5. Oil Rig Worker
BLS National Salary Median: $37,640
Projected Job Growth: 8%
Working on an oil rig is risky. Few jobs are as isolated, requiring long hours spent on rigs often located at sea or in fields far from major cities. And while fracking is providing new opportunities in the field, sustainable energy’s growth will pose long-term sustainability challenges to the oil rig worker’s job market. Solar panel installation, for example, skyrocketed by 76% in 2012.
