If you ask someone what’s the first career choice that pops into their head when thinking about well-paid jobs, you most likely will end up hearing IT manager and lawyer a-plenty. And while your mom isn’t too happy that you steered in the opposite direction (hi, Liberal Arts degree!), you might be surprised to hear how many little-known, high-paying jobs there are that no one told you about.

A while back, u/yonBonbonbon asked the good people of the No Stupid Questions community “What jobs pay surprisingly high that no one knows about?” From getting to break into big corporations scot-free to braiding horses for hunter shows, we’ve collected some of the wildest answers to help you consider alternative career paths if the current one doesn’t pan out as expected.

#1

Medical waste disposal.

Image credits: Blamdudeguy00

#2

I cook for resource camps (treeplanting, firefighting, have done the odd oil rig or scientific expedition in the past) and I get paid an amazing day rate.

Image credits: princessdied1997

#3

Arborists

Image credits: Aeon1508

#4

The traveling version of anything. If you have any skill that you are willing to drop everything and go do at a moment’s notice in some random place you can get paid quite well.

Image credits: PaulMckee

#5

A lot of medical technician jobs. I am a specialized ultrasound tech making 120k a year. I only have an associates degree.

Image credits: Bigfryoncampus

#6

Underwater welders

A lot of people don’t even think about the need for them, but they’re really important and have a dangerous job, so they get paid pretty well

Image credits: aRabidGerbil

#7

Merchant marine officer. Bank money, no expenses, half the year vacation. I travel for work to crazy places. It’s hard on family and relationships.

Image credits: kbeaver83

#8

Braiding horses for hunter shows. It’s been a while since I did it, but at the top shows I was getting around $100-150 per horse. On a good day I could do ten horses.

Image credits: WanderWomble

#9

Legal videographers. If you watched Tiger King or Making a Murderer, then deposition videos played, and there was someone behind the camera getting paid anywhere from $60–$125 an hour to film that. Filming depositions is a very common practice in the legal field, and it’s a very easy field to get into.

Image credits: JulianFromReddit

#10

“Ethical hacker”. Ethical hacker’ or any role in computer security pays well. It’s rare that you can go from no education whatsoever to earning six figures in two years of part-time self-study (eight hours a week) or three months of intense self-study (eight hours a weekday).

Working in computer security is fun, interesting, and extremely lucrative. I have no idea why every high school in the US is not telling their students about this career life hack.

Source: I’m the CEO of a computer security company and have been doing this professionally for 20 years

Image credits: Tin__Foil

#11

Programming in COBOL. A whole bunch of banks and investment companies and insurance companies have these 50 year old databases programmed in COBOL, and if you know the language you can make bank, becuase it’s much cheaper for them to pay a cobol develper 250k / year rather than spending 30 million transferring all their database info to some new spec.

Image credits: transfemininemystiq

#12

Underwriters for mortgages in the US. Easy six figures.

Image credits: bertP227

#13

Residential Backflows and Fire prevention systems. Annual testing, county mandated. Recession proof. Cash cow.

Image credits: KawasakiKingpin

#14

My ex-MIL put a stuffed pepper down the garbage disposal several years ago. Plumber came out. Fixed it in an hour. Fee: $600. Three days later, she puts *another* stuffed pepper down the garbage disposal. Calls same plumber and tries to claim he “didn’t fix it properly the first time”. B******t. It’s also a holiday weekend (July 4th) this time, so plumber visit comes at a premium charge: $800. Also only took about an hour to fix. Plumber made $1,400 off *one* person in 72 hours, and for only ~2 hours of his time.

For those wondering, yes, my ex-MIL was a total Karen-type.

Image credits: warda8825

#15

I work in public relations, specializing in crisis management.

If you need me, you REALLY need me. But most of the time you don’t need me at all. So I make six figures a year to do nothing at all most days. Just rushing in to save the day maybe a couple times a year at most.

Image credits: anon

#16

Crime scene cleaning in the US

Image credits: DiligentShower2259

#17

Technical and instructional writers. People who write instructional manuals, online courses, etc.

