The best jobs in the world are those that pay well and are personally fulfilling to the individual. Some people are fortunate enough to hold these great jobs being financially secure and stressed free. For others, the job may be good in some respects, but not in others. Below are 8 terrible jobs that pay really well, but can be fairly difficult on the worker.
Bridge Toll Collector
Although this occupation doesn’t seem like it could be too bad, imagine having to be stuck in a small sized vestibule for long, late night shifts, with annoying honking horns and the thick smog of car exhaust day to day. The simple task of collecting money, giving directions, and telling a few jokes can be burdened heavily by your work environment. How much do you get paid to keep your sanity? $45,000 with the job security knowing no one will want to take the job.
Coal Miner
This very dangerous job has seen its many tragedies in the United States. Just this past April, the Massey mine explosion in West Virginia took the lives of 25 miners. The most recent Mine Safety & Health Administration and Bureau of Labor Statistics report showed that in 2008 there were 3,227 total injuries, 200,000 workdays lost due to injury, and a total of 28 fatal injuries in this profession. What do these daredevils get paid for in return for all this risk you may ask? West Virginia and New York miners average $78,500 annually for their life-risking efforts.
Embalmer
Some of the tasks for this creepy career include draining and replacing blood vessels with embalming fluids through the jugular, draining body cavities, using string or wire to keep the eyes and mouth open, disinfecting the body, massaging limbs to relieve body stiffness, and injecting chemicals to hide bruises. If you can avoid getting nightmares from this job, you can look to earn anywhere from $24,950 to $84,060 without having to earn a college degree!
Gastroenterologist
If you enjoy working with feces and peoples’ colons, be my guest. This dirty job can be fulfilling in some respects. You are ultimately helping people with a wide variety of intestinal and digestive issues. Although this career can be quite stinky, the median salary for this job is a whopping $239,622! Plenty of people would be willing to get their hands dirty for that kind of money!
Waste Management Engineer
With a better title and salary than a typical garbage collector (an amazing $51,000 annually), the waste management engineer looks for ways to dispose and reduce the volume of all that filthy trash we humans continue to produce on a daily basis. Not only do they have to deal with the garbage, they must also face the human waste and even hazardous substances that no one wants to touch. The median salary for this position is $67,249. Not bad for this disgusting job.
Podiatrist
Your feet might be clean and pretty, but for those who go to the podiatrist, they are in need of some major help. Podiatrists have to deal with bunions, hammertoe, ingrown nails, and even have to remove warts! This vomit-inducing career sees a median salary of $156,520.
Oil Drill Worker
With gas prices on the rise in the United States, this booming industry has a high demand for workers who are willing to get dirty and put their lives in jeopardy. This dangerous job requires drillers to operate a variety of drills to remove the oil from the earth. An additional task includes finding and removing core samples for testing during the exploration of oil and gas. These workers earn a median salary of $55,806.
Electrical Power-Line Installer and Repairer
The people who work at great heights to give us our daily electricity take on this risky job knowing that this job could cost them their life. According to Electrical Safety Foundation International, 43 percent of all occupational electrical deaths between 2003 and 2007 are from contact with overhead power lines. If you can handle working in those conditions, and don’t mind potentially getting electrocuted to death, you can earn around $80,310 a year for the top 10 percent. Now that’s shocking!
