It may not seem like one of the most desirable job in this city, but when a rare enrollment window opened for the first time in seven years, nearly 100,000 people applied to take a test to become a sanitation worker.
The test will be issued in February, but open enrollment concluded on Friday. The last time the city opened enrollment to the public — back in 2007 — more than 30,000 people wound up taking the test. Normally, it’s issued every four years but because there is a multi-tiered process to even get a shot at the job. There was also a hiring freeze: the city delayed the test for three years to give as many people on the 2007 waiting list a chance.
The amount of steps and sheer time it takes for someone to become a sanitation worker is really both impressive and astounding. From the Village Voice:
Potential employees on the bottom of that 2007-era list are encouraged to take the written test again this February. In other words, the Department of Sanitation expects that some people will wait for these jobs for more than nine years.
It is one of the few city jobs where applicants only need a high school diploma, but can start a salary around $33,000 and earn up to $70,000.
(Photo: RyanP77)
