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From bomb disarming to grave digging: The scariest jobs in America

I give high-school teachers a lot of credit. They have to put up with hormonal, rebellious, texting-obsessed teenagers who, these days, could be toting any number of suspicious items in their backpacks. Do kids even wear backpacks anymore? During my high-school days, I would occasionally skip classes or cause enough of a ruckus to warrant detention — and I was one of the good ones.

I’d consider educating the country’s future leaders to be one of the most daunting jobs out there, and I’m not alone. Just in time for Halloween, CareerBuilder released results of their scariest jobs survey. The survey polled American workers on what they believe to be the scariest professions, and high-school teachers made the list. The list includes a wide range of fear-inducing careers; some are life threatening, while others could lead to serious embarrassment or social shame.

Some of the jobs considered scariest include:

  1. Bomb squad technician
  2. High rise window washer
  3. Armed forces
  4. Miner
  5. Police officer
  6. Alaskan crab fishing
  7. Mortician
  8. Firefighter
  9. Cemetery worker
  10. Exterminator
  11. Stand-up comedian
  12. Animal control
  13. Stunt person
  14. Politician

While it’s obvious why some of these jobs made the list (and why they made the most dangerous jobs list too), others, like stand-up comedian, might be more surprising. But for those of you who have a fear of public speaking, you get it.

Of course most jobs aren’t necessarily hair-raising on a day-to-day basis, but there certainly are aspects of every job that give workers nightmares. According to the survey, more than a third of workers (36 percent) say layoffs are what they are most afraid of at work, while 13 percent say pay cuts send chills down their spines.

Others include:

  • Workload — 9 percent
  • Presenting in front of other people — 9 percent
  • Forced relocation — 4 percent
  • The boss — 3 percent

What do you consider to be the scariest part of your job? Or would you consider the job itself scary? Tell us about it below in the comments section!

Debra Auerbach

About Debra Auerbach

Debra Auerbach is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues. Born and raised in Minnesota (ya betcha!), she graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (go Badgers!) with a journalism and mass communication degree and currently resides in Chicago. She despises cold weather, which is obvious given the places she’s chosen to live. When not working, Debra enjoys (reading Us Weekly and watching “The Real Housewives of [Insert City]”) spending quality time with her husband.
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