Job Jealousy - Really Cool Jobs That Almost Anyone Can Get

I know my industry pretty well, know what most positions do, and could probably move into other, more interesting roles if I really wanted to. I'm just generally interested in the multitudes of work people do. 

Occasionally I'll hear about someone else's job and go "whoa, that sounds cool, how you'd get into that?" and most are like "oh I saw a job opening and just applied." 

I've met self-employed plumbers who made their jobs sound awesome, people making peanuts being instructors at summer camps, Grand Canyon Riverboat guides, field welders (like those in this community), people who own vehicle restoration shops. All sound cool, and aside from some practice or basic training, most didn't need expensive education, credentials, or super specific work experience. They all said "that sounds cool, I think I'll apply." 

Here's what I'm looking for:

1) A job (or position title) that you know exists and can be obtained by most mechanically/technically inclined people. As in, you don't need to be a super awesome mechanical engineer with all the credentials, or rock star computer programmer, or some published scientist with all the right academic connections. Nor do I want to see jobs like "CEO" because while some CEOs might have awesome jobs, they require lots of industry experience, specialized training, and often times degrees. 

2) Technical/Mechanical jobs only. I don't want a list of dream jobs like "Playboy Photographer" or "Race Car Driver".  Jobs that you didn't need to start preparing for when you were a child, or that you need to back for another college degree to obtain.  This doesn't necessarily mean I'm looking for a list of blue collar jobs, because there are plenty of jobs out there that aren't necessarily blue collar, but don't need super specialized training, either.

For example:

My BIL knows a guy who supports a family of 10 (omg right?) on a single income by traveling around the country disassembling, transporting, and assembling radar installations. Apparently it's a cool job where he splits time between working in a factory on refurbishments, but a couple of times a year will be called out across the country to move or build a new radar installation. His title something like "Field Radar Technician". I don't think he has any military experience nor a degree. Pretty neat sounding gig. 

I would never even think to apply, or even look for an open position as "Field Radar Technician" because well...it was completely off my radar...

Any jobs that you've heard about it or knew someone working them where you were like "damn, that's a cool job!" and were almost half tempted to find a similar position yourself?

I know a guy who troubleshoots and installs industrial control panels. He has a very analytical mind and he developed a reputation for being able to repair PLC's and mechanical panels. No prior experience beyond being a pretty good backyard mechanic.  He charges around $110.00 an hour and he is always busy. 

Well, I am watching this thread with some serious interest.  

My sister's neighbors travel the country in their RV working on small airport lights.  Not sure of the credentials needed ...

Thermography moved me along life's road fairly well.  While I had some engineering, maintenance, and military background, my main qualification was being able to spell both "IR" and "PC".  The level 1 course is about a week and a couple of grand.  The field can get you into some pretty interesting places.  

You didn’t say anything about pay. 

I used to be an international development worker. It was really cool- I traveled to a lot of different developing countries, and assisted people in various cultures build houses utilizing indigenously appropriate building technologies and methods. 

I got to see a lot of different cultures, learn other languages, and learn about the way a lot of people live different than me.  I did it for 10 years.  Even got to know a former US President.  Changed my life (and I got to influence the lives of hundreds of other people)

Oh, I forgot to mention... it was a full time volunteer position.  

I'm interested to see what comes up, you know, just in case.

I had an offer close to 20 years ago setting up and programming CNC machining centers world wide. The company making the offer sold turn-key machines, so the job was setting up the tooling and fixtures then proving out the setup and process to produce whatever the part may be. 

Exactly what I was doing at the time, except in one shop, several times per week.

The traveling job paid roughly 6X what I was making at the time, and I was doing pretty well already.

The killer was being gone roughly 9 to 10 months out of the year. Had I been single, I would have jumped on it.

I have a friend who retired young and moved to Arizona.

He was sitting in a bar with his wife having lunch one day. They were both wearing Harley t-shirts. A guy approached him, asked if he rode and then if he wanted a job.

Now he's a test rider for H-D. He said it was great at first, but after a couple of years, it's just another job. Good part is, he doesn't need to work, just doesn't like to get bored.

In reply to SaltyDog :

Friend of mine in the UK worked as a test driver for a while, pretty much said the same thing.

I’m a locksmith for the federal government.  I think it’s pretty cool.

Once upon a time I was a “civil engineering technician”.  Sounded cool and I got to travel around the region a bit and monitor jobsites for their use of soil, concrete, geo-synthetics, etc.  neat job with TERRIBLE pay.

Commercial Diver struck me as a pretty cool gig but not for the faint of heart.

How bout working for a ship salvage company? 

Something like Ardent Global. They salvaged the Costa Concordia. 

I read an article documenting what salvaging ships is like. Think a combination of diving, rock climbing, with a whole lot of engineering mixed in. 

KyAllroad (Jeremy) said:

I’m a locksmith for the federal government.  I think it’s pretty cool.

 

Once upon a time I was a “civil engineering technician”.  Sounded cool and I got to travel around the region a bit and monitor jobsites for their use of soil, concrete, geo-synthetics, etc.  neat job with TERRIBLE pay.

