Weird Jobs Almost No One Knows About That Pay Surprisingly Well
Reddit user Rynoop asked: 'What are weird jobs nobody knows about but they pay well?'
Growing up, kids talk about the jobs they want as adults.
Once they become adults, they select career paths or cycle through a variety of jobs.
Most people find mainstream jobs, but some luck into really unique professions.
Reddit user Rynoop asked:
"What are weird jobs nobody knows about but they pay well?"
Pinecone Harvester
"I was once a pinecone harvester. A helicopter would cut off the tops of trees and bring them to us to pick off the pinecones, which would then go to tree planters to germinate and plant."
"$35 to fill a 5 gallon bucket, experienced pickers would fill 2½ buckets an hour, but the sap getting all over your clothes, skin, and hair is very annoying and a big deterrent for most."
~ ChronicZombie86
Hand Pollinators
"My Aunt and her daughter both do seasonal work as Hand pollinators, harvesters."
"Certain types of plants (saffron, vanilla orchids) have very small windows of time when you can pollinate or harvest from them (a couple of hours to a half day) so the growers need people who can work fast and delicately to hand pollinate or harvest whatever plant they are growing."
"Plus if the plant is small and they grow in the ground its a lot of bending to get down and do whatever has to be done, especially if they have a whole field of tiny flowers and you are using tweezers or a tiny paint brush."
"My Aunty and cousin have been doing it for years now, they always get called back and make a lot of money for 1-2 days work."
~ solarblack
Greensperson
"I’m a greensperson in the film industry."
"I’m responsible for building and maintaining the plants and trees on a set."
~ Prospector_Steve
Touring Broadway Musician
"I play trumpet for a touring Broadway show."
"Not that weird but it’s amazing how few people know there are real musicians playing live below the stage."
~ Dizzy__Atmosphere
Cardiovascular Perfusionist
"Cardiovascular Perfusionist."
"Can’t have open heart surgery without us, but almost no one knows we exist!"
"We stop the heart, protect it, monitor and modify cerebral blood flow, protect kidney function, warm and cool patients sometimes as cold as 18° C to change their metabolism, take over anesthetic control, and generally puppeteer everything that’s automatic in a conscious person."
~ MECHASCHMECK
Celebrity Flight Crew
"I worked on Oprah’s plane, it was just sitting at Midway airport with the other planes, nothing special."
"The only weird thing was we had to pop a bunch of popcorn in the hanger when she came so she didn’t have to smell airline fuel."
"I have several Xmas bonus checks signed by Oprah herself."
~ Marsupialize
Car Sitter
"I don’t even know the name for this, but a friend takes care of rich people's cars for a living."
"Pick up the car for maintenance, takes the car from a to b, etc... He doesn’t actually work on the cars, just works for rich people that don’t have time to take care of the car."
"He's super well paid, is on first name basis with some of the richest people in the country."
"Apparently it isn’t easy to find trustworthy people to take care of your cars (plus have access to your properties and so on)."
~ hecho2
Picture Hanger
"An old neighbor of mine was a picture hanging specialist contracted by many museums."
"He made $75K a year at the time (about $150K adjusted for inflation)."
~ Schwarzes__Loch
SCIF Escort
"When you work as a government employee or contractor with a top secret clearance, after you retire or get laid off, you can work as an escort within classified facilities called SCIFs."
"Escorts are needed when an uncleared person needs to work in the SCIF. For example, it might be a top secret data center that needs an air conditioner repair."
"All the escort has to do is watch the repairman and stay with them throughout the visit. They usually just drag a chair over and sit there while getting paid damn good money."
~ BaconReceptacle
Trash Investigation
"I had a boyfriend in Oklahoma who got state wages for going into the backwoods, and down dirt roads to find trash people dumped."
"His job was to report the trash for others to clean up, but most importantly, he had to sift through the trash to find anything that would identify who dumped the trash."
"I went with him a few times and I felt like a detective, it was quite fun."
~ Granny_knows_best
Master Flavorist
"My dad was a master flavorist."
