As the semester wears in, you might find yourself struggling a tad, or a lot. Those classes which you thought would be a breeze are actually kicking your butt. Have no fear, there is still hope for you. There are strange, doable jobs out there ready for you to pursue.
Professional Cuddler
That's right. You can cuddle up to strangers for $60 an hour. Help out a person who wants the benefits of a snuggle buddy, but does not have the significant other to do so. Follow in the footsteps of Samantha Hess, owner of cuddleuptome.com. She also created the Certified Cuddlers© Certification Program. Being a professional cuddler is definitely a thing.
Bike Fisherman
What even is this? In Amsterdam, people work full-time fishing for bikes out of canals. Since the 1960s, workers use hydraulic claws to pull bikes out of the water. 15,000 bikes are pulled out each year. How do they even end up there? Some argue that the canals used to be part of the city's sewage system. Therefore, inhabitants do not hesitate to throw their old pieces of junk into the water.
IMAX Screen Cleaner
In order to watch that new movie in the utmost quality, there has to be someone who cleans the screen, and does it well. The standard IMAX screen is on average 22 m x 16.1 m, so you would imagine it takes time and skills to clean the whole thing. According to Independent Journal, screen cleaners can earn up to $45,000 a year. Not too bad.
Waterslide Tester
Calling all adventurers and waterpark fanatics. Working for a hotel chain or a traveling company, your job is to make sure water slides all over the world are both fun and safe. You test to see how fast the slide goes, how much water it uses, and of course, how fun it is. Inside Jobs ranges the salary from $17,000 to $56,000 a year. Put on your swimsuit and prepare yourself to go down slides multiple times in a row. Applicants must be calm under pressure, reliable, and trustworthy.
Professional Ear Cleaner
Have you ever wanted to travel to India? How about working and living there? An old tradition, ear cleaners roam the streets for work. Although the profession has lost quite a lot of its workforce, there are still some out there. An "ear cleaning" can either be charged for 30 cents or 80 cents (20 or 50 rupees). Cotton and hydrogen peroxide are part of the standard treatment. A deluxe treatment, described by Sayed Mehboob, an Indian ear cleaner, to LA Times, includes lotion, coconut oil, and "a dark liquid that Mehboob described as an ayurvedic tonic." Seems like a handy profession to the residents of India.
Bingo Manager
Bingo can be a big business. This is not your regular retirement home job. Casinos run major bingo franchises. As manager, your job is to approve jackpots and payouts. In addition, you have to handle customer complaints and follow government regulations. Although no college degree is required, five years experience is a qualification. The annual salary, according to salary.com, is $56,593.
Now you're not so worried about doing poorly in college. Or maybe this article is a motivator to study a little harder. After all, cleaning ears does not sound like the funnest job. Believe it or not, there are more where this list came from. There are people whose lives are odd jobs. And it can be your life too, if you want.
