Solely 50% of employed individuals within the U.S. describe themselves as “extraordinarily happy” with their job, so it’s secure to say that everybody in some unspecified time in the future of their lives has dreaded going to work on Monday and dreamed of the form of profession you see on tv: Enjoyable, thrilling, and with a excessive sufficient wage to be comfy.
When you suppose that “enjoyable” and “pays sufficient” are polar opposites, the excellent news is that’s not true. If you wish to have an excellent time whereas incomes a wage, there are some shocking choices on the market. These jobs might not make you wealthy, however they are going to pay your payments when you get to have a blast.
LEGO grasp builder
When you thought your days of taking part in with LEGO ended once you turned an grownup, it’s time to revise your idea of maturity as a result of the LEGO grasp builder career exists. This—and I can’t stress this sufficient—is an actual job. LEGO hires individuals at its shops and services to construct, keep, and restore huge, complicated installations. Grasp builders additionally carry out a PR function for the corporate, doing interviews and creating social media content material.
Getting the job doesn’t require any formal training or certification—a highschool diploma is the fundamental requirement—however a background in artwork and design gained’t damage. The principle qualification is creativity, so having a portfolio of spectacular LEGO creations is important. The corporate holds regional competitions known as Brick Components the place you compete towards different LEGO fans to be named an assistant grasp builder, placing you on the profession monitor of your childhood desires, so that you’ll must test at your native Discovery Middle for the following alternative.
A LEGO grasp builder earns a median of about $46,000, with New York being the highest-paying space at about $50,000 yearly.
Roadie
The function of the roadie has advanced fairly a bit from the traditional picture of the grungy dude hauling amplifiers round backstage. Bands and different touring music performances nonetheless want roadies, however the trendy incarnations are extra specialised, together with lighting and sound engineers and instrument technicians. Whereas that may sound intimidating, most roadies be taught their abilities on the job—they begin off with a low-level job at a neighborhood music venue, community with artists and managers who come via the house, and sometimes must work without cost for some time so as to set up themselves.
When you do this, nonetheless, you may earn wherever from $45,000 to $60,000 a 12 months—though it’s all freelance work, so your revenue will differ tremendously relying on whether or not you’re touring with a nationwide act or a band that’s simply getting began. It may be exhausting work—lengthy hours and months spent on the street in uncomfortable lodging—however if you happen to love music and need the frenzy of organising a live performance for hundreds of individuals, this profession might be a blast.
Water slide tester
Sure, that is an precise job you may get. Additionally known as a journey verification technician, a water slide tester is strictly what it appears like: You take a look at water slides for security, operation, and another points. A few of these jobs are everlasting in a selected amusement park, and typically they journey across the nation testing and inspecting slides in every single place, however it nonetheless equates to slapping on some swimwear and taking a number of splashdowns day-after-day for a dwelling.
The principle prerequisite is first support and lifeguard certifications, which may usually be obtained from the hiring firm itself. You’ll additionally must grow to be very conversant in the specs and working tips for the particular slides, as producers have very strict guidelines on how often individuals can enter and different stats.
The common annual wage for a water slide tester is about $60,000 yearly, though just a few years in the past somebody on Reddit claimed to be making nearer to $100,000.
What do you suppose to this point?
Ice sculpting
When you’ve ever been to a elaborate occasion (or a celebration that wishes desperately to be fancy), you’ve most likely seen an ice sculpture or two in your time. You probably have a creative thoughts and a associated talent in carving, this might be a enjoyable profession that permits you to make cash by being inventive (and bringing a little bit pleasure to individuals, too).
There are totally different routes into the profession: You may take a category from someplace just like the Academy of Ice Carving and Design in Tennessee or from established ice sculptors who supply them, or you may contact native sculptors and see if you may get a job or an unpaid internship with them. There’s no certification course of, nonetheless, so you may as well simply begin carving some ice after which enter an ice sculpting competitors like Ice Alaska or the Québec Winter Carnival. Just a few awards will probably be all it’s worthwhile to begin getting gigs.
You may make a median of about $50,000 yearly as an ice sculptor within the U.S.—however revenue could be as a lot as twice as excessive relying in your location and the alternatives obtainable.
Candle or fragrance ‘nostril’
In case your concept of an excellent time is being paid to odor issues, being a nostril is the perfect profession. A nostril is knowledgeable who works for a perfumery, a candle firm, or another place the place odor is a key part of the enterprise.
Turning into a nostril (typically known as a perfumer, particularly within the perfume enterprise) isn’t one thing you simply resolve to do, nonetheless. When you don’t must be born with a freakish sense of odor, you do want numerous coaching. It begins with getting a level in a subject like chemistry or beauty science so as to have the elemental coaching crucial. From there it’s doable to search out apprenticeship positions in perfume homes or at candle firms, however your finest guess will seemingly be certification at a perfumery faculty, which is able to take years and gained’t be low-cost. But when your passions run via your sense of odor, this might be the right profession for you.
And it’ll pay your lease, too, relying on the place you reside: A nostril could make about $70,000 a 12 months on common.
