When you find a great job that you love, it's like winning the lottery. Working doesn't feel like work when you're doing something that's fulfilling and in line with your interests. If you feel like debating, head over to “The Dark Side Of Early Retirement” and get your fix. I stand by my main thesis that nobody quits a job they love to do.
Someone who is able to find a great job that brings them happiness is one of the luckiest people on Earth. And because we are all different, what we consider to be great jobs is unique to each of us as well. We shouldn't make fun of anyone for being a “loser” for working as one commenter put it. Instead, we should figure out what makes the happy employee tick! If you believe there's no such thing as a dream job, perhaps I can convince you otherwise.
Everybody gets bored at something after enough repetition. That's why it's key to have many different interests which straddle both the mental and the physical aspects of your life. It's no surprise that interesting people have a plethora of interests. These people also probably have a higher than normal level of commitment to their activities which make them that much more intriguing.
The key to finding a great job is identifying your interests, skills, and what type of tasks you like to accomplish. Search for jobs that encompass all of these things and you're more likely to land that great job you've always dreamed about.
The Top 5 “I Can't Believe They're Paying Me To Do This!” Jobs
Dream big and take action to score your own incredible, exciting, fulfilling, great job. You'll never know what you're fully capable of if you don't try.
Here's a list of what I consider to be the top 5 great jobs. Your list of great jobs may be totally different as they should be influenced by your own interests. Whatever the case may be, I hope this list of dream jobs will get your creative juices flowing.
1) Tennis instructor at the 4 Seasons in Bora Bora
Crystal blue waters and sunshine, two of the best things in life, also happen to be free! You can be dirt poor. But, if you're living in a place like Bora Bora, I venture to guess you can compete with any rich person in a downtrodden, polluted land.
Being a tennis, golf, diving, or surfing instructor at a tropical resort is definitely a great job if you're athletic and don't want to be tied to a desk. I think it'd be exciting to meet new travelers through sports and keep in touch online.
2) Snowboard instructor for The Lodge at the base of Vail, Colorado
Nothing beats the back bowls of Vail! We're talking 10-minute wide open, steep, tree-less, and massive powder runs! The Lodge is a quaint resort, and every time I go to Vail I meet some very interesting people.
If you love the snow and flying through powder like I do, this could be a great job to consider. Break out of your cubicle and breathe in the fresh, winter air!
3) TV sportscaster for college football and basketball
Any sports fan would jump at the opportunity to get paid to watch sports. Talk about a great job to not only get paid to watch sports, but talk about it nonstop too.
I literally could watch college football and basketball all day and night long, to the dismay of some! That said, I don't pick and choose so as to not over indulge. When college football and basketball season start, my excitement literally goes up a notch.
4) Food critic for Michelin.
Yes, for starters I would like the Black Truffle Octopus Salad and the Yellow-fin Tuna Carpaccio. Please pair that with a bottle of 1974 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay. For the main course, I'll have the Butter Poached Maine Lobster with a cup of extra melted butter on the side. I'll pass on your selection of caviar and artisan cheeses and go straight for the Mandarin Souffle. Oh, and here's my business card.
Can you imagine getting paid to eat the most exquisite, delicate, divine meals on the planet? Man that would be a great job. And believe it or not these jobs actually exist. To get started in this competitive field, start your own food blog. It's easier and cheaper than ever to start your own website.
5) President of The United States
There's no amount of money in the world enough to match the stress of being the Commander in Chief. Hence, I'd rather not take a salary and serve my country for free. One of the first steps as President? Institute a flat tax so we no longer have to discriminate against hard working American citizens who've struggled to get to where they are!
I'd also reduce military spending to fund education. It'd be awesome to take Airforce I and a bunch of family and friends to Hawaii like the President does every December. Meanwhile, winning the Noble Peace Prize for being in office after one year ain't too shabby either!
Even if you don't want to be the next POTUS, there are lots of well paying jobs in politics. Check out the net worth of AOC, Nancy Pelosi, and Bernie Sanders. And here are some of the wealthiest members of Congress.
The Next 5 Great Jobs That Come To Mind
Now that the first list of great jobs got you excited, check out these additional five.
6) Masseuse guinea pig
There are so many benefits to massage. That's why it's called massage therapy. It's healing, reduces stress, and feels great. Sign me up! Alas, I think most massage therapists in training don't pay their guinea pigs. But you never know!
