After a hard month working at your day job, you might be tempted into thinking that you have it bad. Really bad, actually. Worse than any other job. If that’s you, then take a step back and have a look at the bigger picture. The reality is that while your job may not be particularly glamorous or interesting, it’s actually not that bad. After all, you do get paid at the end of the month. Some people, however, can genuinely lay claim to working a really bad job. Check out these five occupations and consider yourself lucky!
U.S. Military Soldiers in Iraq
First, what do U.S. military soldiers get paid? Less than $2000 per month, with lower ranks making just over $1000. That’s little reward for working in the most dangerous job sector we have. With news reports stating that very little body armor or basic vehicle protection is available to our troops, many soldiers are forced to pay for their own armor. At least 15,000 have been wounded and over 2000 have died. Bottom line, easily the worst job. Especially if job security is something you value.
Roofer
Roofers work for less than $10 an hour work in grueling temperatures and on dangerous surfaces. Being weather beaten all day can obstruct one’s critical thinking, making it easier to make a dangerous mistake – one that could break your back and ruin your life. During high temperatures, the roofers often get burned by their materials and during cold temperatures conditions can prevent them from getting a good footing. The overall safety in roofing simply is not great and their pay-scale just doesn’t compensate.
Recycling Plant Worker
Recycling plant workers sift through garbage to pull out any salvageable recyclables such as paper, glass, aluminum, tin, plastic bottles, etc. However, this is no easy task. As you can imagine, in order to find the materials they need to salvage, these workers sift through dirty diapers, dead animals, used tampons and condoms, hypodermic needles and rotting meat. For this they get paid no more than minimum wage. Not only is it easily one of the most nauseatingly foul jobs on the planet, it is also dangerous. Exposed needles as a constant threat, broken glass can break the skin and cause infections of who knows what. Some even die from getting caught in overhead doors, or other heavy equipment that can be dangerous to work around.
Human Lab Rat (Paid Pharmaceutical Studies)
Last year, UC San Diego ran a study sponsored by the pharmaceutical companies to have the main ingredient in a lethal WWI nerve agent called Chloropicrin injected into their eyes and noses. Who would endure such a test? Well, hard up college students that think $15 an hour to test drugs is good money, hence the term human lab rats. This has spawned books and movies, one well known example being The Constant Gardner, which tells the story of a corporate pharmaceutical scandal testing their drugs under the cover of an Aids treatment to those in need causing illness and casualty everywhere.
Fire Inspectors and Investigators
You thought mathematicians were losing their jobs. Well, fire investigators are losing jobs at 550% the rate, a rate that impedes successfully finding another job – and if they do, they’re as good as laid off just months away. With an income that tops out at just over $50,000, it can be tough to have a stable life without a career change, and as such we have a whole industry looking for change.
Sources: Alternet, USNews.com
The US Military are never required to “buy thier own armor”. As a matter of fact most members of my former unit opted to remove pieces of issued armor due to excessive weight and lack of maneuverability. It is however obvious, if you think being a servicemember either in or out of Iraq is the worst job today, then you know nothing about us.
I agree. Being Military in Iraq is a tough job, especially for those who have to root out the bad guys, or those who have to deal with wounded. However, Things are pretty good out here in Iraq for alot of us. So it;s not the worst job ever. I do agree that we don’t get paid enough though. I am a Corpman (closest equivalent is a paramedic) I earn about 1,500 a check, or 3,000 a month from the navy. a civilian who is contracted to work out here as a paramedic earns 80,000 dollers a year (base) tax free for the first years pay. Now, I understand that the government can’t go paying every soldier, sailor, marine, etc. that kind of cash. That would bankrupt the government. But, Come one, Give me a little something….
And, no, nobody is required to buy gear. You are actually required to take the military issue stuff, and wear it at certain times, and in certain places while in iraq. And the protective gear is improving all the time. The main idea with it all is too protect the core of the body and the brain. Unfortunally if you tried to use the same technology for the rest of the body, a friken guy wouldn’t be able to move around at all. so, That means, for the sake of mobility, the arms and legs are left unprotected by armor. Until a piece of armor can allow complete mobility that will be the case