25 Well-Paying Jobs that Most People Overlook (and Why)

Here are certain jobs that nobody dreams of doing when they grow up. “Somebody’s gotta do it”, but that doesn’t stop people from praying that “someone” won’t be them. What’s surprising, however, is how much money some of these stigmatized jobs actually pay people who man up and do them. So if you’re on the fence about where your financial future is headed, stop and consider any of the shockingly lucrative jobs that follow.

[NOTE: We realize that there are, technically, people who do want these jobs. The point is to spotlight jobs with stigmas attached to them that pay more than the typical person would think.]

Crab fisherman

Featured on the Discovery Channel’s hit TV series “Deadliest Catch”, the job of crab fisherman is often called the most dangerous in America. Fishing in frigid Alaskan waters, these brave spirits weather stormy seas, below-freezing temperatures, and the heartache of being away from home for months. The short crab season makes it imperative that they catch as many crabs as possible during that short window. However, this can become astonishingly lucrative once one gets the hang of of it. According to one estimate, even a somewhat experienced crab fisherman can catch as many as $50,000 worth of crabs in an 8 week period.


Gastroenterologist



Gastroenterologists are seen by almost every patient they treat as a necessary evil. This is unlikely to change, as virtually no one gets excited about going in for a colonoscopy or an invasive prostate exam. Worse yet, almost all of a gastroenterologist’s time is spent performing these same, routine, unchanging procedures that everyone dreads having. The only saving grace appears to be the eye-popping salary. According to Salary.com, a gastroenterologist can earn as much as $269,500 per year.


Podiatrist



Podiatry is another lucrative yet otherwise unappealing wing of medicine available to the open-minded job seeker. While Salary.com clocks the annual earnings potential of a podiatrist at $149,527, it will come at a steep price. Should you undertake this career, your days will be spent on such enthralling, rewarding tasks as dealing with ingrown toenails, bunions, and ulcers. As if that weren’t enough, you will also be snickered at by the elite “real doctors” (ie, those with MD degrees) while you toil away as a lowly DPM (Doctor of Podiatric Medicine.)


Accountant



Often stereotyped as “bean counters”, the accountant is seen as the prototypical “boring” person. Spending the workday digging through hordes of numbers, in a cramped office, under buzzing flourescent lights is just not what most people bargained for. Fortunately, this creates a massive opportunity for those who don’t mind such things! If you’re the kind of person who loves numbers and the quiet peace of being left alone, accounting could be a great fit. The average starting salary for an accountant is roughly $41,000, while the best and most experienced are known to pull down salaries of $200,000 or more.


Commissioned salesperson



90% of the job-seeking public have zero interest in jobs without a base salary. “Why would I work somewhere that doesn’t even guarantee me a paycheck?” is the common refrain. However, those who are bold and confident enough to take on a commissioned sales job can make an extremely comfortable living by doing so. The most successful salespeople at car dealerships, electronics stores, and investment banks, for example, regularly drum up $100,000 or more per year in commission.


IT employee



The term “IT employee” is a broad catch-all that encompasses programmers, network administrators, database engineers, and virtually any other job function pertaining to the use of technology. The demand for those skills has steadily risen since the 90’s and there seems to be no end in sight! Fortunately, there may not be as much competition for these jobs as you might think. Despite the average $103,400 salary, many people simply do not want to spend the day in an office cubicle.


Roughneck



For an average salary of $46,867, a roughneck can look forward to 12 hour days spent beneath an enormous oil drilling rig. There, they will find the work environment so noisy that they only communicate using hand signals, the air filled with swirling toxins and chemicals, and the most dangerous, backbreaking labor saved especially for them. A typical roughneck might find himself changing scalding hot drill pits or connecting new sections of pipe to one another. Those who can prove themselves capable of these tasks can rise to earn as much as $100,000 for specialized “supervisor” positions.


Crop duster pilot



Most people get their pilot’s license to realize their lifelong dreams of taking to the air and soaring high above the lowly ground below. Crop duster pilots, on the other hand, are a slightly different breed. Instead of cruising through the clouds, a crop duster pilot must skillfully navigate his small craft at a dangerously low level, making sure to avoid power lines and fence posts along the way. If he can survive this and continued exposure to toxic chemicals, an experienced crop duster can rake in up to $80,000 per year.


Iraq private security contractor



“Private security” makes most people think of the rent-a-cops who used to bother them as kids at the local shopping mall. In Iraq, however, the job description takes on a totally different (and dangerous) meaning. As a private security contractor in that area, people are literally asked to shield traveling diplomats and politicians from hostile enemy fire. And despite hundreds of private contractor deaths since the beginning of combat actions, people are still signing up in droves to collect the $10,000 per month fees. If you are willing to become a human shield to make a decent living for a while, this could be the opportunity you have been waiting for!


