The 13 Spookiest Jobs

Halloween is here and the ghosts, goblins, and ghouls abound on October 31st. However, there are some professionals who work spooky jobs all year round. From arachnologists (or those who work with spiders) to undertakers, people across the globe deal in the dark and creepy so much it’ll give the average employee nightmares for weeks. In the spirit of Halloween, we’ve put together a list of some of the spookiest jobs around. 1. Gravedigger Gravediggers, also known as cemetery custodians or burial ground workers, dig graves in cemeteries for burials. It sounds creepy, but this is an essential role in American life (and death). Technology and construction equipment make the job both efficient and quicker than individual shoveling, allowing gravediggers to spend time laying sod, mowing grass, pruning plants, setting grave markers and making cemeteries beautiful places for loved ones to grieve their losses. [Employers: Recruiting Horror Stories] 2. Undertaker While morbid, undertakers always have a job. Also known as morticians or funeral directors, undertakers arrange for removal of the deceased’s body, offer counsel and comfort to families of the deceased and file death certificates and other legal documents. The spooky factor comes in when undertakers have to transport human remains and oversee cremation. Sure it's a part of the circle of life, but something about working with the dead gives us the creeps. [Related: How to Deal With a Bad Boss] 3. Arachnologist Creepy, crawly, icky and yucky are all words used to describe spiders, but for arachnologists, spiders are simply a part of the job. To become a scientist of spiders, you just need to immerse yourself in the world of eight-legs. There are virtually no Arachnology programs at colleges or Universities, however college students should look to the sister discipline of Entomology. Come Halloween, these students are surely going to receive a load of text messages asking for a tarantula or black widow spider to compliment the perfect costume. Ew! 4. Coroner Sure we've all watched CSI or Law & Order, but there's more to being a coroner than what's captured on television. The key job responsibility of a coroner or medical examiner is to determine the manners and causes of death, often by performing autopsies. During autopsies, coroners inspect the body of a deceased person to identify marks or other evidence that indicates how he or she died. The scariness factor soars when there is a particularly gruesome murder or a body is found in a lake for example. Weather, the elements, and the kind of death make this job one of the spookiest around. 5. High-rise window washer While it may seem odd, but the people who suspend hundreds of feet in the air to clean the windows of skyscrapers have one of the scariest jobs. Plus, if you have acrophobia or a fear of heights, this is one perilous profession. There is no amount of money you could pay us to rappel off of a giant glass building. Thankfully for people who live and work in those buildings, there are workers with the chutzpah and safety training to do it. But the paycheck may make the risk worth it. In New York, where the risks are presumably as high as the buildings, it’s not unheard of for expert window washers to command $29 to $35 per hour. 6. Forensic scientist OJ's bloody glove. The gun that killed JFK. The fingerprints left behind by bank robber John Dillinger. Each of these were examined by forensic scientists. Whether working in a lab on on a crime scene, forensic scientists aid criminal investigations by collecting and analyzing evidence. On average in the U.S., forensic scientists make $51,754 but can earn even more in metropolitan cities like San Francisco where they can take home $71,424. [Related: 10 Healthcare Jobs That Don't Require Med School] 7. Bomb technician Perhaps the riskiest job on the list belongs to bomb technicians. From IEDs to old fashioned dynamite, bomb techs see and deal with it all to protect the public. Becoming a bomb tech is as hard as it is scary. There are some basic requirements established by the FBI that you have to meet to be considered for certification as a bomb tech. First, you have to have at least five years of law enforcement experience. You also have to have served five years on the agency that wants you for its bomb squad. You need to be in top-notch physical shape and able to handle immense stress. Also, if you are claustrophobic or prone to heat stress, a bomb protection suit will be your version of hell. This one, in particular, is not for the faint of heart. 8. Crime scene cleaner/Biohazard remediation Remember the Amy Adams movie Sunshine Cleaning? She played a mom who starts an unusual business, a biohazard removal/crime scene clean-up service, with her unreliable sister. While the comedy featured dark humor at every turn, this job is anything but funny. According to Aftermath: Trauma Cleaning & Biohazard Removal Specialists, there is no certification required to become a biohazard cleaner, but OSHA requires any employee that has the potential of being exposed to bloodborne pathogens to complete training. Someone in this role could clean up a bloody crime scene one day, a hoarders home filled with roaches another day, and top off the week with a tear gas or unattended body clean up. No day is the same, and the ick factor is a 10. [Related: Can You Sue If Salary Negotiations Turn Sour?] 9. Clown While it may seem unusual, clowns can be very scary for many people. In fact, there's a name for this fear, it's Coulrophobia. That's why they made our list of spookiest jobs. Scientists and doctors now agree that the fear is rooted in not knowing who lies behind the excessive makeup, red nose and hair color. Sure, the job of clowns is to make people laugh and bring joy to people's lives, but there is something spooky about clowns outside of the circus. Maybe films such as Stephen King’s It have something to do with the fears and fright. 10. Embalmer In a funeral home, the embalmer is responsible for embalming and preparing the bodies of the deceased for funeral services as well as burials or cremations. This may involve removing blood and replacing it with embalming fluid, performing complex reconstruction to disguise damage, and applying makeup to provide a peaceful, relaxing appearance. Embalmers must be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or whenever the Grim Reaper roams. This may mean working during a holiday or special event and requires a high level of personal sacrifice. Anyone interested in this job must not be squeamish. Those with very strong stomachs when it comes to sights and smells should apply. 11. Exterminator From mice to mosquitos, rats to roaches, bed bugs to bats, exterminators battle them all. However for the rest of us, pest infestations in the home are the kind of nightmare you hope never to confront. Thankfully, exterminators have certification and tons of experience. For Orkin Pest Control, for example, exterminators must take formal accredited class work from Purdue University; learn treatment techniques that conform to standards set by AIB International, NSF Cook & Thurber, Silliker, SQF and many others; and train in specific protocols for the industry, as well as federal, state and local regulatory requirements. 12. Hematologist A hematologist is a specialist in the science or study of blood, blood-forming organs and blood diseases. Those who are squeamish around the red stuff wouldn't be good doctors of hematology which includes treatment of blood disorders and malignancies, including types of hemophilia, leukemia, lymphoma and sickle-cell anemia. While a noble profession, there's something about hundreds of vials of blood that gives us the heebie-jeebies. 13. Ghost hunter Interested in examining the unseen yet felt and heard? Consider a job as a ghost hunter. From haunted mansions to paranormal seances, ghost hunters are on the front lines of the the underworld, but it may not be the most lucrative job. According to Paranormalghost.com, ghost hunting is an expensive hobby or vocation at best. "If you can somehow break even in this field, (just covering your expenses MINUS salary) you are doing better than the majority of the hunters and researchers out there." Writing books or going to school for a doctorate in parapsychology and working for a university, are the go-to ways for earning a living as a ghost hunter. Of course, ghost hunters cannot claim worker's comp for being spooked on the job.   Employers! Check out recruiting horror stories that might make you scream!