41 Jobs That People Enjoy Working Even Though They’re Not Widely Talked About
Interview With Expert
Confucius once said, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” But even without such a serious phrase from a Chinese philosopher, we all understand that having the privilege to work at a job you enjoy makes the process of working and a person's life easier.
Yet there’s no universal answer to what job is the most enjoyable, as, like with many other situations in life, it's to each their own. So let’s take a trip through some of the jobs people online say they enjoy, even if it might look like a profession from hell to others.
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Lunch lady :)
I work at an elementary school and I get to chat with kids while giving them (tbh, really good tasting) and FREE meals. We get to feed the kids that don't have a lot to eat at home, see the kids grow and learn, be nicer to them than most adults in some of their lives, get recognized outside of school, we don't have to take our work home with us, we get treated nicely by staff, we get to go to parties for the school staff in the forbidden teacher's lounge, drink soda in school (something I always wanted)...
We get weekends, holidays, and summer off!
I personally wear cute earrings and bright makeup which thrills the s**t out of them, and the cleanup is pretty simple, and we get to go home after lunch. Not only that but it's a unionized job with retirement benefits. It's honestly a great time. I also get all the juice boxes and free school pizza I could ever want hahahaahahaha.
Janitor. I am incapable of taking my work home with me, and there’s absolutely no way any job can have more instant gratification than cleaning. 10/10 recommend all of you with diminished ability to wait for results to go clean for a living. You make the world better every day you show up to work, because a world with less filth is just plain better. The floor Zambonis are really fun, too.
Oh, and as a university janitor I’ll be getting free college. Anything I want to study, it’s paid for as part of my benefits. Instead of taking out student loans to get a job, I’m getting a job to pay for school. Love that.
I've cleaned houses, buildings, and offshore oil rigs off and on over 20 years. In between, I've worked as a veterinary assistant, medical administrator, and countless other jobs. I always go back to cleaning. Next month I go back offshore to do laundry! It's so peaceful. No one bothers you, can listen to music, get a great workout, and make good money! It's a great job if you don't like people, haha!
Gardener. Cultivating happiness, one plant at a time.
Idk what scientific evidence we have, but the older I get the more I realize that SO many honest to goodness happy people garden. Idk what it is, but if someone is legit joyful, ask about their tomatoes. 99% they have a little greenhouse out back.
To talk a little bit more about job enjoyment, Bored Panda got in touch with a career coach, Caroline Hickey.
She said that many people are now starting to realize the appeal of the skilled trades -- electricians, plumbers, and carpenters, to name a few: “I've seen a lot of career coaching clients become disillusioned with working from a laptop in these big offices and working on projects that don't feel tangible, and instead, they [are] pursuing a skilled trade, as they feel that being able to see the tangible outputs of their efforts on a day-to-day basis can deliver higher levels of job satisfaction for them.”
Besides the job’s tangibility of results, Caroline mentioned another factor that makes people enjoy their job -- job security. Skilled trades can be applied here, too, as they are “often highly in demand and, therefore, clients have often opted to pursue this route in search of financial and employment stability.”
Book editor. You get to read books during business hours, *and* you get paid to do it! Bonus: you also get to get all smart and wise ("This bit is not working, rewrite it...") and you get paid for that too. Another bonus: you're getting invited to all sorts of fancy social gatherings, mingling with authors and academia... I got to do this for seven years, probably the best, most relaxed, and fun seven years of my professional life.
Library technician here! It's honestly the hidden gem of peaceful careers. You're surrounded by knowledge and the thirst for it, helping people discover new worlds and ideas daily. There's something about the quiet hum of book lovers delving into pages that's incredibly soothing. Plus, if you're a bookworm, getting first dibs on new releases is a sweet perk. And the best part? Watching kids get excited about reading – it feels like you're really making a difference in fostering the love for books in the next generation. It's more than just stamping due dates; it's about being a steward of a treasure trove of literature and information.
Farming, I feel strong after I come home even though everything hurts.
I just had a conversation about this with a fellow farmer. We agreed that the challenge of it can have you wondering what the hell you’re even doing it for, and then you look over the land on a particularly beautiful hill, or see the animals running and playing. And you realize it’s something other people don’t get to experience. In those moments you feel really lucky to do what you do.
