Career Advice for Job Seekers
11 Odd Jobs with High Salaries
William Frierson
Aaron Gouveia, Salary.com contributing writer
Think back to the last time you were at a party or a social event, and you had to make small talk with new acquaintances. Inevitably the question of “So what do you do?” is asked, and everyone recites their professions. While the regulars seem to always come up – doctor, lawyer, teacher, etc. – every once in a while someone comes out with a doozy that could leave you scratching your head or picking your jaw up off the floor.
Did you know Horse Exerciser is a job? Or that you can make a living as a Bingo Manager? And even if you have heard of these jobs, chances are you’ll be surprised at much they make. So we dug through more than 4,000 of our job titles and picked out some under-the-radar jobs with surprisingly high annual salaries of $50,000 or more.
11. Horse Rider/Exerciser
HORSE RIDER/EXERCISER
Annual median salary: $50,691
If you’ve ever found yourself holding a winning ticket at the track, chances are you’ve benefited, in part, from a horse exerciser.
Everyone who has watched the movie Seabiscuit knows jockeys are the ones who actually do the racing. But what most people don’t realize is that other people help exercise and train the horses long before post time. The men and women who do this are called horse exercisers, and their primary responsibility is to ride the horses on non-race days and prepare them for the jockeys. From getting them used to walking in the gate to simulating a mid-race gallop, exercisers must gauge a horse’s well-being and responsiveness and accurately relate it to the jockeys and trainers.
This job generally only requires a high school diploma, but also takes roughly seven years of experience to master. Although you won’t get rich, if you’re a lover of horses and/or want to someday become a jockey, this is a great way to do it and bring home a solid paycheck.
10. Sommelier
SOMMELIER
Annual median salary: $50,868
Lots of people whine about their jobs, but only a select few make their careers all about wine.
A sommelier, or wine steward, usually works at an upscale restaurant and is in charge of everything related to the business’ wine collection. Customers who have questions or need recommendations ask the sommelier, and he/she picks out precisely the right wine pairing to go with their meal. But in addition to the public-facing part of a sommelier’s job, he/she may also travel to vineyards to identify wine, buy wine from distributors, monitor the condition of the wine cellar, and work with restaurant chefs to prepare appetizing food and drink pairings.
Although a college degree is not always a prerequisite, most sommeliers have many years of experience and some will complete training and certification programs. Either way, there’s a lot more to becoming a successful sommelier than watching Sideways over and over again.
9. Bereavement Coordinator
BEREAVEMENT COORDINATOR
Annual median salary: $52,328
In an ideal world we wouldn’t know what it’s like to get bad news about a loved one, but most of us have. And if your case was handled sensitively and professionally, you can most likely thank a bereavement coordinator.
While these workers aren’t generally the ones breaking the bad news to people, they’re managing the social workers who do. They’ve also worked tirelessly to come up with a system that makes an impossible situation as painless as possible under the circumstances. This job generally requires a four-year college degree, and bereavement coordinators develop and implement programs to assist the survivors of people with terminal illness. They often work in settings such as hospitals, hospice, and nursing homes.
While some might be surprised at the paycheck bereavement coordinators take home, consider that they work in a high-stress field among emotionally distraught people going through some of the worst times in their lives.
8. Childbirth Educator
CHILDBIRTH EDUCATOR
Annual median salary: $56,504
If all you know about pregnancy and childbirth was learned on TV and in movies, you might be tempted to think women casually go into labor and then give birth minutes later while never breaking a sweat or smearing their make-up.
But the truth is there’s a lot of preparation, and much of it is done by childbirth educators. These men and women aren’t doctors, but they almost always have college degrees and several years of experience. Their job isn’t to deliver the baby, but to prepare for the delivery with classes and information regarding childbirth procedures, trends in labor and delivery technology, and even holds pre-conception classes.
Often affiliated with area hospitals, these workers often serve not only as an initial source of information for expectant parents, but a continuing resource even after the birth. Continue reading . . .
Article by Aaron Gouveia and courtesy of Salary.com
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