With graduation just around the corner, college seniors are thinking about the future. Sure, there are always the standard career choices—doctor, lawyer, teacher—but there are plenty of other options no one ever hears about. Some sound tempting, like a professional waterslide tester, while others will make you count your blessings (ahem, odor tester?). So whether you’re just starting out on your career path or daydreaming about greener pastures, check out the 15 jobs you never knew existed.
Odor Tester
Think your job stinks? Try being an odor tester. These employees test the efficacy of deodorants and
antiperspirants
by sniffing subjects’ armpits. Thanks to all of their nosing around, we’re spared the results of faulty products.
Photo courtesy of Nancy Rica Schiff.
IMAX Screen Cleaner
The magnificent, larger-than-life images on IMAX screens wouldn’t be quite as powerful if they were cloaked in a layer of dirt and dust. Luckily, there are companies dedicated to keeping your viewing experience crystal clear. According to Michael Quaranto, cofounder of IMAX screen cleaning company 1570 Cinema Services, the biggest challenge to keeping the screens clean is making sure they’re dust-free (they are so dusty, cleaners usually have to empty their vacuum two or three times per screen).
Photo courtesy of 1570 Cinema Services.
Professional Whistler
Believe it or not, you can make a living off whistling while you work. Just ask Henry Brady, a 58-year-old Welsh whistling performer. “A whistler is an artist just like an actor or musician,” he told FOX News. “My profession has taken me across the world and allowed me to touch people’s hearts.” To be a professional whistler, not only do you need talent, Brady also stresses the importance of self-promotion.
Photo by Shutterstock.
Wrinkle Chaser
When you slip your feet into a brand-new pair of
shoes, take a moment to admire their smooth, wrinkle-free design. Why? Because someone spent a lot of time making sure your footwear is crease-free. At shoe companies, it’s a wrinkle chaser’s job to use a special iron to ensure shoes are smooth as glass when they leave the factory.
Photo by Shutterstock.
Furniture Tester
If anyone’s ever called you a couch potato before, he may have inadvertently been giving you career advice. Loungers actually get paid to test furniture for companies by sitting on it. Well, sitting and moving. They have to wriggle around, rock, lean back, lean forward and assess the overall level of comfort. Some positions even require furniture testers to try out 200 different pieces in a single day. So they can’t get
too comfortable.
Photo by Shutterstock.
Pet Food Taster
If pets could talk, people wouldn’t have to taste-test cat and dog food. To make sure the flavors are just right, a group of adventurous eaters chow down on pet food, remarking on everything from texture to tartness. But they only go so far: Simon Allison, a senior food technologist for Marks & Spencer, admits to spitting out the pet food after tasting it and keeping a glass of water on hand to rinse with.
Photo by Shutterstock.
Golf Ball Diver
When golf balls are accidentally pitched into a course’s water hazards, they’re usually considered goners. But to people who salvage sunken golf balls for a living, those deep-sixed balls have dollar signs on them. There’s a whole industry devoted to rescuing submerged golf balls and selling them “used” to golf courses. The golf courses like the discounted goods and SCUBA enthusiasts can rake in the dough—sometimes six figures, depending on where they’re based.
Photo by Getty Images.
Vomit Cleaner
An unfortunate side effect of a stomach-churning roller coaster ride is losing your lunch. And it happens so often that some theme parks employ cleaners specifically designated to mop up puke. You’d think it would turn the workers off the rides, but Rhys Owen, a vomit collector at Thorpe Park, a theme park in England, says, “I absolutely love roller coasters and the perk of being able to ride them for free makes [the job] worth it.”
Photo courtesy of Thorpe Park.
Fake Review Writer
Definitely unethical, but unfortunately some people make cash by writing fake reviews of businesses for companies that post on consumer-driven sites like Yelp, Citysearch and Urbanspoon. Their false enthusiasm for hotels, restaurants and products is meant to artificially boost ratings and slam the competition.
Photo by Shutterstock.
Gross Stunt Tester
How do shows like
Survivor and
Fear Factor avoid lawsuits when they make their contestants eat worms or swallow a cockroach? They employ gross stunt testers, of course. These brave souls prepare and then have to try out the night’s challenge to make sure it’s safe while still being gross.
Photo courtesy of Monty Brinton/CBS Worldwide Inc.
Professional Sleeper
People addicted to the snooze button should consider pursuing a career in sleeping. Yes, you can actually get hired to work in your PJ’s and catch some zzz’s. Professional sleepers doze off for a living, usually as part of sleep research projects, to help scientists and doctors figure out the mysteries behind sleep disorders.
Photo by Shutterstock.
Paper Towel Sniffer
Paper towel manufacturers prefer that their products be odorless before, during and after use. The only way to ensure a scent-free roll? By employing paper towel sniffers who let manufacturers know if their products harbor any unusual or noticeable scents.
Photo by Istockphoto.
Stanley Cup Keeper
Unlike other sports trophies, there’s only one Stanley Cup. Each year’s winning team and its players are engraved on it, but due to the trophy’s high value, it must be chaperoned at all times while it’s away from its permanent home, The Hockey Hall of Fame. So, a “Keeper of the Cup” is employed to accompany the trophy during its travels and make sure it doesn’t get into any trouble.
Photo by Getty Images.
Coconut Safety Engineer
In order to protect strolling guests from accidents on their walkways, many resorts employ people to pick ripe coconuts from palm trees before they fall. These coconut safety engineers have to shimmy up the tall tree trunks and dislodge the potentially dangerous fruit. An added perk? Free coconut juice.
Photo by Shutterstock.
Resort Waterslide Tester
Zipping down waterslides all day sure beats whiling away the hours in an office cube. Just ask Tommy Lynch, who was hired by British vacation company First Choice to check the height, speed, water quantity and landing as well as all safety aspects of their rides. Though it seems like all play and no work, Lynch takes his job seriously: “There is so much more that goes into the [slides] than people realize. The pools and slides are such an important part of the family holiday so it is vital everything is right,” he told the
Daily Mail.
Photo by Getty Images.
