Candace Corner,
CareerBuilder.com writer
If you've ever daydreamed about finding a job that lets you play with legos, crack safes or ride around in the Weinermobile, you don't need to wake up, you just need to look in the right places.
In the United States, where a varied group of 9-to-5 professionals appear to dominate the working world, there is still room for unique employment. Nancy Rica Schiff's books, "Odd Jobs," and its sequel "Odder Jobs," showcase portraits of individuals across America with some of the most out-of-the-ordinary occupations. From dog food testers to odor judges, Schiff introduces readers to people and jobs existing beyond the usual classifieds.
Some of these jobs require additional educational training, natural talent or relocating to find the work, but if you're willing to do whatever it takes to avoid a more ordinary occupation, and don't mind steep competition, working in any one of these professions will provide a more interesting response the next time someone asks, "What do you do?"
Here are some of Schiff's Odd Jobs:
1. Coffin Maker
What they do: Build customized coffins, ranging from simple pine caskets to bejeweled boxes.
2. Potato Chip Inspector
What they do: Oversee potato chips on an assembly line and check for overcooked or clumped chips to discard.
3. Wax Figure Maker
What they do: Mold wax to create figures, often, but not limited to, the human form. Figures are often made in the likeness of people who have achieved historical or celebrity recognition.
4. Foot Model
What they do: Work as a "parts model," modeling their feet for advertisements that feature footwear, lotions and other related-products.
5. Golf Ball Diver
What they do: Search the depths of golf course bodies of water to find lost golf balls to refinish and resell.
6. Doll Doctor
What they do: Repair, repaint and reassemble doll parts to doctor-up dolls that have missing, broken or damaged parts.
7. Egg Inspector
What they do: Examine eggs for cracks and other irregularities before they are graded and stamped for approval.
8. Knife Thrower's Assistant
What they do: Act as human targets for the knife thrower, which can involve mastering feats such as being tied to a spinning wheel while having knives thrown within inches of their bodies, or having objects cut above their heads.
9. Foley Artist
What they do: Use random items and whatever else they can find to create and record the noises used to make the sounds effects in films, such as heavy footsteps, rolling thunder or creaking doors.
10. Solfeggist
What they do: Listen to recorded music and monitor notes in indistinguishable compositions.
11. Snow Researcher
What they do: Collect and analyze ice crystals in snow to study the effects of pollution on area snowfall.
12. Wig Maker
What they do: Create and fit hair pieces such as wigs, beards, mustaches and eyebrows for clients requesting hair for costume or personal needs.
13. Gross Stunt Producer
What they do: Create new ways to gross out contestants on television shows, using insects, animal products and other things considered that could be considered "gross" by society's standards.
14. Mermaid
What they do: Entertain crowds as an underwater performer.
15. Whiskey Ambassador
What they do: Drink and explain the proper ways to serve and savor various whiskeys.
16. Dog Food Tester
What they do: Taste and analyze dog food samples and write reviews on the results.
17. Bonfire Builder
What they do: Gather discarded wood from trash bins, beaches, construction scrap heaps and similar areas to expertly build bonfires.
18. Dice Inspector
What they do: Inspect dice used in casinos for lopsided angles, misspotting and other blemishes that could cause error when the dice are rolled for gambling purposes.
19. Ethnographer
What they do: Research and study single groups of human behavior through fieldwork, observing and questioning participants.
20. Gum Buster
What they do: Remove gum stuck to sidewalks, street benches and other unwanted areas by de-sticking the gum through a steaming process.
Sphere: Related Content
In the United States, where a varied group of 9-to-5 professionals appear to dominate the working world, there is still room for unique employment. Nancy Rica Schiff's books, "Odd Jobs," and its sequel "Odder Jobs," showcase portraits of individuals across America with some of the most out-of-the-ordinary occupations. From dog food testers to odor judges, Schiff introduces readers to people and jobs existing beyond the usual classifieds.
Some of these jobs require additional educational training, natural talent or relocating to find the work, but if you're willing to do whatever it takes to avoid a more ordinary occupation, and don't mind steep competition, working in any one of these professions will provide a more interesting response the next time someone asks, "What do you do?"
Here are some of Schiff's Odd Jobs:
1. Coffin Maker
What they do: Build customized coffins, ranging from simple pine caskets to bejeweled boxes.
2. Potato Chip Inspector
What they do: Oversee potato chips on an assembly line and check for overcooked or clumped chips to discard.
3. Wax Figure Maker
What they do: Mold wax to create figures, often, but not limited to, the human form. Figures are often made in the likeness of people who have achieved historical or celebrity recognition.
4. Foot Model
What they do: Work as a "parts model," modeling their feet for advertisements that feature footwear, lotions and other related-products.
5. Golf Ball Diver
What they do: Search the depths of golf course bodies of water to find lost golf balls to refinish and resell.
6. Doll Doctor
What they do: Repair, repaint and reassemble doll parts to doctor-up dolls that have missing, broken or damaged parts.
7. Egg Inspector
What they do: Examine eggs for cracks and other irregularities before they are graded and stamped for approval.
8. Knife Thrower's Assistant
What they do: Act as human targets for the knife thrower, which can involve mastering feats such as being tied to a spinning wheel while having knives thrown within inches of their bodies, or having objects cut above their heads.
9. Foley Artist
What they do: Use random items and whatever else they can find to create and record the noises used to make the sounds effects in films, such as heavy footsteps, rolling thunder or creaking doors.
10. Solfeggist
What they do: Listen to recorded music and monitor notes in indistinguishable compositions.
11. Snow Researcher
What they do: Collect and analyze ice crystals in snow to study the effects of pollution on area snowfall.
12. Wig Maker
What they do: Create and fit hair pieces such as wigs, beards, mustaches and eyebrows for clients requesting hair for costume or personal needs.
13. Gross Stunt Producer
What they do: Create new ways to gross out contestants on television shows, using insects, animal products and other things considered that could be considered "gross" by society's standards.
14. Mermaid
What they do: Entertain crowds as an underwater performer.
15. Whiskey Ambassador
What they do: Drink and explain the proper ways to serve and savor various whiskeys.
16. Dog Food Tester
What they do: Taste and analyze dog food samples and write reviews on the results.
17. Bonfire Builder
What they do: Gather discarded wood from trash bins, beaches, construction scrap heaps and similar areas to expertly build bonfires.
18. Dice Inspector
What they do: Inspect dice used in casinos for lopsided angles, misspotting and other blemishes that could cause error when the dice are rolled for gambling purposes.
19. Ethnographer
What they do: Research and study single groups of human behavior through fieldwork, observing and questioning participants.
20. Gum Buster
What they do: Remove gum stuck to sidewalks, street benches and other unwanted areas by de-sticking the gum through a steaming process.
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