Is it worth risking your life when you can barely pay the bills? Imagine going out there every single day knowing that death is staring you in the face but each time you get a paycheck you could be putting yourself into debt. That’s what it’s like for people who work at extremely dangerous jobs.
It makes you wonder if the price is worth the risk. 9 times out of 10 it’s probably not. Then again, the folks who take these jobs aren’t your normal variety of employee. Most times they are thrill seekers and aren’t interested in the money.
Still though, it’s gotta make you wonder why these folks are going out there every day with their lives on the line. That’s not for us to decide though. Here are the surprising salaries of 20 of the most dangerous jobs.
Mountain Guide – $70,000/year
If you think you know your mountains and can lead a group of inexperienced hikers or in most cases, tourists, then being a mountain guide could be for you. Just be aware that every single day you’re on a mountain increases the odds that you’ll be falling off said mountain. Another thing. When it’s winter? Be very very careful. Is it worth the 70 grand? Better hope you have collision.
Carpenter – $40,000/year
This obviously depends on the job but it’s more than likely that at some point in a carpenter’s career they’re going to be faced with having to do something that risks their lives. Carpenters deal with equipment that can easily injure as well as working conditions that can be flat out deadly. Watch out for falling beams, toxic fumes, or random stuff getting in your eyes all the time. And you better wear a hardhat.
Stunt Man – $70,000/year
If pain doesn’t bother you then being a stuntman could be your occupation of choice. Also, do you like explosives, traveling at high speeds, getting knocked down, nearly dying on a daily basis? There isn’t one stuntman in Hollywood or elsewhere that doesn’t have a potential life ending story. If you want to show people you can fall down the steps without breaking all your bones, then sign up.
Courier Carriers – $34,000/year
If you live in a big city like New York or Chicago then seeing these guys on their bikes is commonplace. And when you watch them zoom around jetting in between cars and buses to get their deliveries out you can see how much danger they are in. And for a salary that’s less than some Starbucks baristas make, you’d be hard pressed to find a more risky job out there.
Alligator Wrestlers – $70,000/year
Would you take less than $5,000 a month to get into the ring with an Alligator on a daily basis? We didn’t even know this was a real occupation! But apparently “Alligator Wrestler” is a real job. These guys both train as well as “compete” against reptiles that can rip their heads off. Doesn’t exactly sound like the kind of career you’d be setting your alarm for on a daily basis.
Lineman – $58,000/year
These are the guys who are fixing your cable when it goes out. But they’re also the guys that are fixing your entire electrical system when your neighborhood just got hammered by a hurricane. And how do they do their jobs? By climbing up a telephone pole with spiked sneakers and trying to repair the high voltage wires that just got whacked by lightening. Sound like fun for 58 grand?
Farmer – $69,000/year
When you think of farmers, sometimes you think of things like animals, a barn, and a simple garden in the back where tomatoes are growing. Tell that to the guys that have massive pieces of land and are responsible for produce in supermarkets. This job is demanding. It had tons of hours. Manual labor like you wouldn’t believe. And it’s very dangerous.
Firefighter – $45,000/year
All of us know how dangerous it is to be a firefighter but little do we know that not only do these guys get paid a tiny amount to do it, but in many cities these guys are doing it for FREE. That’s right. In Long Island, unless you’re a city firefighter you don’t make money. It’s all volunteer out in Long Island. And that’s for a job where you can die every single time you’re out there.
Roofer – $35,000/year
We don’t need to tell you the perils of being a roofer. It’s roofing. You go on a roof of someone’s home. Unless that roof is under 10 feet tall then you’re pretty much putting yourself at risk every single time you have to climb up there. Making 35 grand just isn’t worth it to put a roof over someone ELSE’s head.
Police Officer – $48,000/year
If the last year of the news hasn’t told you how dangerous being a cop is then we don’t know what is. Unless you’re a state patrol officer sitting on highways waiting on people speeding so you can give them a ticket, being a police officer holds serious risk. Risk that making under $50,000 a year probably isn’t worth. Then again, without these men and women we’d be way worse off. Plus they get great pensions and only have to work until 50-55 years of age.
Astronaut – $65,000/year
Considering all the training and work these guys do you would think that they earn more than $65,000 per year. However, how often does anyone get to travel to the moon or outer space? If these guys are smart they take that experience and parlay it into something way more lucrative. Hopefully they just use that salary as a starting point.
Bodyguards – $70,000/year
Your job is literally to guard bodies. So basically it means that your sole purpose is to protect lives from danger. Not only that, you are expected to protect people from what could be death. If a bullet is flying in their direction, you have to stop it. If a punch is being thrown, you have to get in the way. Better get some training and hope you are guarding a celebrity because 70 grand just doesn’t seem like enough.
Slaugherhouse Workers – $26,000/year
Not only is this one of the most inhumane jobs a person can have. It’s also one of the most dangerous. The equipment alone can slice you up to the point where you’d never recover. But there’s also a huge risk of infection due to all the raw meat as well as diseases you can be exposed to. For under $30,000 a year you’re way better off working in fast food where at least there the meat is cooked.
Mechanics – $37,000/year
This salary is probably on the lower end and of all the dangerous jobs this is probably least dangerous. However, when you’re working with machinery as large as a vehicle there’s always the risk of injury. Mechanical parts that are extremely heavy and moving can suddenly jump out at you and unexpected fires and fumes are commonplace.
Search and Rescue – $41,000/year
In the United States, the vast majority of individuals that provide the critically important mountain rescue services are volunteers. With few exceptions, the individual members of Mountain Rescue Association (MRA) teams work as highly trained volunteer professionals, which means that they each have “real jobs.”
Land Mine Remover – $44,000/year
Demining or mine clearance is the process of removing land mines from an area, while minesweeping describes the act of detecting of mines. There are two distinct types of mine detection and removal: military and humanitarian. Minesweepers use many tools in order to accomplish their task.. There also are or have been other methods developed to detect mines, including the use of trained marine mammals, bacteria, acoustics, and other more exotic methods.
Miner – $56,000/year
A miner is a person who extracts ore, coal, or other minerals from the earth through mining. There are two senses in which the term is used. In its narrowest sense, a miner is someone who works at the rock face; cutting, blasting, or otherwise working and removing the rock. In a broader sense, a “miner” is anyone working within a mine, not just a worker at the rock face
Bush Pilots – $49,000/year
Bush flying is aircraft operations carried out in remote, inhospitable regions of the world. Bush flying involves operations in rough terrain where there are often no prepared landing strips or runways, frequently necessitating that bush planes be equipped with abnormally large tires, floats or skis.
Deep Sea Fisherman – $30K but can vary greatly
A love of the ocean, the willingness to stay on a fishing boat for weeks at a time and the ability to process fish aboard a boat are the traits of a deep sea fisherman. Most deep-sea fishermen work for commercial fishing companies that catch and prepare fish to sell once the boat returns to dock. Some fishermen get paid a salary, while others get a percentage of the catch. Sometimes the work is seasonal, requiring long hours for a few months and little to no work at other times.
Lumberjack – $43,000/year
Lumberjacks are workers in the logging industry who perform the initial harvesting and transport of trees for ultimate processing into forest products. The term usually refers to a bygone era (before 1945 in the United States) when hand tools were used in harvesting trees. Because of its historical ties, the term lumberjack has become ingrained in popular culture through folklore, mass media and spectator sports. The actual work was difficult, dangerous, intermittent, low-paying, and primitive in living conditions, but the men built a traditional culture that celebrated strength, masculinity, confrontation with danger, and resistance to modernization.
