10 High-Paying Jobs That Nobody Wants

There are some jobs that nobody wants to do, which is why they pay relatively well. If you’re willing to have a career nobody else wants because it pays well, then this list is for you.

While not all of the jobs have a notably high paycheck, several of them require no degree, meaning that you can jump right in, and they pay well for not requiring higher education.

Key Takeaways:

• The are jobs that no one wants because they’re dirty, dangerous, or require physical labor — sometimes all three.

• The top three high-paying jobs that no one wants are oil rig driller, plumber, and elevator repairer.

• Most of these jobs listed require a high school diploma or equivalent to be eligible.

10 High-Paying Jobs That Nobody Wants

1. Lead sewage plant worker

   Average Annual Salary: $59,000

   Education requirements: High school diploma

   Unemployment rate: 1.4%

   Working in a sewage plant isn’t something that’s going to appeal to the majority of people. However, since it’s a job no one wants to do, it pays well and has job security. A lot of people continue to work as sewage plant workers for the better part of a decade.

   In order to become a lead sewage plant worker, you’ll need to have experience as a sewer plant worker. However, the job doesn’t require a college education, meaning that you start right away as a sewer plant worker, and won’t have to worry about paying off college debt.

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2. Plumber

   Average Annual Salary: $55,000

   Education requirements: Trade school education and/or apprenticeship

   While saying that no one wants to be a plumber may be a bit of a stretch, it isn’t the most appealing of the trades. Plumbers spend a lot of time dealing with dirty water, in crawlspaces, and climbing under sinks. In addition, a mistake can cause a lot of damage and make a giant mess.

   That being said, plumbers are highly skilled tradespeople and make a good wage, as their skills are in demand. The job doesn’t require a college degree, instead you get the needed skills through trade school and/or an apprenticeship.

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3. Sanitary landfill operator

   Average Annual Salary: $47,000

   Education requirements: At least a high school diploma or GED

   Unemployment rate: 6.5%

   The job of a sanitary landfill operator takes place at a landfill site, which is an area of land that’s dedicated to the sole purpose of storing waste. Their daily duties involve using heavy machinery, like bulldozers, to tunnel through and transport the piles of trash.

   They’re also responsible for poison and chemical administration to the landfill site to reduce the risk of disease or live pests. In addition to the unsavory working environment, spending a career’s worth of time exposed to waste products could be dangerous health-wise without the proper precautions.

   These qualities contribute to its status as an off-putting position to the general public, despite being a high-paying job.

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4. Hazardous waste removal worker

   Average Annual Salary: $46,000

   Education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

   Job growth rate: +8%

   The number of jobs: 45,000

   The title of a hazardous material removal worker is extremely descriptive. The majority of your job would be assessing whether an area has hazardous materials, and if it does, removing them safely. That means that you’d spend most of your day working with materials that are hazardous to your health, such as asbestos, lead, and radioactive waste.

   As you can imagine, the duties of being a hazardous material removal worker can take a toll on a person, which makes it a less popular job option. However, if you have a strong stomach and the ability to separate yourself from the work you’re doing, the career can award financial benefits.

5. Truck driver

   Average Annual Salary: $51,000

   Education requirements: High school diploma or GED

   Unemployment rate: 7.7%

   The number of jobs: 2,000,000

   Unless you have the stamina to do long-haul drives across various states, then becoming a truck driver probably isn’t for you. The job involves transporting materials from between locations in a tractor-trailer.

   A truck driver’s duties also include loading cargo, inspecting trucks before and after driving, and drafting relevant paperwork.

   Truck drivers are expected to set off on drives that take days at a time and sleep in their vehicle, which doesn’t make it the best opportunity for someone who wants to return home to their bed at night. Additionally, the occupation can be lonely as you’re spending most days driving by yourself.

   While there are quite a few difficult aspects to being a truck driver, the job accounts for this by being well paid. After a few years of experience, they can be expected to make upwards of $70,000 a year.

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6. Mortician

   Average Annual Salary: $49,000

   Education requirements: Bachelor’s degree in Mortuary Science

   Unemployment rate: 0.2%

   The number of jobs: 3,890

   Before loved ones can say their final goodbye at a funeral, the body of the deceased needs to be prepared for viewing. This important and difficult responsibility falls on morticians.
   There are a lot of tasks that go into prepping a dead body for a funeral. Several of them aren’t for the squeamish, such as gluing eyelids shut and injecting embalming fluid into arteries. Then, of course, there’s the fact that your job brings you face-to-face with death on a daily basis.
   The nature of the position means that it has high job security and an ultra-low unemployment rate of 0.2%

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7. Coal miner

   Average Annual Salary: $46,000

   Education requirements: High school diploma

   Unemployment rate: 9.3%

   The number of jobs: 50,000

   There are a lot of dangerous stipulations that come along with being a coal miner for a living. While the fatalities on the job have been steadily decreasing over the years, there are still a little under a hundred deaths a year.

