Quick Links

They told you in high school, and they told you in college. There should be no difference between your dreams and your career. If you have fun at your job, it won't even feel like work. If you're stuck in a boring career, quit it and find one that will make you happy for the rest of your life.

Yet here you are, stuck at that desk job. Doing dirty work in some stranger's home or out on the streets. Sitting in an office, staring at the blank white walls, wondering how you even ended up here. What could possibly make these drab jobs worth it?

Oh, right — you're making over six figures. For some people, a career really isn't about fun. It's the thing you do that rakes in money, so you can afford to do fun things when you're not slaving away. People like you want to keep work and play separate. To you, work is just work. Nothing more.

This kind of lifestyle does have its rewards. When you've done the 9-5 (maybe more), you can come home to your McMansion, have a nice glass of wine and admire your collection of fine art. Your large salary allows you to live lavishly. If only those kids who bullied you in high school could see you now.

Want to know 10 seemingly boring jobs that are guaranteed to get you over six figures of pay? Read on, and maybe you'll be convinced to "follow your dreams" by putting in the toiling hours.

10. Trash Collector

The very definition of "dirty work." The only variety you get here is switching between driving the truck and being the ground man. Oh, and seeing all the different things people throw out getting ground up by the truck. "Why don't these people ever recycle?" you think to yourself at night before you have to wake up at 4 a.m. the next day.

Yet maybe all those sleepy-eyed mornings will be worth the pay, especially in big cities. While the hours may be long and the work dirty, you will make a very respectable living in this position, even when it’s dull.

9. Finance Manager

Remember when you were in high school, voting for student council positions? No one ever wanted the "treasurer," because that meant you actually had to do work by being in control of the money and funds. Guess what? A finance manager is basically a treasurer. Yup, you're that guy.

You'll be managing money to get maximum returns on investment, analyzing and interpreting company budgets, and reviewing the overall numbers. Sound entertaining? Didn't think so. And by the way, the whole company pretty much rests in your hands. But not only will you be secure in your job, you'll be making six figures.

8. Plumber

Ever met anyone who declared confidently, "I want to be a plumber!" Sure, you played too much Super Mario Bros. when you were a kid, but that doesn't mean working your way through pipes is any fun in real life.

What could be better than crawling behind the innards of buildings and houses and trying to fix the same dang leak for hours on end? As your motto goes, "The people who built this place didn't know how to think!" Maybe since you know how the whole shebang works, you should become an architect. Either way, the look of relief on your customer's face when you fix their broken toilet is enough to keep the job, right? So is the fact that you'll make big money.

7. Podiatrist

People freak out about feet. For some reason, feet scare many people on this earth. Unfortunately, it's pretty easy for your feet to become messed up. Podiatrists are the ones who get to look at them, day in and day out.

A list of clients on a particular day might sound like this: ingrown toenail, broken ankle, warts, toenail fungus. Although looking at feet all day might desensitize you after a few months, when that one guy comes in who's just looking for some Dr. Scholl's inserts to cure his foot pain, you want to hug him.

Forbes named podiatry one of the best healthcare jobs of 2015. Perhaps taking care of people's feet isn't as bad as you thought.

6. Accountant

When you were a punk back in your teenage years, you always wanted to "stick it to the man." Show them who's boss. Make it known that you would never be a slave to the government.

Then you figured out you had to pay taxes. And suddenly, just paying those taxes and dissecting financial records became appealing to you. You tried to resist, but you just couldn't stop combing through spreadsheets. Numbers are your everything. You are ... the most boring person in the world.

But boring pays, because according to the BLS, the top 90% of accountants make $115,950.

5. IT Technical Support

With this career, you can call the cubicle your new home. The only tan you get is from the buzzing fluorescent lights overhead. That's alright, though. The streams of numbers flowing down your computer like the Matrix are good enough entertainment.

You're the geek squad of the business. Whenever a computer goes kaput, it's up to you to figure out why, and get it back up and running before the impatient guy blows a gasket. Technology is such a good de-stresser.

The good news is there are so many tech jobs in a variety of fields that you can write your own success story.

4. Real Estate Broker

In this economy, selling houses ain't easy. Like many real estate agents who just don't know when to quit, you went and passed your broker's exam and your license requirements. That means you can now run your own real estate business. Yet, property owners hire you because they can't sell their house on their own, so you'll still have to make potentially trashy houses look appealing. You'll also get to watch people's faces scrunch up when they see the price. The indecisive nature of humans is strong in this career field.

The average salary for real estate brokers is around $76,000, but it can skyrocket to six figures depending on which company you work for.

3. Court Reporter

As a court reporter, you'll attend legal hearings, proceedings or anything else that requires transcription. Just think about all the afternoons you'll spend hearing people blab on about stuff you don't know or even care to know. Even worse, you need to have sharp focus and attention, because if you miss one important sentence, it's game over. Hope you can type over 225 words per minute.

But looking on the bright side, perhaps all those hours you spent in online chat rooms discussing the latest video games will come in handy if that taught you how to type really fast. Plus, if you pay enough attention, you could graduate to a less-boring position as a legal content writer.

2. Air Traffic Controller

Ever wonder what exactly happens up in the airport control tower? It's just a bunch of people sitting around screens, watching tiny dots move across them. They direct those tiny dots, telling them where to go.

Those tiny dots are airplanes, though. And air traffic controllers are responsible for overseeing their takeoffs and landings safely, as well as making sure they don't crash into one another. As of 2015, the average pay for this job was more than $125,000 a year.

But it's tedious work — and air traffic controllers are often at fault for accidents, probably because it’s mind-numbing to sit in front of those blinking dots all day or night.

1. Electrician

What could be less fascinating than wires? They help turn stuff on. They help turn it off. That’s about the extent of it. And as an electrician, you're the person who has to make sure these wires can do those two hard tasks efficiently and without interruption. If a transformer blows up in your neighborhood, who do they call? You. Those circuits aren't going to complete themselves.

The top 10 percent of electricians make over $80,000. But Finance and Career named electricians as one of eight blue collar jobs that pay over six figures, especially if you work in metropolitan areas.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEq6CcoJWowW%2BvzqZmm62jnrumv9JoaGllkqS%2FqrrGZqGomqNiwamt02anmrFdpMOmvoxqZ2mjXw%3D%3D