These Unusual Jobs Can Pay The Bills But We’re Going To Pass
You may know someone who is a doctor or a lawyer or an architect, but did you know that there are also people who get paid to taste dog food or smell armpits? If you prefer the road less traveled, these bizarre jobs could be perfect for you. Some are wet and wild while others are just downright gross. We warned you.
Golf Ball Diver
Over the past few years, golf ball diving and recycling has become a huge industry. Accomplished divers can expect to make between $50,000 and $100,000 per year.
Conditions can be harsh, though. Divers have to face pesticides, fertilizers, broken glass, snakes, and even alligators.
Pet Food Taster
Pet food tasters do exactly what you think they do. This is actually a legit job, and entry-level employees make around $40,000 a year. More experienced tasters can make up to $120,000.
Although many pet foods are safe for human consumption, tasters aren't required to swallow the food. They just have to chew it for a bit.
Worm Digger
Sandworms and bloodworms are the two main types of worms that worm diggers are looking to capture. Fishermen use these types of worms as bait and bloodworms are sometimes used as fish food.
The money is pretty decent if you're willing to get down and dirty. Just keep in mind that in some cases the conditions can be shockingly dangerous.
Professional Line Stander
Same Ole Line Dudes is a company based in New York. They charge $25 per hour with a two-hour minimum. If you need someone to stand in line for a full 24 hours they charge $600.
One SOLD Inc. employee earned the company $800 when he waited in line for a Shark Tank audition for 43 hours. Just getting hungry? If you live in New York City they charge $65 to deliver two fresh cronuts to your location.
Chicken Sexer
A chicken sexer is a person who gets paid to determine the gender of chicks and other hatchlings. Male and female chickens have different feeding programs, so it's important for farmers to identify the genders of the chicks.
There are two ways to determine a chicken's gender. One involves looking at the chick's feathers. Feathers grow faster on female chicks. The other involves squeezing out some poop...
Facial Tissue Smeller
Tissue and paper towels are not odorless by default. The only way to make sure that they're odorless is to get people with sensitive noses to sniff them.
Paper towel sniffers can earn up to $1,000 per week. If you have a good sense of smell, this could be the perfect job for you.
Armpit Sniffer
Armpit sniffers work for deodorant companies. If you have a nose that knows, you can make up to $50,000 per year sniffing armpits.
If you'd be okay with sniffing 60 armpits in an hour and getting up close and personal with some sweaty bodies, this could be the job for you.
Stunt Tester
Before contestants on Fear Factor stood up against a face full of scorpions or a mouthful of sheep eyes, somebody had to make sure those stunts were safe for T.V.
Stunt testers don't have the chance to win the $50,000 prize but they do make quite a bit of money for their service.
Fortune Cookie Writer
Ever wonder who writes all those nuggets of wisdom inside crispy, delicious fortune cookies? Well, if you're a struggling writer looking to make some extra cash, it could be you.
Approximately 3 billion fortune cookies are produced each year, which means the industry needs a lot of insightful one-liners.
Snake Milker
Snake milkers extract venom from snakes to make life-saving anti-venom. You can milk a snake by getting it to bite the side of a receptacle, or by touching its head with electrodes that force the muscles around their venom glands to retract.
It's a dangerous job, but somebody's gotta do it. The pay? According to Job Monkey, you can earn around $2,500 per month.
Dog Surfing Instructor
Being a dog surfing coach is no easy feat. You have to know how to surf yourself, and you have to be good with dogs.
If you're really good at your job, some of your canine clients may even win a dog surfing competition. Yes, those exist.
Professional Cuddler
So, professional cuddling is a thing now. People pay other people to cuddle them in a totally platonic way.
If you love cuddling and getting up close and personal with strangers, this could be the job for you. It also pays pretty well with Job Monkey noting an average of $80 per hour.
Face Feeler
Skincare companies need to make sure that their products do what they say they're going to do. That's why they hire professional face feelers. These are people who feel faces before, during, and after an intensive skin care regimen.
They rate the faces they touch on softness and elasticity. The pay varies with ABC News revealing salaries that range from $10 to $25 per hour.
Waterslide Tester
This job sounds like it's all fun and games, but it can actually be quite dangerous. Would you want to go down an untested slide? Not unless you were getting paid, I bet.
Waterslide testers make a living risking life and limb all so you can have your summer fun. They work for hotel chains, amusement parks, and other travel destinations.
Professional Mourner
This morbid profession originated in Egypt, China, and the Near East. Professional mourners are paid to deliver eulogies, comfort the grieving, and attend funerals.
If you don't mind being around constant grief and sadness, lucky you, I guess. You might cheer up a little bit when you realize that the pay can be up to $120 per event according to Wikipedia.
Train Pusher
Subways in Japan are so crowded that cities have to hire professional train pushers to jam people into train cars like sardines.
If you're interested in monetizing your pushing and shoving habit, this could be the job for you. Just keep in mind it's not your only role. Station staff and part-time workers complete this job during rush hour.
Marmite Taster
Like any food enterprise, Marmite is dedicated to quality control. That's why they hire professional tasters to make sure that every jar of Marmite is up to snuff.
If you're more of a Nutella-on-toast kind of person, you may want to pursue a different career path. For Marmite fans, though, this job would be heaven.
Dice Inspector
If dice are just a little bit off in weight or shape, they can skew an entire high-stakes game. Dice inspectors are quality control professionals that make sure all of the angles, sides, and faces line up just right.
Imagine losing out on millions of dollars because there was a nick in one of your dice? That wouldn't be a lucky day at the casino.
