In a recent Reddit/AOL report, young professionals shared some of the most appealing, under-the-radar occupations that most students probably haven’t heard of. And they pay fairly well, too. Here are some of our favorites, including salary data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, for those who need some inspiration finding their dream job.
Geomatic Engineering/Land Surveying
Average annual salary: $60,310
“The average age of a surveyor in the state of California is in the mid to late fifties, which means you will definitely get a job out of college and you can quickly work your way up to a decent six figure income once you get your professional license.”
Mining Engineer
Average annual salary: $100,970
“It can be cyclical (bit of a miner lull right now in my specific resource/location right now) but on a good year it is white hot. I signed on to a $100k salary (plus bonus and benefits) straight out of my bachelors degree at 23 for a job that had me moving across the planet (Canada to Australia). The year I graduated we finished school in May and 80% of my graduating class had jobs lined up already and the remainder found jobs by the end of July.”
Tower Technician
Average annual salary: $49,880
“I’ve been doing this for a few years and I’ll pull in roughly 60 to 70k this year. It’s great if you like working outdoors, like heights, and enjoy traveling. It’s hard to get bored when you’re in a new town every week working with guys who have your back. The cool thing is you don’t need a college degree, or any kind of education (Personally, I have my Bachelors in an unrelated field).”
Geospatial/Geographic Information Systems
Average annual salary for similar position*: $64,570
“It’s basically the 21st century version of cartography and it’s a field that ranges everything from making maps (think Google Maps or Garmin), pollution tracking, civil planning, interpretation of satellite imagery, and countless other uses. It primarily centers around the use of GIS programs like ArcMap or GrassGIS to graphically represent quantitative data.”
Industrial Design
Average annual salary: $67,030
“As a career, industrial design is a great fusion of art and engineering. The problems are challenging, the work is varied and creative, and design consultancies have some of the best work environments and cultures you could ask for. And at the core of it all, you’re tasked with answering the question, ‘What sort of future do we want to live in?’ Design is so much more than making things shiny.”
