{"id":431,"date":"2011-04-29T12:05:39","date_gmt":"2011-04-29T19:05:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/careerservices\/?p=431"},"modified":"2011-04-29T12:05:39","modified_gmt":"2011-04-29T19:05:39","slug":"unique-jobs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/careerservices\/2011\/04\/29\/unique-jobs\/","title":{"rendered":"Unique Jobs"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/strong>\"\"<\/a>Does the thought of an 8:00 to 5:00 office job make you yawn?\u00a0 Do you become restless thinking about performing routine tasks?\u00a0 Perhaps you are in need of a unique job!\u00a0 I recently stumbled upon the book Nice Job! The Guide to Cool, Odd, Risky, and Gruesome Ways to Make a Living.<\/span> If you are determined to lead a less routine lifestyle, this book may be for you.\u00a0 To peak your interest, I have included five of my favorite job positions for you to consider.<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0 Christmas Tree Farmer<\/strong>
\nA green thumb paired with a business savvy attitude makes for a successful Christmas tree farmer.\u00a0 Today\u2019s holiday trees sell for about $35 a tree.\u00a0 Earning around $4,000 an acre, one could earn a comfortable living harvesting a 15 acre Christmas tree farm.\u00a0 A successful farmer should be patient, have a background in marketing, and be knowledgeable of the land and farming procedures.\u00a0 For more information, visit www.christree.org.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0 Product Name Developer<\/strong>
\nThe best marketing strategy a company can have is to find a catchy name for its products.\u00a0 In this position, you would be responsible for brainstorming and generating lists of names for the new products of companies.\u00a0 While each name suggested only earns about $1.00 each, a full time namer employed for a high-level company could bring in a six-figure salary.\u00a0 Knowledge of linguistics and languages is helpful, creativity is common, and working to meet deadlines is a must.\u00a0 Flexible hours and working in any environment are enjoyed by employees of this title.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0 The Real World & Road Rules Editor<\/strong>
\nMTV\u2019s real life soap operas aren\u2019t captured as they appear.\u00a0 A skilled film editor works through hours of tape to determine the best segments to include in each 22 minute film episode.\u00a0 A person in this position needs a great sense of drama and an understanding of human behavior.\u00a0 An eye for juicy and interesting subject matter is a must with film and script experience being helpful.\u00a0 A perk of the job: you always know what will be happening before the rest of the viewing audience!<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0 Ice Cream Flavor Developer<\/strong>
\nPerhaps my favorite job: tasting and evaluating lots and lots of ice cream.\u00a0 Ice cream flavor developers begin at a starting salary of $25,000 a year with opportunities to grow to $50,000.\u00a0 Candidates for this position have sensitive, evaluative taste buds, are creative, and have the ability to deal with media.\u00a0 Developers are involved in quality control, product development, and the training of ice cream sales people.\u00a0 However, four to five hours a day can be expected to be spent on the tasting of ice cream.<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0 Bicycle Messenger<\/strong>
\nBicycle messengers serve in both big cities and small communities as quick deliverers of packages, letters, and time-sensitive documents.\u00a0 They can expect to bring home $500 a week before taxes while putting on 20 to 60 miles of bike travel per day.\u00a0 Agility, quick-wittedness, and a powerful survival instinct make up the best bicycle messengers.\u00a0 Keeping fit while on the job is a welcomed perk of this adventurous position.<\/p>\n

These unique opportunities are but five of many.\u00a0 If you are interested in reading the full book, there is a copy available in the office of Career Services as well as the OSU Library.\u00a0 You might also check out the following websites:<\/p>\n