The Complete Guide to Becoming A Mortician, Undertaker, and Funeral Arranger
The real job, the real pay, the real path — everything you need to decide if this career is right for you before you commit a single dollar to tuition.
by Alumigogo Books
non-fiction
What does a mortician actually do all day? What does it pay? Is it right for you? Straight answers before you invest in training.
About this book
You've seen the job listed as "funeral director" or "mortician" and you're curious — but every source either romanticizes the work or makes it sound morbid and gloomy. The truth is neither. This is a practical job with practical requirements: you'll need certification, you'll work odd hours, and you'll deal with grief daily. But it's also stable, meaningful work that doesn't require a four-year degree to start.
This guide walks you through the actual job — the removals, the embalming room, the arrangement conferences, the paperwork that never ends — and gives you honest numbers on what entry-level, mid-career, and senior roles pay in different parts of the country. You'll see the training options compared side by side with real costs and timelines, and you'll get a self-assessment to help you decide if your temperament is suited for this work.
With a chapter-by-chapter breakdown, a realistic day-in-the-life narrative, and answers to the questions every newcomer asks, this is the resource to read before you spend a dollar on mortuary school. If you're seriously considering this career, start here — and decide with your eyes open.
Reader Reviews
Laura Torres
★★★★★Finally, a career guide that treats death care as a real profession and not a calling or a curse. The chapter on what the job actually involves was worth the price alone — I took notes. The salary tables and training cost comparisons gave me concrete numbers to bring to my parents. I've already recommended this to my friend who's considering funeral service too.
Nancy Wilson
★★★★★I appreciated the honesty about the pay and the hours. Chapter 1 didn't sugarcoat the physical work or the emotional toll, which is what I needed. That said, I felt some sections dragged a little and I wanted more specifics on the apprenticeship process. Still, it's more useful than anything else I found online, and I'm not entirely ruled out yet.
Mary Anderson
★★★★★This is the first resource that actually told me what I'd be doing on a random Wednesday, not just a list of job duties. The salary breakdown made me realize I could start earning sooner than I thought if I go the apprenticeship route. I'm a career-changer at 34, and this guide made me feel like the path is real and achievable.
Brenda Robinson
★★★★★Good overview, but I wish it had more detail on the emotional side of dealing with grieving families every single day. The checklists are helpful, and Chapter 1 gave me a clear picture of the workload, but I still feel unsure whether I have the stomach for it. Maybe that's on me, not the book. Solid starting point though.
Thomas Roberts
★★★★★I've been on the fence about mortuary school for two years, and this answered questions I didn't even know to ask — like what the licensing reciprocity rules are and what a removal actually involves. The author clearly knows the job from the inside, not from a textbook. I'm scheduling a visit to a local funeral home this week.