5 Outside the Box Career Pathways – Just4Info

Career Pathways:
Not everyone wants an office job, a corporate position, or a corner office. When you’re dreading sitting down in a cubicle every day and shudder at the thought of the typical office environment, choosing career pathways might feel like a nightmare. Luckily for you, many career pathways that take you out of the office and put you in an environment that will make you happy, whether that means interacting with animals, working from home, or networking with people all day.

Become an Appraiser

If you’ve ever bought a house, you know how important an appraiser’s job is. Property appraisers make thorough examinations of houses and buildings to assess how much they’re worth. You can also become an appraiser in myriad fields such as antiques, cars, boats, or jewelry. You’ll need training, which could include completing a few courses, to become licensed as an appraiser. Get a job with an appraisal firm so you can get some practice. After gaining a few years of experience, many appraisers work for themselves.

Sell Products You’re Passionate About

You don’t have to take out a bank loan, rent premises, and develop a complex business plan to start your own small business. Large companies like Amway have product lines that they want everyday entrepreneurs to sell. These companies give you a boost and assist you in beginning your business. Become an Amway seller to work with the makeup or health products you’re passionate about. You’ll have peace of mind knowing that a big company is behind you, and you’ll get the unique opportunity to build your own small business with products you already know and love.

Work in Event Planning

A career in event planning is unique and unusual because every event is different. Planning a wedding and planning a corporate shindig are vastly different, but neither involves spending much time working at a desk. Event planners meet with clients, show venues, visit caterers, and more. You will be in the office sometimes as you arrange the trappings of each event, but you’ll spend a lot of time visiting vendors and locations in person to check that everything is to your clients’ specifications. You’ll also be present at the events!

Event planning is perfect for extroverts with bachelor’s degrees in business or public relations who balk at the idea of being cooped up in a cubicle all day. Get started by working for a caterer or assisting an established event planner. Gaining experience is the best way to break into the industry if you lack a degree. Once you’ve got the hang of the industry, locate a niche in your local area that you can fill so you won’t have to compete for business.

Get Your Vet Tech Degree

Image via Flickr by Austin Community College

Avoiding office jobs doesn’t necessarily mean you want to forego the salary or the job security of working for a company. Animal lovers should look into becoming a vet tech. You’ll need to pursue an associate’s degree in animal science or veterinary technology, but those two years are worth it when you get to spend a lifetime working with and caring for animals.

The median salary for a vet tech is more than $31,000 per year, and the top 10 percent in the field earn over $45,000 per year.

Use Your Creativity to Get Freelance Gigs

Writers, designers, photographers, and illustrators: The advertising world needs your skills, and will often hire you on a freelance or telecommute basis. All those articles you see on your Facebook feed? Someone has to write them in a compelling, creative way. The photographs used in advertisements, the beautiful headers on attractive websites, and even the diagrams in how-to articles all require creative professionals.

Business News Daily has compiled a list of 15 websites where you can find legitimate, paid freelance work that uses your creative skills. As you start completing jobs, create a website to display your portfolio so you can attract clients of your own.

You aren’t doomed to 40 hours in an office each week. Decide what kind of working environment would make you happiest, then look for career pathways that put you in that kind of space.