Trash collector



Being a trash man is a “somebody’s gotta do it” job if ever there was one, but depending on where you live, it can be a very high-paying gig. WikiAnswers.com clocks the starting salary of a New York City trash collector at a very respectable $80,000. The salary seems to decline the further south you go, bottoming out at $35,000 in Pensacola, Florida. Still, $35,000 right off the bat is nothing to sneeze at for emptying trash cans into a big truck.


Truck driver


Driving a truck might be the only job on this list that is actually proven to shave 10-15 years the average male’s life. The combination of constant driving, sleep deprivation, and fatty convenience foods take a hefty toll on a truck driver’s body and mind alike. The upside is the pay and job security. The average truck driver earns $43,200 without the need for a college degree or extensive training. As drivers become more experienced and establish good safety records, salaries as high as $85,000 are possible.


Crime scene cleaner



While the hit show “CSI” has kindled interest in this career path, serious potential applicants should know a few more things about their “dream field.” In addition to mopping up blood, the day of a crime scene cleaner can also include ripping up carpet and floorboards, working in extremely tight spaces, and unearthing bodily fluids and evidence from asbestos-filled buildings. Crime scene cleaners who are lucky enough to get called into a drug lab will get the extra joy of gingerly handling combustible chemicals and compounds while they strive to do their jobs. If none of this phases you, however, an average salary of $50,400 is yours for the taking.


Sewer inspector



The unpleasant nature of this job should need no explaining, but suffice it to say that sewer inspectors should expect to work in dark, damp, cramped spaces filled with rats, cockroaches, and a never-ending flood of human refuse. It is through this maze of filth that sewer inspectors crawl in efforts to find and repair cracked, clogged pipes or passageways. While the starting salary for this position is not very high ($34,960), salaries as high as $61,000 have been doled out to people who are brave enough to stick with it and become skilled.


Soldier



The U.S. military is suffering one of its biggest recruitment crunches ever, in spite of more money and higher perks people who join. According to MSN, new volunteers are eligible to collect sign-up bonuses of $10,000 (up from $8,000 previously), while soldiers with college aspirations will find up to $70,000 waiting for them at the end of their term. Combine that with PX privileges and the potential for life-long pension and health insurance, and the military might not seem like such a raw deal, but if you don’t live long enough to enjoy that money, or have to discard your principles, it’s simply not worth it for most people.


Construction worker



The life of a construction worker is a constant disaster waiting to happen. Whether you are working beside highway traffic, laying out a bridge across a huge body of water or operating equipment that could saw off a human limb, the threat of danger is always present. When you consider that construction workers do all of this year round, in blazing sun or bone-chilling cold, it’s not difficult to see why people shy away from such work. It does, however, offer an average starting salary of $49,517, according to PayScale.com.


Toll booth collector



According to Businessweek’s article “Worst Jobs With The Best Pay”, toll booth collectors earn an average salar of $45,000. If you’re not scared off by the prospect of spending your night in a booth smaller than a jail cell as you take money from people passing through to somewhere fun, it’s not a bad living. BusinessWeek also notes that toll collectors are union employees with good benefits packages and overtime pay that would make non-union workers salivate with jealousy.


Highway patrol worker



Most people don’t relish the prospect of patrolling the interstate during early morning hours, but the highway patrol is a pretty decent-paying gig. Salary.com lists the median expected salary for a highway patrol officer at $43,112 with room for advancement. If you can withstand being sworn at and despised by every rush-hour motorist on the road, this might be worth looking into.


Plumber



Plumbing the shadowy depths of a stranger’s toilet bowl may not be the stuff dreams are made of, but it might be the path to a decent-sized bank account. The average salary for a journeyman plumber is $41,000 per year, according to Indeed.com’s estimates. This is just a starting point, however, as plumbers are known to charge more and more as they become known and referred around their local area.


Hazmat worker



It is the job of hazardous materials workers to neutralize and otherwise deal with dangerous substances or outbreaks. In a typical day, a hazmat worker might find himself handling asbestos, spent oil or fuel, lead-based paint, transmission fluid, mold, toxins, contaminated soil or even radioactive waste. All of this must be dealt with by following strict, federal government mandated regulations and procedures, not to mention intense scrutiny from anyone who happens to be nearby. Beginning hazmat workers can expect to earn roughly $40,000 per year (more in heavily populated metro areas like New York City.)


