BusinessHABStreet Business Beyond 2050: These jobs may not have been your childhood dream, but it doesn’t mean you can’t earn a decent living by doing them.
There are many more occupations that are held by the roughly 128 million full-time workers in the world than the typical jobs that first come to our minds.
If you’ve ever watched the show Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe.
There’s a good chance it opened your eyes to the existence of a countless number of odd jobs that fall way outside your typical nine-to-five.
Many of these unusual jobs come with annual salaries you wouldn’t be ashamed to discuss.
They’re just…different. And, like any job, they each come with their own set of rewards and challenges.
Join us in our mission
For over a decade, we’ve been on a mission: to help everyone in the world learn how to do anything. Today, we’re asking that you join us. You can request publication of your article for publication by sending it to us via our Email
Street Business Beyond 2050
Help people get squeaky clean with work as a soap boiler.
Small- to medium-sized soap producers need soap boilers for a multistep process that turns fats into “neat soap” used for bars and powders.
Brittanica describes the soap-making process pretty colorfully, stating you would be dealing with a “grainy, curdy mass of soap” and “pasty boiling mass (that) is treated with brine.“
So long as you don’t mind dealing with something out of a John Carpenter movie.
You could make this your job with only a high school diploma.
Ever dreamed of seeing your name up in lights? Well, while you wait for your big break, you can always put other people’s names up instead. Billboard installation has no education requirements — you’ll be doing long-term training on the job instead — and is set to see 5% job growth from 2018 to 2028.
The written word will always require a proofreader — even when the words are written in dots. Braille proofreaders catch errors before books, scripts and more go to print, helping blind individuals get the information they need. The job requires a bachelor’s degree and, of course, the ability to read braille.
You ever wonder how singers and actors make multiple costume changes so quickly during live performances? That’s where costume attendants come in. In this position, you would be selecting and fitting costumes for entertainers, as well as taking care of the costumes between performances. So, if Lady Gaga needs to change from a meat dress to a ball gown to a power suit covered in Christmas lights all in a matter of minutes, you’d be in charge of making it happen. All you need is a high school diploma, some short-term training and the willingness to get whipped in the eye with a flank steak.
With the word “automatic” in the name, you’d think these doors could pretty much take care of themselves, but, alas, that’s not the case. Automatic door repairers install, service and repair the doors you often see in places like supermarkets and hotels. To get the job, you’ll need a high school diploma and moderate on-the-job training. This profession is also set to see an impressive 10% job growth from 2018 to 2028.
From classic stripes to Pixar characters, as an airplane painter, you would be responsible for zhuzhing up boring old airplanes with fresh designs. All you need is a high school diploma and moderate on-the-job training, and you could be making a little more than $2,000 over the U.S. median salary annually.
7. Bed warmer
You won’t find a more unusual job than a human bed warmer. And yes, this job is exactly what it sounds like — someone pays you to get in a bed and warm it up for them. Evidently, some people hate the idea of jumping into a nice, clean, fresh bed and having to withstand 30 seconds or so of being cold. The pay for a human bed warmer can top $200,000
8. Computer hacker
If you’ve seen House of Cards, you know that computer hackers can be turned around and used by the “good guys.” Not all hackers are malicious, and many work in the security industry. The pay is pretty good, too. Salaries for “ethical” computer hackers can top $100,000.
9. Plane repossession
Want to steal planes, or even yachts for a living? You can do so as a high-end repo man/woman. The salary or pay for these types of positions can vary wildly, as you end up essentially chasing a bounty, or reselling the asset. So, you can make an absolute fortune, or take one job per year and still cover your living expenses. It’s extremely dangerous, too.
Street Business Beyond 2050
10. Body for-hire
This isn’t a specific job per se, but rather, is the act of renting out your body for the short-term. No, not like a prostitute. Two examples? You can be a mourner at a funeral or be a stand-in bridesmaid at a wedding. Pay can vary, but if you can string enough gigs together, you’ll put yourself into the six-figure range for the year.
11. Diver
You’re not going to earn a ton of money to merely scuba. You’ll need to work while you’re down there, and the ability to perform certain tasks underwater is fetching high salaries. Welders, for example, can earn huge salaries. Also, the extraction industry is in need of divers to build and repair platforms and pipelines.
Street Business Beyond 2050
12. Snugglers
You’ve probably seen this on many other lists of odd or unusual jobs — professional snugglers. Yes, you can get paid quite a bit to snuggle with a stranger. That may be a pleasurable experience or an absolute nightmare. As with many other jobs on this list, the pay can vary. But if you snuggle hard enough, you can make a sizable salary.
13. Cook or chef
A cook or chef isn’t an unusual job. But depending on where you do it, it can get unusual, fast. Cooks that work in fairly wild surroundings — like submarines, for example, can break the six-figure threshold. Of course, there isn’t really a ton of demand for them, but it beats making $10 per hour on the line at Applebee’s.
Fallers, better known as lumberjacks, use their knowledge of tree characteristics and cutting techniques to take down trees Paul Bunyon-style. It’s a somewhat easy business to break into — woodsmen and women only need a high school diploma and moderate on-the-job training.
Unfortunately, logging workers in general are set to see a 14% decline in job growth through 2028. But, if you get in while the felling is good, you can make nearly $5,000 more than the U.S. median wage annually. Plus, you might come away looking like the Brawny paper towel guy, who everyone knows is a total fox.
As it turns out, Smokey the Bear was right: Only you can prevent forest fires. Well, you, and other forest fire inspectors. In this role, you would inspect the forest for fire hazards, enforce fire regulations and recommend forest fire prevention or control measures. You need an associate’s degree for the gig but there are no formal training requirements according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Ever heard a musician say, “Wow, the acoustics are great in here”? Well, you could be responsible for making the acoustics great in there. With no education requirements and just some moderate on-the-job training, you’ll be ready to put acoustical tiles and other shock-absorbing materials on walls and ceilings to reduce or reflect sound. The job hits another high note — it pays nearly $6,000 more than the national average salary.
BusinessHAB