Odd Jobs Etc.

Hrm. Some of these jobs just seem down right silly. Other's really aren't that strange but perhaps you wouldn't give a second thought to during your day.

This is an article from Careerbuilder.com. I'm sure I mentioned the site before. It's a good search engine for jobs, especially local ones.


Here are 20 odd jobs portrayed in Rica Schiff’s books.

1. Breath odor evaluator What they do: Odor judges smell nasty morning breath or breath “insulted” with strong scents, like garlic or coffee. They rate the breath on a scale from one to nine, one being the worst. To test odor-reducing products like gum or mouthwash, they smell the breath again and assign it a new rating. (Really? Who would want to smell peoples breath all day. Although it doesn't seem like a terribly hard job. I wonder what the pay is...)

2. Diener What they do: Prepare cadavers for the pathologist before autopsies are performed in hospitals. (I would have to pass on this. No matter how much it paid.)

3. Ribbon candy puller What they do: After a heated combination of sugar, corn syrup, water and coloring agent has cooled, batches of different colors are laid out side by side. Someone then pulls the candy thin until it’s about an inch wide. The final product is a multicolored hard candy. (Wouldn't this fall under the category of candy maker? It really doesn't seem that odd to me. I'd try it though).

4. Ocularist What they do: In short, they paint artificial eyes. It sounds easier than it is, since as with real eyes, no two are exactly the same. (I've heard of this one before. I'm afraid if I painted eyes that wouldn't look quite right. Pass).

5. Flatulence smell-reduction underwear maker What they do: Create underwear that protects against bad human gas for people who suffer from gastrointestinal problems. The underwear is made with various materials and filters to help remedy hydrogen sulfide gases, the main offender in foul smells. (O_o lol who really ever would have thought about making underwear that reduces the smell of someones gas? I wonder if it actually works).

6. Beer tester What they do: Taste – and spit out – beer all day to approve new and existing flavors. (There seriously has to be more to the job than just tasting beer. Not a big fan of beer, I'm afraid I'd be terrible at this. Now if it was wine I might do alright).

7. Crack filler What they do: Using a silicone sealant, they repair the wear and tear inflicted on monumental structures, like Mount Rushmore. (Again. How about catagorizing this under "Construction").

8. Ball tester What they do: Assess basketballs, footballs, volleyballs and soccer balls for air-retention, inflation, roundness, weight and reboundability. (Quality control anyone? If this didn't require any athletic skill, I could do that).

9. Video game tester What they do: For eight hours a day, five days a week, a group of males and females of all ages play video games. They repeat levels, games and characters, looking for any bugs and/or glitches in the software. (I've heard of this one before too. I've also heard it's not as fun as it sounds).

10. Tampon tester What they do: Check all sizes of tampons for absorbency and cord strength in accordance with Food and Drug Administration standards. Most testers check up to 125 pieces per day. (Quality control...it makes sense).

11. Gold reclaimer What they do: Scour old teeth for fillings, melting the gold from them with broken gold jewelry into tiny gold pellets, which are then resold to jewelers. (er...does this mean they dig up dead people and pry their fillings out? Gross).

12. Dog sniffer What they do: Once a week, they analyze the odor of dogs' breath to test the effect of the animals' diet on their teeth. Breath is graded on a scale of zero to 10 and is categorized as sweaty, salty, musty, fungal or decaying. (From smelling human's breath to dog's breath. I wonder if they use a breathalizer like they do for DWI's).

13. Potato chip inspector What they do: Search for overcooked or clumped chips to discard as they come down the assembly line. (Discard? I could discard them right into my tummy. This would be a bad job for me).

14. Porta-potty servicer What they do: Like regular restrooms, portable toilets need maintenance, too. Once a week, service workers clean these single-stall facilities to achieve certain standards of sanitation. (Hat's off to the people who can do this and not vomit constantly. I hope you get paid well).

15. Barbie dress designer What they do: Fashion designers at Mattel Toys, the company behind Barbie, create hundreds of new styles for Barbie and her ever-expanding entourage. (Makes sense to me. Otherwise she'd be going naked).

16. Wax figure maker What they do: Mold wax to create figures, often for, but not limited to, the human form. Figures are often made in the likeness of people who have achieved historical or celebrity recognition. (Wax museums are very cool and slightly creepy).

17. Safecracker What they do: When combinations are lost or forgotten, safecrackers use their ears and fingers to open the safe. (Awesome :) This might be fun to try for a day or two).

18. Wig maker What they do: Put simply, they make wigs, but the process is anything but simple. First, wig makers create a plastic model of the wearer’s head and hairline, and then they transfer the mold onto a padded canvas similar to the client’s general head size, covering it with wig lace. Using a needle, they knot and pull thousands of hairs, one by one, through the mesh cap. Once all the hairs are in place, the wig is styled to the wearer’s preference. (This is another job that makes sense. Where else would they come from?).

19. Paper towel sniffer What they do: Paper towel manufacturers prefer their products to be odorless before, during and after their use. Naturally, paper towel sniffers ensure that once a paper towel is used, there is no noticeable scent. (Seriously? I kind of question this one).

20. Foley artist What they do: Use whatever they can find to create and record the noises used to make the sound effects in films, like heavy footsteps, rolling thunder or creaking doors. (I've seen the Foley artist accredited in the end titles, but was never sure what it was they did. This is pretty fun. I'd do this for a living).

Written by (With comments added by me): Rachel Zupek is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.


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