"He made artificial flavors for candy, beverages and lots of other things."
"He made a LOT of money during his career."
~ Whoru87
Scent Tester
"My sister-in-law is 'the nose' for Yankee Candle."
"When a vat of scented wax is ready, she sniffs it."
~ Loreo1964
Beer Taster
"I used to be friends with one of Heineken's official tasters."
"She literally drank every day for work. Don't know how the pay was but she didn't seem broke."
~ curiousvegetables
Dental Prosthetics
"I make teeth on a computer."
"I use a cadcam program to design crowns and bridges for dental laboratories."
"I work remotely and do pretty well."
~ totssecretotheracct
Ice Sculptor
"I once met a professional ice sculptor who made a killing at corporate events and weddings."
"It's a niche skill, but the pay is pretty impressive!"
~ IndependenceNo2060
So, have you seen your new career?
Or do you have another suggestion?
Share it in the comments.
Jobs That Pay Well For Absolutely No Reason
Reddit user FlintTheDad asked: 'What’s a job that pays extremely well for no reason?'
Though we may not like to think about it too much, we can all agree that living is getting more expensive by the week, and it's more important than ever to have a good, stable job.
But there are some jobs out there that have a questionable salary, though not in a bad way.
Redditor FlintTheDad asked:
"What's a job that pays extremely well for no reason?"
Slot Machine Repair
"Repairing slot machines. I'm currently at $32 per hour and the benefits package and vacation time are incredible. Some days are busy, but last year I managed to read a few books on shift."
- Ok-Sign5282
Support for Tech Support
"My job doesn't make six figures, but I'm overly compensated for making sure Tech Support doesn't cuss the customer out and pointing out what they could have done better."
"I'm not even the supervisor, I'm just the judgy f**k sitting in the corner office."
- judasmachine
Questionable Talent
"I worked as a recruiter for Microsoft during the pandemic. There was such a fever pitch for tech talent that we were basically throwing $175,000 checks per year at anyone with a pulse and a GitHub."
"We have a lot of amazing tech talent, but some of the people we hired had no business being there. Like, literally just twiddling their thumbs and handling one or two small kanban-type projects each week while reaping almost $200k a year. All of the big tech firms did."
"If you're wondering why they all laid so many people off, that's a big part of it. New hires now are being offered much smaller paychecks."
- Agatha_Penderghast
Management Consultant
"My job as a 'Management Consultant.'"
"I earn six figures and my only real task is to listen to my boss whine. That's it."
- BadAlphas
The Football Game
"Chase Daniel has been in the NFL for 14 seasons, has thrown 273 passes, started five games, and made 41 million dollars."
"Your answer is third-string quarterback."
- bargman
Mail Delivery
"Mail carrier for Canada Post. I make $230 a day (wages are based on route value) and I was home before 9 AM on Friday. I started at 7 AM."
"Mondays are longer, and Christmas can suck, but for 10 months of the year, I work a max of four hours a day. Unionized. Benefits that are better than Blue Cross and I pay $15 per month for PTO, personal days, etc. It's the best job I've ever had."
- skylla05
Genius Translation
"I once learned of a guy making 300k translating genius talk to others."
"He would talk to the genius engineers. They would tell him their ideas, since they are too socially awkward to do it themselves, and he would explain their idea to the rest of the team."
"That sounded like a great gig."
- SquirrelYogurt
Night Shifts at the Gym
"I get paid just under $80k working nights at a gym. Get all my work done in less than two hours and can basically do whatever for the other six. Watch football. Scroll Reddit. Whatever."
"Not awesome money but excellent for what I do."
- Human_Alternative_
Microphone Performances
"The 'let's get ready to rumble' guy and his brother, the 'it's time' guy, both make millions for holding a mike and saying a few lines."
- YouPeopleMakeNoSense
Birthday Party Clowns
"The average clown salary in the United States is $63,000 per year."
- mimzaroo
Lawn Mowing
"Honestly? Lawn mowing. I make ridiculous money running a landscaping and lawn care business (5%/95%). It’s hard to overestimate how much people will pay to avoid physical labor."
