Weird and Surprising Jobs You Probably Never Heard Of
In many ways we are defined by the jobs we choose in life. If we want to earn a lot of money and have financial stability we’ll go for high paying jobs, if we are more nurturing and compassionate we’ll pick jobs that focus on helping others. And when we’re not sure what we want to do in life we go for part time jobs that help point us in the right direction. But what happens when the job you chose is one that no one even knew existed?
We’re uncovering the most unknown and underrated occupations around the world that will probably make you say “wow, I never knew this job existed”.
Prop Shopper
These days most TV shows and movies rely on CGI and other computer magic to create their environment, it’s just cheaper and easier that way. But even then some props still need to be present on set, and for that, they have a special person who goes and gets them. Most of you are probably thinking “he probably gets everyday items like clothes and costumes” but that’s not all.
It’s not enough to just get something and put it in the show, there are some very clever ways in which prop masters and prop shoppers took simple everyday items and made them into some iconic props that can be bought almost everywhere. Take for example Qui Gon Jinn’s communicator which is a Gillette razor stripped of its plastic.
Bird Shooter
When we think about the words ‘wildlife’ and ‘shooting’ the first thing that comes to mind is hunting. Whether it’s for population control or food, the people who do it do so as a hobby. What if someone told you that you could shoot animals and get paid for it?! That’s exactly what some airports do to lower the chances of a bird colliding with an aircraft.
They hire a bird shooter that will patrol the runways looking for potential wildlife (mainly birds) and do what must be done. Admittedly this isn’t the best way to approach the problem and these days it’s a dying profession replaced with modern technology. Regardless, wouldn’t you say that it’s a very unusual job?
Book Conservator
In today’s age of digitized books, we have audiobooks, kindle, and hundreds of free online libraries at the tip of our fingers. All of these and more make this job more of a rarity on top of already being a job that most people wouldn’t know existed. They are basically book surgeons, repairing broken book spines, reattaching torn and cut out pages, repairing the cover, and so on.
Repairing books is not the only thing that they do, they are also in charge of scanning and digitizing books. So that those really old books on brittle paper can be accessed by everyone and enjoyed worldwide. So next time you damage a book, don’t rush to throw it away, maybe consider sending it to the book doctor instead.
Food Stylist
Every household has a cookbook lying around in the kitchen, and in every cookbook, there are those tantalizing pictures of perfect dishes you aim to make. But much like the modeling industry, they’re a lie made by professionals. In this case, they are food stylists and their job is to make food look as appealing as possible when presented in commercials, cookbooks, or any other form of advertisement aimed to attract people.
What’s amazing about it is how they do it, they don’t rely too much on tools like Photoshop but rather use alternatives for the food. For example, what do you do when you need to take pictures of ice cream for a commercial? You can’t just buy ice cream, not only will it melt but it will also not look as good so what do you do? Make ice cream with frosting, powdered sugar and glue to mimic the look but not the taste.
Foley Artist
The entertainment industry is full of talented artists that work really hard to make the best quality movies for you. Some of these people are in charge of things that you would take for granted like the Foley artist. They specialize in recording sounds that we make in our day to day lives, like footsteps on various surfaces, keyboard typing, water splashing, the list goes on.
What’s really interesting is the way they make these sounds. You probably think they use some kind of high end sound program to distort sounds and make them into something else. In fact the process is much simpler and more entertaining. Let’s say they want to make the sound of boots walking on gravel. They will take boots and some gravel and record themselves walking on it!
Celebrity Pet Agent
Every star in Hollywood and every actor in LA has an agent, but did you know that humans are not the only ones who can have them? You have probably watched a movie where there was an animal involved and thought to yourself “where did they get it from?” Well, it turns out that there are agents that specialize in finding the right animal for the job.
The most common animals we see on the big screen these days are cats, dogs and horses. But did you know that there are also pigs, monkeys? In fact, the most popular and successful animal actor is a female monkey by the name of Crystal the Monkey. You might have seen her in The Hangover 2, Night At The Museum, and Zookeeper.
Designated Foreigner at Weddings
Weddings are magical events and every couple wants theirs to be remembered for a long time. There are many ways you can do this depending on your culture. In Japan for example, it is sometimes seen as “unique” to have a foreigner present at your wedding. He doesn’t necessarily have to be a friend or a family member but having one makes photos and the wedding itself more interesting for everyone.
