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Find a Job You Really Want In
While no job is sunshine and rainbows all the time, there are certainly some that are more fun than others. This is especially true if you’re able to find a job that combines both your skills and interests, rather than merely being a way to pay the bills (even though that’s valuable in itself).
If you’re looking for a new career path that will provide enjoyable work and a solid paycheck, keep reading.
Key Takeaways:
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Some jobs will pay better than others, and require a different amount of schooling.
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Everyone will have a different definition of what fun is, so don’t listen to anything negative others may say about your job.
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Sometimes it might take a few jobs to figure out what you find fun, but don’t stop looking until you find it.
What is a Fun Job?
A fun job would be considered anything that you legitimately enjoy doing. Not everyone will agree on what is considered fun and what is not fun, but all of these jobs listed have brought enjoyment to its workers.
Trying different jobs is the key to figuring out what you really enjoy. There may come a time when you go through schooling for something and once you actually get the job you hate the field of work. It’s OKAY to find something else. You never know what you might enjoy until you try it.
40 Fun Jobs That Also Pay Well
While some of these jobs pay better than others, especially if you’re just starting out, the ones on this list all have the opportunity for a generous paycheck:
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Design Engineer
Average Annual Salary: $76,000If you’re interested in improving processes and turning products from plan to reality, being a design engineer might be a fun job for you. You’ll typically make anywhere between $50,000 and $80,000 a year in a position like this.
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Environmental Engineer
Average Annual Salary: $66,000A career as an environmental engineer is perfect for anyone who loves science, is passionate about caring for the earth, and wants to create practical ways to do so. On average, they make between $50,000 and $80,000 per year, but some are paid much more than that.
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Civil Engineer
Average Annual Salary: $70,000Civil engineers are the ones who make bridges, buildings, dams, and other parts of cities’ infrastructures operational and stable. Most civil engineers are paid between $50,000 and $85,000 a year, with some making as much as $99,000 a year.
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Robotics Engineer
Average Annual Salary: $78,000If a career full of designing, manufacturing, and improving robotic machines sounds like a blast to you, look into robotics engineering. They typically make between $55,000 and $120,000 per year.
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Meteorologist
Average Annual Salary: $52,000There is a lot more to meteorology than standing in front of a camera and talking about the temperature. If the weather fascinates you and you love science, this might be where you find your dream job. Meteorologists can make anywhere from $35,000 to $100,000 a year.
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Biological Technician
Average Annual Salary: $40,000Biological Technicians have the best of both worlds as far as science-based career paths go. They don’t need as much education as a full-fledged biologist, but they still get to be in the lab assisting scientists. Plus, they generally get paid between $28,000 and $63,000 per year.
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Creative Art Therapist
Average Annual Salary: $36,000As an art therapist, you’ll get to combine psychology and art to help teach people how to process their emotions and express themselves. While this field isn’t as lucrative as engineering, it still pays well, with average salaries ranging from $32,000 to $65,000 per year.
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Music Therapist
Average Annual Salary: $49,000In a nutshell, music therapy uses music to gauge a client’s mental health in various areas and then help them improve it. This is another occupation where your salary depends on location and experience, but music therapists can make up to $72,000 each year.
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Real Estate Appraiser
Average Annual Salary: $44,000As a real estate appraiser, you’d get to look at other people’s houses and buildings to tell them what they’re worth for a living. Plus, most of them make between $34,000 and $70,000 a year, with some earning up to $100,000 a year.
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Antique Appraiser
Average Annual Salary: N/AIf you enjoy learning about and looking at items from long ago, becoming an antique appraiser may be an ideal career for you. While most antique appraisers earn a little over $30,000 a year at first, some of the more experienced ones make over $70,000 each year.
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Personal Shopper
Average Annual Salary: $49,000What could be better than going shopping and spending someone else’s money for a living? As a personal shopper, you could do this – you just can’t keep the items you purchase, unfortunately. Depending on your location and experience, you could make up to $65,000 a year in this occupation.
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Wardrobe Stylist
Average Annual Salary: $26,261Also called a fashion stylist, a wardrobe stylist can do anything involving creating outfits, whether it’s choosing the clothing worn in a magazine or music video or selecting an ensemble for a celebrity or model to wear. They can generally make up to $65,000 per year.
