When most people think about high-paying occupations, doctors, lawyers, and engineers are almost always at the top of every list. Although they are some of the highest paying careers, there are others out there that pay the big bucks, and some of them don’t even require having a college degree. Although some of them require you to get your hands dirty, the salary more than makes up for it. Here’s a list of careers that pay much more than you’d expect them to. 

1. Roadkill Collector 

Hitting an animal with a vehicle happens more often than you think and while most people hear about the poor animals, no one thinks about the people tasked with cleaning up the messes left behind. In the United States, approximately 1.5 million deer are hit every year and there aren’t many people who are willing to take the animals off the roads, except roadkill collectors. The job may sound disgusting, but roadkill collectors working in states with a high to moderate accidents can earn $72,000 a year. Those with an even higher rate get paid much more. 

2. Coal Mine Personnel

Thanks to popular culture, coal mining has been portrayed as the job that no one wants as it often seems to be the ideal setup for something bad to happen. Additionally, the thought of having a coat of coal every day of the work week doesn’t appeal to everyone. If you were interested in becoming an underground coal miner, your salary is an astonishing $60,000 to approximately $85,000 with overtime. This field has lots of room to grow and some executives earn as much as $200,000. 

3. Crime Scene Cleaner

Unfortunately, crimes happen everywhere and much like another profession on this list, someone has to clean it up. From crimes like robberies to more serious offenses, crime scene cleaners are often thought to be dirty, low-paying jobs but it is quite the opposite. Despite having to show up on some not-so-pleasant scenes, the average hourly salary for a crime scene cleaner is $250 an hour, making it very easy to earn six figures in a year. This is also dependent on the city where you live.

4. Gold Ball Collector

Why would anybody in their right mind want to collect golf balls? The possibility of being hit by one when doing the job is enough to make people think twice about retrieving them. Well, here are a few reasons why you might want to reconsider. Unlike many other professions, a degree is not required; golf ball collectors spend much of their time looking in bushes, artificial lakes and other hard to reach places. There’s a threat of encountering snakes and alligators, but the average $100,000 salary should be enough for you to put on a brave face. And if you have diving experience, that figure goes up significantly.

5. Crab Fisherman

There are many different types of fishermen and not all of them have to spend months on end on the open sea…unless they chose to. Despite being found in droves on any given beach, crabbing season usually occurs between October and January. During that period, the seasonal workers risk their lives in uncertain weather to make sure that your favorite restaurants get their crab meat. Depending on your role, you can expect to earn anything from $50,000 for a generic crew member to $200,000 for captaining a ship during one season.