7 unusual jobs that sound too good to be true
Ever wondered if you could turn one of your passions into a job While there’s plenty of information out there about traditional career paths such as teaching, medicine and law, did you know that there’s a whole world of unconventional, passion-driven roles too? You might be surprised by the range and breadth of non-traditional careers out there.
Here are seven out-of-the-box jobs your guidance counsellor probably didn’t tell you about.
1. Ethical Hacker
Computer hackers are usually portrayed in the media as the bad guys. However, ethical hackers, also known as ‘white hat hackers’, use their skills for good. They help companies and government agencies protect against cybersecurity threats by simulating cyberattacks, and finding system weaknesses and figuring out how to fix them.
Ethical hackers can be directly employed by companies or the government, but can also earn money through bug bounty programs. These pay a reward (the bounty) in return for finding and reporting software vulnerabilities, with payouts ranging from a few hundred dollars to millions. The largest bug bounty paid out to date was US$10 million.
How to become an ethical hacker
While there’s no single pathway, you need a strong technical foundation of basic IT and networking, operating systems (especially Linux) and scripting, plus an understanding of how ethical hacking works. There are courses and certifications available, and practice tools like HackTheBox and TryHackMe to hone your skills.
2. Pet Stylist
The perfect job for animal-lovers, pet styling, or grooming, requires both technical skills and creativity. It typically involves bathing, blow drying, combing and grooming dogs and cats, but can include other pets like rabbits and guinea pigs. Stable grooms prepare horses for shows, which could include cleaning stalls and feeding. While pet styling might call to mind crafting pom-poms on poodles, stylists also perform important pet care, like de-matting, nail trimming, ear and paw cleaning, flea bathing and teeth brushing.
How to become a pet stylist
There are a few ways to get into pet grooming. Consider formal certification through TAFE or other accredited training organisations – these qualifications train you to Australian industry standards. Many pet stylists also start with an entry-level job, such as washing dogs in a salon, and train as an apprentice with a mentor.
3. Christmas Product Designer
Do you count down the days until Christmas all year? This is the role for you. Work as a designer developing Christmas products for retailers or specialty manufacturers. These range from consumer products – think tree ornaments and gift wrap – to those used by retailers and stylists to decorate shop windows and displays. As a product designer, you’ll manage day-to-day creative design development from concept through to production. Some work on Christmas ranges year-round, while others might focus on different seasonal ranges too, like Easter.
It goes beyond just a love of the festive season, though. This role is ideal for someone with an eye for global design trends, colour, storytelling and collection building. You’ll need to plan well ahead to create beautiful products that craft the Christmas spirit.
How to become a Christmas Product Designer
This career is built on foundational design skills, either in industrial or graphic design. These are typically learnt via a bachelor’s or postgraduate degree, but many graphic designers build their careers through alternate pathways too. You’ll need experience with industry-standard design tools and a strong portfolio.
4. Sign Smith
Bridge the gap between trade work, manufacturing and design. Sign smithing – also known as sign writing – involves designing, fabricating and installing signage. This could be for anyone from small businesses (like an eye-catching under awning sign for a cafe) to large-scale commercial and government clients (like wayfinding for an event or venue). It’s a great role for people with a trade background because it combines practical, hands-on skills with creative problem-solving and client collaboration. You'll interpret design briefs, create custom signage and see your work come to life in the real world. Typically, you’ll be work hands-on, using equipment including cutters and printers, and installing a range of signs on buildings, cars and outdoors, although there are signwriters who stick to the classic art of calligraphy and inscription
How to become a sign maker
Although you don’t need a formal qualification, completing one through TAFE or a registered training organisation can help you build the right skills to land a role. Gain on-the-job experience through an apprenticeship or trainee role
5. Digital Detective
You’ve heard of criminal investigators; these ones specialise in digital crime. As cyber threats grow more sophisticated, including fraud, ransomware, malware and online scams, there’s a need for skilled detectives to investigate these crimes. In this role, you’ll work alongside engineers, fraud investigators and intelligence professionals and victims to identify, track down and build evidence against cyber criminals.
How to become a cybercrime investigator
Cybercrime investigators work in either the public sector – for law enforcement – or private sector, usually for large tech companies. Generally, you’ll need a tertiary degree in either cybersecurity or cyber forensics. Then, many gain experience working in cybersecurity teams or head straight into policing.
6. Industrial Abseiler
Ever dreamt of spending your whole day abseiling? While this isn’t for people with a fear of heights, if you have a passion for rock climbing and rappelling, being outdoors and scaling heights, you could turn it into a career. Industrial abseilers, sometimes called rope access technicians, perform all sorts of construction and maintenance work on buildings. A day might include window washing, caulking, painting or inspecting facades for faults – all with an incredible view.
How to become an industrial abseiler
Even if you have abseiling experience, you’ll need to complete a rope access technician training course to get certified. These usually take a minimum of 30 hours, followed by an assessment. After passing your assessment, you’ll be certified as a level one technician and able to start work, with extra hours needed to move up to levels two and three.
7. Kitchen Appliance Tester
This role sits in product development, helping to test and evaluate new kitchen appliances before they’re sold to the public. Think anything from blenders and food processors to ice-cream makers and coffee machines. It’s a role best suited for people with a background working in kitchens, product development and an analytical mind. You’ll perform testing and benchmark results to help make sure new appliances work the way they should.
How to become a kitchen appliance tester
While there’s no single qualification for this role, most people have hands-on experience in hospitality – whether as a recipe developer, trained chef, or in a test kitchen. What helps is having an in-depth understanding of cooking techniques, ingredient behaviour and test recipe development.
There’s a broad range of unique jobs out there, with plenty that don’t fit traditional categorisations. If you want to pursue a passion or niche, start exploring how your passions could translate into a career path. Ask yourself what it is about the passion you want to dive into – is it creativity, connecting with animals or being outdoors? Search for roles with those elements, learn more about the industry and talk to people who are doing it already. Even if the exact role isn’t possible right now, there may be an interesting stepping stone along the way.
