Happy Halloween!

Halloween is here and thrill-seekers in offices around the country are crafting creative costumes to wear to work, spooky cube décor and ways to frighten their co-workers while they're chained to their desk on their favorite day of the year.

The biggest "scare factor" of most people's jobs is merely the simple act of coming to the office everyday. But some workers don't have to look farther than their own occupation to get their Halloween fix.

The following jobs deal with matters from corpses to violence to death to the supernatural. They're not for the faint of heart, but if you wish Halloween was year-round, consider one of the following 10 spooky jobs to keep you looking over your shoulder every day.

Coroner
Why it's spooky: Coroners observe corpses and investigate the cause, time and manner of death, mostly when it happens under unusual circumstances.
Scary salary: $35,866*

Ghost hunter
Why it's spooky: Ghost hunters use scientific tools to measure and collect evidence of paranormal activity in areas that are said to be haunted. Teams of these people are called paranormal investigation teams.
Scary salary: Salary information is not available

Mystery writer
Why it's spooky: Mystery writers need the creative mind to develop scary plots, suspenseful story lines and twisted characters to comprise compelling novels for their readers.
Scary salary: $45,442

Mortician
Why it's spooky: Morticians (also known as undertakers or funeral directors) oversee all funeral arrangements for the deceased, including details of body preparation for viewing and preparing the body itself.
Scary salary: $42,284

Witch doctor
Why it's spooky: Witch doctors are healers through magic and witchcraft. They believe illnesses and injuries are caused by magic and witchcraft and so they are best treated that way. 
Scary salary: Salary information not available.

Embalmer
Why it's spooky: Embalmers prepare corpses for burial or cremation by washing, drying and disinfecting the body; releasing excess air from the lungs; draining blood from the circulatory system and replacing it with embalming fluid and applying cosmetics to create a more lifelike appearance.
Scary salary: $34,791

Crime scene cleanup
Why it's spooky: Crime scene cleaning crews sanitize and clean the aftermaths of crimes on all levels, from murders to domestic violence.
Scary salary: $35,000 average starting salary; can increase to $75,000 or $80,000 based on markets with higher violent death rates.

Grave digger/Cemetery worker
Why it's spooky: Grave diggers work in cemeteries digging graves before funerals, oftentimes working late into the night or early morning hours. Cemetery workers assist in the upkeep of grave and memorial sites.
Scary salary: $33,601 for grave diggers. Cemetery workers' salaries are determined by whether the individual is working for a distinguished cemetery and whether the location is non-profit, according to the International Cemetery and Funeral Association.

Obituary writer
Why it's spooky: Obituary writers are responsible for writing summaries of the lives of the deceased for such publications as newspapers, magazines and Web sites.
Scary salary: $42,150

Crematorium technician
Why it's spooky: These technicians incinerate corpses and collect the ashes to give to family and loved ones.
Scary salary: $35,000

*Salary information from Salary Expert, International Cemetery and Funeral Association and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

                               

Comments

[Cremation Guy]

Interesting article. I am an undertaker/embalmer and while it is scary to many people, it is a profession to me, and interestingly enough we find what we do to be an art. It takes skill to be able to embalm a body correctly.

Just thought I would give some input from the other side of the spectrum.