Employment Spot

Unusual Careers

Do the more conventional career paths such as manager, banker or doctor seem boring to you?  There are so many different unusual jobs out there, but it’s hard to find them when surrounded by a corporate world.  Whether you are reconsidering your career or just looking out of curiosity for information on some of the most unusual careers, take a look at some of these unusual jobs.  Some are more practical than others, some might sound like pretty weird jobs, but all are unique.  Whatever the job is, there is a good chance that you didn’t hear about it from your old high school guidance counselor.

Professional Hacker
Put your tech skills to work and start hacking into computers — legally!  A career as a professional hacker is great for the computer-savvy who love a challenge.  Professional hacking, also called penetration testing or ethical hacking, is a way of evaluating security by legally hacking into a computer system or network.  These hackers may do work for security consultants, large banks or federal government agencies.  A lot of good comes from these hackers through fighting cyber crime, securing valuable government and company information, and protecting citizens.  The International Council of E-Commerce Consultants provides a Certified Ethical Hacker certification, and the InfoSec Institute offers security training and resources.  There are also many other jobs available in the Information Technology industry.

Archaeologist Salary Calculator

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Current Archaeologist Employment Opportunities

• Archaeologist - San Diego
  Location: US-CA-San Diego
  Company: AECOM
  Last Updated: 06/15
  Details: ...environmental projects at EDAW. Archaeologists conduct historical archaeology...reports. More senior level archaeologists supervise field staff...positions within the Archaeologist job family, entry level Archaeologists as well as Archaeological...


• Contract Archaeologist
  Location: US-OR-Portland
  Company: CIBER
  Last Updated: 06/29
  Details: ...POSITION TITLE: CONTRACT ARCHAEOLOGIST POSITION LOCATION...serves as a Contract Archaeologist for CIBER, Incorporated. As a Contract Archaeologist, the incumbent functions...working with agency archaeologists and other contract archeologists...


• View more Archaeologist Employment Opportunites

Truffle Hunter
The edible fruiting-bodies of truffles (similar to mushrooms) are considered delicacies in the kitchen, and some truffles can sell for over $1000 per pound.  Interestingly, pigs and dogs help find these truffles by using their sense of smell.  Of course, these animals need human handlers, so many people have entered the truffle market, becoming “trufflers” and making a living out of hunting and selling these tubers.  Using animals to find truffles is much more common in European countries, although there are still some truffle dog training schools in the United States.  The North American Truffling Society, based out of Oregon, provides information for both amateur and professional “trufflers.”  How is that for an unusual career?

Pet Psychologist
Did you know that there are actually certified professionals who are pet psychologists?  After medical conditions have been investigated and ruled out by a veterinarian, a pet psychologist can be called in to diagnose an animal’s problem and work with the owner to solve it.  Pet psychologists are much more than a dog trainer or pet therapist — a successful career in this field will require a master’s degree or a Ph.D in behavioral science.  The highest level of training available is to become a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist.  More information about this training is available from the Animal Behavior Society Web site.  Also, consider other jobs in psychology or working with animals.

Storm Chaser
With the Discovery Channel’s new show “Storm Chasers,” this unusual career is actually becoming a little more mainstream. There are many amateur tornado hunters who work solely for recreational purposes.  However, storm chasing can also be made into a professional career, whether it be as a weather forecaster in the media or as a meteorologist conducting research.  While tornadoes are the “goal” of storm chasing, most chasers enjoy studying things such as cloud formations and end up chasing more severe thunderstorms than tornadoes.  Check out stormtrack.org for some helpful FAQ about storm chasing.  Just keep in mind that storm chasing can be a dangerous job, but perhaps the perfect unusual career for a thrill-seeker with a scientific mind.  If this too much of a weird job, you may want to investigate other careers in weather and meteorology.

Military Role Players
Some people have chosen a career that combines their interest in acting with a passion for serving their country.  Civilians are hired by the military as role players to help in military training exercises, as discussed in this article in which a military role player named Lee Anderson is interviewed.  By playing the part of local Iraqi and Afghan citizens, these role players help military personnel experience what they would face in a combat zone overseas.  This job is challenging yet fun, and it helps the military.  However, if you would rather be opposite the civilians when on the job, check out careers in the military, such as with the Army National Guard, Air National Guard or Army Reserves.

Food Taster
Do you ever wonder how Ben & Jerry’s comes up with crazy flavors like “Chunky Monkey” and “Phish Food”?  They have an entire job-line called the Flavor Development Specialist, dedicated to designing and testing new ice cream flavors.  Sound like heaven?  It probably is, but don’t forget that there is more to designing ice cream flavors than tasting them — it’s an entire science.  If you want to skip designing new foods and simply taste them, then consider being a Professional Eater.  This is a legitimate career — take a look at this article from FOXNews.com.  It may sound like a weird job, but it’s probably very satisfying (in more ways than one).

Archaeologist
How would you like to spend your time outside digging for material traces of a lost culture and traveling to exotic locations like Greece, Rome and Egypt?  Sounds good to me.  Archaeology may sound like a fantasy job to many, but it is important to realize that it’s not all fun and adventure.  Archaeologists get extremely dirty, spend hours on tedious tasks like documentation and sometimes spend more time indoors going over their finds than out in the field.  Still, if your passion is in archaeology, this might be a great, unique career.  Take a look at “A day in the Life of an Archaeologist” for some more insight on this unique and unusual career.

Dolphin Trainer
Did childhood summer vacations to Sea World inspire you to become a marine biologist?  Or maybe just a dolphin trainer?  To be a marine mammal trainer, you will probably need at least a bachelor’s degree in a field such as biology, psychology or animal behavior, although a degree is not always necessary, as experience is important as well.  For more information, check out the International Marine Animal Trainers’ Association or DolphinTrainer.com.

Barbie Dress Designer
Want to get involved in the fashion industry?  What about designing trendy clothes for our good friends at Mattel?  This is a real job and it requires a degree from a fashion design school.  Check out the article “All Dolled Up” to read a personal account of a Barbie fashion designer.  Mattel isn’t the only company hiring for this job — consider others like Bratz and American Girl, too.  You may also want to look further into a career in fashion.

Cartoon Voice Acting
Most of us know that Robin Williams was the voice of the Genie in Disney’s Aladdin.  But what about Marge Simpson and all the other familiar voices out there?  Voice acting is the term used for these cartoon voices on television and in the movies.  Most cartoon voice actors also do other similar work such as voiceovers in commercials and narration in movies.  Also, it doesn’t hurt to have taken some acting classes. The competition is tough in this field, but once in it is undoubtedly an extremely fun and rewarding career.  Check out this Web site for history and information on voice acting.

While a truffle hunter may be a little more off-the-wall than a dolphin trainer, it is fair to say that all of these jobs fall off the beaten path.  They are unique, fun, real careers that do more than just pay the bills.  For more ideas about some unusual careers and weird jobs, check out America’s Most Unusual Jobs for the survey results from a poll about weird jobs and how to find them.

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