The 1353-page 2014-2015 Occupational Outlook Handbookprofiles hundreds of careers. From that, I picked 23 under-the-radar professions you might find appealing. For each, here’s a very basic quick hit plus a link for learning more about it.
If you or someone you care about is looking for a career, perhaps one or more of these might at least whet your appetite for looking at the many under-the-radar options in the aforementioned Occupational Outlook Handbook or the 500+ in my book, Cool Careers for Dummies.
Archivist. Appraise, edit, and maintain permanent records and historical valuable documents for museums, libraries, and even corporations. More info.
Art Director. Oversee the work of designers and articles who produce images for TV, film, ads, or video games. More info.
Cost estimator. Collect and analyze data to estimate the cost of constructing a building, providing a service, or manufacturing a product. For example, for an appliance manufacturer, is it worth creating a new type of dishwasher? More info.
Court Reporter. Attend legal proceedings such as trials and depositions to create word-by-word transcripts. Or create captioning for television, online videos, or public meetings. More info.
Desktop Publisher. Use software to design page layouts for print and online products. You may gather others’ materials or create your own. More info.
Economist. Based on statistical analysis, interpret and forecast market trends, usually in written reports. Economists work for government or for large companies or nonprofits. More info.
Electro-mechanical Technician. Install or repair complex machines such as robots, space stations, and medical monitoring equipment. More info.
Financial Manager. Produce financial reports, make investments, and develop plans for an organization meeting its longer-term goals, for example, if and how should the company expand. More info.
Forensic Science Technician. Perform scientific analyses on evidence taken from crime scenes. More info.
Fundraiser. Roles vary: Plan fundraising campaigns, develop relationships with corporations and wealthy individuals to obtain donations, create and maintain donor databases with dossiers on each major potential donor, train volunteers, or develop fundraising materials. More info.
Genetic Counselor. Assess individual or family risk for inherited conditions and then provide the client with information and ask questions to guide the client into the decision they feel most comfortable with, for example, whether or not to get pregnant. More info.
Hydrologist. In the field, evaluate bodies of water for volume and flow, collect water samples, and in the lab analyze them to assess water safety, environmental impacts, and to model future trends. They also may evaluate the feasibility of hydroelectric power plants, irrigation systems, and wastewater treatment plants. More info.
Information Security Analyst. Plan and carry out security measures to protect and organization’s computer system: Install and monitor firewalls, fraud detection, and data encryption, ever trying to stay ahead of cyberattackers. More info.
Librarian. For government, colleges, companies, or schools, help people find information and conduct research. Also teach patrons about information resources, and select and catalog print and electronic items for the library or its website. More info.
Logistician. Analyze and coordinate an organization’s supply chain, the system that moves a product from supplier to consumer: How a product is bought, allocated, and delivered. Logisticians are used in all fields from military to manufacturing to scientific services. More info.
Management Analyst or Consultant. Propose ways to make an organization more efficient, usually by automation/computerization, more efficient processes, and eliminating job redundancy. More info.
Market Research Analyst Analyze customer databases and survey/focus-group results to understand consumer preferences and motivators. More info.
Music Conductor. For religious organizations, concert halls, or recording studios, prepare musical groups for live or recorded performance. Audition players and conduct rehearsals to ensure not just accurate note-playing but musicality. In performance, signal musicians to change volume, tempo, and tone. More info.
Nuclear engineer. Design or develop nuclear-powered devices for medical or energy purposes. More info.
Preschool and Childcare Center Director. Hire, train, and lead staff, establish policies, develop programs, oversee daily activities, prepare plans and budgets, and resolve problems. More info.
Surveyor. Uses GPS, GIS, and land-bound devices to make precise measurements to determine property boundaries for, for example, real estate, petroleum product exploration, and ocean mapping. More info.
Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representative. Sell goods to businesses, government agencies, and nonprofits. More info.
Marty Nemko's bio is in Wikipedia.