Top 10 Jobs that Make Me like My Job

How many different categories would it take to even begin to sort the nasty or difficult jobs out there?

Let's see.

Jobs that:
smell terrible
gross you out
are physically painful or difficult
are scary
have a social stigma to them
don't pay enough to live on
wreck your health
wreck your marriage
break your heart
are boring

Jobs that smell terrible and
Jobs that gross you out

Mike Rowe of the Discovery Channel show "Dirty Jobs" has done a great job of exposing us to a huge variety of jobs that fit these two categories. He gets to do everything from unplugging sewage lines to picking up road kill from public roads.

He does things so gross that some of us are in danger of throwing up just by watching him on tv!

Jobs that are physically difficult

How about motherhood? You start out with 9 months of fun that can include morning sickness, cramps, and weight gain. Then you get to go through labor. And if that isn't bad enough, you then are denied a full night's sleep for what could be months. And then ... well, you get the picture. My hat's off to all mothers. They're tops on my list of physically difficult jobs.

Jobs that are scary

How about snake wrangler? Want to round up stray snakes? Or worse, be the one who harvests snake venom?

Maybe I should list public speaking in this category. I hear that many people are more afraid of this than of dying!

Jobs that have a social stigma to them

This would have to include armpit sniffer. I know someone has to test the effectiveness of deodorant products, but I'll pass on this one.

And I don't even want to think about how they test adult diapers or deodorants for other more personal parts of the body.

Jobs that don't pay enough to live on

Anything minimum wage (or below) falls into this category. The saddest thing is that these jobs can also fall into the social stigma category.

Jobs that wreck your health

Anyone working with hazardous waste or in health care is potentially going to be exposed to something that could ruin their health. I think people doing these jobs are heroes. But I'll admire from afar.

Jobs that wreck your marriage

I've often wondered how people who are on call a lot keep it from destroying their marriages. Doctors come to mind. When someone has a medical emergency in the middle of your daughter's dance recital, something has to give.

Police investigators, fire fighters, soldiers, and search-and-rescue personnel all deal with this kind of strain.

Jobs that break your heart

These may be the toughest. Anyone who works with the dying has a special and difficult job. This would include Hospice nurses, anyone in a children's cancer ward, and family members who are caregivers for an Alzheimer patient.

It would also be social workers who deal with abused men, women, and children.

And it includes people who work at animal shelters. Can you imagine being the one who euthanizes the cats and dogs every day?

Jobs that are boring

You know who you are. In the interests of not offending anyone, I won't name any. Besides, they're so boring I can't be bothered to finish writi......

Do you feel better?

I know I've only scratched the surface of all the incredibly challenging ways people earn a living in this country.

If none of these makes you appreciate your own job a little bit more, then make your own list of jobs you wouldn't rather be doing.

If you can't come up with anything, then my friend, you need to get a different job.

The worst job in the world? The one you're doing now if it isn't something you love.