On average most of us will, unfortunately, spend at least a quarter of our life working. Since it is a necessity in life unless you are lucky enough to win the lottery or are born into money, why not make the most of it? Sometimes the typical nine to five job just doesn’t appeal to some people and they prefer to take different avenues to earn their income. Uncommon career routes are not for the average Joe or Joette either. As you will see from the examples listed below, some of these really bizarre jobs that you probably never even knew existed require a lot of nerve and skill in some way or another. The people and companies who hire these professionals have the money, and will spend it on anything they need to have done, and there is always someone willing and able to fulfill those needs. From the practical and normal jobs like construction and delivering mail, to the more abstract and strange jobs like milking snakes and sexing chickens, to the coolest jobs like testing waterslides and sleeping. There is always someone willing to do anything for that money and always someone willing to pay to have it done.

15. Professional Bridesmaid

The Wedding Wingwoman, Jen Glantz, started Bridesmaids For Hire™, a company that has a unique service to offer. “The Gal Pal you never knew you needed, during the time you need her the most.” Yup, who needs a real lifelong bestie, when all you need to do is buy one? It can cost over $2,000, but it really takes that hassle out of having to work at building those lifelong relationships. Keeping it incognito by creating a backstory is the hardest part of the job because it’s a bit embarrassing if guests find out a stranger was paid thousands of dollars to be in the wedding party.

14. Living Statues

If you have ever been to the Venetian’s Grand Canal Shoppes in Las Vegas, you have probably seen the most stupendous examples of living statues. Businesses use them for the sole purpose to move, or they might as well just have real statues. Getting paid about $25 to $100 per hour, it’s a very lucrative but demanding job. Things like full body makeup that can take up to 90 minutes to apply, and making sure they eat so as not to be dizzy on their feet are just some of the challenging aspects to the job. And remember, they can hear you so don’t be too critical!

13. Professional Snuggler

Snuggle Buddies is a company that provides professional Snugglers to nestle under the covers with you for only $80/hr. Friendly massages, platonic dinner dates or any other platonic activity is also part of the Snuggler’s job description. Snuggle Buddies pays their Snugglers $40/hr plus tips. They even get an additional $15/hr. for travel time and are allowed to make their own flexible schedule. Some benefits the Snuggler’s claim to provide include decreasing stress, less anxiety, lowered blood pressure and heart rate, and less depression. I would probably just head to the local humane society and get myself a pet and have those benefits on a permanent basis.

12. Snake Milker

There are approximately 3000 species of snakes. About 600 of them are venomous, and a third of those are important for medical purposes such as producing antivenom to treat bites. Some certain types of snake venom can sell for as much as $2,000 a gram. This is probably why snake milkers make, on average, $2,500 per month. You will need a degree in science and some very big nerves to become a professional snake milker though. First, you have to get the snake out of its serpentarium (snake house), then to a latex covered jar opening where you will force the snake to bite down and release his liquid gold. Not a job for the weak-hearted!

11. Chicken Sexer

Not a very glamorous job, but that’s probably why the pay can be up to $60,000 a year to be a chicken sexer. If you want to become one you can attend chicken sexing schools and earn your certificate or get on-the-job training by someone who will take you under their wing, (I couldn’t resist) and show you how. Sorting chicks can be very repetitive, but it is very important because hens and roosters lead very different lives. Vent sexing and feather sexing are two of the techniques used to sort the chicks. A 95% accuracy rate or better means you are a successful chicken sexer and can even participate in chicken sexing competitions.

10. Professional Line Stander/Sitter

If you have no time (but have the money) to spare, you can hire a professional line-stander for about $25/hr to wait in a line for you for just about anything your heart desires. What most likely started on TaskRabbit (a hiring service for odd jobs) or Craigslist (a hiring website for odder jobs), is now a money-making venture for many. Some interesting jobs have included waiting in line over 100 hours for the iPhone 5, Supreme Court arguments, congressional hearings, Air Jordans, sample sales, and Saturday Night Live tickets. I guess we all have the experience credentials for this job.