The job itself is very simple, much like a party host you are tasked with walking around the venue, striking conversation with the guests, and posing for photos. In other cases the couple might consider having a Christian style wedding in a chapel, for this, they can hire a white foreigner to play the role of a priest.
Beer Pourer
Recycling and taking care of our environment are very important, that is why many companies make sure to dispose of their waste in the safest way possible. Some beverage distributors have a person who is in charge of receiving and disposing of expired drinks. At first, you probably thought “why not just pour it down the drain?” and you would be right if we were talking about a bottle or a few cans.
But when we are talking about large quantities of liquid you have to take into account the implications it can have on your environment. These beverages make their way through the sewer system and end up in waterways and rivers. That is why it must be supervised and done by professionals with the right permits and equipment.
Car Sitter
Many of us had this issue before. You’re going about doing your errands and you want to stop at the local groceries store, you look around and there is no place to park the car, what do you do? Well, some people came up with the idea to do car sitting. How does it work? You leave your car parked somewhere you shouldn’t and ask the car sitter to stay in the car in the meantime.
In case a policeman shows up, the car sitter drives away with your car, saving you the hassle of paying a parking fine. Some of you might say that this business is a little shady, and you would be right. But you can’t ignore the fact that it’s very convenient and can save you a lot of trouble in the long run. So the next time you are struggling with finding a parking spot, maybe consider a car sitter.
Professional Netflix Bingers
Yes, you heard it right, some people are paid money to binge watch TV shows and movies for Netflix. Part of the job is to tag every show with the correct categories like sci-fi, comedy etc. and pick the best images and videos to be shown on the title screen in the Netflix library. Although this job sounds glamorous, it doesn’t come without its disadvantages.
For starters you are only paid $10 per movie or show you pick up, second, you are considered an independent contractor which means you can say goodbye to overtime pay, health insurance, and a retirement fund among many other lucrative benefits. In 2016 a lawsuit occurred where Netflix was sued and the watchers demanded to be considered official employees. So if you consider getting paid for content you binge for free, maybe this is the time to do so.
Passenger Pusher
Being in a crowded train is no fun, going into a crowded train is even less. In some countries rush hours can be so packed that it is difficult to even get into the train or bus. Luckily Japan came with the brilliant idea of hiring professional passenger pushers. What is it you might ask? Well, their job is to literally push passengers into train carts before the doors close, jamming as many of them as possible so that they won’t be late for work.
Many of you probably saw the horrifying images of Japanese train carts packed full of passengers trying their best to get to work on time. This occurs mainly in densely populated areas such as Tokyo, everybody needs to be at work at the same time and there is only so much room in the cart for everyone. So the best solution the train company found was to hire people who will “help” the rest of the passengers on the train.
White-Hat Hacker
The word hacker might be associated with some of you as a man sitting in front of his computer with a hoodie and a Guy Fawkes mask trying to steal your money and identity. But hacking can also be used to help people and companies keep their security stronger and safer to use. Much like venom that can be lethal to humans, it is also vastly used in the development of antidotes and other forms of medicine. So how does it work?
A White-Hat hacker is someone who is paid by a company to try and break into their system. He is looking for loopholes and breaches in the program that would allow anyone to exploit and access the system illegally. When the hacker finds these breaches he reports back to the company and they begin figuring out how to repair them and prevent others from exploiting the same method.
Professional Cuddler
Has anyone ever told you that you give the best cuddles? Well, why not make a profession out of it and earn some money? All around the world there are people who offer platonic cuddles to their clients in exchange for some money. All of us enjoy snuggling, whether it’s with a significant other, a pet or a pillow and we all enjoy the feeling of a warm embrace.
In Japan, the cuddling industry is very popular thanks to cuddling cafes, where customers can book a cuddling session ranging from a few minutes to a few hours. The unusual phenomenon is a result of today’s youth placing less and less importance on the marriage institute, combined with long working hours. Cuddling cafes allow them to have the benefits of having a partner without looking for one.
Professional Laughers
Have you heard the phrase laughter is contagious? Well, apparently it’s true because some studios plant professional laughers to make other people laugh. This should not be confused with a laugh track. Although it has a similar purpose of making the viewer laugh, in this case the professional laugher is tasked with making other people in the audience start chuckling.
These people must laugh in an unusual way that will cause a chain reaction of laughter. In addition to making people laugh, these people are also a good precaution measure against stalkers. Seeing as these people are professionals, they will less likely try to stalk and harass the cast members outside of filming.