7) Blogger
Financial Samurai is so fun, thinking about monetizing just isn't on my mind for this site. It's just a blast writing about things that interest me, discussing personal finance topics, learning from y'all, meeting new people, and gaining perspective. If someone wants to pay to advertise, great! If not, that's OK too.
Being a blogger is a great job because it doesn't feel like a job if you love to write. Hitting publish every time I finish a post is incredibly satisfying. You can learn more about being a blogger here.
8) Late Stage Film Critic (Academy Awards)
For those who love movies, being a late stage film critic is a great job. I say late stage because I'm specifying the desire to critique only the best movies that have already passed the gauntlet! You know, movies such as Shawshank Redemption, The Matrix, The Usual Suspects, Hot Tub Time Machine and many more, which only a late stage film critic would get to review. What joy!
9) Travel writer and photographer
I don't know how to take wonderful photographs like our friend Lyndon, but I do love to travel and write on occasion. Send me to Barcelona or Rio de Janeiro to write about their favorite foods and secret gems I'm there! Put me on a train towards Amsterdam to write about whether locals really eat special brownies after lunch, no problem!
Being paid to travel and capture the world in photos would be such an incredible, adventurous, great job imo. It's been a while since I've traveled due to having young kids, but once they're older we're going to go on lots of adventures. And I will eagerly write and photograph our trips, experiences, and adventures to share with you.
10) English teacher in a non English speaking country.
If we can't communicate properly, we're wasting our potential. English continues to become the global language standard. Thus, teaching English to those who wish to speak English is very important. Let me go see if the Maldives or somewhere in the South Pacific needs an instructor. Teaching English in a tropical paradise sure sounds like a great job to me.
There Are So Many Great Jobs Out There
So there you have it. I love travel, sports, eating, and writing. Many of these great jobs provide free lodging (White House anybody?) and food (4 Seasons) can literally be eaten for free. When it comes time to fully retire, I'm prepared to incorporate these elements into the next stage of my life.
Perhaps I can be a travel writer in Bora Bora in the morning while teaching tennis in the afternoon? Perhaps I can be a traveling food and luxury resort critic on my site, while letting the new spa staff give me full body massages before they work on paying customers. At any rate, I've got a full docket of things planned!
Further Reading
Here are some additional articles to help you land a great job and grow your wealth.
- The Upside Of Being Average In The Workplace
- Top Jobs Of The Future For Your Million Dollar Education
- How One Company Is Trying To Screw Over A Loyal Employee
- When Is The Right Time To Quit My Job And Do Something New?
- The Difference Between Three Types Of Corporations
If You Want To Quit Your Job
Are you miserable at work and dreaming about finding a new great job that you love? If you want to leave a job you no longer enjoy, I recommend negotiating a severance instead of quitting. It may sound strange, but it's actually one of the smartest things you can do.
If you negotiate a severance like I did back in 2012, you could get a severance check, subsidized healthcare, deferred compensation, and worker training. The possibilities are huge.
When you get laid off, you can also be eligible for unemployment benefits. Having a financial runway is huge during your transition period.
Conversely, if you quit your job you get nothing. Check out, How To Engineer Your Layoff: Make A Small Fortune By Saying Goodbye.
It's the only book that teaches you how to negotiate a severance. In addition, it was recently updated and expanded thanks to tremendous reader feedback and successful case studies.
Start Your Own Business
The best job is one where you're your own boss. It used to cost a fortune and a lot of employees to start your business. Now you can start it for next to nothing with a hosting company like Bluehost for under $4/month and they'll give you a free domain for a year to boot.
Brand yourself online, connect with like-minded people, find new consulting gigs, and potentially make a good amount of income online one day by selling your product or recommending other great products.
Not a day goes by where I'm not thankful for starting Financial Samurai in 2009. Being my own boss is the best job in the world due to the freedom it provides.
Have you found a non-English speaking country yet? Would you mind tagging me along? I can also teach… of course, board and lodging should be free!
I would love to be a travel blogger and photojournalist for free! Just finance the trip and off we go!
Nooooo! Oh well, another dream dashed. I’ll find another job then. Thx for nada!
Sam for President! Love the tax rate debate and am coming in squarely on the flat rate side. I hate that our government manipulates our behaviors through taxes!
I love the list! Why not start now? During your vacations and you are traveling, try submitting something to travel magazines or travel websites. I am suggesting it for you, however it would affect the vacation so why bother. I think when I retire, I want to do things I would do even if they do not pay me. It provides so much more freedom.
