RedditorAcidHVwanted to hear about all the careers that make people smile.
They asked:
"People who actually like their jobs, what do you do?"
I guess I can't complain.
I have this job.
But I have a side hustle that only brings tears.
Wide Open Spaces
"I am a park ranger. Just me and the trees." ~ bibas4d
"I work as a ranger in the UK pay isn't the best around 20k however you spend everyday outside, a lot of my work is conservation orientated so basically managing habitats for wildlife and making sure they are as diverse as possible. There's such a vast range of aspects to a rangers job it's hard to pin point as everyday is completely different. Hope that helps." ~ 5awb0nes
Finding the Land
"I’m an environmental geologist. I like uncovering the history of a property and working outdoors is enjoyable when the weather is nice. I don’t love every aspect, of course—paperwork can be tedious, often the weather is bad, and telling clients bad news is intimidating—but it’s satisfying when the pieces of a problem fall together." ~ hypo-osmotic
In the Wild
"Wildlife biologist. Long hours but amazing experiences that I usually enjoy waking up for." ~ vimap5
"Currently getting a degree in Ecology/Conservation Biology with a GIS certification. I want to do a master's program for wildlife bio/management down the road. I am trying to get most of my higher level electives wildlife bio focused. Eventually want to work in western big game management or research!" ~ AGib04
Books...
"I shelve books at the library." ~ purple_yosher
"School librarian checking in. I love my job to the core." ~ BookDragon3ryn
GiphyLibrarian?
Really?
It's so quiet.
But hey, if silence is your savior, more power to you.
Travels
"I’m a flight attendant. Absolutely love my job. Thinking about going to flight school to be a pilot though. But nothing beats getting paid to travel the world." ~ TastyAssBiscuit
GiphySaviors
"Year round paramedic, summer lifeguard." ~ harinonfireagain
"12 year Paramedic. Job's dope. If your agency allows for a high scope of practice and you like solving problems, it's an excellent way to solve that itch... sometimes."
"Lately it's been a bit bullcrap with Covid. When the answer is always covid, you don't get to enjoy problem solving as much." ~ MedicManDan
Details...
"I have had my own detailing business almost 28 years now." ~ scottwax
"I'm 18 and this is my dream job. I can binge watch car detailing videos for hours and it never bores me. might take aeronautical engineering in college but hoping to open an auto-detailing shop in the future too. good luck to me."
"To be honest I'm more into restoring those old and rusty bad boys and trucks of the 80s-90s making them look fresh and new. good luck to your business!!" ~ MuffinBasic500
That is my real passion...
"I am a loader for a distribution warehouse as my 40-hour job. I like it, but I keep it for the money and health insurance. But my second job, I am the Regional Director for a non-for-profit that helps guys with Transitional housing when they get out of prison."
"We also help homeless guys on occasion and people who just need a hand up. That is my real passion." ~ RepresentativeCrow77
Just Cool
"Receptionist at a very small company where I also fill in when other departments are shorthanded. Everyone is nice (with very few exceptions) and no one cares if I have an AirPod in and Netflix playing as long as crap gets done." ~ invisible_23
GiphyTechnical
"Surgical technologist."
blameitonmyADDbaby
"You basically become the surgeon’s second pair of hands. It doesn’t require any specialized education beyond tech school. But it does involve become very advanced at your skills on the job."
"My stepdad and mom both did this before my mom became a nurse. They both performed incisions, sutured, and more. My stepdad went on to create his own contract business where he would work for specific surgeons rather than the hospital. Made his own schedule and made really good money for the education required."
quelindolio
teaching...
"I teach kids welding."
Famous-Example-8332
"When I was an electrical apprentice, welding was a required class. My instructor said I was the worst welder he ever taught. I kept asking for darker and darker lenses because the arc hurt my eyes. I think I pissed him off. I did manage to make some stands for my stackable washer and dryer. I've been using them for 15 years now without issue so I couldn't have been that bad at welding."
The_Truth_Believe_Me
Swings
"Make wood for construction site. Only have to work roughly 16 days a month and make more than I ever did as an electrician and without any of the stress. Four on, Four off swings should really be the norm for work/ life balance and I'm unsure if I'll ever be able to go back to working Monday to Friday."
thorpie88
"artsy"
"I'm an accountant. Grew up as the 'artsy' type that everyone thought would be a traveling musician or music teacher. I thought I hated math and that I was bad at it growing up. Turns out I had untreated ADHD. I took a job as a teller in my early 20s and realized I really loved balancing things."