Hostess at a bar
Some bars around the world have embraced a new method of serving their customers. Hostess bars, as they are commonly known, are bars where you are accompanied by a female hostess. Their job is to strike up a cheerful conversation with you while nonchalantly offering you more drinks. The catch here is obviously that you are “tricked” into buying more for yourself and sometimes for the hostess as well, but in turn, you are also getting the company of a charming lady and a pleasant conversation.
In some countries, the same idea applies to male hosts as well, like in Japan for example. Women will come into a host club and be greeted with a bulletin board full of host head-shots. She can then pick one or more hosts to accompany her throughout the night.
Watching paint dry
Have you ever done something so boring that you thought to yourselves “I would rather watch paint dry”? There’s a person who does just that. This job might sound ridiculous at first but when you think about it, it’s rather important. No one wants to wait around for the paint to dry and in some cases like painting a subway station you don’t want to shut down the entire station for the day.
So how does he do it? Well, it’s simple really. He puts paint on a piece of cardboard or any other flat surface and times with a stopwatch how long it takes for that paint to dry completely. You would think that by now we would have machines doing this kind of labor but apparently, this is a job that only special people can do.
Professional Stand-In-Liner
When it comes to new product releases, we all want to be the first (or second) in line to get it. But not all of us have the time to stand in line for hours ahead of time so what can we do? Luckily some entrepreneurs came up with the brilliant idea to offer themselves for the job, they will stand in line for you in exchange for money.
These freelancers are common in many parts of the world but most likely you can find them all across big cities like New York, Tokyo etc. For some, it might seem like a part time job that can pay some small expenses like phone bills, but in reality, this job can be rather profitable and sustainable.
Deodorant Tester
This next job is not for the faint of heart, if you don’t like bad smells it might not be for you. When we buy deodorant at our local convenience store, they often write “lasts for 24 hours” or something of the sort. Well, have you ever wondered how they know that? They use professional deodorant testers.
The job is to apply the deodorant and see how long it lasts but the method in which they do it might be a bit unorthodox for some. They hire people whose job it is to smell armpits after deodorant was applied to them and see how long the smell lasts. It requires sticking your nose into a lot of armpits, so the next time you think your job stinks, think again.
Electric Shock Giver
Electric therapy is something we’re all familiar with, it helps with muscle pain and relieves stress. What if you were told it can also help in strengthening the bond of friendship? One of the weirdest things you might come across on a night out in Mexico is a vendor with a wooden box and two metal rods offering you and your friends to play a game of Toques.
In this game, you all hold hands together and the people on both ends each grab one of the metal rods. Then the person with the box cranks up the lever and voltage starts surging through you and your friend’s body. The machine operates between 1 and 100 volts and the person who lets go first has to pay for the game.
Professional Mourner
Funerals and funeral ceremonies are always sad. But in some cultures, the level of sadness shown during the event is an indication as to how loved or how important the person was. Some Asian cultures see the ceremony of parting with the dead as something of great importance, one that requires a very public display of mourning. For that, there are professional mourners who are hired for funeral ceremonies.
Their job is to grovel and display a great deal of sadness towards the deceased. By doing so it shows the other attendants that this person was highly regarded in life by others. Some of these mourners can go to the extreme and tear their clothes apart and grovel at the foot of the coffin crying.
Gross Stunt Tester
Have you ever watched a reality TV show where the contestants were forced to eat something disgusting like a spider or animal intestines? It turns out that before they are eaten on stage, the television industry employs people to test and eat these things beforehand. They do that to see if these things are actually edible and safe to consume by humans, doing so allows the industry to avoid potential lawsuits in the future.
So the next time you are watching Bear Grylls, Fear Factor, or any other survival show where they eat gross things, remember that there was someone who was paid to eat all of it and probably more. It really makes you wonder what other things the television industry is doing behind the scenes.
Bicycle Fishers
Fishing is a very diverse job that uses all kinds of equipment to lure and catch specific types of fish. In Amsterdam however, being a fisherman doesn’t necessarily mean you catch aquatic life. Since it is the most bicycle friendly capital, a lot of them (for some reason) end up in the rivers around town polluting the rivers and wildlife within them.
As a result, the city had to take measures into their hands and decided to create new jobs for those who need them. The Bicycle Fishers reel in approximately 14,000 bikes every year which are then melted down and made into new ones, and so the cycle continues. In the famous words of Dave Chappelle, modern problems require modern solutions.
