Four Dirty Jobs Nobody Wants, But Pays Well

Wooster Street, Manhattan, New York, United States - January 3rd 2025: Construction workers ... More carrying garbage to a truck in a street with cobblestones
In many upscale towns around the US, there is an expectation that their children will go to college and work in a white-collar profession. For the kids who don’t follow this path, they are looked down upon. It’s not fair or right, but it happens. However, this mindset may be slowly changing. The plan to go to college and everything will work out well, is stalling. Soaring tuition costs, and an oversaturated job market for college degree-holders, shows that there has to be a change.
There is a growing demand for skilled trades. Parents may start thinking about suggesting their children to take a look at vocations such as plumbing, electrical work, or other so-called less prestigious but well-paying jobs. These paths offer financial stability, job security, and personal fulfillment. They don’t have to deal with the overwhelming burdens of college debt or competing with artificial intelligence (AI) for a job.
“Dirty jobs” remain relatively unpopular among both college graduates and non-graduates. These roles are often physically demanding, hazardous, and socially stigmatized. For many families, especially middle and upper middle class parents, they see working in the trades as the last resort. Putting aside the unfortunate view, many of these jobs provide competitive salaries and job security due to persistent labor shortages in the trades sector.
Tough Work But Decent Salaries
Sanitation work, sewage treatment, slaughterhouse labor, and oil rig roughnecking are examples of dirty jobs that both college graduates and non-graduates tend to avoid. However, sanitation workers in New York City start at around $44,821 to $92,093 after 5.5 years, plus overtime and great union benefits.
These roles expose a societal blind spot. We congratulate university degrees and desk jobs while undervaluing the real hard work that sustains the country. For workers willing to get their hands dirty, these jobs offer a chance to defy cultural biases. The following jobs stand out as seen as undesirable, but essential. These are positions that both degree-holders and non-degree-holders avoid unless desperate.