When thinking about emerging professions that might be enjoyable for some people, Caroline advises people to think about national and global discussions. With this kind of thinking, three themes that are supported by the latest labor market insights come to career coaches' minds -- tech, education, and sustainability.
Caroline said that the data suggests that the two growing sectors will be technology-related roles and the health & care sector. She also said that according to WEF Jobs For the Future research, the top four predicted growing jobs in these sectors are:
- AI and machine learning specialists;
- Sustainability specialists;
- Business intelligence specialists;
- Information security specialists.
Then for the sustainability sector, WEF Jobs For the Future research also predicts the top four growing jobs globally:
- Sustainability specialists;
- Renewable energy engineers;
- Solar energy installation;
- Systems engineers.
My boyfriend used to be a projectionist in a cinema. He would run seven 35mm projectors for three 16 hour shifts in a row. Three very full days on, then four off. He brought home a great pay packet too.
He always used to tell me how much he loved it, and used to get so much joy running the films for people. Especially film debuts and packed rooms.
The flickering light and clattering noise of the projection room was like a magical land, as I would sneak into the movies through the rear doors and watch everything. All the platters were spinning and everything in motion, it was wild. Light just jumped around everywhere.
Sadly he was one of the last hold outs before it all went digital. He sometimes gets very down he’s not doing it anymore. A sad loss of a profession.
Working as a park ranger offers tranquility and the chance to work in some of the most beautiful spots on earth.
Being a mailman, you quickly sort your mail and parcels, then you head out to deliver. Once you are outside you are in control, you deliver the mail and parcels, then you go home. Might be an early start, but the early finish gives you more time to do whatever you want while its still daylight. I can't stand sitting at a desk or being inside all day, so it's a perfect job for me.
Glad that they are the exception to the "going postal" category of workers
Lastly, Caroline mentioned the education sector. She said that data shows that the UK will need 1 million teaching and educational professionals, such as university and higher education teachers, by 2035. At the same time, globally, there will be 3 million more jobs for vocational education teachers and university and higher education teachers by 2027.
So, if you think that your calling might be in any of these mentioned sectors, maybe it’s time to try it out. After all, as our interviewee explained, the need for professionals in these jobs is only going to grow, so it’s quite likely that job security, at least in a sustainability sense, is almost guaranteed.
What do you think? What are professions that are more enjoyable than people think? Or maybe you have some prophecies of what enjoyable jobs are going to be in demand in the near future? Share it all with us in the comments!
I work at a nursery. It’s relaxing to water and prune plants while listening to a podcast or music.
Palliative care. It’s an absolute joy and privilege to spend the last weeks/days in a persons life with them. There can be much more laughter and joy in the terminal phase than many people think. It can be tough and heartbreaking too, but the good outweighs the bad by far.
This is something I would not be able to emotionally handle. Think it takes an angel to do this work.
School-based child therapist. ended up here by accident, stayed for the Uno and Connect 4.
Locksmith: best career ever 8 years in and I love it.
Is it true you have to go to Yale University to get a job as a locksmith? 😂 Sorry, but that's too good a joke to not make.
Wildlife photographer.
Yes, there's awful bits -- weather, bugs, cold, rain, mud, mudslides, more mud, did I mention mud? heat, rain, cars breaking down, being sick away from any doctor, your gear getting delayed or stolen, police stops that are merely bribing stations, chancy trips near coca fields, walking along steep cliffs to set up equipment, altitude sickness, malaria preventative medicine that messes with your brain, mosquito netting that is merely a suggestion, elephants that look at range rovers as rivals, having your batteries die right before you get that once in a lifetime shot...
I'll shut up now.
I tried it for fun. Mosquitos are the part when I decided it's not for me. But good shot is forever 🙂
Vessel Planner. It's basically a videogame. I coordinate load/discharge of cargo ships and create stow plan. I get to work with a puzzle and b******t with managers at terminals. Some days I'm busy with work and other days I just browse the Internet. Perfect work/life balance.
Ive been a fire fighter for about 15 years now and i gotta say, best career ever!!!
And, practically, is there anything sexier than a firefighter coming out with a rescued kitten/child. Man or woman. :)
I liked driving a bus for seniors. Some of them sucked, but most of my passengers were total sweethearts! I liked how friendly and kind they could be :).
