People Are Sharing High-Paying Jobs Almost Nobody Wants — the Reasons Range From Body Recovery Diving to 90 Percent of Your Life in Airports

A post in r/AskReddit asked users to share high-paying jobs that almost nobody wants and explain why.

Commenters described roles ranging from underwater search and recovery to specialized medical equipment calibration, with many focusing on the psychological and physical toll that makes these jobs difficult to fill despite the pay.

One commenter described learning about underwater search and rescue work through a podcast, focused primarily on body recovery rather than rescuing survivors. They wrote, "A diver explained what it was like to be swimming deep in water with only a few inches of visibility and then suddenly coming face-to-face with a person that [sic] has been underwater for days."

Another described law enforcement computer forensics work, noting the pay is solid but not exceptional relative to the job's demands. They wrote, "The ones that have to do the cases on crimes against children, they have it bad. Like the techs that do it require and actually get employer paid mental health therapy support, because of the stuff they have to view."

They added that more routine assignments, such as basic data recovery or evidence collection, were far more manageable by comparison.

One commenter described a friend's experience as an emergency lineman, among the first crews dispatched to restore power after hurricanes and other natural disasters.

They wrote, "Every season at least one guy he knew would die. You need to be on top of your game and fit both physically and mentally. He'd go over 24 hours straight." They added that his friend's motivation was restoring power to people with urgent needs, particularly hospitals relying on electricity in the aftermath of a disaster.

Another described working offshore on an oil rig, saying the physical labor itself wasn't the hardest part of the job. They wrote, "The work itself isn't too difficult, it's the time away from home. I distinctly remember the interview process. Over 50 percent of the interview was bracing the new employee that maintaining a relationship would be difficult."

One commenter described meeting someone on a flight who calibrates a specific medical device for the company that manufactures it, a niche role built almost entirely around travel. They wrote, "Said he was paid $1,000 per calibration. He calibrates about 150 machines per year and has to fly to almost every location. The guy said he spends 90 percent of his paid time flying or in airports and the rest calibrating the medical devices."

The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the specific pay figures, job details, or personal accounts described by commenters in this thread. The details above reflect individual users' experiences and secondhand accounts as shared on Reddit.