9. Professional Mourner

Much like the professional Bridesmaid, it’s essential that the professional Mourner have plenty of social skills to be able to engage with strangers during such an emotional situation. The professional Mourner will come up with ‘a story’ beforehand of how they knew each other by discussing the details of the deceased’s life with the client, like achievements and hobbies, so the mourner can blend into the occasion with confidence. Getting around $70-$100 a day for about four or five hours of time, only the immediate family are usually privy to the pretend mourner. It’s probably not very easy to keep a clear head during a wake after downing a couple of sherries.

8. Face Feeler

I bet you haven’t put much thought into what kind of testing was done on your razor or face cleanser to determine its effectiveness. Have no fear, the professional Face Feeler is here to put your mind at ease! These “sensory scientists” use their tactile senses (hands) to feel the faces of people testing these various products. They are trained experts capable of making an objective opinion as to whether the products are effective or not just by what they feel. They make around $10-$25 per hour and no academic requirements necessary, but I suppose you must have hands and fingers.

7. Pet Food Taster

Before you feed Rover or Fluffy breakfast, you will be happy to know their food has been tested for its taste by a professional Pet Food Taster. Much the same way items gets taste tested for human consumption before they hit the market shelves, pet food receives almost the same scrutiny. Earning a salary of about $40k a year, pet food tasters don’t really swallow the food but simply taste it then spit it out. Still, they must be ok with thoroughly chewing the pet food and taking notes regarding their opinion on the taste, nutritional content and texture of each delicacy.

 

6. Waterslide Tester

The most hedonistic dream job ever, a water slide tester has steep competition when it comes to getting the position. One British university student was selected out of 2000 applicants and got a six-month gig working for a resort company, earning him almost $31,000, which included all his travel expenses. There is a serious side to the job too though, as you are testing the slide for things like water flow, height, speed, landing as well as safety. You must be able to travel around the world as the resort companies open up their new water features, but the probably the worst thing about the job would be to have to test the slide out during cold weather.

5. Food Stylist

Ever wonder how much the people who arrange food to look yummy in magazines, advertisements, menus and cookbooks earn? Well, that would be around $33,000. a year. But if you’re a well established freelance food poser, you can earn anywhere between $450 to $850 a day. A Food Stylist needs to be a detail oriented person because they must be able to accessorize the food properly with linens, placemats and plates. You need no specific degree to become a food stylist, but many have one in culinary arts so they are very familiar with how to work with food. One main perk of the job is that you will never get any negative feedback from the food if it doesn’t like how it looks. 

4. Fortune Cookie Writer

Everyone has heard the old joke about the fortune in the cookie reading, “Help, I’m trapped in a fortune cookie factory and I can’t get out”. Well, why would you want to when you can make somewhere along the lines of $40,000 to $80,000 a year writing those mostly one-liners.  Apparently, there is a major downside to this job, and as a 30 year veteran and “Chief Fortune Writer” at Wonton foods once stated when describing his horrible case of writer’s block, “ I used to write 100 a year, but I’ve only written two or three over the past year”.

3. Bingo Manager

There is a lot more to being a bingo manager than meets the eye. It’s not about the smoke-filled hall your grandma played in calling out B7. Now it’s about the smoke-filled casino that has become a big bingo business where millions of people go to drop more than just a dime. The Bingo Manager for casinos handles lots of other things like payouts for jackpots and even customer complaints. The Bingo manager median pay is about $56,000 plus a year, not too bad considering no college degree is required. Experience generally is though and that is about five years.

 

2. Horse Rider/Exerciser

Everyone knows that jockeys race the horses, but not everyone knows that before the jockey hops on to do their thing, other people actually ride and exercise the horse long before post time. These people are known as horse exercisers and their sole mission is to prepare the horse for the jockey and the race. From practicing mid-race gallops to just getting them familiar with the gates, these horse exercisers must know the horse’s strengths and weaknesses and relay them to the jockeys and trainers. Making around $50,000 a year you can bring home a solid paycheck, but most importantly have a great time doing it.

1. Bed Tester

Who would have ever thought it would be ok to sleep on the job AND get paid while doing it? Well here is the ‘dream’ job for you, professional bed tester. For a salary of around $53,000. you literally can sleep the day away. Hotels like Travelodge and luxury bed companies are among some of the businesses that hire bed testers. Not only testing the quality of the mattress, but pillows and blankets are some of the other things that bed testers might be asked to test as well. One bed tester tested 25,000 beds, including room lighting for the Travelodge to make sure they all were up to their standards.