There are a lot of jobs and careers that fly under the radar that many of us don’t really have a clue about. And some of those professions are actually quite good and underrated.
Thinking about a career change? Well, then you should definitely pay attention to this article.
AskReddit users shared their thoughts.
1. Lab techs.
“Lab techs make about medium income and are very low stress. The kind of job that if you go on vacation for a week you dont come back to a weeks worth of work waiting for you.
An associate degree is usually all you need. Kind of an overlooked career for people wanting to coast through life. It also looks good on paper and can lead to inspector jobs.
This is for food science, I cant speak for bio labs.”
2. Something to consider…
“Executive Assistants.
Like true business partner type assistants. Not the “go fetch my coffee and a bagel” only type. I make really great money, work for a large corp with insane benefits. Also, my job is really secure because I manage one of the top execs and he needs me. So when layoffs come, I ain’t going anywhere.”
3. Never thought of this before.
“Painting parking lots.
Around $5000 for a machine that will pay for itself very quickly
I know some guys who do this full time who make 6 figures a year, and they take the entire winter off.”
4. The friendly skies.
“International flight attendant. You choose how many hours you want to work, but let’s say you do 100 hours to earn $4,000 a month in your first year. After 10 years you can make $10,000+. Yes, flight attendants can make six figures a year. With 8 days of work. That’s it. 3 weeks off a month!! 12.5 hour flights where you get to sleep for 4 hours, otherwise you eat first class food and serve drinks.
I quit my job in Silicon Valley. Now I have a fun job that pays me to chill and travel the world and smile at people. You van live anywhere you want, benefits are great, you get a bunch of discounts and your family and best friends fly for free/cheap. This job is the best kept secret.”
5. The skilled trades.
“Plumber. But really any skilled trades. Plumbers can make really good money, have no student debt, and never have to look for a job. There’s a shortage of them everywhere. There’s lots of different types of plumbing jobs. Some make more money, some have better schedules.
The career growth and outlook is more than double the national average, and not enough young people are entering the trade. In 10-20 years, if you can find a plumber, you’ll have to pay him/her a premium. It’s already started. People in my city are shocked at what a plumber charges these days, but when they look around, they realize they can’t find anyone licensed to do it cheaper.
Not to mention the weirdness that is an interview for a plumbing position. Both you and the interviewer know that you are going to have 3 other offers by the end of the day, so you’re cool as a cucumber, and he’s sweating trying to figure out how to get you to come work for him instead of the next guy.
It’s almost literally “Hi, I’m John, I’m a licensed plumber. What are you offering that the next guy isn’t?” instead of the company being able to act like you’re lucky to even be sitting there, like in most interviews. My husband says it’s a pretty nice feeling.”
6. Good pay and benefits.
“Considering no one knows anything about it: Surety Underwriter. It’s a weird branch of insurance that is more akin to banking than typical insurance. At the core is financial analysis, but you wear a lot of hats and are not typically tied to a desk. Pays well, and the benefits are solid.
People in the industry are tracked like professional athletes when they switch companies and there are not enough people to fill all the seats so job security is generally high. Have never had to look for a job. They call me.
Been a solid career to this point.”
7. Might be worth a shot?
“The job name varies but business analyst or requirements analyst for tech companies.
You write the business requirements for the developers to use. You don’t need to know how to code. You write “the user can enter their credit card information ” and the devs make that happen.
If you can write clearly you can make a tech salary without being technical.”
8. Out on the water.
“US Coast Guard.
Underrated because a good number of people don’t know about this branch of the military.
Same benefits, but your mission is more humanitarian and they have some of the best locations for bases.”
9. Never even heard of this.
“Sexton.
The sexton at a large downtown church enjoys his job taking care of the facility and overseeing its maintenance.
He earns about $65,000 per year, plus full benefits (including a defined benefits pension).”
10. Writing is important.
“Writers/copywriters.
I’ve done this for a long time and am a communications manager now for a tech company. We’ve still yet to hire any full-time, career/pro writers but have dozens of designers and engineers on staff.
Everyone thinks they can write. Okie doke, have fun with that. I’ll just be over here correcting all your s**t. You’re welcome.”
11. Some good advice.
“Underrated: Electricians/plumbers/teachers and most other blue collar/union jobs.
These are highly skilled people who, in the right setting, can often make a very good living without going into 6-figure debt first.”
12. Always in demand.
“Healthcare jobs you can get with just an associate degree. Respiratory therapist, rad tech, cardiac sonographer, registered nurse.
There’s never a shortage of people who need healthcare. The pay is pretty good. A lot of hospitals will give you a sign on bonus either as a check up front or will pay off a good portion of student loans if you go into an in-demand area. 12 hour shifts so most folks only work 3 days a week.
You see some really brutal stuff but you also get to help people in need so it can be really rewarding. And if you’re a person who can’t stand the thought of sitting at a desk 40 hours a week, this is a good route.”
13. Good, honest work.
“My dad does landscaping and scrap metal collecting. Paid off his house and bought himself, me and sister cars. Not like brand new but 2010s. There’s a lot of money in it along with picking your own hours and as long as you know how to sell yourself no job is too small.
Along with connections, I swear in a year he made connections with most of the local realtors with more asking. It ain’t much but it’s honest work.”
14. It’s all over the place.
“Translation.
Translators are quite important in communication and people never think about us.
The books you read were translated. The instructions to build that closet were translated. A translator put the subs in the movies and the videos you watch.
Translators are so underrated.”
15. Sounds like a good gig.
“Air Traffic Controller.
My best buddy’s Father-in-law just retired at 55 and is making more money now than he did while working.
They also have wild mandatory breaks like 1 hour on station, mandatory 30 minute break.
Pretty great job the way he talked about it.”
Very, very interesting…
What about you? Do you think your job is underrated by society as a whole?
Talk to us in the comments!
