Some people have terrible luck. They get too many flat tires, lose too many promotions or piss off too many potential partners. These are certainly problems. But these kinds of problems seem minor in comparison with having to work a terrible job day in and day out. A flat tire is nothing when you're back is always aching, a promotion would be impossible if your field had no room for improvement, and you wouldn't need a spouse anyway if you made no money. Let's take a look at some of CareerCast's worst jobs of 2011 so we can feel a little better about our day jobs moving into 2012:

Roustabout. Roustabouts perform maintenance on oil rigs and pipelines. Not only is the pay pretty dismal--hovering around $32,000 a year, the work is also pretty difficult to get because of the seven-year hiatus on offshore drilling on the coasts. The conditions of the job are also terrible--roustabouts have to work in the day and night, often in extreme weather conditions, and can fall prey to attacks in the Middle East. It's the worst job of 2011--and really helps you appreciate your boring cubicle a bit more.

Taxi Drivers. Taxi drivers make a barely livable wage--$21,000--especially based on the kind of hours that they need to work to get by. Taxi drivers' stress level is high, probably because of driving around busy streets with passengers that need to places quickly. Not too surprisingly, the hiring outlook for aspiring cab drivers isn't bad--if you want to have one of the worst careers in the United States.  

Lumberjacks. Lumberjacks have become less monetarily viable and stable because of fewer-and-fewer new structures being built in the unstable economy. They also have one of the most backbreaking jobs possible--felling trees all day long. They also have relatively stress-filled days and less-than-ideal work habits, and aren't well-compensated for their troubles, earning around $32,000 each year.

Construction Worker. Like the lumberjack, construction work careers are not as desirable in this economy as they once were. Construction workers also take a considerable physical beating for their professions and only rake in a little less than $30,000 each year. There is hope for this career, however--it is projected to grow significantly in the upcoming years.

Did you ever have a terrible job? Do you think there are careers that were left off of this list?