Commercial Diver struck me as a pretty cool gig but not for the faint of heart.

i was about to say "locksmith" as well. i'm a commercial locksmith / access-control guy and it's mostly pretty cool. pay isn't great if you work for somebody else though. so i'm starting my own company as an automotive locksmith, which i think is even cooler.

and a friend of mine was trying to get me a job as a pinball machine mechanic, which would have been pretty cool too eventually, but the starting pay SUUUUCCCKKED!!!! after taxes, it would have been 3 weeks and a day to make rent....

I'm curious - as a locksmith for the government, are you employed by the state, an agency, or someone else? Is your work any different than the average locksmith? Bigger locks? Or just more interesting buildings? 

One of my best friends went out on a limb about 6 years ago, got a really big loan (at least, considering he didn't actually have a job), spent the money on high-end camera equipment, and has made a name for himself shooting video and stills for outdoor tv shows. Spends 4-6 months a year in the field filming hunting, fishing, ATV trips and the like, including a number of excursions abroad. In the off-season he does weddings and other events. Perfect fit for him. Always loved the outdoors, didn't settle on a major in college that suited him. Not sure he even wound up getting a degree, come to think of it.

I've spoken to an acquaintance who is a locksmith. He claims he and all of his ilk have a favorite key because it's quick and easy to do, and thus most of his/their jobs are keyed the same.

Truth or legend?

In reply to pheller :

What was your answer to the pay question?  Are you actually considering a job that needs a (reasonable) paycheck, or do you really only care to talk about cool jobs that require minimal experience?

I can think of LOTS of cool jobs that don’t pay. 

I think it'd be better to hear about jobs that actually pay something. Or at least where the worker/employee seems to think the trade is worth it. 

Then again, a living wage is completely dependent on a lot of things. I knew a Director of a summer camp who only "worked" 3 months out of the year full time, the rest of the year was part-time, but she got housing paid for 365 (she lived on camp property). I don't think she made terribly good money, maybe enough to retire comfortably and pay for food and transportation, but she was in no rush to quit.  

In reply to pheller :

I would happily go back to volunteering. 

The problem is that pay is the big equalizer. You are asking what awesome cool jobs exist that pay well AND have no barrier to entry (experience, training, etc). 

EVERYONE would take that job!

Cool exciting jobs that don’t have a barrier to entry don’t need to pay well. 

Warm fuzzy feelings don't pay the bills. 

My friend little Matt goes around the world setting up industrial 3d printers. He was in a bar one day on his 6 months off from GE and someone offered him the gig. He did do trade school, and had been with GE doing power plant maintenance before that, but it was a 6 month on 6 month off that wasn't really paying the bills. I think it was more a right bar right time that got him his current job more than his previous training that had nothing to do with printers. Being single and under 30, he jumped when the guy offered 2 weeks a month out of the country for a full months pay. 

I still lust after being a Victorian era explorer. Unfortunately that career path no longer exists. 

Maintenance work, apartments or hotels, is a good one if you're good with tools. Do something different every day, and with enough begging, you can get into some pretty nice locales for decent pay with no real background. Seasonal resorts and the like. 

I don't think volunteering is what I'm looking for. 

There needs to be some way of "living" while doing said job. You don't need to come out the other end any richer, but if a job is paying your room and board, food and transportation and you enjoy it, well, that might work for some people. Lots of people work for very little pay in the military. 

In reply to pheller :

That’s fine. It’s a personal choice. 

I volunteered for 10 years, and had a wife and 2 kids.  During those 10 years I gave away more money than I ever had before, and saved more than I ever had. There are ways to make it work. 

I think you are gonna have to compromise something. Pay, barrier to entry, and cool factor. Those are the 3 variables. Pick 2. 

I’ll bet I could find 50 people on this site who would volunteer to be on a race team.  That’s because the job is cool, and has a reasonably low barrier to entry. 

Cool jobs that anyone can do simply don’t have to pay much. 

You're not being very creative. 

There are plenty of cool jobs out there, but more than likely they are either A) filled because the people who have them aren't giving them up B) the vast majority of people don't think of them as "cool" (like locksmiths), C) they require extensive travel which people with families can't do or D) they are dangerous for whatever reason. 

I'm not looking for suggestions on a dream job because what is a dream job to you might not be for me. I just wanted to get a light-hearted list of jobs that you've heard about that sounded cool. 

Tour guide

Theatrical scenery construction

Parachute instructor 

Crew on a race team

Crew on a sailing team

Backwoods guide

Construction Labor (builds all kinds of cool stuff)

Timber framer

Camp counselor

Caregiver for elderly

Archeologist assistant

Youth coach

Scenic painter

Landscaping

Hardscaping

Teacher

Tree house construction

Airplane maintenance 

Spelunking guide

Barista

Welder

Electrician

Behind the scenes work on films

ANYTHING self employed. 

Ok. That’s my short creative light hearted list. For me, I like creative things with my hands, and mentoring people.

Im sure others can add many many more. 

And honestly, my current career is pretty interesting and pays well.  Commercial Construction Supervision. 

I get to build cool stuff, work with interesting people, learn about lots of different businesses and industries.

But most guys won’t do it, because you have to travel. 

I own a dental laboratory.  A good work ethic and some manual dexterity can get you in the door.  Starting pay tends to be pretty low in the industry and will generally be mediocre as long as you work for someone else, but after a few years of learning and in some states getting certified, you can go out on your own and do really well financially.

Bullpen catcher for an MLB team.