You Do What for a Living? 5 Odd Jobs Paying Over $50K

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METRO DETROIT – If your goal in 2016 is to trick up your career to something more adventure, your flair for the unusual doesn’t have to come with the sacrifice of a high salary.

In many cases, you may be able to match your passion for something like horseback riding or

“And even if you have never heard of these jobs, chances are you’ll be surprised at how much they make,” says the website salary.com, which said some under-the-radar jobs often pay $50,000 or more.

Sommelier: The average pay for a sommelier,or wine steward, earns an annual median salary around $50,868, according to salary.com.

Besides answer customers’ questions and making recommendations, the sommelier often gets to travel to vineyards to identify and buy wine and rub shoulders with wine experts.

• Restaurant General Manager – Upscale Casual Dining – Detroit Suburbs: Harper Associates of Farmington Hills conducting a confidential search for a sommelier who will also manage the restaurant an expanding restaurant and club in the suburbs. Applicants should have, among other qualifications, a dynamic personality and corporate training with a prominent, full-service, fine dining company (similar to Cheesecake, Hillstone, Lettuce, Capital Grille, J Alexander’s, etc.).

There are lots of other good jobs in the restaurant and hospitality field on the Patch Jobs Board.

Soil conservationist, Forester and Related Fields: In soil conservation, forestry and related positions, you’ll be able to balance environmental and development interests, whether working in the private sector or a governmental entity. Soil conservationists earn about $62,228, and related fields, like forestry and fishing related jobs, pay similarly.

• Forestry Ranger, City of Rochester Hills; part-time position paying $21.75 per hour, 24 hours per week; maintains city trees and performs tasks in support of urban forestry programs and operations.

Find more jobs in soil science, forestry, agriculture and related fields on the Patch Jobs Board.

Prosthetist / orthotist: Whether missing limbs result from service with the Armed Forces traumatic injury or a birth defect, professionals in this field often earn an annual median salary of $67,938. Orthotics and prosthetics are separate careers, but people often specialize in both.

A four-year degree is required and most states require certification from a group such as the American Board for Certification in Orthotics and Prosthetics.

• Assistant Professor (Orthotics & Prosthetics), Eastern Michigan University, in Ypsilanti: This tenure-track, eight-month contract position is available beginning Aug. 31, 2016. The position is for master’s degree course preparation, curriculum development, teaching, etc.

Enterostomal therapist: This job, which pays an annual median salary of $74,639, isn’t for the squeamish. An enterostomy, a cut made in patient’s small intestine, allows for the drainage of fecal matter or to insert a feeding tube. It’s performed mostly in emergency cases of severe abdomen wounds and diseases such as certain types of cancer and Crohn’s disease.

The enterostomal therapist is responsible for post-surgery care and also includes education on proper care. In general, an enterostomal therapist must have either an associate’s or bachelor’s degree, as ell as nursing degree certification.

• Wound Ostomy Continence Nurse, Beaumont Hospitals, Allen Park: Under general direction, assists the nursing staff in the use of the nursing process in the care of enterostomal patients and patients with extensive wounds and/or pressure sores; interrelates as a team member; accepts responsibility for teaching members of staff the principles of nursing care for these patients; participates in centralized Department of Educational Resources activities.

More high-paying jobs in the medical field are found on the Patch Jobs Board.

Bereavement coordinator: People in this field, which pays an annual median salary of $52,328, work to make an impossible situation as painless as possible for emotionally distraught people going through some of the worst times of their lives.

In general, a four-year college degree is required. Bereavement coordinators typically develop and implement programs to assist the survivors of people with terminal illness, working in settings such as hospitals, hospice, and nursing homes.

• St. Joseph Mercy Hospice Bereavement Coordinator, Trinity Home Health Services, Troy: Provides professional bereavement care to hospice client families and significant others after the client’s death via counseling, education and coordination of services in accordance with prescribed Hospice standards and agency policy and procedure.

Find more jobs in end-of-life, geriatric and other medical specialties on the Patch Jobs Board.

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