   Even without the possibility of an accident, coal miners encounter a lot of gaseous and chemical risks during the course of their careers. This often leads to debilitating health problems after committing a lifetime to the industry.

   In addition to the health risks associated with the position, being a coal miner doesn’t provide the most glamorous work environment. It can be dark, dirty, and claustrophobic.

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8. Oil well rig driller

   Average Annual Salary: $70,000

   Education requirements: No formal education required

   Job growth rate: +3%

   The number of jobs: 132,000

   An oil well rig worker works on shorelines or at sea and endures extremely torturous circumstances to collect their potentially six-figure paycheck. Since the job takes place aboard a boat, the average shift lasts approximately twelve hours on a rotating schedule and can take place during widely varied hours.

   On Tuesday, your shift might be from midnight until noon, but on Friday, you will work from 3 PM to 3 AM.

   During those long hours, oil well rig workers can expect to be used to their fullest capacity, doing tasks like cleaning, maintaining pipes, and operating the rotary drill rig if they’re high-ranking enough.

   Spending months out of the year on an uncomfortable boat isn’t everyone’s cup of tea when it comes to a work experience. It doesn’t provide much work-life balance, and living at sea is dangerous and exhausting.

   However, it does award the opportunity to bring in a hefty salary after working your way up the ranks with few education requirements.

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9. Elevator repairer

   Average Annual Salary: $77,000

   Education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

   Job growth rate: +7%

   The number of jobs: 28,900

   Most children have the ambition of becoming an elevator installer and repairer when they grow up, but if they knew how much expertise in this field makes a year, they might be more inclined to consider it as a career path.

   The responsibilities of an elevator installer and repairer are basically what the title insinuates. They use blueprints to assemble the moving pieces of a transportation device that buildings have become practically reliant on.

   While the position might not sound too exciting, an elevator installer and repairer position provides a fairly high starting salary of $70,000 per year. With a little practical experience in the field, you can expect to make over six figures working in elevator installation and maintenance.

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10. Crab fisherman

    Average Annual Salary: $51,000

    Education requirements: No formal education required

    Job growth rate: -8%

    The number of jobs: 36,000

    While eating a full serving of crab is a luxury for consumers, the process of getting it from ocean to plate is a grueling task taken on by crab fishers. The job requires its employees to work for months in the cold, harsh seas, facing some of the most dangerous storms known to man.

    The duties of a crab fishermen require a high level of physical strength to haul in massive amounts of crab during the viable season and brave unforgiving storms. Crab fishermen are also confined to working during a small season each year and in very particular places, like Alaska and Seattle.

    The strict requirements of being a crab fisher and the potential for danger keep most people searching for alternative job openings. While the profession definitely isn’t made for everyone, it doesn’t require any formal education, and successful crab fishers can earn well over $100,000 per year.

High-Paying Jobs That Nobody Wants FAQ

1. What skills are needed to do jobs nobody wants?

   The skills needed for the jobs on this list vary because the duties of the jobs do. That being said, the majority of them are easy to get into. Most unpopular jobs are entry level, meaning that you only need a high school diploma.

   In addition to that, most of these jobs require not being squeamish, being able to disconnect from the nature of your work, and being in good physical condition. Certain jobs, such as landfill operator, require you to be able to work heavy machinery, but most of the skills needed can be learned on the job.

2. Why are there jobs no one wants?

   The reason people don’t want the jobs on this list are because they’re dirty, dangerous, or uncomfortable – or a combination of all three. That means that very few people are willing to make a career out of them, and even those who do work in the field tend not to stay there for long.

3. Is doing a difficult job for a high paycheck worth it?

   The question of whether doing an unpleasant job for a high paycheck is worthwhile is one you have to decide for yourself. Some people are willing to put their heads down and work and the paycheck they get is completely worth it. For others, having to do a difficult job outweighs the benefits of the money.

Author

Sky Ariella

Sky Ariella is a professional freelance writer, originally from New York. She has been featured on websites and online magazines covering topics in career, travel, and lifestyle. She received her BA in psychology from Hunter College.