By Alida Moore, PayScale.com
Navigating
the madness of rush-hour traffic might be the most dangerous thing the
typical office worker faces during the course of the workday. However,
there are some workers whose jobs are truly hazardous or -- in some
cases -- potentially deadly.
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“These
jobs are dangerous either because of their environment or because they
carry a high risk for violence,” says Katie Bardaro, director of
analytics at online salary database PayScale.com.
What
type of worker is well-suited to these risky careers? “These jobs might
appeal to some workers because the reward outweighs the risk,” Bardaro
says. “In the case of an oil driller, the training can be minimal, while
the pay is typically lucrative.”
Read on to learn about six jobs in which risking life and limb can lead to a lucrative payday.
Typical Median Pay: $101,000
Operating
heavy equipment is just one aspect that makes this job dangerous. Oil
well drillers also work long hours in remote locations, setting up and
monitoring the drilling process. Workers are rewarded for their
sacrifices with typically high earnings.
Typical Median Pay: $77,100
Thanks
to popular culture, FBI agents have earned a reputation for dark suits,
grim expressions and car chases. While the day-to-day responsibilities
might not be as thrilling, any job whose uniform includes a gun is
likely to be riskier than the average desk job. FBI agents have
bachelor’s degrees and receive 20 weeks of training at the FBI Academy
in Quantico, Virginia.
Typical Median Pay: $64,900
Whether
they’re installing, inspecting or repairing equipment; rigging
explosives; or even taking photographs, commercial divers spend their
time underwater breathing oxygen from tanks. A commercial diver job
often requires workers to complete training at a diving school.
Typical Median Pay: $53,500
Coal,
a fuel also used in the production of steel and plastic, is found deep
underground. Coal mining is dangerous work due to the potential for mine
collapses, the lack of air filtration and the often consuming darkness.
But coal miners who brave these treacherous conditions can earn a
decent paycheck.
Typical Median Pay: $52,500
Any
job dealing with explosives means death is an uncomfortably close
coworker. Talk about job stress. While many of the situations to which
bomb squads respond often turn out to be false alarms, the potential of
having to defuse a live explosive always exists. With typical median pay
at more than $50,000, it pays to know whether to cut the red wire or
the green one.
Typical Median Pay: $50,500
Protecting
citizens and investigating criminal activity are just two aspects of
this potentially dangerous career. Many police detectives search for
evidence and work with prosecutors to convict suspected criminals.
Typically, a high school diploma is required, along with training at a
police academy.
Source: All education and salary data provided by PayScale.com.
Median pay is the national median annual total cash compensation for
workers with five to eight years of experience and includes bonuses,
profit sharing, tips, commissions and other forms of cash earnings.
Additional sources include the FBI and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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