Snake Milker
Pharmaceutical companies all around the world use toxins made by different venomous animals to develop cures and treat snake bites. Acquiring these toxins is no walk in the park, to do so someone must extract the venom from the animal. The most common animals used for it are snakes and spiders, the method itself is rather simple but dangerous.
You have to make the snake bite through a sheet of tape to force the venom gland to activate and release the venom inside. On top of that, you can’t “milk” the snakes often because the venom gland takes time to refill itself. That is why the price on these specimens can go from anywhere between $1,000 per gram and higher.
Professional mermaid
All across America and Canada people are working as mermaids at birthday parties, aquatic parks, and even Disneyland. Becoming a mermaid, much like in the movie, is no easy task. On top of the steep price, you pay for the outfit and training you also have to learn how to hold your breath for a long time and swim with your eyes open.
But if you can manage that then the mermaid life can be very lucrative and make you a decent amount of money. On top of teaching others how to become a mermaid, you can also perform at birthday parties and bring that little spark of magic to little girls’ eyes for around $300 an hour. And if you are very good at your job you might also be picked up by Disneyland themselves to play the little mermaid.
Food Expert Witness
Can you imagine loving food so much that you decide to take it one step further and start learning about the intricate parts that make that food what it is? That’s exactly what a food expert witness does. How many times have you had a debate with your friends about food, “are hot dogs considered sandwiches?” or “are pop tarts actually ravioli?”.
For these types of questions (and more serious ones), there’s a person you can turn to settle the debate. His job consists of presenting his expert opinion on the subject of a certain food in front of a court, settling matters of factory standards and customer expectations. But we’re sure he will also be happy to settle less “serious” matters like if cereal is actually cold soup.
Staple remover
Even in the current digital age a lot of companies insist on filing paperwork the old fashion way. However, the downside to that is when you finally decide to digitize that paperwork you need to remove all those pesky staples you used to hold the papers together. Now let’s be honest ain’t nobody got time for that, and this is why some companies hire a staple remover guy whose job is to remove the staples carefully before scanning.
This might not be the most glamorous job in the world but it sure is unique, some may even say that it ain’t much but it’s honest work. You can even use it as an icebreaker on a first date, imagine the surprise on their face when they hear that you get paid to remove staples.
Jewelry Transporter
Accessories are an inseparable part of our culture, we use jewelry and other wearable accessories to express our wealth, social status, and so on. We also love shopping online for earrings, bracelets, watches, and whatnot, but what happens when we buy something so expensive that the import fee will cost you an arm and a leg?
For that, some companies employ a jewelry transporter. His job is to wear the accessory you ordered on the plane so that you don’t have to pay that ridiculous import fee. So if you like traveling and wearing expensive accessories for a short period of time, why not give this job a chance and become a professional Jewelry Transporter. Whether it’s illegal or not we can’t say but one thing is certain, sometimes you have to risk it to look good.
Slots music and sound effect composer
Slots have this unique sound to them that you can recognize anywhere. Probably most of you never stopped to think “how did they come up with it?”. Did they take it from some retro video game? Nope, it turns out there are people walking among us who actually compose music and come up with new sounds for the slot machines.
This job is harder than you might think, it’s not enough to compose a few melodies and cash in the big check. A lot of slots become more complex with mini games and all kinds of vocals that are designed to keep the player sitting for as long as possible. All of these require someone to compose the appropriate sounds and tunes.
Parachute Tester
Jumping out of an airplane is one thing, doing so with an untested parachute is a completely different story, but someone has to do it. Throughout history humankind was always infatuated with the sky and the ability to fly, that is why some forms and variations of parachutes existed up until the modern one we know today. And for every parachute invented there needed to be someone to test it.
We know of people who make parachutes and people who repair and fold them, but we never stop to think that there are also people who need to test them as well. For some of us, the mere thought of jumping from an airplane turns our legs into noodles. So you can only imagine what the guy jumping with an untested parachute must feel.
Pet Food Taster
We already know that the food we eat has been test before to ensure maximum tastiness, but what about the munchies we give to our pets? Turns out there are people, not animals, who sample pet food for texture and taste! Mark Gooley owns the pet food company Huds and Toke, and he’s not shy to admit that he eats dog food.
Sure you COULD bring in a pooch to test the food but, as Gooley puts it, “The dog might not be able to tell me ‘that tastes terrible’.” We always thought dogs had pretty low standards for what they eat, but this guy wanted to offer pups the best quality food possible!