(Thanks to twentytwowords.com, theclever.com, gobankingrates.com, & businessinsider.com)
One of the most common questions is, “So, what do you do?” Most
of us have a standard answer about our profession, but there are some people
who have jobs that you might not even know existed.
It just goes to show that you can make a living doing something
bizarre & outside of the box that you might never have even heard of!!
Need proof? Ask a professional cheese listener or line stander.
BAD BREATH EVALUATOR
Bad breath is the
ultimate turn-off for most people. And just because you are paid to be exposed
to it on a daily basis, it doesn’t make it any better.
Being
a breath odor evaluator means you would be working for a food or chemical
company. The job involves sniffing people’s mouths before and after trying a
new chewing gum or mouthwash product. To make it even more “fun,” sometimes
testers are required to consume garlic or coffee before the smell test.
To
qualify for such a stinky job, you need a keen sense of smell & probably a
very strong
stomach.
stomach.
SUBWAY PUSHER
This
job originates in New York, where they were also called “sardine packers,” but
is currently more common in Japan. It’s almost hard to believe that in a
country so civilized & so technologically advanced, people get shoved &
pushed into subways & travel in uncomfortable conditions.
In
Tokyo, 8.7 million people take the subway every day & even though there are
about 24 trains per hour going in one direction, it still gets very
overcrowded, especially during rush hour. Introduce “oshiya” or “pushers,”
whose job is to cram as many people as possible in every train. People are
squished so tightly against each other, that they can’t move or even breathe
properly.
CHEESE LISTENER
A
good cheese, like the famous Parmigiano Reggiano, takes more skills than one
might think. Taste and smell are not the only decisive factors when it comes to
assessing the quality of cheese. When it comes to Parmesan, you also need to
have a good ear.
A Parmesan
listener hits the head of the cheese with a special hammer to figure out
whether the head meets the standard. Certain sounds let the specialist know
about possible cracks and voids inside the cheese wheel. So next time you enjoy
a nice piece of Parmesan cheese you can thank the Parmesan listener for doing
his job right.
CERTIFIED ETHICAL HACKER
Certified Ethical Hacker
Average pay: $71,331
The
technology and cyber security industry is full of good paying jobs, but a
certified ethical hacker is undoubtedly one of the most important positions —
and you likely haven’t heard of it since these hackers work undetected.
Also
known as penetration testers, these professionals are needed in every industry.
They are paid to intentionally hack computers and systems to find areas of
weakness.
PROFESSIONAL LINE STANDERS
Professional line standers do one thing
most of us have no patience for: wait in line. These professionals are
especially busy during big sales (think Black Friday) and product launches (new
iPhone releases, for example). Rates vary, but one professional line-stander
told Business Insider he earns up to $1,000 a week.
DOG FOOD TASTER
Human dog food tasters are
hired by pet food companies to test the quality of their products. They also
evaluate the nutritional value and usually spit out the food once they taste
it.
(Ed. note: The father of one of my son's
friends opened & ate
some dog biscuits while his wife was out.
He was colorblind & didn't read the
box
They looked like some regular kind of
cookies.
He said they were OK, but kind of dry.)
PROFESSIONAL CUDDLER
Professional
cuddlers charge up to $80 an hour to snuggle with strangers.
The downside: This work comes with its share of emotional burdens, says
Portland-based cuddler Samantha Hess.
SNAKE MILKER
Snake milkers extract venom from
some of the world's most dangerous snakes, like rattlesnakes and cobras. The
extracted venom is often used to create antivenom for hospital or laboratory
use, and can be sold for up to $1,000 per gram.
ODOR JUDGE
Odor judges perform
odor tests to rate the effectiveness of hygiene products like soaps and
bodywashes, deodorant, and mouthwashes. Depending on what products are being
studied, judges smell subjects' armpits, feet, or breath and rate their odors
on a scale of one to 10.
During
one odor tester's 15-year career she sniffed approximately 5,600 feet and an
indeterminate number of armpits, for which she won the Guinness World Record for most
feet and armpits sniffed.
RENT-A-MOURNER
Professional
mourners attend funerals and grieve for the deceased. A company
in England called Rent A Mourner specializes in the
industry, offering mourners for your loved ones for two hours for roughly $70.
ICEBERG RELOCATORS
Iceberg mover became a profession after
the sinking of the Titanic.
The
International Ice Patrol (IIP), which was founded a year later, is operated by
the US Coast Guard. It tracks the location of icebergs and provides safe routes
around them. If necessary, the iceberg will be towed out of the area.
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TOP SIGNS YOU'RE BORED AT WORK
- You've already read the entire Dilbert page-a-day calendar for the year.
- You discover that staring at your cubicle wall long enough produces images of Elvis.
- You've figured out a way to get Gilligan off the island.
- You decide to see how many Mountain Dews you can drink before the
inevitable explosion occurs.
- People come into your office only to borrow pencils from your ceiling.
- No longer content with merely photocopying your rear, you now scan and
enhance it with Photoshop.
- You now require only a single can of cola to belch the names of all seven Dwarfs.
- The 4th Division of Paperclips has overrun the Pushpin Infantry, and General White-Out has called for reinforcements.
(jokaaday.com)
