Work, Dream Job, Ice Cream, Ben & Jerry’s, Disney
If you choose a job you love, you’ll never have to work a day in your life. (Shutterstock)
They say if you choose a job you love, you’ll never have to work a day in your life. As children, almost everyone knows exactly what they want to be when they grow up, and some of these dreams are truly creative. Luckily, there are plenty of jobs nowadays that will let you live out these dreams without ever feeling like you’re at work. Almost none of these positions existed a few decades ago – so even if your personal dream job is not on the list there’s a good chance you could just invent it yourself.
1. DISNEY IMAGINEER
Estimated pay: $30,000-$130,000 per year
Location: North America & Asia
Difficulty: You actually need to be an engineer for this: 8
Job Description: The official job description for a Disney Imagineer (imagination + engineer) includes the term “dreamers and doers,” so you already know where this is headed. As an imagineer you are tasked with dreaming up your wildest ideas and make them a reality at Disney amusement parks around the globe. If you like to dream big and make millions of people smile with your creations, this is the job for you.
If you can dream it up, you can build it. (psgxxx / Shutterstock.com)
2. PROFESSIONAL CUDDLER
Estimated pay: $30,000-$100,000 per year
Location: Anywhere you like
Difficulty: You’re literally getting paid to hug people: 2
Job Description: The first professional cuddle cafe opened in Japan a few years ago – and they’ve already made their way across the ocean where most professional cuddlers work as freelancers. The job is exactly what it sounds like, people pay you to cuddle for up to an hour, so if you’re a hugger and cuddler, this is your dream come true. There is even a convention for cuddlers, and one cuddle pro is working on a certification process.
You can make a pretty lucrative career out of cuddling and make lots of people happy. (Shutterstock)
3. PRIVATE ISLAND CARETAKER
Estimated pay: $15,000-$120,000 per year
Location: Some lonely island, far away from civilization
Difficulty: Private islands need lots of upkeep, but your downtime is on an island: 5
Job Description: With the growing trend among the super rich to buy private islands comes a growing demand in caretakers for these tropical paradises. If you are lucky enough be chosen for this privileged work, you will spend your days in locations others can only dream of visiting – and you’re even getting paid for it.
Taking care of an entire island is not stress free, but imagine the view on your days off. (Shutterstock)
4. BEN & JERRY’S FLAVOR GURU
Estimated pay: $40,000-$200,000 per year
Location: United States
Difficulty: Most gurus have a background in food science: 6
Job Description: Your childhood dreams have finally come true and you can now officially become a Ben & Jerry’s Flavor Guru. This job entails blending ice cream, candy, and all types of syrupy goodness into the perfect dessert, then tasting obscene amounts in the name of “quality control.” Sounds unhealthy? Maybe, but you will be the happiest person on earth.
In your wildest childhood dreams you probably imagined doing exactly this. (ChameleonsEye / Shutterstock.com)
5. WATER SLIDE TESTER
Estimated pay: Around $26,000 per year
Location: Around the world
Difficulty: You go down waterslides all day: 4
Job Description: This is one of those things that only children can dream up, but wouldn’t you know it – it’s an actual job. There is a little more to this position than just slipping down water slides though. You check the height, speed, water quantity and landing of the flumes. But between all the safety checks, there is plenty of time to have a whole lot of fun.
What could possibly be more fun than being on waterslides all day? (Shutterstock)