Top 10 Worst Jobs That Actually Pay Well

VOICE OVER: Rebecca Brayton WRITTEN BY: Jessica Walsh
At least the money's good. For this list, we'll be looking at occupations that are dangerous or unpleasant in some way, but still pay a decent amount. WatchMojo counts down the Top 10 Worst Jobs That Actually Pay Well.

Special thanks to our user Tarnim80 for suggesting this idea! Check out the voting page at

Script written by Jessica Walsh

Top 10 Worst Jobs That Actually Pay Well

At least the money’s good. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Worst Jobs that Actually Pay Well.
For this list, we’ll be looking at occupations that are dangerous or unpleasant in some way, but still pay a decent amount. We’ll be basing this list on how unpleasant the job is, while taking the paycheck into account.

#10: Dog Food Taster

Yes, this actually a thing. No one really stops to think about the actual taste of that canned or bagged food we bring home for our furbabies, but someone has to test it, right? While dog food is usually made from perfectly normal ingredients like chicken, rice, corn and others, the idea of putting dry pellets or that wet canned mess in our mouths is just about enough to make our stomachs turn. Regardless, it’s an employment opportunity, and hey, you’re not actually expected to swallow it, just see if it smells and tastes good. For an average annual salary of $30,000 to $75,000 a year, we might just consider grabbing our forks.

#9: Golf Ball Diver

It’s a fact, lots of people spend a lot of money on golf, including the 45th US President. The small white balls are designed to be hit long distances, but far too many fail to reach their intended destination. When it becomes too messy or inconvenient to retrieve them, it’s the player’s loss . . . but it could be your gain. Those brave enough to retrieve those countless misplaced balls and resell them can make quite a bit of money, Especially if they don’t mind the unsafe terrain, needle-in-a-haystack style work . . . oh, and other possible swamp residents. $100,000 would certainly cover a couple of very close calls.

#8: Toll Booth Operator

Do you like small spaces and minimal human interaction? Would you like an annual average salary of $45,000 and a likely secure union job with plenty of paid time off? Well, then working in a toll booth might be for you! The downside is that the work space is beyond small and that you’ll be handling money from thousands of people a day - and that’s not exactly the cleanest thing on the planet. Still, this might be a great fit for an introvert and those who like to spend their time alone or who find themselves content with repetitive tasks.

#7: Crop Duster Pilot

Not everyone who learns how to fly a plane yearns to be above the clouds. Crop dusters, for example, are actually masters of piloting as close to the ground as possible on a fairly regular basis. It might sound like a humble occupation, but it takes guts. You have to watch out for power lines and other obstacles, not to mention deal with exposure to pesticides and other chemicals. Depending on your availability, you may even find yourself helping with putting out a wildfire or two when needed. Sure it’s seasonal and not nearly as glamorous as those fancy pilot uniforms, but up to $100,000 a year isn’t bad, either

#6: Oil Rig Worker

Out in the middle of the ocean, working on a free-standing piece of metal, pumping a flammable liquid for others to use... the danger of this job is readily apparent in the description. And if those conditions aren’t enough to scare you off, you might want to consider being away from your family for long periods and getting really, really dirty. Yes, you could buy a lot of soap for $100,000 a year, but that doesn’t really help with all the other factors. Not to mention that when you’re isolated out in the ocean, help can sometimes be far off, regardless of how serious the emergency.

#5: Proctologist

To say the medical profession is full of health risks and uncomfortable situations is an understatement. The world of doctors and nurses has plenty of unpleasant jobs to pick from, especially if you’re on the squeamish side. However, our pick ultimately had to go to proctologists, for all of the obvious reasons. Sure these colorectal specialists can make upwards of $300,000 a year, but we should hope so, considering their job is literally to work with the mechanisms of human beings’ waste disposal . We’re not even going to get into the years of schooling and high cost of tuition it takes to get to that point.

#4: Urine Farmer

Yes, this is a real job. And yes, they can make upwards of $80,000 a year. What exactly does a urine farmer do, you ask? Well, for one, they generally raise deer, but could technically deal with any number of different types of animals, as long as the urine is desirable for hunters. While raising the animals, the farmers collect their waste in separate containers below their pens. Then this urine is bottled up and sold to hunters for a pretty penny, who will use it to lure prey into the range of their traps and hunting sites. All in all, it’s actually a pretty ingenious idea, if more then a little gross and odd.

#3: Sewer Inspector

Another job dealing with human waste? There might be a pattern here. Sewer inspectors, however, don’t just deal with the waste, they also deal with the infrastructure used to dispose of lots of it. While their average take home is a nice $55,000 a year, they have to inspect the pipes and sewers carrying all our filth to get it. Bacteria, the odor, not to mention the vermin that live and thrive in such areas - there’s a lot to contend with down there. Sure, there’s no chance of coming across Pennywise in real life, but the rats, bugs and waste are surely enough to inspire plenty of nightmares.

#2: Embalmer

Preparing the bodies of the recently deceased for funerals is another job that allows you to enjoy peace and quiet with few coworkers or customers. For this job, however, you’ll need a strong stomach and, depending on your place of employment, perhaps even some skill with makeup. Worst of all, you’ll be exposed to intense chemicals, which have been linked to cancer, among other diseases. And we imagine that you’ll be expected to piece together some not too pretty faces depending on the cause of death. But at the end of the day, it pays up to $58,000 for largely solitary work where your subject can’t really complain. And hey, somebody’s gotta do it.

#1: Crime Scene Cleaner

There are plenty of shows about those who investigate crimes, but the real money is made by those who clean up after all the detectives and police have left. Crime scene cleanup involves harsh chemicals to clean up what dead bodies leave behind, and that includes blood, waste and flesh. There’s always a huge amount of risk for disease when dealing with human detritus (in particular, blood), not to mention the strange hours you’ll likely have to keep, since crime can obviously happen at any time of day. Still, coming home with roughly $80,000 a year might actually make this job worth it, if you’ve got the stomach for it.