Do You Have What It Takes? Top 20 Most Rugged Jobs in America

Have you ever scaled a 20-foot tree, hung off the side of a skyscraper, been 700 meters underground, or labored on a ship for 36 hours straight? How about run diagnostics on a 15-foot electricity pole, taken pipeline readings in zero-degree weather, or checked refinery equipment in a thunderstorm?

It’s hard to imagine that this is a normal day of work for some people….and it’s for this reason that Dell is excited to celebrate them by sharing the Top 20 Most Rugged Jobs in America.

From police officer, to commercial fishing specialist, to oil & gas engineer, and lumberjack, the people who hold these rugged jobs encounter the most extreme physical and environmental elements — all in a day’s work.

Dell’s Rugged testing lab team know these conditions almost as intimately as the job holders themselves because they are in charge of taking Dell Rugged Devices off-road and into the field with the workers who rely on them to get the most rugged jobs done. Anthony Bundrant, head of the Dell Rugged Labs testing facility works with his team to durability test these specialty devices to withstand:

  • Temperatures hot enough to fry an egg and cold enough to freeze an ice cube[1]
  • Stormy winds up to 70 miles per hour and nearly 6 inches of rain per hour[2]
  • 40 mile-per-hour sandstorms

Dell’s specialty Rugged laptops and tablets are purpose-built, designed and tested to the point of failure. They can withstand the rigor of the most extreme environments and harshest temperatures. Dell’s Rugged Lab tests each system to meet or exceed industry standards to set the durability and performance bar higher.

We work closely with law enforcement, the military and many other private sector industries like oil & gas and manufacturing, which all require durable, high performance equipment that can take a spill in the field and keep going. Our Rugged laptops and tablets are built to survive the rigors of the real world — especially in challenging and unpredictable environments, rain or shine.

Do you have what it takes to work some of the most rugged jobs in America? Each job on the Top 20 list was scored against three key factors, including physical labor, injury risk, and environmental exposure. Check out the list below to see which careers made the grade!

[1] Operating Thermal Range: -20F to 145F (Rugged Extreme Notebooks & Tablet). Based on independent 3rd party testing

[2] IP-65 rated for maximum protection against water, dust, and dirt ingress (Rugged Extreme Notebooks & Tablet). Based on independent 3rd party testing.

About the Author: David Plourde

David Plourde recently joined the Dell Specialty Product team to lead strategic alliances for the Rugged business, working closely with customers and technology partners. He’s spent over a decade in the Rugged compute industry and has more than 25 years’ experience in both the commercial sector and State & Federal Government sales. David is a former United States Air Force member and is based in Massachusetts. In his spare time, he enjoys playing guitar, sailing and spending time with his identical twin daughters.