12 Boring Jobs Paying $60 an Hour That Nobody Seems to Want
Stop chasing your “passion” because it’s probably keeping you broke.
While everyone fights for “creative” roles that pay in exposure, a quiet goldmine exists in the dullest corners of the economy. Economists call this the “compensating wage differential,” but I call it getting paid to suffer boredom. You trade social prestige and excitement for a median hourly wage that creates absolute financial freedom.
Recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2024) reveals a specific job stratum where the “glamour discount” works in reverse. Companies desperately need people to maintain infrastructure, manage risk, and handle compliance, yet they struggle to find takers. If you can handle monotony, isolation, or just plain tedious paperwork, you can name your price. Ready to sell out? Let’s look at the list.
Computer hardware engineers stare at circuit boards all day
While software developers get all the glory and the beanbag chairs, computer hardware engineers toil away in labs filled with oscilloscopes. These professionals design the physical components that make the digital world function, earning a median hourly wage of around $71.04 ($147,770 annually). You won’t ship code from a beach in Bali; you work on-site, testing circuit boards and processors with painstaking precision.
The boredom here stems from the incredibly slow feedback loop. Unlike software, where you fix a bug in minutes, a hardware flaw requires physical fabrication that takes months. You spend your days monitoring signal integrity and analyzing thermal performance, tasks that require intense, quiet focus. Because most students rush into AI and app development, the hardware sector faces a talent gap, forcing companies to pay a premium for those willing to deal with the laws of physics.
Petroleum engineers endure isolation for massive paychecks
You might find this hard to believe, but oil companies pay astronomical wages because nobody wants to live in an oil camp in North Dakota. Petroleum engineers command a median salary of $67.92 per hour, with top earners clearing well over $110. The catch? You often work in desolate, remote locations on a rotating schedule that wreaks havoc on your social life.
Beyond the isolation, this job suffers from a massive “social stigma.” Gen Z largely views the fossil fuel industry as unethical, creating a severe labor shortage known as “The Great Crew Change”. Companies must bribe you with cash to overlook the industry’s reputation and the monotony of reservoir simulations. If you don’t mind the mud and the moral conflict, you can retire early.
Compensation and benefits managers handle the thankless money talks
Who decides exactly how much your health insurance costs? Compensation and benefits managers spend their lives buried in salary surveys and tax codes, earning a median hourly rate of $67.48. This role demands a personality that thrives on regulatory compliance and spreadsheet analysis—traits that would put most people to sleep.
The “boring” factor doubles as a stress factor here. You get zero credit when paychecks are correct, but you face immediate outrage if you make a single error. You navigate a maze of federal laws, such as ERISA and the ACA, to ensure the company doesn’t get sued. It’s unsexy, administrative work, but companies pay heavily for the person willing to be the bad guy during open enrollment season.
Purchasing managers take the heat for supply chain chaos
Purchasing managers buy the goods an organization needs to operate, from paperclips to jet engines. With a median wage of $60 to more than $70 per hour, it sounds like professional shopping, but the reality is an endless deluge of emails and vendor disputes. You spend your days negotiating contracts and tracking shipments, a routine that quickly becomes repetitive.
Why does nobody want this? You become the universal scapegoat. When supply chains break—as they often do now—everyone from the factory floor to the CEO blames you for the delay. You need thick skin and a love for logistics to survive. IMO, if you enjoy arguing over price points and reading fine print, this is your six-figure ticket.
Medical dosimetrists play high-stakes video games in the dark
Medical dosimetrists design radiation treatment plans for cancer patients, earning a median hourly rate of $66.40, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. You work in dimly lit rooms, contouring anatomy on CT scans and calculating lethal radiation doses. It sounds intense, but the day-to-day workflow involves sitting at a computer station with zero patient interaction.
This role creates a “phantom” dynamic where you save lives without ever meeting the people you save. The work requires “repetitive precision”—doing the same technical task perfectly every single time. It lacks the emotional feedback loop of nursing or doctoring, and the skill set is so niche that you can’t easily switch industries. But for $138k a year, who needs variety?
Pharmacists manage the retail grind for six figures
We often forget that pharmacists hold doctoral degrees, yet they frequently work in retail environments that resemble factories. They earn a median of over $65 per hour verifying prescriptions and dodging angry customers. This may vary depending on experience and location. The job involves standing for 12-hour shifts, performing the same verification tasks hundreds of times a day.
Corporate chains track every metric, pressuring you to fill scripts faster and push vaccines. Burnout runs high because the intellectual challenge fades quickly, replaced by the stress of metric-driven management. However, the high barrier to entry keeps wages mostly stable. If you can tune out the noise and focus on the pill count, the money remains excellent.