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Cryptographer
Average Annual Salary: N/AIf you love computers and coding, being a cryptographer might be a fun occupation for you. In this position, you’d get to encrypt and decrypt information to keep your employer’s computer systems secure. These jobs typically pay $55,000 to $180,000 a year.
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Ethical Computer Hacker
Average Annual Salary: N/ADid you know that it’s possible to put your hacking skills to use in a positive way? Well, you can, and organizations are willing to pay handsomely for you to find and fix any security weaknesses in their systems. The average salary for an ethical hacker, or a white-hat hacker as they’re often called, is $99,000 a year.
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Video Game Designer
Average Annual Salary: $90,000If you’re naturally a very creative person who enjoys creating worlds and challenges and working on computers, becoming a video game designer might be the dream job for you. Nationwide, these professionals typically make between $40,000 and $100,000 a year.
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Web Developer
Average Annual Salary: $72,000With websites becoming a necessity for businesses of all sizes, web developers are in high demand. In this job, you’ll design, build, and optimize websites, whether you do so full time for one company or as freelance work for many organizations.
Depending on who you work for, your experience, and your skills, you can make between $40,000 and $110,000 a year in this job. Plus, this is one of the fastest-growing occupations, which means there will likely be plenty of job openings for you to choose from in the future.
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Technical Support Specialist
Average Annual Salary: $61,000If you enjoy learning about and using technology and helping people solve problems, you might enjoy working as a tech support specialist. On average, these professionals make about $50,000 per year.
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Software Developer
Average Annual Salary: $80,000As a software developer, you’ll get to put your computer skills to use creating and optimizing programs that allow people to solve problems, make creative projects, or just make their lives easier. The average salary is around $75,000 a year, but you can make over $100,000 a year in this field, depending on where you work.
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Marine Biologist
Average Annual Salary: $61,804Studying ocean animals for a living can take you to work in aquariums, zoos, and research facilities. If you love science, the water, and animals, you will probably love this occupation. Plus, the $35,000 to $100,000 annual paycheck isn’t too bad either.
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Park Ranger
Average Annual Salary: $43,000Many career park rangers are foresters and conservation scientists, and they make around $50,000 to $70,000 per year. Some can make more than that, though. Either way, it’s pretty great pay for getting to spend your time outdoors in some of the most beautiful places in the country.
You can even start working in this field as a volunteer to see if you like it.
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Veterinarian
Average Annual Salary: $126,000Just like any medical profession, becoming a veterinarian takes years of hard work, but it can allow you to work with all types of animals for a living. Veterinarians usually make $55,000 to $150,000 per year.
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Industrial Designer
Average Annual Salary: $66,000If you notice when a pair of scissors fit your hand just right or a packaging design that didn’t make you want to throw it across the room in frustration, you have an industrial designer to thank for that. Put your design and problem-solving skills to work in this occupation, and make an average of $43,000 to $89,000 per year doing so.
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Interior Designer
Average Annual Salary: $54,000A career in interior design will always bring a new challenge, and new opportunities for hands-on creativity. You can work on houses or industrial buildings and choose to work for a company or yourself. The average salary for an interior designer is $60,000 a year.
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Landscape Architect
Average Annual Salary: $58,000Put your design talents to work creating stunning outdoor retreats for backyards, resorts, and businesses. You’ll make anywhere from $45,000 to $80,000 per year doing so, and you may be able to make over $100,000.
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Architect
Average Annual Salary: $75,000Combine form and function to create beautiful and usable buildings for people to live, work, and play in. This is where engineering meets art, so it’s an excellent option for those who are both left- and right-brained. Your salary will depend on your experience, certifications, and location, but the average salary is a little over $100,000 per year.
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Toy Designer
Average Annual Salary: $46,000The definition of a “fun job” – creating new toys is a real career you could have. Like an industrial designer, you’ll need to have creative, technical, and problem-solving skills to succeed in this field. The average base pay for a toy designer is just under $88,000 a year.
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Nutritionist
Average Annual Salary: $49,000Combine science, health, and helping others by becoming a nutritionist. Whether you want to focus on helping people change their unhealthy lifestyles or combat health problems with their diet, being a nutritionist can be an interesting and fulfilling occupation. Most nutritionists earn an average of $45,000 to $73,000 each year.
This could also be a great option if you’re a nurse looking for a career change because you already have a basic understanding of how to help the human body be at its best.