- SlothfulWhiteMag
9-1-1 Operator
"I'm a 911 operator and make $36 an hour with no degree needed."
"I mean, I do have to listen to some pretty f**ked up s**t, but luckily I've been emotionally dead for over a decade now so it works out well for me."
- Razvee
Medical Administration
"Medical administrator. I know a married couple with the same med admin bachelor's degree, and a one a year online master's in medical admin. They walked out of college into six-figure jobs over ten years ago and now make ~$500k each."
"I can't tell if they actually do anything for the hospital. During the pandemic, they took advantage of healthcare loans they didn't have to pay back. They also would post all sorts of (hashtag) front-line healthcare workers' s**t during the pandemic... from their second vacation home because they worked remotely the whole time. Scabs."
- secderpsi
Event Technology
"Event technology. 75,000 dollars per year to set up projectors and microphones. Most of the day consists of waiting to break everything down after the event. Lots of downtime, like a lot. I was able to finish my Associate's degree with all the downtime."
- Rock33A
Optics Retailer
"Optics."
"You can be a normal retail sales associate and sell eyeglasses at LensCrafters and make up to $29.00 plus commission plus paid time off, sick leave, retirement, health and dental insurance, and free annual eyewear with a high school diploma."
- JustSomeApparition
While some of these jobs are likely more work than these Redditors suggested, it's cool to see that there are jobs out there that pay more than the work required, which is a refreshing opposite to the many jobs in the world where people work way too much for far too little money.
People Who Make Good Money And Don't Hate Their Jobs Explain What They Do For A Living
Few people earn a living doing what they love.
That's why those in the workforce call showing up for work "the grind"–which implies labor-intensive tasks for long periods of time.
However, there are situations in which employees love their jobs and don't even call their labor of love "work."
They just happen to earn money doing what they love. Who are these people? Where are these jobs?
Strangers online discovered what it's like for those who have it good when Redditor puffmonkey92 asked:
"People that don’t f'king hate their jobs and make a decent wage, what do you do?"
Those who work out in the field love the work they do.
Assessing Logs
"I work in a logyard in S Oregon. Log trucks come in and are unloaded. The load is rolled out on the ground, and I scale the logs. I measure the lengths and diameters, calculate the gross volume in board feet, and make deductions based on defects such as frost seams, insect damage, burn scars, lightning strikes, etc. I work outside, so it can be rough in the winter/summer, but it keeps me moving, and it's an interesting gig. Been doing it about 6 years now. AMA"
– Cult_Of_Cthulu
Working With Mother Nature
"National Park Ranger. Thirty-two years and counting. As with any profession, there are still bad days."
– ThndrChicken
Working in near isolation is ideal for these Redditors.
Behind The Scenes
"I work in the pathology lab at a hospital. I process blood and biopsy samples onto microscope slides for the pathologists to read. I love it! I feel like I’m helping people, even though I never meet them and they have no idea who I am."
– gobstopper84
The Happy Statistician
"I’m a statistician and work with a government agency. I particularly really enjoy not having to interact with too many people."
– sundried_potato
Reliable Computer Expert
"I am the only IT guy for a family owned business. They know nothing about computers so as long as everything is running smoothly they leave me alone. I only put in about 45 minutes of actual work every week."
– tablefor1please
Movie-Watching All Day
"I’m a colorist. It’s like photoshop for movies. I love it. But I feel very lucky to have this job, and to be successful in the industry."
– manatwork3543
Tidying Up
"I work as a housekeeper at a motel. I love my job. It allows me to work alone, I can listen to my music, and I enjoy making order out of chaos. Also, the money's pretty damn good. Because of the way our pay is structured, I make more than double the standard amount in this industry."
– MotherOfNerds855
Some people prefer working in customer service, depending on the job.
Joy Of Seeing Satisfied Customers
"Electrician. It’s hard work most days, but satisfying seeing it all lit-up and functioning properly."
