There are professions that carry a certain degree of prestige. Doctors, lawyers, and entrepreneurs are some examples that would evoke nods of approval at their mere mention.
On the other hand, some careers are often overlooked because they lack the same glamour. However, what most people don’t realize is that these occupations are actually excellent ways to make a living, whether it’s because of the salary or the work environment.
This list features some of those examples, as shared by people on Reddit. If you happen to be looking for a career change, here are some jobs to consider.
#1
Cemetery plot sales rep. Totally under-hyped, yet the pay’s to die for, and the work environment is so quiet you’ll never hear a complaint. You spend your days selling eternal real estate to folks who can’t argue back….
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#2
Dental hygienist. 2 year program and salary of about $70,000.
nobleheartedkate:
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#3
Garbage collectors. Not glamorous, but stable income, benefits, and mostly outdoors!
YounomsayinMawfk:
whaletacochamp:
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#4
USPS and UPS drivers.
YounomsayinMawfk:
whaletacochamp:
Image credits: HistoricalLiving2636
#5
Air traffic controller.. very cool work environment.. especially enroute controllers. The pay is very good on the high end of the federal scale, and great job security and benefits.. you can also put in for transfers anywhere there's a controlled airfield.
Atc requires fluent English to be used between pilots and atc system wide. The reputation for atc to be high stress is not necessarily true. The workers are very professional and highly skilled which makes for a much more relaxed, quiet and respectful "mission oriented" work environment which for some potential air traffic controllers is a good fit you don't really find in any other profession. Hs degree to get started.. need to become familiar with airway operations, airport design and management, piloting various aircraft (don't need to fly them just the basics of aircraft ops, navigation, emergency procedures, and other interesting stuff).
Another big test item: weather, which is probably the most heavily emphasized test subject in all of airway science and atc. Truly a career path worth looking into if airplanes and flying are your thing, or you just want a great career with a lot of upside potential and plenty of time off to recharge and find a hobby.. like flying gliders or the new personal aircraft hitting the market next year (supposedly, but looks good for 2026!).. that's all I got.. good luck.
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#6
People s**t on insurance but if you get in the commercial side of the business it’s pretty interesting trying to find solutions for client problems, rarely work over 35hrs a week and make 6 figures.
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#7
Trade jobs. Everyone's chasing degrees but plumbers and electricians are quietly raking it in!
icarusislit:
Any trade jobs right now little to no school debt and making great money in example $100k in Missouri St. Louis area not fantastic but will definitely get you started.
Image credits: Charming_Program_732
#8
I didn’t realize it when I started and your mileage may vary, but MRI technologist.
You’re not a doctor, but you’ll clear 6 figures in a major metro. It is one of the fastest growing parts of healthcare and keeps the administrators happy because it’s a money printing department.
Four of my colleagues are late 60’s early 70’s are still choose to work PRN. I think that alone speaks for the working conditions. I work 3 days a week and go home leaving my work, at work.
The schooling is hard enough to keep you marketable, and the job is hands on enough to keep AI from replacing you.
Image credits: A_Dumba**_Dolphin
#9
Forester.
I spend a ton of time walking out in nature, helping people, get to continuously learn new things, and do work that is personally fulfilling. It’s also rated as the happiest career out of all industries in the US.
Yet somehow less and less people are going into it, and most people I meet think it’s the same thing as a park ranger, which it is not.
Image credits: Elm-at-the-Helm
#10
FreshHotPoop:
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#11
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#12
Lawn mowing. I make ridiculous money running a landscaping and lawn care business (5%/95%). It’s hard to overestimate how much people will pay to avoid physical labor.
Good-mood-curiosity:
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#13
I know a couple of guys who fix power lines. When a storm comes though, the overtime pays for another vacation.
tdvx:
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#14
If you want a high paying job, like the mathy side of finance, want to work on interesting problems, but don't want to work 90 hours a week as a glorified PowerPoint jockey, I suggest looking into becoming an actuary.
turnthetides:
labounce1:
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#15
Auto body, good pay, good hours but you have to work, sweat and get dirty.
anon:
Working in a genuine car garage. One that pays well and treats everyone right. That's definitely under hyped.
Image credits: iamthebirdman-27
#16
NDT technicians. You inspect things in oil and gas, power plants, pipelines etc, ultrasonics, radiography, eddy current, mag particle etc. Part time in the field, part time in the office, full time work or shutdown work. You can work union and get all the juicy benefits plus guaranteed wages. It can be dirty but the work is more brain than brawn, and even a seasonal shutdown worker can make $100k just working a few months a year. I work full time and make just shy of $300k most years, a bad year like last year was $215k.
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#17
Enterprise sales. No real formal quals and mostly on the job training. Make over $500k a year.
Image credits: Cleverredditname1234
#18
I never see anyone talk about Sales Engineers. I’ve been one for about 12 years now, and have been 100% fully work from home since 2016. Any software company that sells software usually has them, and not just the big ones either. My specialty has been in the early stage (pre series c) startups. Because the companies are so small, there’s usually very little hierarchy in management. I usually have one boss (head of GTM or head of sales) and then just the CEO.
If you’re good, there’s almost no micromanagement, the hours are amazing because generally if you’re not on a customer call you make your own hours. So I can spend mornings with my son, walk my dog whenever, go to the gym whenever, as long as it’s not during a meeting.
You’re a technical resource but not a coder, and obviously the best SEs have excellent presentation and sales skills.
I make $190k base and $270k total OTE (base + commission). If you exceed quota you hit accelerators. I’ve seen some SEs make $300k from a single commission check.
It’s literally a dream job that almost nobody knows about….
