20+ Jobs that sound fake but actually pay really well for those considering an out-of-left-field career change: 'Bear removal expert'

And if you weren't thrown into the world with a trust fund, telling stories about how you struggled and had to eat ramen *shudder* while you were still an up-and-coming artist on late-night talk shows (even though you were effectively just cosplaying at being poor), well, let's just say that it's probably too late and not going to happen.

Still, there must be some jobs out there that sound almost as fake as "trust fund baby indie rock band singer" that actually pay quite well. And that's what we're here for. As these workers shared in this viral AskReddit thread, there are actually quite a lot of them out there. And they're each as surprising as the last.

Ok, so maybe watching paint dry isn't as interesting as being a coconut engineer. And, certainly, being a bear removal expert must be one of the most interesting jobs out there, for the 1% of the time that there's actually a bear around. The other 99% of the time watching paint dry might actually be preferable. But it's all in the eye of the beholder. 

Which of these jobs would you take? Have a read through some of these top responses and let me know what one you would take for your career change in the comments. You might even have a job of your own, or a job that someone you know who knows someone who, allegedly, has that job that you want to add to the list. Either way, have a read through these jobs and let me know what you think.

What’s a job that sounds 100% fake but actually exists and pays surprisingly well?

source: Sharp-Membership5203

grahamsz

Not super well paid, but I know someone who's a Standardized Patient and basically acts a set of conditions so med students can get experience talking to actual people and trying to make a diagnosis

Smuggler04

I knew people who watched paint dry for a living because they were paint chemists. Coatings inspectors go offshore and look at the paint there and get paid decent money for it

Azurealy

Met a guy whose job was to fly around the country in private jets. He wasn’t even really trained at all, he was a sheriff deputy and did this on the side. He traveled with organs and had to hand them off to people but he wasn’t like medically trained or anything and the deputy part was unrelated.

Alternative-else


Golf ball diver.

Getting paid to scuba dive into golf course ponds and collect lost balls sounds completely made up.

mindless_blaze

I only recently heard of such a thing as a house manager. I thought it was the same thing as a housekeeper, but it's actually the supervisor of the housekeeper. They also schedule maintenance, get quotes for projects, deal with contractors, deal with mail, make sure the cook and nanny, etc are all paid, coordinates accommodations for guests, makes sure your car is charged or full tank every night, etc. They make $100k.

BrothelWaffles

Met a dude the other night who owns a company that does nothing but make artificial palm trees.

leroyhobo

I once met a guy in a bar in Chicago whose job is to stand up penguins that fall over watching planes. Sounded totally cool.

Snoo54756

Wayfinding Strategist lol Mine.

diovanedvx

Coconut Engineer.

Falling coconuts can be a hazard, and people in rich neighborhoods will pay someone to make sure no coconuts fall on their heads, or expensive cars.

frankenmullet22

Not a real job, but I once told a girl at the bar that I was a penguin wrangler at Brookfield zoo. I said the penguins fall over when they look up to watch the planes fly over. I had to stand them up after every plane. She 100% believed me, but we were also very dr***

VilleKivinen

The weirdest one I have met was falconer. He trains hawks and travels to airfields to scare off birds so that they don't hit planes when they take off or land. He used to be a mycologist researcher but hobby turned into career.

Lekkermonkey

I used to work as a fire watcher in a nuclear power plant. Basically, any time any form of welding was done I would have to sit there for a minimum of 60 minutes after the work was finished and stare at the metal as it cooled incase any sparks suddenly erupted. Even if it was 10 seconds of welding, it was a default 60 minutes of me sat in something akin to the Nostromo just staring at pipes.

Surprisingly well paid but incredibly boring as any kind of distraction like books were banned. It seemed to be a job that attracted some rather strange people.

Still, a summer of that paid for some incredible travelling around Europe

d-crow

bear removal expert - oilfield

RuthOConnorFisher

Rose wrangler. My sister does this; she's a specialized landscaper who goes around and takes care of rich people's rose bushes. I have no idea exactly what it pays, but she seems to be doing okay.

BoogieWoogieWho

Lol. Two of my acquaintances just so happen to have such titles where they work.

Chief Happiness Officer.

Customer Excellence Director.

fataii

A commercial/residential building manager. After years of learning this industry and trying to figure out how to properly deal with each tenant's needs, this job is a breeze and pays about 150k a year now.

There is a demand and the balance is trying to arrange your schedule to accommodate working for two or sometimes 3 different companies at the same time, but it is actually very easy and most days only require an hour or two of work but get paid for 10.

TennisSkirt1628

Professional gambler.

On average I pull in around $30k a month - requires a lot of patience and the ability to always act rationally, even when the stakes are high.

Also requires a decent bankroll size to begin working seriously.

Not everyone can stomach having $100k on the line, staking it for a less than 5% edge, losing it to variance and continue to remain calm.

smickie

Tablescaper - I know a wealthy person who gets these people in to do their tables for dinner parties. Again, I don't think it pays very well, but they bring in lots of special expensive plates and cutleries at one off and then take them all away at the end. Then do all the name settings and place settings and flowers and everything. They go into private homes and do this.

nailbunny2000

The guy who runs the telescope farm. I just love how simple an idea it is, real "Why didn't I think it that?" type sh**. Makes you wonder what other weird niches are just begging to be served.

LordWraith

I once worked as a part of a security team with a six month sub-contract at a hospital watching a violent ex-con around the clock to ensure safety for nursing staff.

Sounded necessary at first except for the fact that the patient in question was a quadriplegic in the spinal injury ward.

Easiest money I ever earned.

VulcanHullo

I once got chatting with a security guard who said the KEY skill in the job is boredom. People apparently crash out constantly or get fired because they can't stand the boredom, or they f** about on the job - because of the boredom.

"Sometimes I'm just here to tick a box, but if I f** off and something happens guess who is getting nailed to the wall first? So. My job is be bored. If I have to WORK it's a bad night."

common_user23

Tree counter. He would go deep into tree fields in the middle of nowhere, set up a standard area an count how many trees were in it. For the logging industry

Rusty_Rocker_292

In the oil field drilling fluids are sometimes stored in big open air pits. They aren't exactly poisonous, but they do contain chemicals that can be harmful to wild life. To keep ducks and geese away they hire a guy to yell at them with a megaphone and scare them off. So his job is to yell at geese with a megaphone.

Yasku702

I worked at DirecTV Argentina, and someone’s job was to watch the pay-per-view content and check that the program guide and subtitles were correct; I’d watch all day to see if the scheduled programs were actually airing and if the subtitles were properly synced—I spent the whole day watching movies and adult channels.

madtowntripper

I sell rocks. Like literal rocks. Not dr***.

I’ve done this for almost 20 years. Supported my family, raised two kids.

Just rocks.

vegbiryaniisnotpulao

Jesus Marie, they're MINERALS!

Ksh*tijGaikwad

Professional line stander. Companies pay people to wait in line for product launches, court seats, restaurant openings, you name it.