Database architects clean up digital messes
Companies treat data like gold, but they treat the people who organize it like janitors. Database architects design the structures that store information, commanding median wages of close to $60 per hour. The job focuses on “migrations”—moving millions of records from old systems to new ones—which is about as exciting as moving houses every week.
You carry the “burden of integrity.” If the database crashes or leaks, it’s your fault. This forces you to be risk-averse and meticulous, spending hours ensuring compliance with privacy laws like GDPR. It’s invisible, back-end work that receives no applause, but the fear of data loss drives wages higher every year.
Computer network architects build the invisible pipes
While app developers build the fun stuff users see, network architects design the communication pipes underneath. They earn $62.69 per hour for drawing diagrams and writing documentation. The work relies heavily on rigid protocols and “boilerplate” planning that hasn’t changed much in decades.
The real kicker? You live on-call. Network maintenance usually happens on nights and weekends to avoid business disruption. One industry expert noted that you essentially “sacrifice weekends” to ensure uptime. You get paid well because you accept the stress of keeping the internet running while everyone else is asleep.
Electronics engineers keep the lights on behind the scenes
Electronics engineers design and test non-computer electronic equipment, earning a median hourly wage of close to $60, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Unlike the fast-paced tech world, this field often deals with legacy systems, power grids, and industrial controls. You typically work in traditional industries like manufacturing or telecommunications, which lack the “cool factor” of Silicon Valley startups.
The work involves rigorous compliance standards and testing routines that many find dry. Yet, as the world electrifies everything from cars to heating systems, the demand for this “old school” engineering talent is skyrocketing. FYI, with many senior engineers retiring, the shortage in this field drives wages up for anyone willing to master the basics.
Actuaries predict risk while everyone else sleeps.
Actuaries use math to calculate the financial cost of risk, earning a median hourly rate of $60.47. The catch is the infamous “exam marathon.” You must pass a series of grueling professional exams that can take 7 to 10 years to complete. Most people tap out long before they finish.
Daily work involves staring at spreadsheets and modeling mortality rates or property losses. It is abstract, sedentary, and repetitive. However, the field has a near-zero unemployment rate. You get paid for your patience and your willingness to endure a decade of testing.
Information security analysts panic, so you don’t have to
Cybersecurity sounds cool in movies, but in reality, it involves reading endless server logs and writing compliance reports. These analysts earn a median of $60.05 per hour to protect networks from breaches. The “boredom” comes from the constant monitoring of security alerts, 99% of which are false alarms.
When a real attack happens, the boredom instantly flips to sheer terror. You bear the weight of the company’s reputation. High burnout rates plague this profession, which keeps supply low and wages high. You essentially get paid hazard pay for sitting at a desk.
Nuclear power reactor operators master the art of doing nothing
This job defines “months of boredom punctuated by moments of terror.” Reactor operators earn a median of close to $60 per hour, with many experienced operators in places like New York earning significantly more. You sit in a control room watching gauges and logging data to ensure the reactor remains stable.
You need to pass a rigorous licensing exam from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, but you don’t necessarily need a college degree. The downsides include rotating shift work (nights, holidays, weekends) and the psychological toll of hyper-vigilance. But where else can you make $120k+ for simply paying attention?
Key Takeaway
Boredom pays. In an economy obsessed with status and entertainment, the most “boring” infrastructure roles offer a fortress of financial stability. These 12 jobs prove that if you solve the problems nobody else wants to touch—compliance, maintenance, risk, and physical hardship—you gain leverage that “passion” careers cannot match. So, are you willing to be bored for $60 an hour?
Disclosure: This article was developed with the assistance of AI and was subsequently reviewed, revised, and approved by our editorial team.
20 Odd American Traditions That Confuse the Rest of the World
20 Odd American Traditions That Confuse the Rest of the World
It’s no surprise that cultures worldwide have their own unique customs and traditions, but some of America’s most beloved habits can seem downright strange to outsiders.
Many American traditions may seem odd or even bizarre to people from other countries. Here are twenty of the strangest American traditions that confuse the rest of the world.
20 of the Worst American Tourist Attractions, Ranked in Order
20 of the Worst American Tourist Attractions, Ranked in Order
If you’ve found yourself here, it’s likely because you’re on a noble quest for the worst of the worst—the crème de la crème of the most underwhelming and downright disappointing tourist traps America offers. Maybe you’re looking to avoid common pitfalls, or perhaps just a connoisseur of the hilariously bad.
Whatever the reason, here is a list that’s sure to entertain, if not educate. Hold onto the hats and explore the ranking, in sequential order, of the 20 worst American tourist attractions.
