These days, there are limitless opportunities to work a job where you spend all day behind a computer. Some exciting, some not. Back in the day, people prayed to work inside comfortably, with AIR CONDITIONING. Now, many people are coming back around and yearning to do a job with more physical activity and excitement. If you are one of those tired of the 9-5 cubicle grind or looking for a career change, check out these exciting, but also dangerous jobs.
1. Deep Sea Fisherman
If you like to get out on the water and enjoy solitude along with a few companions, you should consider a career as a deep sea fisherman. Often times you will be out in the ocean for months, hundreds of miles off the coast, facing the host of issues including mother nature throws at you. Add extreme cold weather on top of this and it can get real dangerous, real fast. On the plus side, you will get a huge paycheck for the job and you only need to work a low number of months out of the year to make a full living. Some work less than 4 months a year!
Another bonus is that the money you make is often based on what the boat makes. It is rewarding since the better you and your team does, the more money everyone makes. This promotes teamwork and results. To get started, you may have to do some of the tasks with lesser importance on the boats such as cleaning and support until you prove yourself and can move up into the actual fishing tasks, which can include catching tasty seafood like tuna and crab.
2. Search and Rescue
If you are in great shape and want to help people, search and rescue is an exciting field that also really makes a difference. Not only will you enjoy a working outside, but it’s one of the few professions where you are the one called on when peoples lives are in danger. However, while it’s a glorious job, there are plenty of times when you won’t be busy and have repetitive calls that you must go out on that are non-emergencies. If you thrive under pressure, are observant, and can be patient, search and rescue may be for you.
Check out more information and training at the National Association for Search and Rescue website and start some research. The main downside is that these jobs are often filled with volunteers and it’s difficult to find a consistent paying positions. With training, expertise, and experience you will have more luck finding those highly desired well paying positions. Maybe you’ll only have to volunteer for a little while to develop the experience, and then get hired into a position with a predominately search and rescue role (such as park rangers).
3. Truck Driving in Alaska
Anyone who has seen the show Ice Road Truckers on the History Channel knows that truck driving in Alaska is dangerous and exciting: While true, it’s also rewarding for a host of reasons. First, if you are a truck driver in Alaska, you can enjoy the pristine wilderness all to yourself. Not only that, you can make good money since with the added risk, there is added reward. Companies pay drivers a lot of cash to drive out in this country.
First, you want to get as much training and experience before you are out on the road. To learn how to drive trucks, you will want to first go to driving school and get your commercial truck driver’s license (often called a CDL). An example of this type of school is North Shore Driving School Ltd up in Burnaby, Canada and they do driving tests for a range of different types of drivers. There are lots of similar schools and options like this one when it comes to getting the appropriate training before you hit the road up in the Yukon.
4. Police Officers
Protect and Serve! It has it’s share of paperwork, but most of the time you will be out of the office on different assignments. Many officers report back high job satisfaction because of the high amount of physical activity and being able to interact and help many people every day. Obviously this is a dangerous job, but you can have the ability to reduce crime and positively contribute to your community.
It’s not for everyone though, stay away from this career if you don’t thrive under pressure or have difficulty with conflict. If you would like to learn more, contact your local police office and mention that you are thinking about becoming a police officer, they should patch you through to the right person to talk to to and get you started on the right path.
5. Overseas Contractors
Finally, if you want to make serious cash, consider contract work overseas in conflict zones. These are often extremely lucrative 100k+ positions because of the danger involved, but on the plus side, while you make money you will also get to see a unique part of the world that most other people don’t get to see. However, be warned, if you are scared of tense situations and unusual surroundings, working abroad might not be for you.
The best place to find these jobs is with the government, with government contractors, or with large oil companies. Look at their career pages and search for jobs involving overseas travel. Most will even put the high salary range on their website. The more dangerous the location the higher the pay!
With these five possibilities, you can make an excellent income and live life on the edge. If you don’t want to sit in front of a computer all day and need a little danger/excitement, there are plenty of options that pay well.
Great stuff! Deep sea fisherman make REALLY good money, but it’s a rough life. I have family in the fishing business who make most of their money for the year from a few months of work, but it takes a toll on their bodies and minds. It’s a double edged sword.