16 Offbeat Careers That Are Surprisingly Lucrative

Established careers often have high barriers to entry, with qualifications, experience, and networks playing a crucial role. Breaking in can be challenging, leading to longer paths to financial stability. This is where it helps to know unknown jobs that pay well.

Let us look at 16 such odd jobs that pay in 6-figures.

Voice Artists

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A voice artist is someone who gives life to cartoons, commercials, radio, presentations, etc with their voice. The job calls for someone who can manipulate their voice and has the ability to pour emotions into the words they read.

Voice actors often earn up to $200,000 per year or even more. You can start finding entry-level jobs on voices123 or voicebunny.

Garbage Collectors

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Garbage truck drivers, who come to collect waste from your neighborhood, earn a decent living. They have specific shifts for their job. Sometimes it starts very early in the morning; sometimes, it is in the evening. It allows them to explore other works on the side as well.

Many garbage truck drivers can earn over $100,000 every year.

Dog Walker

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Walking dogs is a great job for animal lovers. You can earn a good income by walking dogs, and you also get to enjoy time with some cute pets. There are dog walkers who are earning over $100,000.

Toy Maker

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Toy-making job is for everyone who loves bringing joy to the world. As a toy maker, you will build different kinds of toys for kids and adults alike. However, you will need a degree in toy making, designing, or engineering for this. The average salary for a toy marker is between $50,000 to $90,000. You can find entry-level jobs on Toyjobs.com.

Elevator Mechanic

 

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As an elevator mechanic, your job includes installing, fixing, and maintaining elevators. To start, you will need a high school diploma. Post this, you will need to get on-the-job training with the union. The average salary per year for elevator mechanics is around $114,500.

Underwater Welder

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Underwater welding, or fixing pipes or big ships underwater, is a job that makes a lot of money. Yet, only some people know about it. You wear special gear to go underwater and use tools to weld or join metal parts. On big projects, you can earn even more than $100,000.

Crime Scene Cleaner

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The job of a crime scene cleaner is not for the faint-hearted. You will have to witness gory crimes steer your way through them and clean the crime scene. This involves cleaning blood, bodily fluids, or anything that is infectious. Since most people are unwilling to take this job, it comes with a considerable paycheck.

While you do not need any formal education, you will need training to handle hazardous waste. The average salary is approximately $50,000.

Ethical Hacker

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In a world with increased cyber crime, ethical hackers assist companies in maintaining the best security standards. Your job includes hacking systems, networks, and computers to test the company’s security infrastructure.

The average pay as an ethical hacker is $132000.

Luxury House Caretaker

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As a luxury house caretaker, you get to stay inside a luxurious house or a mansion and take good care of it. You are responsible for cleanliness, looking after the pets, watering the plants, cleaning the pool, general maintenance, etc. All of it while your employers are on vacation.

The average pay for a house sitter is $70,000. You can find jobs on Luxuryhousesitting.com, and estatesitting.com.

Bed Tester

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Being a bed tester sounds like the perfect job. You are getting paid for staying in bed. Literally. The average pay for a bed tester is $100000.

Furniture Tester

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Along similar lines to a bed tester, furniture testers play the same role for furniture. They work with companies who want to know how comfortable their furniture is. They use the furniture and give feedback on the level of comfort. The average salary for a furniture tester is $50,000.

Personal Shopper

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Being a personal shopper is the ultimate job for the fashionistas and divas. They are hired by the rich – often celebrities – to get quality input on clothing, accessories, footwear, etc. The average salary of a personal shopper is $50,000 and all the amazing networking opportunities it brings along

Obscure Stunt Tester

5. eating bad food in restaurant roach
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Obscure stunt testers are hired for reality shows on TV. There are several reality shows where contestants have to eat or do particularly cringeworthy food or activity. The obscure stunt testers give feedback and approve consumption. The average pay for an obscure stunt tester is $800 a day.

Master Sommelier

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In simple words, a master sommelier is a wine connoisseur. They work at restaurants and wineries as wine specialists and recommend wine to customers. The average compensation is $164,000.

Food Stylist

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Even if you are not the best cook in the world, you can still become a food stylist – the key thing to know as a food stylist is how to present the food well. The average salary of a food stylist is $70000.

Wind Turbine Technician

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A wind turbine technician is someone who works on big windmills that make electricity. It is a job that pays a lot of money but we don’t generally consider it as a career. You climb up tall wind turbines and fix them so that they keep producing power. If you do this job well, you can sometimes earn more than $100,000.

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