If you’re currently looking for a new career path or are just getting out of college and trying to determine the right career for you, then you’ve come to the right article. Likewise, if you think being a doctor or developer is boring and want something out of the ordinary, then you’re in for a great surprise. There are many careers out there for you that are outside the norm with professional studies as well as great incomes and benefits.
Here are five careers you never thought about.
1. Behavior Analyst
A behavior analyst helps patients deal with mental and social disorders as well as learning disabilities. They implement applied behavior analysis (ABA) techniques like positive reinforcement, task analysis, and shaping to treat people who suffer from these disabilities. To become a behavior analyst, you would have to enter any of the many applied behavior analysis programs in the state where you plan to work and meet the necessary licensing requirements. Behavior analysts usually make a salary of around $60,000 per year and can work independently or as a part of a clinic or therapy company.
2. Computational Linguist
Computational linguists bridge the communication gap between humans and machines. They apply their language and computer skills to develop natural language processing technology as well as write scripts to analyze data. They handle large datasets and identify different types of cases and come up with solutions for complex machines. Some applications for these types of linguists include your smartphone’s voice-to-text features as well as simple text input technologies used in most devices. To become a computational linguist, you will have to get a degree in a computer field such as network admin or engineer as well as a master’s or even doctoral degree in natural language software. Their salaries can range from $60,000 to over $140,000 per year.
3. Food Stylist
If you’re a foodie and love taking pictures, then you’ll love this next career path. A food stylist is a professional photographer or videographer who prepares foods for advertisements such as TV commercials and billboards. They will often work with chefs and editors to get the perfect shot of the dish. They can work independently as freelancers or as part of a larger company’s marketing team. Their annual salaries can range from $30,000 to $85,000, and they are usually prepared in culinary arts such as baking, nutrition, or any other related field, but they can be self-taught and begin as hobbyists.
4. Ocularist
An ocularist is a technician you’d like to see when you experience eye trauma resulting in loss of sight in one or both eyes. They are able to design and build artificial eyes to help a patient maintain their normal appearance. They create what could be considered ocular prostheses and help the patient maintain them every six months or so. To become an ocularist, you need to complete an apprenticeship program as well as training in the American Society of Ocularists (ASO) which can last about five years. They can earn anything from $60,000 to $100,000 a year depending on their experience and expertise.
5. Cartographer
Lastly, cartographers are people who design maps. Now that paper maps are scarce, cartographers have moved their expertise to modern technologies such as Google Maps and Waze. Cartographers will research, design, and produce different types of maps like thematic and reference maps. They can also work as software engineers to gather data and create designs for GPS maps. Cartographers can earn from $75,000 to $100,000 a year in the private sector as well as government.
Whichever your career path, as long as you like it and make legitimate money from it, you should go for it, no matter how unusual it is.
