Once upon a time, when you asked someone “What are you doing? or “What do you plan to do after college?”, the reply would be: “Engineer”, “Doctor”, “Scientist” or “Businessman”.
Nowadays, if you ask people what do they do, be prepared to get some unexpected and surprising responses. Careers and professions have changed dramatically and in some curious directions. Non-traditional occupations are becoming increasingly popular. The US Department of Labor defines that these occupations make up 25% of the total population’s workforce and that these jobs offer increased salary options.
If you don’t like being out of your comfort zone, these opportunities will offer you exciting chances to challenge yourself. As people have evolved over time and as knowledge and information have made the world smaller, people’s concepts of work have changed. Today, career and professional options have changed, presenting young graduates with a plethora of unconventional jobs.
Now people are no longer motivated to just fit into a role, but more importantly, it has become crucial to find a role that revolves around them. It is more about a role that defines them. It can be unorthodox, and sometimes even dangerous. And hence, over time, adventurous spirits have broken barriers and ventured where none have before.
Not only that, jobs that used to be considered derogatory, embarrassing, or dangerous, are now getting a lot of takers who are willing to do what it takes. It is no longer just about money or perks, it’s about finding your passion, purpose, and vitality. It is about making life an adventure. Sound exciting? Do you dare to break the norm and try your hand at a non-traditional career?
Here are 10 such non-traditional career choices, which will not only give you a taste of adventure but may also leave you dollar rich in the bargain.
1) Dangerous dividends with crab fishing!
Have you heard of crab fishing? It may sound like an easy and low paid job but the Discovery channel reports that this is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. You have to endure the vagaries of the savage and stormy sea, near-freezing weather, and seasickness, and maybe homesickness! The pros are that crab fishing seasons are limited in duration, and your efforts will only have to last a short duration, after which you can rest upon the catch you fished. In addition, you will hit the jackpot, as one fisherman can take home nearly $50, 000 worth of crabs in just 8 weeks!
2) When work and play combine – with professional golf
Imagine a scenario when your work becomes play and vice versa. And that is what happens when you take up a career as a professional business golf networking consultant for women. Your job will be to help otherwise confident and skilled women to take up golf, considered to be a game that can humble even the most arrogant. You can end up setting up your own Academy or Consultancy and make millions!
3) Diving for pearls
Pearl diving may sound tedious, boring, and extremely risky. But the bonuses are high if you are ready to slog physically, to train yourself to be in a state of readiness and fitness, and prepare yourself with the skills and considerable diving experience required for this. If you do so, you are in for an experience of a lifetime. A pearl divers job is to dive to underwater pearl farms and harvest the pearls from the oysters as well as to seed them. Some of these oysters are grown for this purpose, while others may be naturally producing pearls. A successful pearl diver can earn as much as $1200 in a day, during the diving season. But in order to do it, you have to remain fit all the time and spend hours underwater. Ready for it?
4) Scare the crows away
This kind of job would be really up your alley if you live in a rural area and you don’t want to work too hard but want to earn good money! All you need to do is to pose as a scarecrow on a farm. Pose and scare away your neighborhood crows and you’ll earn $10-$15 per hour as pocket money.
5) Sperm or egg donor
If you are of an altruistic nature and want to earn your living on this, you can try this out. You can not only get good money but also get satisfaction thinking about how many people you might help who face fertility problems. There is a bias towards women here as the process of extracting an egg is more difficult as compared to obtaining sperm. In this non-traditional career, women can earn up to $8,000 per egg, while men can earn around $200 for a donation.
6) Protecting assets
Security guards are everywhere, but how many of you know that this underestimated job can provide you with considerable earnings? Especially if you work for a celebrity. You can apply for this job if you have no problems with being assigned with the daily protection of a celebrity. The good thing is, you can earn between $500-$1,000 a day, and depend on where you are, your salary can start from $60,000.
7) Music makes money
If your passions lie in music, you are extremely knowledgeable about music, and are passionately fond of the lives of celebrities, then being a celebrity DJ or a fashion DJ will be a job you will thoroughly enjoy. Your role would be to organize music and fashion at celebrity parties. You would have the time of your life playing the music you love, watching people dance to it and get to know your favorite celebrities. And you’ll make a pile too!
8) Social Media Manager – Tweeting all the way to the bank
The cutting edge era of social media provides another interesting and radical avenue for those of you who want a life out of the ordinary. If you are passionate about social media and like engaging with people, you will love this job. If communicating on social media is your favorite way to spend the day, then this is a great way to earn a good amount of money. Of course, you would need to spend a considerable amount of time online. But that’s not an issue, is it?
9) Lipstick reader
This job is for any woman (or man) who loves lipstick and requires you to read lip prints, especially of affluent ladies at posh parties. What is more, you get paid richly for your prediction of the future! An unusual and easy way to make money, once you learn how.
10) Voice overwork
If you have a great voice and you love reading from books and other textual matter, you can try this out. Voice over involves dubbing for television and audio productions, amongst other things and you can easily make more than $300 for 5 minutes of recording.
Author: Jennifer Young works with assignmenthelpuk.com as an academic writer and a blogger. She loves writing on subjects related to psychology, management, and education.
