30 Weird And Fascinating Jobs You Probably Never Knew Existed

There are a lot of fascinating jobs out there; the list of jobs can be quite long. From foreigners paid to simply stand at weddings to make their photos appear interesting, to being hired to check the accuracy of the freeway mile markers and basically being paid for the entire road trip, these jobs are not common ones that you would find yourself working.

When CCTV cameras were perhaps not yet in place, people were paid as guards in stables. Imagine an entire month of work consisting of just looking at cows.

Even with the modern technologies that we have right now, there are still specific jobs that are hard to substitute with automation. From being a simple-sounding errand to becoming a regular job, many have loved what they have been doing, and the pay is pretty good.

Just because you are not familiar with these jobs does not mean that they aren't significant. You may not have thought of their roles, but now you may come to appreciate them.

Here is a list of 30 jobs. Some are weird, while others sound fascinating.

You wouldn't be shocked anymore to know about wedding proxies, as we have watched movies showing this specific job. For example, if a bridesmaid fails to attend the wedding, a ready proxy will automatically be substituted as a bridesmaid.

The cow gatekeeper.

Once, I got paid for a month of 40-hour work weeks for sitting at a gate and watching to make sure no cows got out. I was a "Bovine Identification and Exit Prevention Specialist." Never saw a f@#$%g cow. Read some good books, though.thehumanscott

Interesting prop shopper.

I'm a prop shopper for a popular TV show. Basically, I show up to work, the designer tells me that the show needs a specific prop for the taping, and it's my job to go buy or rent it.It's a fun job because they ask you to get ridiculous stuff sometimes, and it's a challenge to find it.77Columbus, Jason Scragz

Ever heard of these jobs: "Designated Foreigner at Weddings" and "Designated Foreigner at Bar"?

In Japan, my wife got a job as "Designated Foreigner at Weddings." Apparently, they like the idea of foreigners at their weddings, as it makes the photos more interesting. She used to earn up to 20,000 yen a day. I also met a Canadian guy there who had a job as "Designated Foreigner at Bar." He used to get drunk and make conversation with salarymen.james_james1, Guilhem VellutReport

Timestamp.

A few years ago, my job was to timestamp Netflix videos for the "Skip Intro" button.It was the single best job ever until they stopped allowing remote work for what I was doing. I would wake up, log in to a special page, and have a list of videos/series, etc., to timestamp.TexasCplL, Stuff

A fire evacuation map designer. Cool!

You know those fire evacuation maps that are entirely useless because no one is going to stop and look at a map on their way out of a burning building?Yeah, I design those.Stebraul, Tom Woodward

A hiking trail builder.

I used to build hiking trails. A lot of people assume they just naturally form or something, but that's the goal of a good trail builder.Lo-def, Bonnie Moreland

Fake children's art maker.

I used to make fake children's art for a TV show set in a kindergarten classroom. Every episode had new, themed art. Real kids aren't good enough artists. Sorry, kids.doctor_puppet, Craig Allen

A falconer to ward off birds.

I work as a falconer, using birds of prey to keep other birds away from train tracks, airports, farms, you name it. It's like being a bird bounty hunter.[deleted], The Minsta

I never knew there was a department of weights and measures at gas stations.

Stimperonovitch answered:

A person who travels around checking that gas stations actually pump one gallon of gas when the pump shows that one gallon has been pumped.

plcwork responded:

Ah, the department of weights and measures. Unsung heroes of the consumer.Stimperonovitch, formulanone

Address reader.

aziraphale60 said:

I attempt to read addresses on mail that machines can't.

way_fairer responded:

So basically, you take those CAPTCHA tests all day long and get paid for it?aziraphale60, Kevin Simpson

IT guy at a Buddhist retreat center.

I'm an IT guy at a Buddhist retreat center.manifoldmandala, Dushan Hanuska

Imagine yourself being a braider of horses' manes and tails for horse shows.

My mom is a horse braider, not a breeder, but a braider. She braids horses' manes and tails for horse shows; it’s quite lucrative, as people who own horses know everything to do with horses is expensive.illbethegreatest, Dan

Wow, paid to wear merchandise under shipment like watches or jewelry.

speakingofsegues

Have you ever heard of a "private murder mystery events seller"?

I sell private murder mystery events.I learn about your event (birthday party, corporate event, holiday party, etc.), and then I send out trained actors to perform an interactive murder mystery.It's literally such a killer job.imaf@#$%^gmessdude, Cape May MAC

Stand-in bridesmaid, basically a proxy.