Image credits: CouragetheCowardly
#19
Paralegals. Get enough experience under your belt and you're making six figures and it's a nice quiet environment where you can pretty much work on your own but collaborate with others when needed. Listen to music while working when possible. Good benefits at better firms. And in a large enough market you can job hop every 3 years and how's that level of experience that's needed.
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#20
Accountant.
-myeyeshaveseenyou-:
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#21
My stepbrother is a self-employed delivery driver, he absolutely loves it. I'm not sure how he does it, but he has an amazon app that picks his own hours and picks from predetermined routes for pre-set payments. Never seen him stressed or skint honestly.
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#22
Government bean counter.
Bruh be the system or be worked by the system.
MrBleak:
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#23
Installing high rise sprinkler systems.
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#24
I’ve been driving milk truck for two years after working oilfield for 20 and I wish I found this 12 years ago. 80% the money, work 4 on 4 off, home every night and getting paid well for taking short drives in the country to pretty farms. Enough physical movement to keep my body up and great comadarie between drivers.
Image credits: whatgoodisausername
#25
B2B sales jobs in boring industries.
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#26
Tree trimmer. $30-$40 bucks an hour and you're working outside in the shade.
Image credits: Constant-Current-340
#27
Aircraft Dispatchers. Specifically for major US airlines. Good pay, mostly low stress except on bad weather/ATC days, and lots of time off + airline benefits. It’s one of most unknown careers in aviation. They essentially are repairable for planning and managing/monitoring flights for their respective airline.
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#28
Programmable logic control technician. There aren't any degrees just certifications. They get paid tons because there are very few of these technicians.
Downside stay out of refineries, they will a**se and grind hours out of workers. Plc techs get good hours working in automated agriculture and similar positions. Job hopping for higher pay is great right now. Those positions are strictly 8 hours.
Image credits: That-Clerk-3584
#29
Fire inspector in big cities.
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#30
Anything to do with waste management.
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#31
Welder, not many people want to earn their living under a welding hood. It's been a great and rewarding career for me culminating in an excellent career I now have in the maintenance department of a large domestic automotive manufacturer.
#32
I work as a route driver for a vending machine company. I drive a truck around and fill vending machines at different businesses. This year I’ll make double the median income for my state. $30-$35 an hour about 7-8 hours a day. If I get done early, I go home early. I’m commission so it doesn’t affect my pay. Flexible schedule, low stress, good bosses. I have no complaints about my job! Definitely something to look into.
#33
My job, "management consultant"
I earn six figures and my only real task is to listen to my boss whine. That's it.
NeverFence:
#34
I like being a teacher. Good hours, middle class pay, union and benefits, and honestly my work environment is pretty nice most of the time.
Maybe I've just never had a good job before so I don't know, but I don't mind it.
#35
From what I understand, most government jobs, even the janitors. Steady pay and a state pension. How can you beat that.
#36
Compliance specialists at banks or at fintech companies. You can work your way up without a college degree starting as a bank teller or customer service agent, it only takes a few years to get to six figures, and chief compliance officers can make several million dollars a year.
#37
Recruiting. I had no experience and was lucky enough to get into a great agency and successful local office. After two years I was making $150+ and then I moved to large tech company and with my RSUs I make over 200k. I have long hours for half the year and the other half is easy. I use a lot of skills and have a lot of influence. The job is more than people think it is if you work hard and have business acumen.
#38
Bricklayers. Refuse people.
#39
B2B, SDR, or warm lead B2C sales.
Look, I know you don't like it, but if it's with a stable base salary, interesting product and fun, and competitive sales pipeline, then its f*****g awesome. I keep finding interesting jobs all over the place, which gives this.
#40
Waste water management. Water treatment.
#41
Corporate Executive Assistant. Experienced assistants make 125k or more and often move jobs with their boss. but you can be on call long hours. Many of them now work remotely.
#42
Environmental Health
A registered environmental health specialist (REHS)--in some states known as a registered sanitarian/RS (antiquated terms)--has a wide career path. It's a sister branch of public health, but instead of dealing with individual cases of illnesses/conditions we deal with the environmental influences of them.
There are 26 disciplines that fall under "environmental health". The most widely known is retail food inspection, what most people would call a health inspector. Fun fact: in most US states there is no official title of "health inspector"; we are almost all REHSs. Restaurant inspections are one of the many things we do.
Also under environmental health:
pool/spa regulation
solidwaste/landfill regulation
medical waste reg
tattoo reg
onsite wastewater (septic) design and regulation
vector control
hospitality and childcare reg
In addition we see things like radiation/noise/light pollution, air quality, and water quality. We have a hand in wastewater treatment.
Get tired of one thing? Move to a different discipline. If you are in a smaller town you'll likely handle multiple or all disciplines. We are also in high demand due to a quickly aging and retiring workforce. Not as many people go in environmental health these days and a large portion of those still here are at or near retirement years.
Most EH jobs are in government but there are private sector jobs out there, too. I know someone that went to work for Apple overseeing their corporate food program. Some work for ThermoFisher. There are private inspectors for large food chains. You do not need an environmental health degree--I have a bachelor's in biology--but do need some background in science.
#43
Auto sales .. been in for 12 years worked all positions from floor to finance to dept head .. can’t beat it. I have no degree of any kind and make more income than all my siblings who have engineering degrees and student debt lol
#44
CAD Drafter. And get a job with 9 month certificate or just knowing how to use cad. Pay is good get to work inside and can make excellent money in 10, 12 years if you bust your butt.
#45
Software engineer.
#46
I feel like being the backup kicker on a football team or something like that seems pretty decent if you save your money. You get like the ULTIMATE fan experience, you're super close to the game and the players but you just might never do anything important (except for that ONE play), your body seems less likely to get wrecked etc.
#47
CNA. Backbone of the hospital.
