Exploring 'Off The Wall' Career Options
There are many different career options for all of us and some are more reasonable to reach for than others, based on our socio-economic background, country of origin and a host of other factors that may influence us for or against a particular option. People from a lower socio-economic background may not be able to afford to pay for university tuition fees so they might consider that a career as a Doctor isn’t realistic for them to aim for.
There are some careers that would be considered pretty off-the-wall in terms of being a realistic way to earn a living, or because the entrance requirements preclude a great many people. Some of them are generally discussed as a possibility because the lifestyle involved sounds far too exotic or too good to be true.
Top Five 'Off The Wall' Careers
1. Astronaut
This is one of the jobs that almost all children have wanted to do at some point in their childhood but few have taken seriously into adulthood. This is partly because it seems such an impossible dream to achieve for so many people.
The most common path into becoming an astronaut involved being the best of the best in a national air force, a real-life top gun and then being asked if you want to try out for it. It isn’t even an honour that is handed automatically to the top military pilots, so you could spend your entire career in search of this, climbing your way to the top and still never get chosen for it.
It was a dream many left behind when they realised that their eyesight was barely good enough to drive a car and they would never be allowed to fly a fighter plane.
2. Diving Instructor
From the almost unattainable to a job that tends to get dismissed because the lifestyle sounds too good to be true. Professional diving instructors can make a living around the world in all kinds of fabulous, un-soaked climes and the very image of this makes many people think it mustn’t be possible because everyone would be doing it.
The truth is that licensed PADI diving instructors are teaching about what they love every day, in warm waters around the world from Australia to the Maldives and every beach resort in between. If becoming a diving instructor and seeing the world is your dream, don’t let anyone stand in the way of it. Get your qualifications and start doing what you really want to do with your life.
3. Social Media Influencer
This is one of those jobs that absolutely everyone thinks that they could do but very few people actually persist and create enough content to the point where they “make it”. There are many influencers making pocket money from their hobby but there are far fewer who are actually making the big money and they are having to work every bit as hard as for a “normal” job.
It looks glamorous but if you are doing it on your own, you need to have amazing selfie skills and an excellent lighting set up. You will be paying to visit exotic locations to keep the photos interesting and keep your followers as well and many actually struggle to break even, despite the image that they portray online.
Of course, the ones that do make it big can be seen surrounded by their make-up and lighting crews being photographed in the streets of Santorini, San Francisco, St. Tropez and every other hipster hangout beginning with S, or any other letter of the alphabet for that matter.
4. Funeral Director
The role of funeral director is not for everyone. You need to have excellent interpersonal skills in order to deal with grieving relatives every day and be able to bring them a measure of comfort with your words. It’s not something that everyone would consider but it is one of the professions that will never go out of fashion or be adversely affected by a failing economy. Quite the reverse.
It is often thought of as being a really grim job but it is an essential one in the society that we live in. The whole of society is set up so that when someone dies they have a funeral which comprises a burial or cremation.
The role of funeral director is sometimes portrayed as one for people who are a little creepy because they have to spend so much time with dead bodies but it can be a good job for people who are a little introverted and like peace and quiet.
The majority of the clients they arrange to pick up from retirement homes when they have died, handling it sensitively so as not to upset the other people who are there. They ensure they are dressed in their finest before they are buried or cremated, to give their families what comfort and closure they can.
5. Private Investigator
If you were looking for a job with even more tropes and stereotypes attached to it than that of a funeral director, how about trying out being a private investigator? There are so many big screen portrayals of private investigators that many people actually forget that this is a real life job that they can apply for.
It is interesting and varied work and a lot of what they do is trying to trace missing people when the police are just too busy to give them the kind of attention the families would like them to have.
There are the other jobs as well where they are asked to prove or disprove an affair and this can be relationship ending or saving, depending on what is uncovered. If you have always dreamed of playing out your spy fantasies in real life, taking surreptitious photos in order to provide proof then this job could well be the one you are looking for.
Just be careful that everything you do remains on the correct side of the law as private investigators do have a reputation for treading close to the line on occasion.
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