"Knowing my work will still be in service many years from now feels good, and seeing customers marvel at their new light fixtures looking great is a good feeling."
– You11NeverKn0w
Low Stress
"I work at a pet store (only supplies, no animal sales) and make $18 CAD/hr. That might not sound 'decent' but it's better than minimum wage with no meaningful increase in responsibility (aka stress) compared to any other retail worker. In fact, my work environment is lower stress than any other retail/food job I've had and the owner has a keen interest in our well-being. Yearly raises, Christmas bonus, profit sharing, get paid our full scheduled shift if it's shortened or cancelled for weather, aiming to become a living wage employer with promises to increase wages beyond that so long as the business continues to grow."
"Plus no one asks 'why' if I turn down a shift or decline to stay later. Respect for personal time is huge. I'm treated like a human being, not a robot with no life outside work."
– creepmachine
Keywords: Security & Freedom
"I’m an accountant for a bank."
"Good salary, great benefits, tons of PTO and all holidays off."
"It’s not particularly exciting, rewarding, or fulfilling but it gives me the security and freedom to make my life as exciting, rewarding and fulfilling as possible."
– Reddit
Playtime
"I am a kennel attendant. I care for and feed both dogs and cats. One of my daily requirements if I have time to do it, is literally to play with a dog/cat or puppy/kitten. It’s called animal enrichment. It’s meant to help prepare them for a life outside the shelter. Doesn’t even feel like a job."
– RathGodofWar
Based on the responses above, it's not unusual for people to find jobs that are fulfilling and make decent wages.
Unfortunately, many workers end up feeling stuck at their jobs because they are settling, but for good reason: the reasonable salary.
But if they're unhappy in spite of a good living wage, is that really the kind of life that's worth living?
There are always better alternatives. If you want to be unstuck, taking a leap of faith is very rewarding.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained right? Go out there and find your dream job!
Many people work hard from the moment they are on the clock until their respective shifts are over at the end of a long day.
For many of those in the workforce, the wages barely sustain a comfortable living, especially for those who are raising a family.
Yet, there are jobs that are known to pay a higher salary without requiring extreme physical labor, or the requirement of higher education.
Curious to hear what those jobs might be, Redditor ImAMasterBayter asked:
"People Break Down Which Professions Are Completely Overpaid"
Extensive training requirements are not a thing, apparently, with these professions.
Daily Dairy Duty
"I watch milk powder go into a bag and out on a conveyor and get paid $37 an hour."
– Stacwe3
Eyeing Dirt In Motion
"Mine? I get paid $20.50 a hr to watch dirt go by on a belt all day."
– trudmer
The Handy Man Is Happy To Help
"I am a handy man that charges $50/hr with a 3hr minimum, a couple months ago I got a call for service that consisted of changing 9 smoke detector batteries, 2 light bulbs, and rehanging a picture. I felt bad taking the money but the guy couldn’t have been happier to have that stuff finally done. He asked for my card and is now a very good client."
– iznmehra
Words From An Appraiser
"I make about 40 an hour after tax in the US as a real estate appraiser. You just need a college degree and a year of training and there is a huge shortage of appraisers right now."
"Edit because this post blew up: I only perceive this job as being overpaid because I used spent most of my 20's making pizza for minimum wage and imposter syndrome is a thing. Also, OP said he was looking for a possible career, and I felt like my job post was better than a troll post."
"Appraisers are not real estate agents or brokers. I do not buy or sell property."
"I do not, 'look at zillow and copy the number' and I don't just, 'make the number' in valuation. While I agree there are some appraisers who may lie or exaggerate, the same could be said of nearly any job. However, if I were to intentionally try hit some goal and got caught fudging the numbers, I'm looking at permanently losing my license and possible jail time depending on the severity. It's actually pretty common for me to, 'tank a deal' if someone is paying too much. This isn't the wild west of valuation anymore; FIRREA is a thing now. Appraisal reports aren't just 3 pages of photos with a cover page anymore; my typical appraisal is 30-50 pages with long boring typed pages of market data that I type and research myself."