I work as a stand-in bridesmaid. Basically, if a bridesmaid decides not to arrive at a wedding, you can hire a stand-in bridesmaid. Stand-in bridesmaids do everything a normal bridesmaid does, except you pay them, and they usually do it better since it’s their job. It’s a lot of fun going to a wedding as a stand-in bridesmaid, even if I don’t know anyone there. A wedding I attended had an open bar, and the real bridesmaid bailed at the LAST SECOND because she apparently just realized she was worried things would get too crazy with the open bar. Her loss. The people there were really great, and the bride just told everyone that I was the one who encouraged her to start dating her (now) husband. The bride and I ended up actually becoming great friends, and we are still in contact to this day. They (the bride and groom from the wedding) are now happily married and have a beautiful daughter.Vivian-Valerie, micadew

Is that a tree inspector?

AcerRubrum

A driver just to cross bridges for the bridge-phobics.

Wellbetr

A poop gatherer and spreader?

Not anymore, but when I was a kid, I had a job where I'd wander around llama pastures and scatter their s@#t. They have a habit of pooping in communal piles, which, if you don't scatter them, get quite large and end up nitrogen burning the grass. Then the grass around them grows really well, but they won't eat it because it smells strongly of their poop. So, instead, you go out with a snow shovel and scatter the poop, and all the grass in the pasture grows really well, and none of it smells too much like poop for the llamas to eat it.TL;DR: I'm not too fond of llamas.Fearlessleader85, Kaius Coolman

This guy captions telephone calls (in real-time) for those who have difficulty hearing.

I caption telephone calls in real time for the deaf and hard of hearing as my part-time job.To those who are worried my job is in jeopardy because of automation, etc., this is my part-time job, not my career. I do this because as I learned more about the deaf community, I wanted to do everything I could to help them. They are a truly amazing community that does not get enough support from the government or the hearing community. I want you all to think of the last phone call you made. Now imagine you can’t hear the other person. How much more difficult would your life be? Thanks for all the comments!castironskilletmilk, David Drexler

A slot machine music composer and sound effects designer.

I compose music and design sound effects for slots. I live in Vegas, but still, few people outside of the slot industry know my job exists. Makes for a bit of interesting conversation.musicman702, Aaron

Video game programmer for monkeys.

I program simple video games for monkeys, complete with a joystick and pellet dispenser.PabstBlue_Gibbon, Antti T. Nissinen

This person does digital archiving.

Essentially, I watch TV all day.It's actually digital archiving of old videotape, but it's for major networks that have massive tape libraries of stuff like BETA, VHS, umatic, 1" and 2" tape, and anything else in between. All the old magnetic tape is starting to expire, so they ship pallets of tapes to the company I work for, and we record them in real time, then send back the files.It takes years to completely digitize a tape library. Some of our older big clients have been sending us pallets every month consistently for the past 5 years, and there's still roughly another 5 years left.It's pretty interesting, and I never knew about it before getting into the field, so if anyone has any questions, I'll be happy to answer.PresidentCheeto420, Asim Bijarani

A motion designer.

pFunkdrag

"White monkey gigs" are a thing in China.

deathBlad3

Commercial diving is surely fun.

I’m a commercial diver; I do underwater construction/salvage/inspection. People don’t think about it, but pretty much any job that requires something to be done underwater, we get a call. It’s loads of fun, and the pay is great!19jos95, SCUBATOO

A freeway mile marker verifier.

pjokinen

A planetary protection officer sounds like a really tough job.

ygra

Virtual clothing designer. This sounds fun.

I make virtual clothing and sell it for money on a dress-up chat game.exhilarance, unknown

Have you seen live mannequins?

I get paid to be a living mannequin. No, not a model that poses in pictures, gets her makeup done, and gets put in magazines.I'm a completely different type of model. I work behind the scenes; designers for huge chain stores will use my frame to show off their looks to the CEO of the company who approves or rejects the looks. Clothing on a mannequin looks totally different on a real person.julieannluna, South Australian History Network

On-call 24/7 to recover abandoned trucks and cargo.

Trucking companies employ people whose job it is to recover abandoned trucks and cargo. Apparently, truckers will just be like "f@#k it" and leave their trucks and trailers on the side of the road. These companies pay pretty well, and you are on call 24/7. But they fly you all over the country to retrieve their stuff and pay well. Sounds kind of neat, really.Smitesfan, Mike Mozart

The list can be really long. There are still countless jobs out there that we never knew actually existed.

No matter what those jobs are, what's important is that these people are happy and content with what they do and are earning clean money.

Do you have something else to share about your past or present job?