"Got my degree, and now I enjoy a job where every day I'm problem solving and investigating. Everything is a puzzle, and I love it. Accounting is way more than numbers and balancing. I'm so happy in my job. (I work in industry. I did not like public accounting)."
Bethanyjcoolio
Bloodletting...
"I was a phlebotomist at a blood bank. People came in to donate blood voluntarily, so I never had to hold any nervous kid down to take their blood. And you’re literally saving lives."
Aggressive-Chemist11
The Simpsons Beer GIFGiphyBuild It
"I’m a carpenter. Building stuff is fun."
Key-Conversation3993
"If I wasn't so crap at it, I'd switch careers today. But I love it as a hobby... kind of gave it up for a bunch of years after my dad died, but recently got back into it. Can't express how much I missed it. Was like having my dad back in the room with me."
RedDevilsEggs
Anything stimulating...
"Rec Therapist for Alzheimer Patients. I would say it's a health/wellness approach to implementing programs to maintain their activities of daily living. So, exercise programs, memory games, educational programs, having volunteers come in (many of my patients can't go out). Musical entertainment, Pet therapy etc... Anything stimulating."
BadP3NN1
Readers are Great
"Library clerk. Basically means I’m at the front desk all day every day, answering every question under the sun, watching how the joy lights up a person’s face when I unite them with a book they want to read, helping people in dark times, and being around a bunch of other people who do the same thing and love it, too."
tatyama
humbling...
"Helping adults obtain their high school equivalency and learn computer/customer service skills. :) It's very rewarding helping those students who didn't finish high school because of personal family matters or undiagnosed learning disabilities. On the other end of the spectrum, it is very humbling teaching students more educated than me (e.g. graduate degrees from their home country)."
-ethereality-
Scary Times
"Fabrication at a company that sells products for haunt attractions and escape rooms."
hohove
"My son would go bananas at your job. He loves all the Spirit Halloween animatronics. Seeing the real deal good stuff would melt his face off. What a cool job."
Fly-Hulud
Trick Or Treat Halloween GIF by Craft RecordingsGiphyThis is a list I'm gonna reflect on.
There are interesting ideas here.
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Reddit user "talldmbfan" asked:
"If you got to pick any career/job and earned $400,000 no matter what, what career/job would you pick?"
Ya know ... a $400k salary sounds like it could be a few smart money choices away from the very serious business of picking just the right pun for my new boat's name or whatever it is rich people do with their time. So let's start there.
What WOULD Reddit do for work if people actually got to choose? Let's find out.
Ranger Danger
National Park California GIF by Ovation TVGiphy"Park ranger. Specifically at Banff National Park."
- Freshrendar
"Yeah, I was thinking the same. However, it’s becoming an increasingly dangerous job these days I have heard."
"One the one hand maybe it's just misbehaved tourists who are becoming increasingly obnoxious, and on the other hand hardened, armed criminals trying to do their business in private."
- Th3_accountant
"Criminals like hiding in National Parks, feeding themselves by spotlighting game (whatever they can shoot they will shoot) and using gill nets to catch dozens and dozens of fish."
"Each ranger has a LOT of area to keep under control, it’s not unheard of to pull over a truck and 5+ guys come out, fully armed and it’s just you by yourself until backup arrives."
- NE55IN
"Former Ranger here. The job and positions of a Park Ranger vary widely."
"It does have its perks and I really liked it, but it also sucks in ways and has big drawbacks. Humans are the worst animal to have to manage."
- TahoeClown
Effort And Criticism
sacha baron cohen hotel GIFGiphy"USD 400,000 per year, right? I’d say be a hotel / resort critic."
"That way I get to travel, stay comfortably & get paid for a rather (seemingly) low effort gig."
- PuneriPerson
"I've been in travel positions before, it's pretty fun for a bit but as 'spoiled' as it sounds, hotel and restaurant living get tiring after a while."
"Sometimes it's better to just come home to your loved ones or pet or whatever."
"I did that while I was single. I don't have kids, but I can't imagine being in that type of role when you do."
"Being away from them plus putting the entire burden of raising children on your spouse? Not for me."
- peon2
"I met a girl several months ago who is a travel journalist and gets paid to do this very thing!"