#18

I made six figures bartending last year. Pretty unique job that I no longer have, but you can make pretty good money at a lot of places. It takes work ethic and charm but I wouldn’t say it’s hard.

#19

Aviation Mechanic. Everyone thinks they need a degree. Nope. Thats engineering. They need an A&P license.

Minimum 22.50/hr
Ive been in the industry for 6 months and im at 32
Companies like delta top off employees at 58/hr after a few years.

Go overseas and make more money that is tax free

My friend knows a guy who topped out and makes 24k a month. And you know what he does?
“He doesnt do s**t” -My friend

#20

Loan officers. My wife worked her way up through Wendy’s over twenty years to district manager, then the owner sold it, and she hated the new owner.

She found a job as a loan officer working on commission, making so far a hundred thousand more per year.

#21

My wife makes over $100k as a hairdresser.

#22

Geologist. Six figures for working half a year.

#23

Alarm technicians. I get paid a lot of money to fix your alarm systems and cameras. I have to travel out of town and out of state as well because of how few there are.

#24

I’m a speech pathologist in central KY- “per diem” or PRN jobs to cover vacations, maternity leaves, etc. pay $50-$60 hourly (that’s a lot in KY, y’all) and you can choose your days/hours based on how much you want to work. Nursing homes, hospitals, even some home health. It’s not always regular work, but if you get in good with several companies, you can stay as busy as you want to be. If you already have health insurance through a spouse, it’s absolutely ideal!

#25

Air traffic control

#26

Cyber security. MASSIVELY understaffed and usually starts at 60-70 a yr. Not the most difficult either. Though finding your first cyber job without an IT background can be tough

#27

Land surveying. I should be more specific and say professional land surveyors. Due to the aging population of surveyors and no one really knowing exactly what they really do, the pay once you’re licensed is in the 90s to 100 thousands per year and you can pretty much chose what part of the country you want to work in as there is openings everywhere

#28

Radiology tech….MRI, CAT, etc. Especially if you are willing to travel. Makes bank, you can pretty much get a job any where, or get an RV and travel for a few years.

#29

I was hired as an inspector to look at vials of parenteral product (basically injectable medicine) all day. Literally just sit in a chair at a light booth and stare at tiny glass vials all day looking for defects. No prior experience in the industry. No degree or anything notable. $23/hr with stupid amazing benefits and bonuses

#30

Selling legal Marijuana.

I literally get paid to just smoke weed all day long. Half of the time I work from home, half of the time I’m just smoking pot with people to showcase my product line up.

First year (while building my book of business) I made 65k. Second year I essentially doubled my annual wage. When it goes federally legal I’m sure that number will break the 200k mark. Plus I get fully comped on my vehicle and most of my meals/drinks M-F as most of my social interactions are with people in the industry.

Not to mention, I get a lifetime supply of weed for free!

#31

I work for USPS in a sorting facility, been here for about 3 years and I make $25/hr, 40 hours a week to type zip codes and put mail in sacks. We’re also unionized, can wear pretty much whatever we want, and can listen to music while we work. By far the easiest job I’ve ever had.

I previously worked for Walmart and was in charge of the truck unloading team of about 25 people, and I maxed out at $15/hr.

Needless to say, I like USPS lol.

EDIT: I’m also typing this from work, because the job demands that little.

Image credits: Beardus_x_Maximus

#32

Stilt walking. I make $450 an hour.

#33

Environmental consulting. I started in biology to go into conservation biology but couldn’t justify working for $15 an hour for 10 years. Hell, I’d never even heard of environmental consulting when I was doing my undergrad! Now, three years after graduating, I make over $100,000, still do conservation work (about 50% of the time), and don’t have to penny-pinch!

#34

I look for people on the internet who can work specific jobs. I get paid a ridiculous amount of money for the least effort possible. I work for a recruiter, but I’m not an actual recruiter. All I do is search the internet for qualified people in tech and add them to a database. I get paid way more than I should per hour, plus a massive bonus every time someone I add gets hired.

#35

Unionized elevator operators in nyc. Certain freight elevators MUST have licensed elevator operator in them by law, even though they are modern automated push button elevators.

Can make 6 figures doing that from what i hear.

