WEEK     JOB: EXTERMINATOR

LOCATION: MIAMI, FLORIDA

EMPLOYER: TRULY NOLEN PEST CONTROL

WAGE: $31,040 YEAR [Source: BLS]

JOB DESCRIPTION: Helped fumigate a house, accompanied a sales rep out in the field to inspect other houses, and watched all their training videos about proper inspection, safety procedures, and how to identify infestations.

INDUSTRY IQ:

• There are more than 94,000 species of pests in the United States.

• The collective weight of all the ants in the world is about equal to the weight of all the human beings in the world.

• If a choice had to be made between eliminating the medical industry or the pest-control industry, we’d prevent more disease by eliminating the medical industry. (My source: an executive in the pest-control industry.)

WHAT I LEARNED: Being an exterminator is a pretty good gig.

I enjoyed showing up at the house with the truck and all of the equipment, then putting on the protective jumpsuit and facial mask, grabbing the spray gun, and helping the customer solve their infestation problem. If I were to do it on a permanent basis, though, I’d need to find a way to break the incessant loop of the Ghost Busters theme song playing in my head.