Some fun jobs

This morning when news started to leak that President Obama had chosen Sonia Sotomayor as a justice for the Supreme Court, I thought, “Well, at least someone’s getting a job these days.” The whole issue made me think that being a justice is probably not something little kids dream of. President? Sure. But Supreme Court justice? That probably comes along in college or graduate school.

Then I read that The New York Times created a new position: social media editor. Among the media, this news has brought much ballyhoo, as no one’s certain what she’ll do. The idea seems to be keeping the message going out through social platforms consistent–a job that public relations experts used to do before social media exploded and made it a multi-person job.

All that got me thinking about jobs that we either don’t know about or jobs that didn’t exist until a few years (or, in the case of social media editors, hours) ago. These jobs exist. You  might not see 200 open positions at a time, but they’re out there. And very often, even if the specific position isn’t available, something related is, and working your way up is always a good way to start a career.

Brewmaster – Someone’s got to make all that beer that the world drinks. Brewmasters have that process down to a science. When you open your next bottle of your favorite beer, remember that someone had to mix the perfect ingredients together so you’d enjoy that refreshing taste hitting your tongue.

Food scientist – Do you like food? Do you ever close your eyes and silently weep when you taste a spoonful of heavenly ice cream? Well, someone had to concoct the flavors. If we’re talking about you mom’s homemade ice cream, that was done by her own two hands. But if you eat anything packaged, it had to be designed by food scientists. They know what ingredients, processes, and conditions make a food taste right and last for an appropriate amount of time.

Sommelier – Sommeliers know more about wine than you knew was possible. These experts are trained to know which wines go with what foods, not to mention relevant information about the vineyards that produce each bottle. If you’ve ever looked at a wine list and thought, “Uh…that one sounds like it goes with a cheese pizza,” you need the help of a sommellier. Their job is to improve your dining experience.

Athletic trainer – I realize there are two jobs involving alcohol and one involving food, so a little physical activity couldn’t hurt anyone. Athletic trainers are on the sidelines of any sports team. They ensure that athletes are properly trained for games and they treat any injuries that occur. I’ve seen enough people fall down on the ellipticals at the gyms, so I can only imagine the necessity for top care on a sports team.