This is certainly true now. And with many of us spending a significant proportion of our lives at work, it’s never been more important to love what you do. According to the World Economic Forum, the average American works 1,757 hours per year. However, in the UK, workers average 1,670 working hours per year, and in Germany, it’s 1,354 hours per year. Therefore, with so many hours spent at work, it’s essential to find an interesting job that excites and motivates you. Of course, excitement and interest can mean different things to different people. When searching for an interesting job, you may need to consider what your motivational drivers are. What makes you happy? Are you looking for something that is relatively mundane but offers exceptional remuneration? Are you keen to work in a job that provides excellent employee benefits? Perhaps you want a career that offers a great paid-time-off policy and flexitime benefits. You may be looking to work as part of a creative team or use technical skills that you’ve developed over the years. Knowing what interests and excites you and understanding what you are good at can make it much easier to find a great job that is perfect for you.
Why Does an Interesting Job Matter?
If you’re stuck in a dead-end job that offers little excitement or professional satisfaction, it can be easy to think that it doesn’t matter whether your position is interesting or not. But for many of us, our identity can be wrapped up in what we do. Can you think about Elon Musk without conjuring up an impression of an innovator? Being interested in what we do, and more importantly, loving what we do could be the key to enjoying our work and feeling professionally motivated. When you like what you do, it’s easier to get up in the morning. You may feel stressed, but it’s an enjoyable pressure that doesn’t become overwhelming. You feel happy when you talk about work, and your excitement about what you do could inspire others to start a career in the same field. Working in an interesting job or career could offer you plenty of opportunities to improve your physical and mental health. It may sound surprising, but those who love their job are less affected by employee burnout. Instead, they feel motivated and energized, and their love of the role makes them far more productive. As a result, they could enjoy a much better work-life balance. You may also find that working in an interesting job could be financially lucrative. Some of the world’s most interesting jobs pay well because they are niche roles that require specific skills. For example, let’s take a pilot – not everyone can do the job because it requires specific training. Therefore, it’s merely a case of supply and demand – pilots can demand high wages because of the scarcity of their skills. But equally, those who work in exciting jobs may gain more opportunities to earn more money because they could be more open to promotion opportunities. Employers want to reward those workers who are passionate about what they do, so the more you enjoy your job, the better the chance you have of climbing the career ladder.
1. Airline Pilot
Estimated salary: $50,000 to $500,000 Entry requirements: Airline Transport Pilot’s Licence (ATPL) Who wouldn’t want to spend their working lives floating in the clouds and taking passengers to far-flung corners of the world? The role of the pilot is certainly interesting – you’ll have the opportunity to travel the world and visit some of the best hotels. It’s an incredibly prestigious career path, and the technical requirements make it extremely tough to succeed. However, the benefits are enormous, and the more flight hours you accumulate, the more money you can earn. Of course, your salary will depend on the type of aircraft you are eligible to fly.
2. Art Therapist
Estimated salary: $46,000 Entry requirements: Degree in art therapy This is an emerging field where art therapy can help individuals express their emotions and feelings through art. It’s ideal if you want to help people. For example, you could work with children or veterans to help them overcome trauma. You could even work with people impacted by dementia to help them improve their memory and express themselves. Although it’s not a licensed practice in some states, art therapy could become a key growth area for those interested in psychotherapy.
3. Criminal Investigator/Police Detective
Estimated salary: $70,500 Entry requirements: Previous experience working in law enforcement Have you ever wanted to solve crimes and pass on cases to legal teams ready for prosecution? Perhaps you see yourself as a ‘Batman’ type, and you want to get justice for those who have been wronged. Criminal investigators and police detectives focus on collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses. It’s a hugely varied role that requires excellent communication skills and critical-thinking capabilities.
4. Ethical Hacker/Cybersecurity
Estimated salary: $101,500 Entry requirements: Certified Ethical Hacker qualification Ethical hackers are computer scientists whose sole responsibility is to try and hack into a company’s website or system to check for vulnerabilities. Simulating cyberattacks in this way can allow companies to make effective changes to improve their IT infrastructures. This job role requires a lot of technical knowledge and innovation, and is sure to cause a stir with guests at a dinner party!
