The Weirdest Jobs
By Steve Gillman
The following are a few of the many jobs we discovered when
researching online. They may be some of the weirdest jobs you
have read about, and that is their appeal--reading about them.
You would probably prefer not to be hired for most of them. At
least one of the positions we "discovered" may not
even exist (sometimes things are invented online because it's
easier than actually reporting on what's out there).
Snake Milker
No, you do not have to milk little snake breasts for this
job (now that would be really weird). Your mission, should you
choose to accept it, is to wrangle poisonous snakes and get there
fangs over the edge of a laboratory beaker in order to "milk"
them of their venom. You will be (most likely) working for a
university, laboratory, or pharmaceutical company. The venom
is used for the production of antivenom, which is used to save
the lives of those who have been bitten by poisonous snakes.
Some resources online claim that you'll need a degree in biology,
biochemistry or herpetology, but that may depend on where you
work and the regulations in that state. With or without the educational
credentials it would be wise to get a job assisting someone who
is already doing this work before trying it on your own. Though
some sources say snake-milkers make around $2,500 per month,
there is no category in the Bureau of Labor Statistics for this
position, so it's difficult to say what you might make. On the
other hand, since some types of snake venom can sell for $2,000
per gram, and you can die if you make a mistake while doing this
work, it should pay a decent wage.
Diener
A diener prepares cadavers for a pathologist. This is done
prior to the pathologist doing an autopsy in a hospital or other
institution. If you work in this position you'll be responsible
for handling, moving, and cleaning the corpse. In some cases
you'll also perform the dissection of the body. According to
Wikipedia, the job title of diener comes from the German word
Leichendiener, which, when literally translated, means "corpse
servant." It is not easy to find information on how to qualify
for the job or what the average pay is, so feel free to enlighten
us if you work in this field.
Tampon Tester
This is one of those jobs that you read about around the internet,
but may not exist. I could not find any evidence of such positions.
I got no results when searching the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
website, for example. A general search engine query yields only
those sites that have this on their "weirdest jobs"
lists. I suspect that tampons have to be tested, but perhaps
it is done using machines and is just one of many tasks that
some employees at the manufacturing facilities have to do, rather
than a separate full-time position.
Subliminal Painter
Bernard Morin of Morrocco created a concept called "subliminal
positive pictures." He adds positive and motivating words
to his paintings, writing them many times in many different directions
until they become essentially illegible. The idea is that when
people view these paintings the subconscious mind picks up on
the affirmations and is positively affected by them. He sells
watercolors, oil paintings and has even has his work featured
on several stamps for the Royal Post of Magreb in Morrocco.
Bernard sells the painting he does for as little as $45, but
has made a decent income from them for years. If you want some
inspiration for creating your own new art form, you can visit
his website here:
http://www.artabus.com/morinbernard
You can also read an interview with him and see an example
of his art here:
http://www.everywaytomakemoney.com/artist-interview.html
Geodesic Dome Designer
If you are looking to work outdoors you might sell your services
building dome-shaped buildings for storage, homes and more. But
Phillip Reed prefers to sell the designs so customers can build
these structures themselves. For example, he sells the plans
for a take-apart geodesic dome for $21.75 (as of 2012). It's
a 49-page guide that includes more than two dozen drawings and
details how to make a building with a diametere of 16 1/2 feet.
You can see his website (and the dome buildings) here:
http://www.takeapartdome.com/
For more information on all of the weird jobs out there, be
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