Jobs in the Death Industry

Not everyone can stomach a career in the death industry. Hours can be long and the sights can be downright gruesome. Still, the pay is rather decent and the work tends to remain consistent. Careers in the death industry include, but are not limited to:

Funeral Director: Works with grieving families to arrange memorial services. May or may not provide embalming.

Embalmer: One who is tasked with preserving and treating the body of the deceased with chemicals and cosmetics so that it can be made presentable for a memorial service.

Crematory Technician: A crematory is the machine used to reduce human remains to ashes. A crematory technician is anyone responsible for operating a crematory and gathering the ashes that remain so they can be delivered to the family of the deceased.

Grief Counselor: A professional counselor who helps the living cope with the passing of the deceased.

Homicide Detective/Investigator: A person charged with investigating and uncovering the perpetrators of murders and accidental deaths so that the guilty can be brought to justice.

Crime Scene Cleaner: Murders and other violent crimes can be dirty business. When the crime scene tape is taken down and the remains of any victims have been carted off to the local morgue, property owners are often left with the stomach churning job of cleaning up the mess that was left behind. Crime scene cleaners are experts at restoring crime scenes to pre-crime condition.

Obituary Writer: An obituary is a notice of a person's death that typically includes some biographical information about the deceased. Obituary writers are typically employed by news agencies, but they can also work for other organizations and individuals by offering custom obituary content to those that want to announce the death in their own way.

Coroner: The person responsible for declaring cause of death in police investigations. In most jurisdictions, a coroner is an elected official.

Forensic Pathologist: A medical professional responsible for examining human remains to determine the medical cause of death.

Cemetery Groundskeeper: Best suited for people who don't mind working outside or with their hands, a cemetery groundskeeper helps keep cemeteries looking clean and beautiful for visitors. The groundskeeper may also be responsible for operating any heavy machinery in the preparation of grave sites.

While many perceive workers in the death industry as a little creepy or morbid, the fact is that modern society could not properly function without the people willing to handle and care for human remains. Not only is the work done by the death industry necessary for sanitation purposes, it is also necessary so that the living can reach a point of closure following the death of a loved one.