Nice Job: The Guide to Cool, Odd, Risky and Gruesome Ways to Make a Living

Ever wondered what it would be like to work as a rodeo clown, an erotic-films screenwriter, an ice cream flavor developer or a baby proofer? How about a sports mascot, a dominatrix, a blimp pilot, a Harlem Globetrotters opponent or a human guinea pig? This neat little guidebook, compiled by more than 20 young writers who researched, and in many cases worked, these odd employment opportunities provides a step-by-step look at some pretty offbeat occupations.

Broken into roughly delineated chapters, the book illustrates each occupation by job description, compensation, prerequisites, qualities employer is seeking, perks, risks/drawbacks, and a summary overview.

It’s informative and entertaining at the same time. For instance, the Pooper Scooper job section contains an interview with Debby Levy, self-proclaimed “entremanure” and eight-year owner of Yucko’s, a St. Louis based pooper-scooper business whose perks include “replenished demand and large potential for market growth.”

But I think one of the most obvious benefits of owning the book is for the fiction writer—these detailed glances into quirky lifestyles provide a wealth of inspiration in the same manner as a reference work might. An entertaining read.