Editor’s note: This article was first published in May 2013. Build-A-Bear’s revenue of $395 million and its two plush repair technicians are 2013 figures, and the article gives no sources for them.
Some jobs are anything but ordinary, and as a rule they tend to be lucrative because they pay well. In other cases, the salary for these strange jobs is a closely guarded secret. Of course, seen from the outside, many people would find some of these jobs a genuine pleasure, although I imagine the people who do these exclusive jobs also end up tired at the end of the week.
Here are 8 jobs you have probably never heard of.
1. Gold stackers
Both the US Federal Reserve Bank and the famous Fort Knox store more than $194 billion in gold bars. Every now and then they need to be moved, and it is people who do it. Each bar has to be moved one at a time, by hand, and the repetitive effort is so hard that several workers are needed, working in shifts. They are known as gold stackers, and they are on a fixed salary for those days of work. Their duties now also include looking after and cleaning the gold.
2. Bed tester
At first glance this would be a job most people would love, since the task is to test the beds of hotel chains to make sure they are comfortable. Natalie Thomas, the most professional and longest-serving person in the trade, says that working for one of the UK’s leading hotel chains is not easy at all, mainly because she has to test the chain’s more than 46,000 beds, something that can become stressful.
3. Keeper of the Cup
The keeper of the Stanley Cup has been doing this job for 13 years. His only job is to guard the trophy and hand it over when the hockey league ends. It is a highly coveted job among fans of the sport. This person’s salary is “top secret”, but we assume it is above the minimum wage :).
4. Water slide tester
When an amusement park opens with its water slides, it has to meet certain safety standards and offer a good user experience. That is where this professional comes in: his only job is to try out every single slide in the parks. Tommy Lynch, the most professional water slide tester around, says it is the best job in the world, because he has fun and travels all over the world, and it is a very refreshing job in summer.
5. Teddy bear repair technician
Build-A-Bear is a company that does much more than sell teddy bears. It makes personalized stuffed animals and has revenue of $395 million, thanks in part to the fact that if a stuffed animal breaks, it can be repaired. To offer this service, the company employs two plush repair technicians.
6. Razor and shaver tester
The biggest makers of razor blades and electric shavers rely on product testers, people whose only job is to shave and give their opinion, which is decisive when it comes to launching the product or sending it back for review.
7. Mermaid
Mermaids do exist, and they are a lovely attraction at water parks and marine zoos. If you like being underwater surrounded by fish, this could be the job for you. Since there was strong demand for this kind of role, the first companies have already appeared with the unique idea of renting out mermaids to water parks and attractions, which has turned out to be a profitable business for those companies and a saving for the parks.
8. Video game tester
Video game companies need to know exactly what the player experience is like, since this is one of the most profitable industries right now. A good game can bring a company hundreds of millions in profits, and they cannot leave anything to chance. Being a video game tester is a pleasure for the person doing it, since as a rule the job goes to someone who would be playing all day for free anyway, and at the same time they can tell the company what it should change to make the game more appealing.
As we can see, there is one profession on the rise, which is testing all kinds of products, and it is one of the professions where it is easiest to get paid for your passion.
Further reading
- What is the perfect business or job for you? How to decide what to do
- 5 businesses you won’t believe exist
- Ranking of the best and worst professions
- University degrees with the poorest job prospects
Featured image: Michael Vadon, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Flickr.
