The World of Jobs

Lawyers, dentists, firefighters, and doctors are all jobs that you have most likely heard of before. However, here are 8 odd jobs that range from testing out crunchy dog food to diving into the bottom of a golf course pond.

Golf ball diver ($50,000- $100,000): With one swing of the club, the golf ball flies off the tee and splashes into a murky pond. Golf ball divers are professional recyclers. They retrieve golf balls, which are then cleaned, repackaged, and resold. A typical golf course has between 4 to 12 pounds of golf balls. Divers spend 8 to 10 hours per day scouring the ponds and may need multiple days to finish a job. The education you need for this job is proof of  open water certification and an active diver’s insurance. You must also have physical abilities because the work is strenuous and includes moderate to heavy manual labor.

Food stylist ($33,000- $58,000): On a porcelain white plate, a sandwich is carefully constructed. Thinly cut smoked ham is laid in a row and the remaining ingredients are placed on top with precision. With a spotlight shining down upon the sandwich, a picture is snapped. If becoming a master chef is not for you, then this may be the next best thing. A food stylist is a creative professional who prepares food for photographs or television. They will often work closely with chefs, editors, and photographers. Food stylists usually prepare dishes and use styling techniques so food looks great and lasts for the length of the photo shoot. The education you need for this job is a culinary arts diploma. You need one year of prior food styling experience for your portfolio. Initially, you must work as an assistant for another food stylist in order to gain work experience.

Dog food taster ($40,000): A bowl of crunchy, dense morsels sit in a paw-printed bowl as a starving Great Dane swallows mouthfuls of food. But before this dog food reached your pet, dog food testers may have worked to make sure it was up to standards. Dog food tasters work on making sure that your pet’s food is nutritious, healthy, and full of flavor! Tasters pop a small piece of kibble in their mouth and check for good texture, consistency, and taste. If the food is lacking any of these components, it’s likely that the food will not make it to the shelves. Although this may seem like an unappealing job, dog food tasters also work on creating new ideas for nutrition packed food and write reports on the quality of various dry dog foods. If you want this job, you can reach out to the various companies that produce pet food and express your interest in securing one of these jobs.

Water slide tester ($30,000): While zipping down a slippery waterslide in a stream of water, the rush of adrenaline may take over the sense of fear. Despite this, water slide testers examine the quality and experience of going down a waterslide and help to ensure that children and adults enjoy their time spent at the waterpark. The position often requires someone that is open to traveling to various hotels located around the world. In order to analyse their experience, testers must have strong writing skills and experience in social media use. To be a water slide tester, you do not necessarily need a college degree. The company First Choice held a competition that gave one man the opportunity to travel to multiple SplashWorld resorts around the world.

Face feeler ($25,000): As part of a trial group for a new face cream, you sit in a beige cushion chair and allow your face to be felt by a “sensory scientist”. Also known as face feelers, these people work to feel the faces of those who have tested different products said to help improve your skin. Although no education is needed, feelers undergo a screening and training to show that they can feel the subtle differences in textures of skin and products. This could be an interesting part-time job for those that feel they have fine-tuned senses in their hands.

Bed tester ($53,000): The moment you enter the showroom, you walk into a room filled with tranquil music and low lighting. A bed covered with a thick duvet and soft pillows awaits you in the center of the room. As a bed tester, you try out beds with different mattresses, comforters, and in different ambiances. Some departments and hotels hire bed testers to ensure that their beds provide the best experience for their customers. Not only is this a relaxing experience, it also allows you to sleep on the job! To become a bed tester, you may want to look for a job description titled “Product Manager”. The company’s Premier Inn and Hotel Chatter both hired bed testers to rate their experience on the hotel beds.

Furniture tester ($31,000): In a furniture showroom, a man leans back in a coffee-colored leather recliner and scribbles down his observations in lengthy descriptions. Since couches and robots are not capable of having feelings, companies need people to test out the furniture they make to find out how comfortable it is. No matter what you call it, though, the job description is to literally spend 8 hours a day, checking the comfort levels of furniture and also the safety. Testers will then write reports with suggestions and impressions of the furniture tested. To get this job, you have to enter the large furniture designing and manufacturing industry, which is frequently looking for employees. If a testing job opens up, you will be in the right place at the right time to recommend yourself.

White Hat Hacker ($15,000 – $45,000): While looking at a wide 27-inch monitor, a man’s fingers fly over a keyboard with ease and precision. He finds his way into the system and  begins to look for a possible flaw. This might sound alarming, but white hat hackers find security flaws to help strengthen the security and lower the risk factors of a company. They prevent people such as black hat hackers from finding their way in. Sometimes, black hat hackers, who bypass internet security and write malware might become a white hat hacker to help businesses instead of hurting them. Those who are good at problem solving, communication, and technical skills might be a good fit for this job. There is no standard education criteria for this job, but a bachelor’s or master’s degree in information security, computer science, or even mathematics can provide a strong foundation. You must earn security certifications and find an information security position. Then work toward the Certified Ethical Hacker certification offered by the International Council of Electronic Commerce Consultants.

These may not sound like important jobs, but most of them play a big role in everyday products or activities. After reading about these unusual and interesting jobs, have you found a job that you might want to pursue? Start practicing!