Image credits: fun-guy-from-yuggoth

#36

Heavy equipment mechanic, I was literally offered a job a month ago where I was told “with ot our guys are breaking $200k a year” to move to Texas

Image credits: chaosontheboard

#37

City workers.

Lawn Mowers, Garbage Men, really anyone that snooty mothers look at and tell their kids “you don’t wanna end up like that guy”

To be completely honest, unless you have a decent paying job, they likely make more than you do.

Image credits: DTux5249

#38

Panda express General Managers, we had a meeting recently and 90 percent of us make over 90k a year while 50 percent make over 100k top earner was 225k I made 125k last year. My cooks all make at least 18 an hour in AZ while my assistant and chefs make 70k a year. Regular high school associates make between 15 and 16. Full benefits at 30 hours, medical,dental,vision,short and long term disability, company paid life insurancez optional paid life insurance, 401k woth co.pany match up to 5 percent. I get 5 weeks off a year (based on time with the company I’m at the max which is 10 years)

Image credits: One_Panda_Bear

#39

Home inspectors

People never think of them unless they’re specifically buying a house but they make anywhere from $400-1000 for an inspection that usually takes 3-6 hours

Image credits: anon

#40

In Pennsylvania, I got paid almost double the minimum wage to be the guy holding the stop sign in front of the construction zone. If I was doing the same job full-time instead of being a summer temp, I would have been making about $25/hour, but full-time requires a CDL and temp/part-time only requires a normal driver’s license.

Image credits: ZTH-Yankee

#41

Sales to contractors in the construction industry

The jobs are not sexy and you have to start early, but basically you drive around to job sites selling building materials for local/regional distributors

If you work long enough to get going with the huge accounts it’s pretty common to make $150k-$200k/yr in midwest money.

Image credits: Pierson230

#42

Not that no one knows about them, but many of the trades will blow you away in terms of pay and benefits very quickly.

My brother with no experience just picked up a welding job with a payscale that’ll have him up over 80k USD within a year in the US.

Image credits: SprinklesMore8471

#43

The landscaper doing our backyard pays his entry level laborers $27hr to start . A lot has to do with the company and not necessarily the work.

Image credits: Jim-of-the-Hannoonen

#44

Travel nurses. Can get your associates degree as a nurse at a community college in 2 years. Before the pandemic, the common rate for travel nurses was $40-50 an hour but when the pandemic hit, $100+ an hour is the least I’ve seen offered. Granted the work will be hard but you can work as much or as little as you want and earn an livable income for a year very quickly.

#45

Not quite the same as what I’m seeing, but become a certified SalesForce Admin. Many jobs I see start at $60-70k just for being an admin. The training is all free online and I studied and passed my exam (which did cost $200 to take) in 3 weeks, and the software is all cloud based so you can work remote for companies.

SalesForce is global and I didn’t realize just how many businesses and industries use it until I started working in it 4 years ago. I now make 6 figures and have incredible job security. I keep trying to get my friends who don’t like their jobs to check it out. I have a friend who has been a high school teacher for almost 15 years and is making around $50k. He told me a couple of his coworkers recently left their jobs because they got hired as SalesForce consultants making $10k or so more than their teaching salaries, so now he’s seriously considering doing the admin certification this summer.

Image credits: ALrookie18

#46

HVAC,plumbing,electrical are the fastest growing that I have seen. I would take a do over in a heart beat and open an all in one mechanical and probably be pretty wealthy right now.

Image credits: Maleficent_Deal8140

#47

CNC machinists, and there are currently a lot of openings.

Image credits: DocBullseye

#48

UPS Driver. I made around $110k last year. $40/hr, $60 with OT. I get around 10-15 hours of OT a week.

We also don’t pay for healthcare.

Image credits: clever80username

#49

Selling Propane and propane accessories pays pretty well so I’ve heard.

#50

If you work in a state with recreational or medical cannabis jobs in that field can be very lucrative. I’m currently in that field in Michigan, I can make my own schedule typically working 3-5 days a week, and work environments tend to be very relaxed as you might expect lol

#51

Not common but as a nanny I make $75k.