Ah, because I enjoy my job enough to not have to go the free route yet. But, if I’m unemployed, I’ certainly consider and do some blogging on the side!
Like you said, you don’t want to have any ties when on vacay!
HAHA… now I’m not sure what the guinea pig masseuse entails, but it sounds entertaining. Something I wish I had done was go teach English in another country for a couple years… I think that would have been a valuable experience. My dream job: Teach stock trading in the Caribbean.
Well, that’s easy for me…I would be a fly fishing guide for free. You just can’t put a price to the relaxation it gives you, the scenery and fresh air, and not to mention the adrenaline rush when you hook ’em!
Another job I think would be fun and exciting would be a detective! Although, I probably wouldn’t do it for free, because of how hard of work it is, and it’s probably all politics on how one would become a detective in the first place. But it would be fun to interrogate suspects and nailing the bastard who did the crime!
good list… im not into sports so I’d likely take those off. :)
British Gigolo?? LOL. Now that’s a creative thought. But it could work!
Deuce Bigalo, male gigalo baby!
Actually I’m not in academia (though I used to be), and for the past 20 years I’ve been working in the software industry and doing quite well. I’m not trying and have not at any point tried to complain about my own tax situation, but you keep trying to personalize the discussion.
There are arguments pro and con regarding a flat versus progressive tax, but they have nothing to do with what I’m earning and what taxes I’m paying. Adam Smith, hardly a foe of free-market capitalism, wrote in 1776 that:
“The necessaries of life occasion the great expense of the poor. They find it difficult to get food, and the greater part of their little revenue is spent in getting it. The luxuries and vanities of life occasion the principal expense of the rich, and a magnificent house embellishes and sets off to the best advantage all the other luxuries and vanities which they possess. A tax upon house-rents, therefore, would in general fall heaviest upon the rich; and in this sort of inequality there would not, perhaps, be anything very unreasonable. It is not very unreasonable that the rich should contribute to the public expense, not only in proportion to their revenue, but something more than in that proportion.”
@Larry
Using Warren Buffet is a bad example. Of course he’s going to fight for progressive taxes and a redistribution of wealth, b/c he’s super rich. If he gets taxed 99%, he’s still richer than 99% of the world!
You should learn how to work harder and get a better education if you want to make more money, instead of be bitter and hope the government taxes people making more than you so you can get subsidized. Start fighting for yourself instead of relying on others!
As for an idea job i’d do for free…. I actually like landscaping and planting trees.
Genius
“You should learn how to work harder and get a better education if you want to make more money, instead of be bitter and hope the government taxes people making more than you so you can get subsidized. Start fighting for yourself instead of relying on others!”
Thank you for making unwarranted assumptions about my character and telling me how to run my life. I have a Ph.D. in English and work quite hard, I assure you. And that should be “being bitter”; you need a participle rather than an infinitive there.
Well that explains it then! You’ve got your PhD, but aren’t making a lot of money, hence you are bitter at the system because you think you’re smarter than the rest.
The news flash is, PhD doesn’t mean you’re smart. It means you just went to school for a long long time and are on the track of academia, research, or teaching which is frankly excellent. However, you can’t be mad the world and not making more, and wanting to tax others who do make much more than you a higher percentage just to fund everybody else.
I believe in equality too. I’m surprised they didn’t teach you that in school.
Good list Jeremy! Have you done any public speaking before? How do you get over your fears and jitters if you have any?
I always read about consulting and coaching…. how does one actually monetize that though?
.-= admin´s last blog ..The List of Jobs I’d Do For Free Baby! =-.
I would have to include staff writer for National Geographic (though travel writer/photographer covers that, I guess.) What about documentarian for Discovery channel? As for teaching English in a foreign country, it’s not that far-fetched. I can send you the contact info if you’re interested ;)!
.-= Little House´s last blog ..Tuesday Tips, Week 9 =-.
OK, sounds good LH. Feel free to shoot me your contact that’s looking to hire an English teacher. Hope S/he is based in a tropical paradise!
.-= admin´s last blog ..The List of Jobs I’d Do For Free Baby! =-.
@Larry
“I neither think he deserves or does not deserve. I merely point out the inequality.”
Yep, life isn’t fair (or equal.) And, in related news, water is wet.
