobs for quality of life factors, and chose those requiring a bachelor's degree or higher where the national median pay is less than $65,000. The survey was conducted between Aug 10, 2009 and Oct. 1, 2009.
50 Best Jobs in America Great pay and superior growth prospects. Work that's meaningful. Those are some of the qualities we looked for. More
Least stressful jobsFeeling overworked and overwhelmed? Maybe it's time for a career change. More
Top-paying jobs Anesthesiologists take home a median $292,000 salary annually. What other great jobs offer big paychecks? More
How would you describe the stress level of your job?
  • No stress at all
  • Sometimes there's stress
  • Very stressful
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