Sports agent



Contrary to popular myth, the life of a beginning sports agent is almost nothing like “Jerry McGuire”. Instead, the book “License To Deal” tells a much different story. Tommy Tanzer, a now-prominent agent, got his start by turning his van into a mobile home and going into debt in order to travel and sign players. Another agent is said to have spent his early days backpacking through South America, sleeping in tents while attempting to sign players from that area. If you are willing to endure this type of struggle, who knows? You just might hang around long enough to negotiate multi-million dollar contracts for sports megastars.


Unionized deli clerk



Most people don’t use the words “deli clerk” and “high paying” in the same sentence, but with a little persistence, it can be done. Because the larger grocery chains are heavily unionized, deli clerks who work at those stores are not only guaranteed annual raises, but also constant employment. As anyone who has ever worked at a deli knows, unions will put their weight behind even the most lazy, unproductive employees to ensure that they are not fired. By sticking around long enough, you can eventually take home as much as $40,000 a year for little more than standing in front of a slicer and cutting meat.


Embalmer



If you’re interested in job opportunities that pay $34,000 and up, requiring no more than a high school diploma and a training course, the embalming of dead people might be right up your alley! While you will need a license, embalming is a textbook example of a job the world will always need that most people will not want. This walks readers through both the nature of the work and the process of actually getting into the field.


Dog walker



Dogs can be scary enough without putting several of them on leashes and hoping they’ll behave for a complete stranger as you walk them around town. However, the undesirability of the job is precisely what makes it high-paying. In a busy metro area, a reputable dog walker can rake it in to the tune of $50 per hour. As one article points out, “that’s more than the average salary of a mid-level manager.”


Lab rat



Every day, research labs across the nation are offering money to people who agree to have new drugs or procedures tested on them. If you are willing to ingest new and unproven substances into your bloodstream, there’s virtually no end to the money you can bring in! Simply peruse the Sunday classified ads or keep your eyes peeled for “Test Subjects Wanted” ads on the community bulletin board and you can be taking home as much as $3,000 or more per month.


Proctologist



Known ubiquitously as “the butt doctor”, a proctologist is charged with diagnosing and treating problems with the rectum or anus. Using your trusty proctoscope, you will examine patients for such problems as anal tears, fecal incontinence, severe constipation, and even (in rare cases) anal cancer. You will be more or less despised by your patients, but there’s a $226,000/yr salary at the end of the tunnel if you manage to stick with it for a couple years!

Read more...

10 of the World's Greatest Jobs

1 Paradise island caretaker

Ben Southall, 34, of Petersfield, beat out nearly 35,000 applicants from around the world for the dream assignment to swim, explore and relax on Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef for while writing a blog to promote the area. He was selected for the $111,000 gig - a six-month contract to serve as caretaker of a tropical Australian island. He now has to live rent-free in a three-bedroom villa, complete with pool.

Before getting the job he had to spend four days on the island for an extended interview process, which required applicants to snorkel through crystalline waters, gorge themselves at a beachside barbecue and relax at a spa. He also had to demonstrate his blogging abilities, take swimming tests and sit through in-person interviews.

2 Luxury bed tester

A student from Birmingham City University has landed her dream job...literally! Sleeping on the job and having a lie-in will no longer be a problem for a girl, who has been selected to test out luxury beds for a month and get paid for it.

Roisin Madigan, 22, is earning £1,000 to sleep in designer beds every day for a month. The student is helping with a "sleep survey" carried out by luxury bed specialists Simon Horn Ltd. The company sells luxury Savoir Beds, originally made for the Savoy Hotel. General manager Craig Roylance said Roisin will not only provide an objective view of the beds on sale, but will also be part of a look into what brings a good night's sleep. She will spend 10am to 6pm in beds in the company's showroom in Edgbaston, and then will blog about her experiences.

3 Resort waterslide tester

Surely the envy of any desk-bound office worker, Tommy Lynch has travelled over 27,000 miles this year, for his job testing holiday resort waterslides. Mr Lynch, 29, works for holiday giant First Choice, checking the height, speed, water quantity and landing of the flumes, as well as all safety aspects. In 2008 Mr Lynch tested waterslides at holiday villages in Lanzarote, Majorca, Egypt, Turkey, the Costa Del Sol, Cyprus, Algarve, Dominican Republic and Mexico. This year he will quality control First Choice's new splash resorts in Greece, Turkey, Florida, Jamaica and Ibiza.

Liverpool-born Mr Lynch, whose job title is lifestyle product development manager, was recruited to identify the very best pools to be featured in First Choice's new Splash Resort collection. He also ensures potential new resorts are up to the company's standard.