"While I do get envious of all her comped trips (since I met her several months ago she’s been on fully paid trips to Oaxaca, Curaçao, a couple of luxury Caribbean cruises and had to turn down a trip to the German Christmas markets) I get the impression her job is a lot more stressful than we’d all imagine."
"She says pretty much every minute of each trip is filled with activities she’s expected to write about with very little down time."
"She’s lived all over the world with her job but also never really put down any roots, so that’s a downside. Even so - I enjoy living vicariously through her travels!"
- Fuzzy-Donkey5538
Let's Go Lego
Awesome The Lego Movie GIF by TrolliGiphy"Lego set designer"
- JustStargazin
"A LEGOland near me just posted a position for a master builder and i was like 'f*ck yeah!' ..."
"except that it pays $12/hour."
- checkoutmyfish
"Yeees! This has been my dream job since I was a kid. Only reason I’ve never pursued it is because it doesnt pay well."
- bigtdgf
"I didn’t even think of that!"
"My cousin and I love legos soooo much, I have that Disney castle set and we are constantly making the most random things. If I became the top set designer, there would be a lot more weird sets lol"
- The_controler
Helping Hoarders
khj GIFGiphy"The same business I have now. I help the elderly and hoarders organize their homes. I quite a job that payed well and to do this and it is so rewarding."
"A simple tip: To maintain control over a hobby/collectables, designate a space for it. If it overflows that space, it is time to rethink the activity."
"It may mean finding a bigger space, or looking for outdated or unused items for that hobby. This helps to maintain control and keep the hobby from taking over."
- bsmknight
"This one sparks joy!"
- Zebracakes2009
"I’d love to know more about this. I worry I’m a hoarder sometimes."
- DarkAndSparkly
"I am not a psychologist so please take this with a grain of salt, but from my experience the term hoarder is often misused. Hopefully this will be helpful to you!"
"I have helped people who have ranged from perfectly normal to people with head trauma. Yes, they can all be categorized as different levels of hoarding, but I try and focus on the reason why they hoard, rather than the term itself."
"Customer 1: was a lady whose house was just a mess. Not disgusting, just nothing was organized. She had a lot going on and was feeling very overwhelmed and her place was taking a turn for the worst."
"She was a bit ashamed and kept indicating how she was a hoarder."
"In the end, over several sessions we cleared out the garage, the living room, the bedrooms, the dining room and never once did she hesitate to throw something away. She wasn't a hoarder, she was overwhelmed. So this was solely situational."
"Customer 2: Another lady, good friend of mine too, very much fit the typical hoarding situation. In her case she was just really bad at putting things away and thus everything ended up, everywhere."
"She still has this problem, but as long as I come over from time to time, stuff gets put away. She has been really good at throwing away or donating items, but she needs someone to sit down with her to help motivate her."
"Customer 3: A gentleman who was my inspiration to get into this business is probably the closest to the true nature of a hoarder."
"He received a blow to the head many years ago due to an accident. Because of that he has had difficulty staying on track. He looses focus frequently and thus things fall to the wayside."
"I go over from time to time to help him clean up. I will make him return stuff he buys when he really does not need it, because he easily becomes distracted. He forgets to return it or that he even bought it."
"I can get him to get rid of stuff, it just takes a good deal of prodding and coaxing."
"In the end, With all my customers I tell them to stop focusing on the negative. Don't worry if your a hoarder, rather spend that mental energy on what you can do to move forward."
"Tip: if you need an idea for a first step, Listen to a podcast or you tube video on organizing."
- bsmknight
A Place For Passion
Nervous Season 6 GIF by Paramount+Giphy"I’d want to own studio space where people could take classes, not just art or dancing but also like general hobbies to knitting, sculpting, writing, photography."
"I want to help people find a passion and explore it. And I’d be able to support others by paying them to teach their own passion."
- resigned-unicorn
"Look into maker spaces or hacker spaces. That literally exactly what they are!"
"I've seen them have facilities and classes ranging from running a cnc machine to beer brewing to programming."
"Membership is typically expensive (50-200 a month) but most give discounts or free membership for teaching classes.
Keep in mind I don't know if they are running with covid."
- vrek86
"There's a place near me called Handmade Toledo that does this!"
"The front of the building is a storefront where local artists, makers, and crafters can sell their stuff (anything from t-shirts and cards to candles and soaps, including snarky greeting cards and patches)."
"The back of the building is an events space where they have classes a few times a week, and a big event once or twice a year where more artisans come and sell their stuff."
