You might witness some weird happenings as a babysitter or working the late shift at a gas station, but there are some odd jobs out there that are weird enough on their own. Making a little extra cash on the side never hurts, but applying for these jobs might catch you off-guard. Turns out, those odd traits and skills you’ve acquired through life might actually come in handy.
If you’ve conquered a fear of needles, have become a professional couch potato,or happen to have a questionable amount of knowledge about lipstick — you’re in good hands. Earning some dollars on the weekend will certainly help pay the rent and student loans, so you might as well have some weird fun while doing it. These odd jobs certainly take the cake.
Professional Bridesmaid
Sounds kind of sad, honestly. Thankfully, this job isn’t about standing in for brides who have no friends. It’s somewhat of an undercover coordinator. It definitely helps to have prior planning experience, but fear not, plenty of programs will help train you. Even better, most weddings happen on weekends so no conflict with your… normal job.
You’ll help make everything run smoothly, take care of last minute items, solve emergency issues (the bride forgot her veil), and act like you two are the best of buds. Yeah, you’ve known Jane since college!
Freelance Furniture Tester
Whaaaaat? You can get paid to laze around on couches? And sleep on the job? Sure you can, you just have to secure a position as a freelance furniture tester.
Testers of this odd job rate the comfort, usability and quality of chairs, couches, beds and recliners. You get to sit all day, but it’s actually comfortable, and there’s no insane deadlines. You’re the future of the world’s comfort — don’t let us down.
Human Scarecrow
We’ll try to forget about how creepy this seems, as it sounds like a plot for a horror film. Anyways, you can get paid for keeping those pesky avians out of farmer Joe’s fields. One college grad took his ukelele out there to freak those birds out with some tropical tuneage, so there aren’t many things off-limits!
Get creative with your work, maybe you can learn how to work a terrifying laser light show or host an EDM concert for birds. Not to worry if you don’t know any of that; there’s no need for that much skill. If you can flap your arms, make absurdly loud noises and have stamina to run the length of the crops send your resume in!
Island Caretaker
If you’ve got a summer off, why not spend it on a private island? That’s right. Your time off will consist of sipping margs poolside and partying on the beach. As for work, you could be assigned to do anything from landscape maintenance to taking guests around the island. The salary of this odd job isn’t too bad either. Just remember to come home when the summer’s over… or not, we won’t judge.
Lipstick Reader
Sure, horoscopes are all the rage right now, but it looks like you can pull some juicy info by becoming a lipstick reader. According to the Official Lipstick Reader website lipstick, this odd job works by “combining forensics, intuitive, digital journey readings.” Those tarot cards your friends are obsessed with are going to be a lot less exciting the second you start reading their lips — literally.
Most folks getting a reading kiss a sheet of paper while wearing lipstick, and the reader can see your past, present and future. We’re not quite sure what you should study to get into this, but maybe the MAC makeup counter is a good start?
Scientific Experiment Guinea Pig
Well someone has to do it, and why bother putting animals through trauma when humans will do it for money?
You can take an easier route and sign up to be a paid psychology test subject, which often requires weird games and random questions. Or, you can live life on the edge and sign up to be a human test tube for next year’s flu shot. Fun!
If you’re a little too weirded out by these ideas, you can also serve jury duty in a mock trial. It sounds pretty lame, but it’s not actual jury duty, and you get paid. Win-win.
Dog Handler
No, this isn’t your typical dog walking job. How do you feel about taking care of a sled dog team up in Alaska? You can basically be those cool dudes from the movies White Fang and Eight Below.
If your girlfriend or boyfriend is a little pissed off that you’re taking off to Alaska on a whim, there’s even a few options for couple handlers who get private cabins — super romantic. Room and board is included in most cases of this odd job, as long as you help train and take care of the team — which can be around 38 dogs, so be prepared to work. If the cold doesn’t bother you, sled on over to the listings on sled dog handler sites.
All images via Getty