Betty
Yes, and fire is hot. Mr. Samurai, however, is convinced that he’s promoting equality. I say he is not.
Larry, what tax rate do you pay? Equality is equality.
Why do you want to personalize the question? My personal tax rate is irrelevant. Suffice to say it’s lower than your friend Lyndon’s, and higher than those who earn less than me. As far as I can see you haven’t, by the way, taken up the question of state, sales, or property taxes. Since as a New Yorker I pay high state taxes and a Texan pays none, would your flat tax plan impose a flat state tax, or is that a matter of states’ rights?
This is such a fun idea. Of course, the old saying is that if you love what you do, you will never work another day again. There’s probably at least SOME truth in that. Looking at your list, I think the items that resonated with me were 1) Food Critic 2)Late Stage Film Critic, and 3) Blogger.
.-= Roshawn @ Watson Inc´s last blog ..Uncommon Money News (Vol. 93) & Round Up =-.
Unreasonable? Why should a sliding scale for pricing be any more unreasonable than a sliding scale for taxes?
Isn’t a percentage an example of a sliding scale? The ‘rich’ person is paying exactly 20x more taxes than the ‘poor’ person.
Sliding scale for pricing, what you mean? Like if a rich guy comes into a Banana Republic store, he gets charged $1,000 for a suit, and if a poor guy who shows he makes only $50,000 a year, he gets to pay $300? Is that what you are talking about?
If so, yeah, I’m all for pricing discrimination! Tax the rich until they bleed!
OK, lets do that. Now the rich are bleeding…. What do you think happens next?
Lol, hilarious! Love the example. What about going to a restaurant and getting charged 50% more because you make 50% more than others? Now that would be awesome! Not.
I just hate discrimination, and I don’t know why we should ever discriminate in any situation.
.-= admin´s last blog ..The List of Jobs I’d Do For Free Baby! =-.
Sam wants to ridicule the idea of sliding-scale pricing, but it is not altogether absurd and in some ways is built into our economy at present. The most obvious examples are student and senior discounts. The assumption (right or wrong, as the senior could be a multi-millionaire) is that these people have fewer assets and are therefore entitled to lower charges.
The same thing happens in medical offices, where doctors will sometimes accept lowered charges from people without means to pay. I even remember a condo building being put up in Boston about 10 years ago, where the intention was to provide housing chosen by lottery for people of varied economic situations, and units were priced according to the buyer’s means.
If you hate discrimination – in any situation, mind you – then you have to hate such discounts.
Ah, but you missed the spirit of your example regarding student and senior discounts. The spirit is that of trying to save money for student who likely have no or less means to make money, and seniors who have already put in a life time of work and dedication to society and we are helping them if not thanking.
Taxing certain people 40% instead of 15% is persecution.
As soon as you get in the giving mindset, you’ll see what I’m talking about.
This “spirit” is solely an assumption on your part. The Wikipedia entry on “senior discounts” writes that “The customer is assumed to be retired, and/or have a limited income, and/or living on a budget.” Nothing here about thanking the person for past service, and in fact the senior is entitled to the discount solely based on age, and for all you know may have been a deadbeat all his or her life.
As for “persecution” – well, I’ll prefer to reserve that term for cases where it truly applies. Is that what your pal Lyndon has been feeding you? Poor persecuted little rich boy, barely able to survive on a measly $300K a year? :)
Ahhh, life’s too short not to really enjoy what you’re doing RIGHT NOW unless you have to do a job you hate just to live. I finished reading Nickel and Dimed about a journalist who took on an array of minimum wage jobs in the U.S., and lived just on that income, just to see what it was like. Wow! Now that’s an example of a position where you don’t have a choice. But if you’re not a big consumer and you make a decent salary, you can save enough to give you far more choices. But don’t put it off too long. You never know how long you’re really going to be around.
Samurai, if you want to be a professional tennis “Knocker”, I can set you up at a resort in Hua Hin, Thailand. You’d get paid in accomodation and rice, but it might be fun if you can take the heat!
.-= Andrew Hallam´s last blog ..Tioman – Paradise on a Shoestring =-.
Thanks Andrew. Sure, hook me up! I’d love to get to know the Resort owner at Hua Hin, Thailand!
Nah, the world wouldn’t be fun if everyone agreed at all! Singing Kumbayah is boring if we sing it too much!
Good call on trying to keep everyone happy and then end up being hated! These jobs are so tuff, no amount of money would be enuf, hence why I wouldn’t take a dime to run the country!
