10 Scary Jobs That'll Give You the Creeps

Where some see fear, you see a career—if you dare.

By Steve Masters, Monster contributor

Blood. Germs. Snakes. There are plenty of seemingly little things that give people the creeps, but for the 12.5% of adults in the U.S. that are affected by a specific phobia at some point in their lives, those “little things” are downright terrifying. On the other hand, if you tend to be unshrinking in the face of all things icky, nerve-racking or just plain unpleasant, you may be just the candidate for the scary jobs that deal directly with some of the more common phobias out there.

Using data from Monster and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we chose 10 common phobias and paired them with creepy jobs that stare those fears directly in the face.

Acrophobia

What it is: Fear of heights
Job that flies in the face of that fear: Just looking out of a high window makes some people weak in the knees. But not construction workers. Whether they’re installing a roof on a suburban home or teetering on the girders of high-rise, looking down is pretty much the same as looking anywhere else.
What you’d make: The median pay for a construction worker is $16.48 per hour.

Find construction jobs on Monster.

Aerophobia

What it is: Fear of flying
Job that flies in the face of that fear: Humans have been breaking gravity’s bonds for more than 110 years now, but there are still plenty of folks who see no good coming of a metal object filled with people and fuel zipping through the air. Pilots, on the other hand, spend their careers taking off, landing and cruising the skies in between.
What you’d make: The median salary for a pilot is $65,044 per year.

Find pilot jobs on Monster.

Astraphobia

What it is: Fear of thunderstorms
Job that flies in the face of that fear: Thunderclouds make some folks tremble, but meteorologists truly see a silver lining. This job is usually performed indoors, but meteorologists also do a fair amount of fieldwork, and some even play the role of storm chasers when severe weather and tornadoes are in their area.
What you’d make: The median salary for a meteorologist is $52,352 per year.

Find meteorologist jobs on Monster.

Claustrophobia

What it is: Fear of small places
Job that flies in the face of that fear: Elevator mechanics build, install, and maintain the tiny boxes that cruise up and down giant buildings all day and night, transporting people through a narrow shaft, and depositing them at their chosen floor. So if tight quarters with no natural light have you clambering to find an escape route, it’s best to take the stairs and avoid these types of scary jobs.
What you’d make: The median salary for heavy equipment mechanics is $23.40 per hour.

Find elevator mechanic jobs on Monster.

Entomophobia

What it is: Fear of bugs and insects
Job that flies in the face of that fear: This creepy job deals with actual creepy-crawlies. The roles of exterminator and pest control technician potentially offer a degree of revenge for those who are bugged by bugs, but since the work often involves getting down and dirty in tight spots where insects live and nest, you can’t be getting freaked out by the little things.
What you’d make: The median salary for a pest control technician is $34,736 per year.

Find exterminator jobs on Monster.

Glossophobia

What it is: Fear of public speaking
Job that flies in the face of that fear: Classrooms are the stage where teachers have to win over an audience all day, every day. There’s no time for freezing up when there’s 30 or so young faces looking to you for lessons every hour of the school day, plus PTA meetings and parent-teacher conferences to speak at.
What you’d make: The median salary for an elementary school teacher is $42,800 per year.

Find teacher jobs on Monster.

Hemophobia

What it is: Fear of blood
Job that flies in the face of that fear: Scary jobs that deal with blood? No thanks. The sight of a mere drop of blood can be enough to cause some people to faint. But phlebotomists—medical technicians who draw patients’ blood for tests, transfusions, donations or research—see more (real) blood in a day than all horror movie villains see in a year.
What you’d make: The median pay for a phlebotomist is $16.60 per hour.

Find phlebotomist jobs on Monster.

Mysophobia

What it is: Fear of germs
Job that flies in the face of that fear: Microbiologists embrace what mysophobes don’t want to hear—germs are everywhere, but not all of them are out to get you. Although tight lab-safety rules are a standard precaution, microbiologists spend their work hours getting up close and personal with bacteria, viruses and parasites.
What you’d make: The median salary for a microbiologist is $54,444 per year.

Find microbiologist jobs on Monster.

Podophobia

What it is: Fear of feet
Job that flies in the face of that fear: OK, this one may sound a little odd, but yes, there are people for whom the sight of feet—even their own—is the source of serious unease. This is not the case for podiatrists, who are medical doctors that specialize in treating people’s feet.
What you’d make: The median salary for a physician is $163,309 per year.

Find podiatrist jobs on Monster.

Vehophobia

What it is: Fear of driving
Job that flies in the face of that fear: The anxiety of being behind the wheel can cause some people to freeze up so completely that they avoid driving altogether. Then there are the road warriors: truck drivers. They’re are on the road so much—whether it’s open highway or traffic-choked city streets—that driving is as second nature as walking.
What you’d make: The median salary for a tractor-trailer truck driver is $47,071 per year.

Find truck driver jobs on Monster.

There's a Monster Behind You

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