Peace
America's Most Unusual Jobs
Posted: 2006-08-28 14:16:19
Rosemary Haefner, Senior Career Adviser for CareerBuilder.com
What's the most unusual job you ever held? Peanut inspector? Horse wrangler? How about a backup dancer for a female impersonator? In its annual survey, CareerBuilder.com asked more than 2,450 workers to share the most interesting or unconventional jobs they held during their careers. The following are this year's top picks:
A: Actor for haunted house
B: Bingo announcer
C: Clown for rodeos
D: Drawbridge tender
E: Eye glass buffer
F: Fingerprint analyzer
G: Glass sculptor
H: Hot rod builder
I: Interpreter for government agency
J: Jelly donut filler
K: Karate instructor
L: Lifeguard at nude beach
M: Military role player (played Iraqi citizen for military sensitivity training)
N: Note taker for college students
O: Ocean scuba guide
P: Phone psychic
Q: Quiz writer for competitions
R: Rescue squad for pets
S: Stand-in bridesmaid (for weddings where the bride didn't know enough people)
T: Telemarketer for a cemetery
U: Urinalysis observer
V: Voice-over specialist for movies
W: Window washer for skyscrapers
X: Xmas tree decorator
Y: Youth boot camp instructor for juvenile offenders
Z: Zoo artificial inseminator
And:
Five Unusual Jobs Working With Food and Drink
Candace Corner, CareerBuilder.com writer
Posted: 2006-09-21 15:41:56
So you'd like to work in the food and drink industry, but you want something beyond the typical server, busser and chef positions. Here are some people who are working in interesting ways to market, create, manage and serve in the industry:
1. Taste Tester
As the test kitchen director for Mr. Food and Mr. Food no-fuss Meals Assembly Stores, Patty Rosenthal oversees a small staff of culinary experts who work together to create 15 recipes a day for Mr. Food, a company and television program that runs on over 150 television stations around the world and has published more than 40 cookbooks.
Although the job never leaves Rosenthal hungry, some of it can be a little hard to swallow. "When we did 'The Chocolate Cookbook,' testing at 9 a.m., it was a lot to take in," Rosenthal said. You're testing chocolate all day.
While culinary training is a plus, Rosenthal says she went to school for criminal justice before following her passion for food. "Although (training) can be helpful, we don't look for culinary degrees, but you need to have a love for food and understand the philosophy behind the company," she said.
Salary: The median salary is $40,000.*
2. Server on Skates
Lindsay Kent has spent the last two summers serving at the Redline Drive-In Restaurant, a 1950s themed business in Mayville, N.Y.
The servers don't wear protective gear, but they do have health insurance and they don't have to worry if they're a little wobbly on their wheels. "It's not a requirement to skate while waitressing," Kent said. "If you're working long hours it can get pretty difficult, and there are a few girls who don't skate at all."
Salary: The median annual salary is $25,000.*
3. Rover
Imagine it's your job to travel all over the United States meeting all different kinds of people and going to all the major snowboarding competitions.
If you're Jacob Levine, this is reality. The former professional snowboarder was selected out of 1800 applicants to be the designated rover for Snickers candy and Burton, a company specializing in snowboarding equipment. His job is to create brand awareness, which means meeting millions of people and passing out samples. "In a typical day I can go to a venue, interact with the public, skate, get a feel for the atmosphere, and talk to people about what they think about Snickers."
And the perks? Levine's company-sponsored H3 Hummer has become his home. He also gets a full wardrobe and skating equipment from Burton, a laptop from Hewlett Packard, and a digital camera and video camera from Panasonic.
Salary: While there is modest compensation and an allotted travel budget, the big pay is the perks and all expenses are paid.*
4. Master Roaster
As the Master Roaster for Millstone Coffee, Rich Bertagna consumes at least several pots of coffee a day. Blends include regular, decaf and gourmet varieties and Bertagna tastes it all to judge what blends work best. "It's like wine," Bertagna said. "You want coffee that goes with your food -- complementing, but not overwhelming."
Bertagna started out in paper product development in 1969 before moving into coffee in 1982. Building up to the "graduate level" as a coffee expert takes around five to 10 years, and he says the advancement comes when you can recommend new blends after years of blending, roasting, grinding and drinking different types of java. The title of master roaster is coveted, and Bertagna speculates that most companies probably only have one.
Salary: The median annual salary for a coffee roaster is $31,000, but Bertagna reported that for this type of work, experts can earn between $50,000 and $250,000.*
5. Chocolatier
Jared Pierson knows a thing or two about chocolate. In addition to co-owning Imatra chocolate, Pierson works under a division of his company called "The Chocolate Guy -- San Diego," a company that offers chocolate and cheese fountain rentals among other chocolate related products for sale online. Pierson's business has attracted high-profile clientele such as Shaquille O'Neal, John Travolta, the mayor of San Diego and the NFL.
"Most of our events are done with hotels and catering companies that rent our equipment, but we also do private events," Pierson said. "The majority of business is on the weekends. A typical Friday, Saturday and Sunday include about eight events per day."
Pierson did not have to attend culinary school to create his successful business, but he said that his mother is well-versed in working with chocolate and has experience in catering. "I didn't go to school and learn about chocolate; it's all about experience and learning it on my own," Pierson said.
Salary: As his own boss, Pierson's salary is his decision, but he said his company grossed $350,000 last year.*
And:
http://www.salary.com/careers/layout...52_Par520.html