5. Forensic Pathologist
Estimated salary: $102,000 Entry requirements: Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathy (DO) followed by a three- to four-year pathology residency and a one- to two-year fellowship in forensic pathology Have you ever wondered how crimes are solved or how unexplained deaths are identified? Working as a forensic pathologist could be a hugely interesting career path, albeit somewhat morbid. It’s certainly a career that would offer something different every day, and you would never be able to anticipate what was coming up next. To get started, you will likely need medical training followed by postgraduate study in forensic pathology. It could take several years to achieve your credentials, but it’s a niche career path with plenty of earning potential.
6. Marine Biologist
Estimated salary: $80,000 Entry requirements: A degree in marine science, biology, geology, ecology, oceanography or zoology. To work in research roles, you may need a PhD. If you love wildlife and animals, then working as a marine biologist may be the role for you. It will give you the chance to study and care for marine wildlife. For example, you could be responsible for monitoring and tracking specific species, testing for pollution, or using data analysis to track organisms and ecosystems in the ocean.
7. Park Ranger
Estimated salary: $45,000 Entry requirements: Bachelor’s degree in natural science – for example, botany, zoology, geology or environmental studies Imagine having a job where instead of sitting in an office, you are located in a beautiful park. And instead of listening to the inane chatter of co-workers, you get to hear the sounds of nature and wildlife. A park ranger is responsible for maintaining the integrity of national parks. It’s about protecting the wildlife and allowing ecosystems to flourish. This is a remarkable job for those with a love of the outdoors and an affinity for nature.
8. Personal Trainer
Estimated salary: $45,000 Entry requirements: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) certifications If you like working out and you are keen to inspire others to live healthily, why not consider a career as a personal trainer? You’ll have the option to work with people of all ages, and you can inspire them to overhaul their lifestyles. Personal training is as much about motivation and inspiration as it is about setting gym routines and training goals. At the start of your P.T. career, you may find it challenging to earn a significant sum, but as your reputation and client base grow, there will be exceptional earning potential.
9. Sommelier
Estimated salary: $62,000 Entry requirements: Sommelier certification Let’s be realistic. Having a career as a wine taster could be the dream job for many of us! Many restaurants will hire their own in-house sommeliers whose responsibility is to pair wines with menu choices. As a result, you’ll learn to have an excellent nose for wine and understand how to talk to customers about their wine choices. In addition, you will likely have the opportunity to travel around the world, visit different vineyards and source new wines. As you gain more experience and achieve the credentials to work as a master sommelier (the highest possible level), you’ll benefit from significant earning potential. It’s not unknown for master sommeliers to earn more than $150,000.
10. Voice Actor
Estimated salary: Depends on individual roles Entry requirements: None You don’t need to be a Hollywood superstar to make a career through audio and voicework. However, you may be surprised to discover that many videography teams require voice actors to help narrate corporate videos, radio adverts or other marketing materials. You could even narrate a story for a video game. A voice actor can bring a script to life. They have the option to work from home, or they can record from a studio. Your salary may depend on the size of the role and the scope of the business. It could be a lucrative side hustle that allows you to earn additional income. There are plenty of job opportunities regularly advertised on freelance job boards.
Final Thoughts
If you want to have a fulfilling career, it’s important to try and align your career choice with your interests and hobbies. Think carefully about what you are passionate about and look at the job opportunities within those fields. With so much of our time spent working, it’s essential to do it in an area we love. We all want to feel professionally satisfied and enjoy what we do. As a top tip to help you find an exciting job, you could create a list of interesting jobs that match your hobbies. From here, you should spend time researching them to identify the career potential, typical earnings and what skills are required. Then, you will quickly start to see if there are any matches with your existing skills and knowledge. You may be surprised how many jobs rely on transferable skills rather than technical capabilities, making it easy to switch careers. Working in an interesting job shouldn’t be limited to just a few people. Everyone should have an opportunity to work in an exciting job role that excites them and inspires them to work hard. However, people often need a little motivation and guidance to help them find the right path. Here at WikiJob, we want to inspire people to take a step towards their dream job. To help you find out what type of job would suit you, why not look at some of our free resources, such as our personality tests or read some of our articles that explore different types of careers?