"Let's talk about the appraisal gap. In most of the US, we are experiencing a, 'sellers market' meaning houses are selling for higher than what they normally sell for. A lot of people at this thread are blaming appraisers for driving housing prices up. Let me be perfectly clear about this: appraiser's valuations are based off of past data. That is it; we look at closed sales from the past. Realtors and brokers speculate on future markets, because they are motivated by profit. If anyone is driving this current market trend, it is the people buying properties over listing price, local government/laws willingness to allow foreign investors, the people who are raising rents, and the people who are making big risky developments. The appraisers have little to nothing to do with market perception of value; in my area at least many market participants are paying over 30% of listing price. Trust me when I say these people are not satisfied when my appraised value comes in less than that."
"The hardest part of the job is definitely the occasional angry phone call. Let's look at an example. Say someone lists their house at 100k, and they accept an offer for 150k, or 50% over listing. Well the appraisal is based off of past closed sales. The bank will only finance up to the appraised value. So if the appraisal comes in at 110k, meaning the subject in relation to comparable sales from the past year in the subject neighborhood equate to roughly 110k, they will either need to renegotiate the price, or be willing to put up 40k of their own money."
"In a sellers market, it's often better to accept a deal with better financing than a higher price. Let's say in this situation instead of taking the 150k offer with a mortgage, you take a smaller offer for 140k that is all cash, no financing. Well if there is no financing involved, meaning no bank, than no appraisal is needed."
– f4gmo
Here's The Scoop
"I get paid six figures to shovel a couple hours a day, so definitely my job. Edit: a bit of an exaggeration, still have to be at work and on my feet 10hrs a day, but there is only a small percentage of the day that is actually labor intensive. The key to finding high-paying, low-skill labor jobs is to work for a company that contracts public works projects, in a state with high prevailing wages."
– ChillTeenDad420
Landing work in software seems to be like hitting the jackpot of success.
High Commissions
"I’m in software sales, software sales. Coworker got 100k commission on a deal."
– The_GOATest1
So-Called Analysts
"There are an incredible amount of 'analysts' who just 'own' automated excel sheets they received from developer teams."
"Low to mid six figures is common in HCOL areas."
– Shoddy_Bus4679
The Successful Client
"I do the tax returns for a guy who paid 20k for demographic research software and made something like 40M over the last 3 years. His costs are almost nothing and admitted he does like 5 hours of work a week on it."
"I got more likes and comments than I thought I would, and wanted to add some more detail. The guy himself is super nice and easy to work with. It's hard not to feel jealous even though I make good money myself. His business and personal returns are super simple so we don't even charge him that much for them."
"The software is something proprietary he paid a third party for, and I don't know the name of that developer. The data output is sold to political campaigns and he's compensated more if the campaign wins. He did have some clients on both sides but now exclusively works on one side of the aisle."
– Todders8787
Salaries in the world of academics got a closer inspection.
The Administrators
"University administrators and board members."
– MayBeckByDay
A Stark Contrast
"I'm a professor. I love it. But the 'president's office' contains a staff of 5 people with a total payroll of just under $500k/year. Meanwhile, all the PhDs, MFAs, and DMAs who teach all the classes, advise all the students, and serve on all the committees bring home a whopping $50k-$65k/year, dependent on rank, tenure, etc. It's real fun...
– LPHaddleburg
Unfair Privileges
"The president of my institution makes a approximately $500k/year and is provided a house on campus alongside reserved parking if he so chooses to use it. He also gets a country club membership. Meanwhile I have to pay $200 to park at the school where I TA and do research, and I get paid maybe 1/20th of what he does. I genuinely do not understand why the f'k the dude who makes six figures doesn't pay for parking, but I do."
"Edit: that should be half a million."
– DADPATROL
It Pays To Go To School
"I wouldn't say I'm overpaid, but being a geologist is very easy with lots of time outside. I'm 10 years into my career and make about $200k. It's very low stress, since you generally have weeks to make decisions. Lots of opportunities if you get a degree. Also rocks are neat."