- RagingAardvark
Dungeons, Dragons, And Daycare?
how to train your dragon smile GIFGiphy"I would run Dungeons and Dragons campaigns for k-6 graders to teach them about problem solving and conflict negotiation."
- snailsshouldvote
"I use D&D to teach conversation strategies and cross-cultural communication to Japanese university students and it’s f*cking great."
- Lord_Dimwit_Flathead
"I think every pre-school/lower school should hire you, this is a fantastic idea to implement those values while having fun!"
- OsamaBinnDabbin
"One of our friends runs dnd campaigns for kids as a way for them to work through their trauma."
"I don't know all the ins and outs, but it seems to help them. My husband has a 3D printer so he prints their mini figs for them."
- NurseMcStuffins
OK Go Away Now
Season 5 April GIF by Parks and RecreationGiphy"Reclusive writer"
"I’d like people to enjoy my work, but otherwise forget about me and leave me alone."
"I went to a lecture given by Andy Weir once and he said that writing is a great way to be famous because you’re famous for a few weeks when they make a movie out of your book and you get invited to parties and stuff and it’s a lot of fun, but then you get to go back to civilian life rather quickly because everyone forgets about you pretty fast."
"So you get a taste of the celebrity life every now and then but you’re not stuck in the spotlight all the time like someone in the film or music industries."
- Plantayne
"I second this! Reclusive writer would seriously be an awesome job to have and make $400,000 doing."
- DemonikKitten
"A mysterious person that everybody knows by what you do; but whose identity is unknown because all you put are your initials, rather than your full name? Before you know it, you're both the most famous yet unknown person that everybody is talking about."
"I'm in."
- BeltEuphoric
Here Kitty Kitty
cat lady cats GIFGiphy"Cat rescue and rehabilitation. I do it for free when I can, so it would be awesome to be paid for it and have actual resources."
- toxinogen
"My family used to do this as well and it was so much fun growing up with up to a dozen cats in a town house at a time."
- amtapp
"Had a friend who co-owned a rescue. It’s good work but man was there so much drama from cat people. Half of her energy was spent managing different crazy personalities who volunteered."
"She ended up stepping down to a smaller role and opening a cat cafe."
- bell37
These Actors Were Perfectly Cast In Their Roles | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
Sometimes an actor comes along that is able to reach the audience on a deeper level. The actor that immediately comes to mind is Robin Williams. Although it ...Masters With No Money
shocked oh my GIFGiphy"Librarian. Let me teach all about and facilitate the free borrowing of books while arranging events and services that help bind and strengthen the community."
"I would do it if librarian pay could support even myself decently. A lot of public service jobs (like librarians and teachers amongst others) do not pay very well and it can be hard to support yourself on such a salary, let alone a family if you want to have one."
"Still, if the issue of being able to live on the salary is taken out of the equation, I would choose to be a librarian every time."
- AnotherBookWyrm
"Oh man, my mom was a librarian and it is a real calling for some and I so love and respect that."
"Librarians are amazing!!!!"
- rcher87
"This was absolutely my first thought as well."
"I was halfway to a master's degree in library science when I did several shadow sessions. Everyone I talked to had gone to school for library science and was working part time shelving books and waiting for a librarian position to open up. Unless I was willing to move, it really didn't seem like a good option."
- elletastic
"It's a profession where the expectation is to have a masters degree and the pay scale for the vast majority of positions does not reflect that."
"I AM a librarian and it would still be my answer for this thread, but you'll often get that because you have to want to do this job to do it for the kinds of pay you can expect."
"I'm just lucky I'm in an academic position rather than public as that tends to set the starting pay a bit higher."
- WalkingTarget
What's Up, Wonka?
Animated GIFGiphy"Ice cream truck driver, but everything is $1 or less. Or maybe running a candy shop."
"While I’m at my mentally draining job, I dream of just being able to make people smile, but I just can’t afford to live on the money that provides."
- fraxiiinus
"There was this man who had an ice-cream truck that went around my neighborhood (I lived near a small park) and he was so nice. He couldn’t speak English well, but he just radiated a warmth around him that can never be bought or sold."
- Closet_Couch_Potato
You know what Reddit would do, but what about you? If you had enough money to be comfortable, what job would you happily get up and go do?
Is there a job you wouldn't do even if someone offered you a $400k salary?
What's your labor worth? Let's talk about it, fam.
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