14 Weird Professional Jobs That Pay Above the National Average

Getting a good day's pay isn't always easy, but you'd be surprised at the type of things you can get paid to do (like lead haunted tours or write fortunes for fortune cookies). While underwater basket weaving doesn't exist yet, you can get paid for even the most mundane tasks.

That said, not all jobs pay well enough to ditch the day job and live out your dreams. That's why we wrangled a list of uncommon professional jobs that pay above the national average. These careers would make even stingy grandparents proud, although they do take a bit of grunt work to get there.

Let us know if you know of any other uncommon professional jobs, and stay tuned for more weird jobs in future installments!

Note: for reference, the national average salary is $58,260 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. As with all jobs, the salaries for these positions will vary. Most can make well above the national average, but that’s not a guarantee.

Podiatrist: A podiatrist is also called a doctor of podiatric medicine. They specialize in injuries to the foot, ankle, or lower leg. Buckle up—you're going to see a lot of bunions.

· National average salary: $158,380 as of 2021

· Education/training required: A Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree from an accredited podiatry school plus a podiatry residency.

Clinical ethicist: These professionals assess ethical practices in healthcare organizations. They determine ethical issues and propose solutions to staff, patients, and families. Just watch or read The Good Nurse, and you'll see why ethics matters in healthcare.

· National average salary: $86,476

· Education/training required: A certificate and a Bachelor’s degree are the bare minimum, but a doctorate or Master’s is usually required, too.

Hippotherapist: Hippotherapists, sadly, don’t deal with hippos. Instead, they use horses to assist patients with physical ailments, mental disabilities, and even speech disorders.

· National average salary: $82,160

· Education/training required: Licensed or certified as a therapist with 3 years of experience plus 100 hours of hippotherapy experience and certification (there are several hippotherapy courses available for interested parties).

Flavorist: Flavorists study the science of food, including processing and packaging, to improve food and beverages for consumers. It’s both an art and a science, although it's kind of a long haul to get to the finish line.

· National average salary: $115, 511

· Education/training required: Bachelor’s in chemistry, biology, or food science, then seven years of training, followed by an apprenticeship with the Society of Flavor Chemists, followed by two more years of training to become certified.

Genetic counselor: Genetic counselors help patients with inherited diseases or conditions, providing advice, test interpretation, and (duh) counseling. They can also become more specialized to focus on certain types of conditions, so your options are wide open.

· National average salary: $86,640 as of 2021

· Education/training required: A Master’s degree from an ACGS-accredited school.

Soil scientist: These scientists focus on the ground beneath our feet, studying the properties, history, and origin of soil. If you always got in trouble for digging in the dirt as a kid, this might be the perfect job for you!

· National average salary: $71,339

· Education/training required: Bachelor’s degree in chemistry, soil science, crop science, biology, or a related field. Some positions may require a Master’s or PhD, and the Soil Science Society of America offers a certificate, as well.

Phycologist: A phycologist studies the properties and other elements associated with algae and cyanobacteria. With the rise of harmful algal blooms and the focus on clean energy, this job is probably going to be in high demand.

· National average salary: $81,040 as of 2021

· Education/training required: A Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s in phycology, with a Ph.D. in phycology recommended.

Crystallographer: No, we're not talking about crystals with healing properties—a crystallographer studies other types of crystals to study their atomic structure, which helps biologists, chemists, and other natural scientists with their own experiments.

· National average salary: $100,090 as of 2021 (for all material scientists)

· Education/training required: A Bachelor's degree in chemistry or physical science, plus a master's degree or Ph.D. for research work.

Ethical computer hacker: If you want to feel like a spy day in and day out, you should consider being an ethical hacker. These computer geniuses find vulnerabilities in code to test network or application security.

· National average salary: $105,031

· Education/training required: It's recommended to get a Bachelor's degree in cybersecurity, computer science, or network engineering, in addition to real-world experience. You can also get a CEH or OSCP certificate to prove your mettle.

Nuclear power reactor operator: These operators prevent nuclear power plants from going, well, nuclear. These technicians work hard to ensure every machine operates smoothly to keep nuclear power plants running.

· National average salary: $111,220 as of 2021

· Education/training required: Good news, you might not need a college degree! However, nuclear power reactor operators must undergo years of training to learn the ropes and later get licensed through the NRC (which requires passing a medical and licensing exam). Then you need to keep your license active by passing yearly exams, bi-annual medical exams, and license renewals every six years.

Escalator installer/repairer: They're not the most fabulous of equipment, but everyone hates it when escalators don't work properly. Enter the escalator repair technician, who

· National average salary: $91,320 as of 2021

· Education/training required: You'll typically complete a four-year apprenticeship after high school, then apply for licensing through the National Association of Elevator Contractors or the National Association of Elevator Safety Authorities International.

Casino manager: For the leadership-minded who love game nights, consider becoming a casino manager to manage the daily operations of a casino. These managers are in charge of employees, the games, and the patrons.

· National average salary: $89,190 as of 2021

· Education/training required: An Associate's degree in accounting, business management, or hospitality is a good step but not required. Once you have the right experience, you just need a gaming license.

Foley artist: It's tempting to believe that sound picks up perfectly on set, but many sounds for the cinema are captured by Foley artists. These creative individuals find unique ways to capture audio that matches what we see on screen, creating a seamless experience.

· National average salary: $144,202

· Education/training required: It doesn't hurt to get a degree in film or sound design, but the main key to becoming a Foley artist is experience on set or with a mentor.

Fire inspector: This one's sort of self-explanatory, but fire inspectors check out buildings to make sure they're up to code on the federal, state, and city levels. Prevention is worth an ounce of cure!

· National average salary: $63,080 as of 2021

· Education/training required: Usually, these inspectors are firefighters first. However, it's also recommended to get a degree in fire science or receive emergency medical technician training.

That's it for the weird jobs this week—stay tuned for further weird job installments!

You got this,

Stephen Greet, Co-founder @ BeamJobs