There are some jobs which just sizzle aren’t there? Who never wanted to be an astronaut, fighter pilot, doctor, or famous writer or film star?
In 1854, Henry David Thoreau wrote “Walden” – and in it, he put his most famous line; “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation,” and in 1854 that may well have been true.
Of course, much has changed since then, for example, women now make up 47.4% of the workforce in Australia.
Roles have changed too. Some of the most popular Insta and TikTok channels follow the jobs and lives of people like “Captain Kate,” a female cruise ship captain, and “Maria The Pilot,” a first officer on the flight deck of a well-known commercial airline.
And there are plenty more examples across the spectrum of jobs, although, sadly, even today, these types of careers are still relatively rare for women – things are changing fast.
Men had the monopoly on virtually all the interesting and uncommon jobs, right through to the late 20th century.
This is when attitudes and opportunities changed forever – equality of pay and working conditions, maternity and parental leave, and alignment of status and career advancement became the norm.
This allowed way more flexibility for women to explore new, varied and exciting roles which had never been open to them before.
The pandemic has given us all pause for thought, and one of the key aspects of working to come out of lockdowns and quarantines is that of where we want to work.
According to Gensler, who surveyed 2,430 people in Australia, last year, “over two-thirds of the Australian workforce would prefer a hybrid work model,” that is, working from an office or other base sometimes, and home at other times.
For most Australian professionals, their current work model results from government recommendations or controls due to the pandemic, with only 11% of workers having a choice in where they can work.
But Gensler’s survey found many workers would choose a different work scenario in the post-pandemic future.
When asked about the physical workplace they would like to return to, over two-thirds of Australian workers (71%) surveyed say they would prefer an open environment while only 19% would prefer a mostly or totally private environment.
This opens up the field to all kinds of uncommon jobs – and some are absolutely fascinating.
An example of one of these is commercial pest control. This takes in a range of animals, from rodents and larger mammals to birds and insects.
The key skill for any pest management is the identification of the species involved and the course of treatment necessary to eliminate them.
Termite management is a key factor in many areas for property owners, builders, architects, and designers. For any house – one which is being built – or one which has stood for hundreds of years – the problem is the same.
Termite damage amounts to many millions of dollars a year across Australia, so its prevention and treatment are essential.
This begins with termite inspections, where an expert termite pest control specialist will take specimens of the insects involved, as well as pieces of wood and sawdust to examine and determine exactly which genus is causing the damage.
An eradication plan will then be determined with termite treatment and timber pest chemicals.
The expert will then prepare a quote along with a timescale of how long it would take to stop the termite activity.
Home pest control is both an interesting and lucrative business – it’s not all bed bugs and ants – and involves skill and care along with a pleasant sense of humour and, at times, a strong stomach.
Another interesting area, which has come to the fore during the pandemic, is that of refrigeration.
Many companies, and even governments, post-pandemic, realise that interruptions to the supply chain can cause critical problems in the delivery of fresh foodstuffs. Many are now exploring refrigeration to build stockpiles to cope with supply chain interruptions of weeks or even months at a time.
For anyone interested in the sciences of cryogenics and freezing, the technical complexities of refrigeration and gases, and logistics and freight, this would be perfect as an uncommon job.
Refrigerated air dryers which use compressed air are at the forefront of this refrigeration technology. Food companies, especially, are looking for a reliable and safe method of keeping the “cool chain” intact, from the warehouse through to the store display cabinets.
This is an immense responsibility and needs the backup of a team of specialist engineers and reliable spares backup to enable air compressor repair to be seamless and quick.
The technology is improving all the time with nitrogen generators and desiccant air at the forefront of the science which lies behind this important facet of distribution.
Australia is now awash with new opportunities. Companies are looking for, and recruiting, for a wide variety of fascinating jobs which were not even available just five years ago.
The pandemic has spurred thousands of firms to experiment with online delivery platforms and ways of working which they would never have considered before.
You only have to look through kick starter or one of the other crowdfunding websites to see some of the innovations and developments which are being worked on.
You only have to look through kick starter or one of the other crowdfunding websites to see some of the innovations and developments which are being worked on.
This is especially true of renewable energy and green issues – climate change is a real and present danger now.
Whatever your area of interest, qualifications, and experience, there has never been a better time to explore these different avenues of employment.
Australia is well placed to take advantage of the post-Covid world – and its physical proximity to Asia and the growing markets there give it unique opportunities to succeed.
As the ability to travel comes back, now is the perfect time to start looking at some of the incredible and unusual positions that are being created in so many fields.