.-= admin´s last blog ..The List of Jobs I’d Do For Free Baby! =-.
What a fun idea. I’d love to be a tv show critic, nature/animal photographer, and book/magazine critic. If I hadn’t had 2 really bad massages by massage school students I’d totally put down massage guinea pig too. I really appreciate quality massage therapy now though – it’s much harder than it seems and there are definitely ranges of ability out there!
Even a bad massage is a good massage in my book! And if they are really bad, I’ll just ask them to work on my back and hands. Ahhhh.
.-= admin´s last blog ..The List of Jobs I’d Do For Free Baby! =-.
I have to agree with you with the blogging! I wish doing it could support me so that I could do it permanently. You are totally right about the people you meet and the perspective you gain. Especially with what we blog about, financial landscapes are changing everyday so people need voices like ours more than ever.
I guess tropical weather and 4 seasons would be pretty cool too :)
.-= Nunzio Bruno ´s last blog ..Blog Spotlight! =-.
I am beginning to really understand that it is not the blogging that supports but the products you offer. Blogging only helps to bring the masses.
I would have to brush up on my tennis but would be very eager top accept job #1! Thanks!
What about being a male escort for loney super models? I could live with that, provided they pay for the date :)
Hmmm, not bad! YEah, I would need them to pay for the date too, and a nice car, house, and other stuff. Sugar mamas!
.-= admin´s last blog ..The List of Jobs I’d Do For Free Baby! =-.
Great list, although I wouldn’t be pres……that just isn’t my bag, baby.
I would be a secret shopper for travel resorts. Food critic wouldn’t be bad either. Maybe….a professional painter…not of picture….walls! I love to paint!
.-= Mysti´s last blog ..Family….do you say something or not? =-.
I actually got into my current career as it was in an area I love, but over time the less enjoyable stuff has caught up, or maybe I got bored.
As we discussed on the Dark Side… post, my aim is to have a relatively modest inflation-proofed freedom fund by around the time of my mid-40s, and then perhaps to do the stuff I love in my career wherever I want to do it, and be able to take the financial consequences on the chin.
Then again after five days holed up in bed with a crook back, almost anything seems like a joy! (Sarno is working his magic, fear not).
Ouch, 5 days in bed? I would love to come over there and do some back cracking! I love cracking bones and backs!
How do you plan to have an inflation-proof freedom fund by mid 40s? I still donno exactly what you do for a living except for invest. Is that what you do?
Do you like soft or hard beds for your back?
.-= admin´s last blog ..The List of Jobs I’d Do For Free Baby! =-.
I’m vague about what I do in real life for anonymity reasons. But it’s not only investing – that’s what I do for fun. ;)
Re: Investing, I’m much less risk averse than you – think of all our arguments about the risks of cash. With equities, reits, and index linked bonds bought when the time is right (not now!) I don’t think it’ll be impossible.
I’m also in between Jacob on ERE and you, from what I’ve read. I just want to ‘retire’ (but not really retire) comfortably lower-middle class free, rather than super rich. If I end up rich fair enough.
From what I’ve garnered/presumed from your updates, I could retire tomorrow if I was you.
But we’re back to your friend Lyndon again. He could easily be free in a year or two, also. Most people get on a treadmill of some sort.
If you’ve got the money you’ve alluded to, in my humble opinion you could easily move to Thailand, surf and blog/write, teach tennis, and live in a beachside bungalow for $500 a month.
Not saying you should, but with wealthy people I think it’s always the wealth that snags them. :)
.-= Monevator´s last blog ..Snap thoughts on the Con Dem coalition from a private investor’s perspective =-.
Hmm, perhaps you are a British Gigolo by night and investor by day? :)
Good point at the end, being the wealth that snags them. I’m dirty poor, or so I enjoy believing I am, which helps put things in perspective and allow me to dream!
British Gigolo?? LOL. Now that’s a creative thought. But it could work!
Love your list although I would probably swap Tennis Instructor to be Rafael Nadal’s hitting partner.
.-= Mrs. Frugal´s last blog ..PUR Water Filtration System Winner Announced! =-.
Now THAT would be sweet! Hitting partner to the pros! I’ll have to limit my work to 2 hours a day though. My arm would fall off otherwise!
.-= admin´s last blog ..The List of Jobs I’d Do For Free Baby! =-.