"Also I work in environmental remediation, I didn't have to sell out to oil. So I feel like my work has value."
– thealbinorhino504
Sometimes, it's all about the right time and place.
All About Location
"Paramedic working a few shifts in a sleepy rural town has its benefits."
– loblegonst
What Brings You Here?
"I'm here for a potential change of career."
– OP
Some of the cushiest jobs that require less time actively toiling away seem to be paying significantly more than the average livable wage offered in the US.
Perhaps the biggest indicator of what that might be was summed up best by Redditor iadasr, who said:
"Whatever you guys are all doing that lets you browse Reddit all day..."
Word.
So you get invited to a holiday party at someone's house. Perhaps it's a friend of a friend or a person with whom you've lost contact since college.
Or you find yourself in a tiny studio apartment with only the basic necessities that furnish your friend's pad.
"What is your job and how much do you get paid?"
Working with machinery.
Steel Industry
"I work in a steel mill that heats steel bars to a certain hardness. I get paid 18$ an hour and so far we haven’t had anyone die for a year (that’s a record)"
– cashbabyflow
Going Nuclear
"Nuclear plant electrician 50 an hour, 130-150k a year depending on Ot/bonus. Moving into an operations role in the plant soon."
– Lehmanaders
Anything But Operating A Forklift
"I do whatever needs to be done around the warehouse that doesn't require a forklift. $19/hour."
– Ronyx2021
Job With A View
"Officer on a container ship work about 6 months out of the year and make about 120k. For the most part my job is looking out a window at some waves."
– kevinkap414
These workers are in various jobs where they interact with people instead of only staring at computer screens.
Restaurant Biz
"I’m a line cook / manager for a busy restaurant, and I get paid $19 an hour +tip share + profit share from two recipes of mine on the menu."
– [deleted]
Made-To-Order
"I make sliding wardrobe doors."
"Measure and cut all aluminium and wood panelling and assemble, some are mirrored."
"$26 per hour nzd."
– Mashy6012
Cleaning House
"Master of the custodial arts. $17.50/h."
– nurdboy42
An Educator
"Teacher in Zimbabwe - $150USD Per Month."
– DaddyMyaMilan
Managing An Eatery
"Restaurant Manager for a well known 'Breasturant'…$75k base salary and $20-$25k in annual bonuses."
– Tseago116
Two Lines Of Income
"Project Manager in the wireless telecommunications industry and I make $95k a year. I live in the Northern California area."
"I also am a part time horse photographer (because I love it) and I make an additional $20-25k at that."
– darkbay
Where All The Action Is
"EMT/Security for a tribal casino, graveyard shift, $18/hr. I've seen things you wouldn't believe."
– smoglagorian
Hitting The Books
"Here, this’ll surprise some folks: I’m a librarian (hence the user name), and I earn right around $100K with full benefits."
"But I’m in the Bay Area, and that’s with a Master’s Degree + 15 years of experience. So it’s not all that impressive in context."
– GingerLibrarian76
Not everyone is qualified for these type of jobs.
"Private jet captain. Varies with overtime, but this year will be around $360k."
– CL350S
Working With Special Needs Students
"Paraprofessional at an elementary school in a classroom with students who have autism. I get paid $19.70 an hour plus a $70 monthly stipend for helping the kids with toilet duties."
– kittypac
Emergency Pilot
"Air Ambulance Pilot (helicopter). $80k a year."
– FodderOfCannons
A Questionable Education Investment
"I do research with brain cells, HIV, cocaine, and fentanyl. $29,500/year aka ~$14/hr. Yes I'm sad that this is what a Master's degree got me."
– chicken--jesus
Getting Wet
"Underwater Welder. 296k annually."
– Psychotic_Precision
I have a friend who recently earned his masters degree and just recently purchased a home in L.A.
When I asked him how he has benefited from higher education to be able to afford owning a home, he told me his degree never really came in handy.
So how is he living beyond comfortably at the moment? Since he's a kink entertainer, I think only fans have been supporting him over and over.
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