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Personal Trainer
Average Annual Salary: $38,000Becoming a personal trainer is a great job if you’re passionate about fitness, want to help people, and would rather not have a desk job. Plus, you can do it as part-time work or as a full-time job.
While personal trainers’ salaries vary greatly depending on their experience and who they work for, the national average is $48,000 a year, with some making up to $63,000.
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Airline Pilot
Average Annual Salary: $67,000If you love to travel and don’t mind days and weeks away from home, becoming an airline pilot can be a fascinating and rewarding job. Plus, the median salary is $175,000, which means half of pilots make more than that (some make over $300,000 a year), and half make less (closer to $75,000 a year).
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Resort Manager
Average Annual Salary: $59,000While managing a resort may mean interacting with some difficult guests, it also means you live and work in some of the world’s most beautiful and sought-after locations. The average salary for a resort manager in the U.S. is about $54,000 per year, but you may make more or less depending on your experience and where you work.
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Cruise Director
Average Annual Salary: $43,237As a cruise director, you can put your hospitality, administration, customer service, and event planning skills to work while having the opportunity to see the world. Cruise directors usually make between $40,000 and $90,000 a year, with the average salary being $56,000.
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Cruise Ship Entertainer
Average Annual Salary: N/AIf you’re a performer, you may want to consider taking a contract with a cruise ship. Not only do you get to stay on a cruise ship for free, but you also usually get to go ashore when the ship is docked – not a bad job perk. These positions often come in three- to six- month contracts that pay anywhere from $1,600 to $4,000 a month.
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Novel Writer
Average Annual Salary: N/AWhile a career in creative writing of any kind brings no guarantees about salary, writing novels can quickly become very lucrative if you’re successful. Plus, this is a job type that gives you the opportunity for remote work and letting your creativity shine. If you are successful, you can make over $100,000 a year.
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Advertising Copy writer
Average Annual Salary: $49,000If long-form writing such as novels or even articles isn’t for you, writing short, snappy advertising slogans and materials may be the career you’re looking for. This is another industry where your salary will depend on your skill, experience, and employer, but your annual earnings will likely be between $35,000 and $75,000 a year.
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Social Media Marketer
Average Annual Salary: $44,687You can turn your knack for social media into a career more quickly than you’d think. Combine that with a little bit of marketing know-how, and you’re set with a job full of new challenges to conquer and opportunities to be creative as you create marketing campaigns on social media platforms.
You can make between $35,000 and $100,000 a year in this position, depending on the company and your responsibilities. If you have a background in customer service and marketing and want to switch to this field, you can usually do so with some training and practice, since you already have experience building relationships.
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Voice Actor
Average Annual Salary: $73,903Probably one of the most unique careers, voice acting gives you the opportunity to both potentially be on the big screen and show up to work in sweats.
While your salary in this field can vary widely based on the types of projects you do since it’s a gig-based career, the national average for a voice actor’s annual salary is about $76,000 a year.
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Photographer
Average Annual Salary: $49,000Depending on the type of photography you choose to pursue, a career as a photographer brings opportunities to travel and meet new people. It also takes hard work and some natural talent, but many full-time photographers make $41,000 to $80,000 a year with all of these ingredients.
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Videographer
Average Annual Salary: $38,000Similar to photographers, being a successful videographer takes a lot of hard work and skill. However, your days will be full of exciting and new work, and you’ll be able to capture moments, events, and stories for posterity. Most videographers get paid anywhere from $40,000 to $98,000 a year to do this.
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Translator
Average Annual Salary: $42,000If you know a second (or third) language, a career as a translator or interpreter may be a fulfilling way to use that skill. Whether you work for a company, an individual, or a school, you’ll be able to connect people who wouldn’t have been able to otherwise. Once you’re certified and experienced, you could make between $30,000 and $75,000 a year.
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Sommelier
Average Annual Salary: $46,000If you love fine wine, have an excellent palate, and love to travel, a career as a sommelier could be an enjoyable occupation for you. The general sommelier salary ranges between $35,000 and $70,000 a year, but some master sommeliers make six figures.
- Demographic Based
- Interest Based
- Location Based
- Pay Based
- Requirement Based
Author
Abby is a writer who is passionate about the power of story. Whether it’s communicating complicated topics in a clear way or helping readers connect with another person or place from the comfort of their couch. Abby attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she earned a degree in writing with concentrations in journalism and business.
