Do you have a skill that feels practically useless, like drawing a perfect circle by hand? Or have you ever been stuck somewhere and thought, “I wish someone else could do this for me?” You might be surprised to learn that niche skills and seemingly random activities can translate into jobs. Here are some unusual careers you may not have known existed.
1. Line stander
This job is exactly what it sounds like. A line stander gets paid to stand in a line. While this may sound boring, you can get paid anything between US$15 to US$50 per hour of standing (about HK$117 to HK$390). A stander might be hired to hold a place in a long line for events like theatre productions, product launches and restaurant openings. You only need patience, reliability and punctuality to qualify for this role. If you have the time and want extra cash, this part-time opportunity might be for you.
2. Bed tester
Part of the quality assurance industry, bed testers examine and assess to improve things like bedsheets, mattresses and blankets. After all, comfort and safety are essential for good quality sleep. Testers sleep on products, study their nighttime cycles, review luxury hotel products and evaluate everything’s suitability for launch. Although the sleeping part sounds incredibly enjoyable, testers must write lengthy and detailed reports to help manufacturers improve products.
3. Netflix tagger
Imagine earning US$35,000 to US$85,000 per year (about HK$272,000 to HK$661,000) while watching Netflix all day. That is what a Netflix tagger does. Also known as content analysts, taggers watch the platform’s content and assign each movie, show, and series its corresponding tags. The tagging system helps the streaming service maintain its algorithm, which is used to make recommendations and help users find content.
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4. Professional sleeper
Want to take bed testing a step further? Professional sleepers are paid by scientists and researchers to sleep as subjects for studies about sleep cycles and patterns. Findings help scientists tackle health issues, formulate medication and even help bed and bedding manufacturers create quality products. While it is not a stable job, professional sleepers can earn US$100 to US$500 (HK$778 to HK$3,891) depending on the research, study, intensity and duration.
5. Snake milker
Snake milking is a fascinating and deadly job that many people have probably never heard of. Specialist zoologists extract potent venom strong enough to cause disease or death from snakes and other reptiles. It is a hazardous job and snake milkers require years of training before they can handle such dangerous, life-threatening creatures. The extracted venom is used for medical studies, research and creating antivenin (antitoxin or “anti-venom”) treatments for people bitten by snakes.
6. Seat filler
Do you dream of attending the Emmy Awards ceremony? Seat fillers go to some of the most prestigious events without paying a cent. All they have to do is dress up nicely and sit in a seat that cameras capture when they film audience shots. This ensures no empty seats are caught on screen or aired on television, making these events look well-attended and popular. Often, payment is the ability to catch the “show”, but it still seems like a worthwhile experience. How many of us could say we have seen Hollywood greats in person?
7. Emoji translator
As silly as this may sound, an emoji translator is a real and official job. The role was established in 2016 after a global translation firm in London needed a professional to help them understand how various countries and cultures comprehend different emojis. For example, North American and English-speaking countries may use a “laughing so hard I am crying” emoji to represent tears of joy, while people in West Asia may use it to depict grief.