4 Professional prostitute tester

Jaime Rascone is no different than the rest of us in that the erstwhile DJ needs to grab the occasional odd job to make ends meet. But the Chilean lothario has all of us beat by holding the type of fantasy job that just sounds too good to be true: Quality Control in a brothel.
Rascone, an occasional male model and DJ, first happened upon Fiorella Companions in Santiago, Chile while working on a story about the country's sexual revolution. He was offered the gig by Madam Fiorella, who needed somebody to provide that final “interview” in her hiring process. It goes like this: girls who are interested in working as VIP escorts for Fiorella have to undergo interviews, psychological testing, and a photo session. The applicants are whittled down to a final six, who are then fucked one after the other in a single day by Jaime. He takes diligent notes on, say, how they moved their hips and whether their groans were adequate, and makes recommendations to the madam. There is even paperwork involved. The strain of the job is actually such that he can only do it once a month, testing around seventy girls or so a year.

5 Wine tester and blogger

Imagine moving to the heart of Sonoma County, where every day you'll come home to more than 450 wineries along the beautiful northern coast of California. Picture living rent free, learning the intricacies of making the perfect wine, and capturing and sharing the entire experience for your network of Twitter followers. Now imagine getting paid $10,000 a month to do it. Listening? Hardy Wallace of Atlanta, the first person to submit his application, was the winner for the position at Murphy-Goode Winery— a $10,000 p/mo for six months, rent-free job updating Twitter and Facebook with his winery lifestream. The interview process was simple: submit a YouTube video explaining why you would be good for the job and wait to see what happened.

6 Candy taster

Another one of the world's best job has gone to schoolboy Harry Willsher, 12 - chief taster in a Sweet factory. Harry's job is to test top secret recipes. He got the job after winning a contest at Swizzell's Matlow to find a recruit. According to him, after his first tour at his new job, he felt like having tepped into the book Charlie And The Chocolate Factory. He wowed judges by describing the flavor and smell of his favourite sweet, the Drumstick lolly. The Derby firm, which also makes Love Hearts, Rainbow Drops and Parma Violets, has now given the youngster chief taster overalls and business cards. As well as sampling the sweets, he will also monitor their development at the company's factory in New Mills, Derbyshire. I don't know if it's the best job, but it's definitely the sweetest.

7 Condom tester

An Australian manufacturer called for applications for what it claims could be the world's best job - condom tester. Durex marketing manager Sam White were hiring Australians over the age of 18 could apply for one of 200 positions as a condom tester. Unfortunately the position is not paid, but successful applicants would receive a free $60 selection of Durex products and will be required to provide the company with honest feedback about the products' performance. One of the lucky 200 testers would win a $1000 bonus. Maybe the bonus is not that great, but one thing's for sure - it's a job where employees won't mind taking their work home and burning the midnight oil. We are sorry to inform you applications are closed.

8 World of Warcraft Tester

Do you Play World of Warcraft? And if so, do you play well? Can you farm 200 gold an hour and hit level 80 in under 2 weeks? If the answer is yes, you can apply for the job that about 12 million players only dream about, as a Wow game tester! There are in fact several Blizzard jobs posted on their website. The Blizzard employment database has dozens of mmorpg jobs available, mostly WoW employment opportunities. They are currently hiring for several game tester positions for World of Warcraft, under the QA department. They are in particular looking for foreign language testers, so if you speak any other language besides English, don't hesitate to apply to start your Blizzard career. And, yeah, you will be required to play at least four hours a day.

9 Director of Fun at a museum (age 6)

A six-year-old boy who wanted to become the director of York's National Railway Museum landed himself a job - as the director of fun. The ambitious youngster got a plum role at the National Railway Museum after applying to replace retiring boss Andrew Scott. Sam Pointon sent a handwritten letter headed "Application for director" asking for an interview at the centre, in York. The letter listed his credentials for the role, including his expertise on his train set. "I am only six but I think I can do this job," wrote Sam. "I have an electrick (sic) train track. I am good on my train track. I can control two trains at once." Staff was so impressed they appointed Sam an honorary "Director of Fun" and his job will be to bosses how he thinks they can ensure the museum is the most fun place for kids to spend a day out.

Ok, maybe this isn't the best job in the world for an adult, but it certainly rocks the world of a 6 year old.

10 Bike rider-photographer for Google Maps

Google (GOOG) has hired two lucky young men to ride around France on dopey looking tricycles snapping up photos of historical sites that are inaccessible by car. This three-wheeler is a sight with its long pole holding nine cameras, a GPS, a computer and a generator. But the contraption tooling around the French capital needs all that gear to do its job – adding three-dimensional images to Google's Street View Maps.

The riders, wearing Google tee-shirts and white helmets, are visiting well-known sites such as the Chateau de Versailles, west of Paris, the Jardin du Luxembourg on the city's Left Bank or Les Halles, in the busy centre of the French capital.

Read more...