Unusual jobs that pay surprisingly well

Splash of chocolate on a white background. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

Fresh out of college and looking for a job? Millions of graduates are in the same position as you are. Most of them are looking to pay off a hefty student loan. The idea of having to pay off a debt can be pretty daunting. You are possibly thinking that a boring desk job is your only way to earn some good bucks.

Fortunately, you are wrong. Who says you can’t have an interesting job and rake in the big bucks at the same time? Here is a list of interesting jobs which are high paying enough to bring you some debt relief.

• Chocolate consultant

Who doesn’t like chocolate? This is one job, everybody has dreamt of having at some point or the other. No, this is not out of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. The job of a chocolate consultant can entail different things. Some work with chocolate brands while others work with niche brands and distributing.

Once you have worked your way up the chocolate ladder, you can even build your own company. Some chocolatiers host chocolate tastings, work as consultants for hotel chains and so on. Of course, you will need to be really passionate about chocolate, and not just about eating it!

• Beer tasting

Another one for the taste buds, particularly those who love a fine draught on a summer day. Many breweries hire beer tasters who have to taste the beer before they hit the market. Many companies hire beer tasters when they are looking to develop a new range of beer and so on. However, this job means you have to be really sensitive to flavours and tastes. A lot of people might be able to drink beer like a fish, that doesn’t necessarily make them good beer tasters.

• Island caretaker

This has been advertised as one of the world’s best jobs. It was basically done to promote the islands of the Great barrier Reef. You get to live on an exotic island for months, go exploring, swimming and having a blast. The job is to film all your activities and write about them to promote the island to the rest of the world.

For the ones wondering about the pay, don’t worry. It is a high paying job and can definitely help in some debt relief. Even if you don’t get to take care of an exotic island, you can always join the tourism industry to travel to some interesting places.

• Sleeper

Yes, you read that quite right. Are you someone who love sleeping and would probably never get out of bed if you didn’t have a job to do? Well, your dream job is here. You can actually use your sleepiness and turn it into a career! become a professional sleeper and no, we are not kidding you. There are many universities and clinics that carry out sleep and dream related studies. They require test subjects for this. Others are paid to make sure that the beds are comfortable.

Bet you never knew that some of these too good to be true jobs actually existed! They do, and there’s good money to be had while you are at it too. Just remember that taking up one of these jobs also means engaging with your passion on a daily basis. Loving something doesn’t mean that it will be equally fascinating as a job. For example, having a craving for chocolate doesn’t automatically make you a perfect candidate for a chocolate consultant job. You need to have real passion.

About the author

Charles Johnson is an independent career counsellor. Over the years, he has advised hundreds of graduate students on how to get good jobs to get lawsuit loans. As a hobby, Charles loves to travel to offbeat destinations.