The 15 Coolest Jobs in the World

You might think that the coolest jobs are those few lucky careers that come with hefty paychecks and luxurious lifestyles. Those are definitely nice perks, but it turns out there are also some really cool jobs that don’t require a lot of money or even a college education.

In fact, at the other end of the spectrum, there are some jobs that don’t even technically exist yet. Regardless of what you do for a living, if you take a look at the coolest jobs on Earth, you’re sure to get psyched out. Here are 15 of them:

1. King Neptune.

You might be surprised to learn that there was a king in Denmark named Jelling who had the job of god and personified “the sea god when on dry land.” But that’s not the coolest part.

A little while back, Denmark opened up a new national museum dedicated to the powerful king. To make room for his artifacts, they had to remove a few things from the old royal throne room, including an enormous statue of Neptune.

As you might expect, someone took exception to this, so it looks like Neptune is getting set for a comeback.

2. The Seer.

This job is as old as time. In fact, the first recorded seers were the haruspices of ancient Roman times. These seers would interpret the will of the gods based on observations about animal entrails, or the flight patterns of birds. You can get a similar job today.

The Miami Seaquarium has been offering a position called “Seer” since 1972. It pays $10 an hour and requires a long-term commitment (at least one year). It sounds like you’ll be expected to do everything from leading tours to diverting customer phone calls to “other duties as assigned by Seer Coordinator.”

3. Pig Tester.

If you work at the National Pork Board, you’re probably in a highly stressful job. That doesn’t mean that you can’t take action to ease your stress levels. As part of its efforts to improve the quality of pork and reduce pork-borne illness outbreaks, NSF International runs a program called the “Pork Safety Netters Program.”

The goal is to provide training for meat inspectors who want to become “pig testers,” someone whose job is to evaluate whether or not pigs are as healthy as they should be — and/or alert their supervisors if things aren’t looking right.

4. Decontamination Specialist.

You can make a pretty good living by working as a decontamination specialist, but you’ll be working in a very interesting industry, too! And the best part is that you can look forward to an exciting career at the intersection of technology and science.

That’s because these specialists are responsible for decontaminating astronauts, spacecraft, and equipment when they come back from space missions. So it doesn’t matter if you like to tinker or want to be around scientists; this job sounds pretty sweet. You can even attend college to become one of these specialists (and get paid for it).

5. Cheese Taster.

One of the coolest pieces of cheese we’ve ever tasted was a relatively new type called “Smoked Gouda.” Unfortunately, there was only 10 grams of this stuff available at the time, so we had to make do with it only once.

It was totally delicious and definitely worth experiencing more than once. But you don’t even have to wait for a limited-edition piece of cheese in order to get paid to eat cheese.

If you have an appreciation for all things dairy, then consider a job as a cheese taster. According to Newsweek, a head cheese taster for the state of Vermont can make $70,000 a year. The job requires a strong sense of taste, as well as excellent communication skills. Usually there are only one or two cheese tasters in any given state.

6. Astronaut.

Every country in the world wants its own nation of space travelers and NASA is lucky enough to get all of them, so space programs are always in need of astronauts. NASA cannot pay for astronaut training, but that hasn’t stopped other organizations from getting in on the action.

For instance, if you have a skill that NASA would love to learn about, you can apply to become an astronaut apprentice with Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX). This is one of two companies that are aiming to send private citizens into orbit by making space tourism a reality and they’re also looking for engineers who want to work on rocket design.

7. Land Speed Record Holder.

The world record for land speed is currently held by the ThrustSSC, a drag racer with a top speed of 1,000 mph (1,610 km/h). But if you have an idea that’s even faster, there’s no price tag on your next Guinness World Records title. The Land Speed Record group is still open to anyone with an idea and a few bucks to build the vehicle.

They’ve accepted a few applications in the past, but this set of records may be the most fun. The speed record applies to not only the vehicle itself but also its driver. You should be willing to do whatever it takes to achieve your goal, including working in extreme conditions. You can even make a career out of slow driving.

8. Hiker.

The world has never been more accessible than it is today, but there are still plenty of places to explore. Though some people find hiking to be physical and long-term commitment, not everyone has the time or energy to go on a hike and see the world.

There are plenty of other options: You can take a day hike, or you can discover new hiking trails on your own by joining one of several online “hiking communities” (usually available via social media sites like Facebook). The International Mountain Hiking Association runs the 10K Challenge which challenges you to hike 10 kilometers in under an hour.

9. Wine Taster.

If you love wine, you know that there’s much more to wine tasting than simply smelling the bottle and sticking your finger in the top to see if it’s still good.

Wine tasters and winemakers can be found in vineyards all over the world, but most of them work for large companies like California’s Kendall Jackson.

If you want to get started as a wine taster, we suggest attending a tasting class (like one offered at our sister site’s blog) or go straight to college to major in winemaking.

10. Property Manager.

Renting out homes or apartments is an extremely popular business model. It’s possible to generate a good income without doing much work, but you won’t last long if your tenants have problems with you or your property. You can start out as a property manager and increase the value of your properties by increasing tenant satisfaction instead of simply renting them out for the highest price.

11. Cat Cuddler.

If you like cuddling cats, this job is perfect for you! Although Animal Haven Ranch & Refuge in New York hires people to clean, feed, and care for the cats in its shelter, someone also has to hold and play with the animals quite an important task in getting them to feel comfortable enough to be adopted into a loving home. It’s a rather unusual job that requires flexible hours, but it’s the perfect chance to show everyone how much you love animals and they let you hold little kittens.

12. Clown.

One of the biggest risks in life is not being funny enough. In fact, some of the most popular clowns in the world have been found to have mental disorders that stemmed from their desire for attention and approval from people who were too insecure to see them for who they really were. But if you want to be one of those clowns, there’s no better job than being a clown at a children’s hospital.

Clowns can make $18 an hour and they can also choose how much they want to interact with the kids while they’re working. If you want to go beyond the hospital walls and make other people laugh, you might try finding work in the entertainment industry as a comedian instead.

13. Translator.

This was our top job in college, which we found out after seeing “The Departed” a couple of years ago. You may never need to work in an international business, but there’s definitely something to be said for the ability to pay someone else to speak your native language in countries that don’t share the language with you.

The Translator Bureau is a company that specializes in finding highly skilled translators who can immerse themselves in any culture and translate whatever document they are given into their own language. While this is a relatively new concept, it shows you how many opportunities there are out there when you know what to look for.

14. Computer Programmer.

Tech companies around the world are always looking for programmers who understand what they’re doing. There are many job opportunities available in computer programming, but this area is so saturated that you’ll need to know what you’re doing and be prepared to spend a lot of time learning on your own.

If you really want to get into computer programming, look into online classes at places like MIT OpenCourseWare or Coursera since they can provide you with the skills necessary to excel in this field without the financial commitment necessary for a degree — and they can be done at your own pace.

15. Antiques Dealer.

Antiques are so much fun! First of all, you can get a lot of money for them (which is always good for your bank account). But what’s most important is the thrill of finding something old and unique.

Just remember to be careful: You need to know whether that old coin was actually used as currency or if it’s just someone’s idea of a plastic ring made out of salt.

There are a lot of antiques dealers out there, so you might even want to start by taking some classes at places like the American Society For Appraisers though you have to be 21 years old to join.

Finally

Luckily, there are so many jobs that are just waiting for someone who needs them. There’s no longer a need for a business owner to ask customers to call on him if he wants to hire someone for his business everyone can make a living doing what they love and being their own boss. Hopefully these ideas sparked your interest in these 13 jobs and you’re inspired to find the right career path.