My daughter is almost 7yo. She goes with the same bus every morning that is driven by a sweet sweet lady called Karin. Karin is so happy and interested in my kid. Asks me how it's going with her epilepsy and all that. She's such a sweetheart. And in the afternoon my daughter's bus driver is an elderly man called Jørgen. He is such a gem! Always lets my kid have som sweets -and tells her to pick some for her sisters and mom, too! And he stops the bus in the middle of the road so cars can't just blast by and, potentially, kill "one of his kids" as he says. He has also been extremely worried about my daughter's epilepsy. In the house we LOVE bus-Karin and bus-Jørgen 🚎💛💛💛🚎
Not my profession, but I had a long talk with the funeral director who handled my dad's about why he decided to do it, and what he said stuck with me- he gets to work with people who are having a hard time and tell them *yes*, like, he can basically get you everything you want.
I can vibe with that.
Nightshifts as a hotel receptionist.
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I read a lot of books or play games on my Switch.
Woodworking.
Not cabinet making. Which i can see being fun, but wood working. I was semi retired and volunteered at a small shop and I loved it.
Running the tools. Even the sweeping.
Bloody enjoyable.
If your woodworking project is becoming bloody, back up a step.
Tour guide: you get to talk about the city you live in and you love. You meet People who are on vacation so they are relaxed and fun.
If only I could do it full time during the whole year.
Sanitation worker.
Everyday is different.
Working outdoors is great (exception of rainy days)
Keeps you active and helps you stay fit without trying.
Depending where you work good pay; strong union; pension etc.
Train conductor. I play Tetris all day with railcars basically, work outside and only talk to my engineer and Forman. I take a lot of satisfaction in it.
I really enjoyed serving at times. Always go home with cash, work isn't hard usually and always stays AT work, and you get discounts on good food and drink.
it helped that I worked at a DND-themed pub, so the atmosphere and clientele rocked.
I’m glad- it’s not often I’ve read servers having such a positive experience of their jobs.
Nursing home aide. I did this when I was younger, it was very formative for me. Obviously there were the less fun parts. The hygiene care, heavy lifting, combative residents, and occasional removal of sex workers for the wiley ones. But, overall it was eye-opening to an early 20-something me. I had the opportunity to talk to residents that had the most incredible stories to share, some from WWII and Great Depression. I loved seeing photographs of them at my age, learning about the active lives they lived, and hearing their advice, even if some of it was outdated. None of them are alive anymore, but I still think of them from time to time.
Edit: a word.
Barista; don’t get me wrong it’s low paying and the customers can be hellish at times; but if you’re at the right shop in the right part of town catering to a more coffee enthusiast /community oriented clientele instead of a corporate office clientele, it’s a fun job, you basically just get paid to socialize with nice people and give them things that make them happy, which in turn makes me happy.
I'm a Swimming Teacher, I love working with kids and I love the water. Just my perfect job and so much fun. Although the council that runs the centre sucks!
I'm a clinical coder/medical coder (depending on which country you're from) and a health information manager. Clinical coding especially is a job I don't think most people have heard of, but I love it. In the hospital environment where I work we read through records of discharged patients and then follow a set of standards and directives to turn the information into a set of codes that represent what conditions and treatments they had. The codes are used for billing but also for research and public policy. It's a job that requires a mind that can follow logic and an analytical eye combined with a strong knowledge of medical terminology and science, and I love it. Getting to read medical notes is fascinating in itself. You get invested in the journey of some of the patients, even though we never meet them and they're already discharged by the time I get their notes. It's hard to not be emotionally affected when their condition is particularly confronting or if they don't make it
I'm a Swimming Teacher, I love working with kids and I love the water. Just my perfect job and so much fun. Although the council that runs the centre sucks!
I'm a clinical coder/medical coder (depending on which country you're from) and a health information manager. Clinical coding especially is a job I don't think most people have heard of, but I love it. In the hospital environment where I work we read through records of discharged patients and then follow a set of standards and directives to turn the information into a set of codes that represent what conditions and treatments they had. The codes are used for billing but also for research and public policy. It's a job that requires a mind that can follow logic and an analytical eye combined with a strong knowledge of medical terminology and science, and I love it. Getting to read medical notes is fascinating in itself. You get invested in the journey of some of the patients, even though we never meet them and they're already discharged by the time I get their notes. It's hard to not be emotionally affected when their condition is particularly confronting or if they don't make it
