Most of us go through education thinking we’ll grow up to be a lawyer or a physiotherapist or perhaps that we’ll go into HR. But there are so many more jobs out there than that and if you take the time to look around, you might just find something better.
Do you ever see someone doing a particular job and have moment of realization where you go ‘huh, I guess that must be a job!’.
Most of us go through education thinking we’ll grow up to be a lawyer or a physiotherapist or perhaps that we’ll go into HR. But there are so many more jobs out there than that and if you take the time to look around, you might just find there’s something better suited to your particular skills and interests.
Here are some random jobs you never knew existed – but might be glad to discover!
Stand-In
A stand-in is a job in film and television that’s slightly different from being a double. You’re not actually going to be on camera here but rather your job is to take the position of the actors while the lighting and camera get set up.
This process can take a long time and as you can imagine, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have better things to do than stand there getting hot under the lights. That’s where you come in – with similar physical attributes, you take their place so that the team can get the shot just right before getting to work.
Why is this an appealing job? Simple: you get to meet celebrities, see films being put together and get paid a lot just to stand there on the spot!
Voice Actor
Enjoy acting but don’t fancy your chances against Hollywood’s A-listers? Another option is to become a voice actor. You’ll record the voices for computer games, CGI characters, cartoons, radio shows, adverts and more and you can do it all while you’re in your slacks!
There’s a ton of work out there for voice actors and it’s well paid. Frank Welker is the voice actor behind Transformers’ Megatron and is one of the highest earning actors alive today!
Online Sports Commentator
Would you like to get paid a little extra on top of your usual salary to watch sports? Well, it turns out you can! Lots of websites provide live commentaries of games and someone has got to write it! So you can watch matches on TV with your laptop, type out comments and get paid for your trouble.
Web Content Writer
If you’re looking for a little more volume of work but you like the idea of being paid to type, then consider becoming a web content writer. You’ll provide content for blogs as well as copy for online ads, sales pages and e-mail sequences. The work is competitive and not highly paid but if you can write well and write quickly, then you can still earn a decent wage while choosing where and when you want to work. You can be done by lunch and spend the rest of the day relaxing, or you can take your laptop to the beach and work on a sun bed!
Blimp Pilot
This isn’t a job that’s exactly in demand, but it’s an excellent example of a highly specialized job. Becoming a blimp pilot means you’ll fly blimps for parades and promotions and it’s actually very highly paid work.
Not into blimps? Then learn to fly/drive any other unique vehicle and you’ll be in demand whenever it’s needed for a film or show. What about a monster truck? Or a submarine?
Professional Scarer
This definitely sounds made up but… nope!
A professional scarer is someone who works in a horror house, or perhaps somewhere like The London Dungeons and is tasked with dressing like a zombie and leaping out at people. If you have a flair for the dramatic and you enjoy making people laugh, then it’s a great job to consider.
Not your cup of tea? There are countless similar jobs in theme parks and tourist attractions around the world. Whether you want to man your own bungee jumping rig in a tourist spot, or get paid to hug people dressed as Mickey Mouse.
Art Therapist
Like the idea of helping people through their problems, but don’t want to talk about repressed feelings and childhood injustices?
An art therapist is someone who helps clients to express themselves through the medium of art. This is a job that will appeal to creative types and people who are in-touch with their emotions.
Rock Climbing Instructor
Love getting your fix of adrenaline? Got a knack for scaling vertical walls? Then perhaps you’d make a good rock climbing instructor. Your job will of course be to teach people to climb but this can be a varied role in itself – whether you’re leading kids’ parties, you’re working at a rock climbing center, or you’re leading massive climbs up mountains.
Again, there are many similar alternatives here, whether you fancy being a diving instructor or someone who teaches paragliding.
