You don’t have to be an extreme skier or a motocross rider to get paid for pumping adrenaline. In fact, six of the fastest growing careers in America require candidates who love to put themselves in extreme conditions to get their jobs done. Each one of these careers has been rated by government analysts as growing as fast as or faster than the average career over the next decade.
1. Police Detective
You’ll need more than a short sleeve shirt and a clip-on tie to fill Andy Sipowicz’s shoes. And while the hardened investigator from NYPD Blue endured more than his fair share of drama on the job, real police detectives still risk their lives while trying to close cases. Online criminal justice classes can help you build skills that can qualify you for local or regional hands-on training. After passing your detective’s exam (usually following a few years of beat assignments), you could earn an annual salary of $53,000 or more.
2. Undercover Operative
If walking the beat in your hometown doesn’t sound exciting enough, consider spending some time abroad as an analyst or an operative in the intelligence community. Not every intelligence agent breaks into foreign ballrooms like Sydney Bristow from Alias, but thousands of analysts monitor communications and observe suspected terrorists from overseas bases. With language skills and a criminal justice degree, you can qualify for agency training that can lead to a job paying $53,000 per year.
3. International Business and Trade
Convert your business degree into a hefty frequent flier account when you create a role for yourself in international business consulting or importing. Foreign intrigue, having to negotiate strange cities, or dealing with people who may not speak your language–put these together and you’ll define invigorating work. International management consultants are predicted to be among the fastest-growing professions through 2014. Just getting on mass transit in Italy or India makes your heart race. And you better learn the cultural ropes before wandering out at night. But the rewards of taking an e-commerce, world trade, or general business degree often include pay into the six figures and long-term job security.
4. Adventure Resort Chef
Want to wield a sharp knife under duress? If you don’t think going to culinary school can lead to adventure, think again. Chefs work at many backcountry resorts, as well as beachfront spas and cruise ships. They can face unfamiliar working conditions surrounded by dangerous animals and insects, situated amidst wicked, unforgiving terrain with unpredictable weather. Whether you’re a head chef for a wilderness trek company, safari outfitter, or ski resort, your kitchen locale does not guarantee safety. Cooks and chefs with amusement, recreation, or traveler accommodations earn between $18 and $26 an hour. Would-be culinary survivors should begin with a formal cooking or culinary arts education and move up in the profession with hospitality management training.
5. Private Investigator
While spies handle justice on a global scale and detectives close cases locally, private investigators dig for information that can help settle civil lawsuits. Instead of uncovering clues for mysterious clients, most private investigators scour parking lots and pawn shops for stolen property. Other specialists uncover insurance fraud, locate child support deadbeats, and plug corporate information leaks. A few years of training, including distance learning online criminal justice courses, can result in a job that pays more than $32,000 per year.
6. Emergency Medical Technician
It’s one thing to administer first aid to an accident victim or to a suddenly sick individual. It’s a different thing altogether to do the same job in a tiny box that’s hurtling down the road at speeds approaching seventy miles per hour. EMT training can help you make a major difference in someone’s life, while building skills to keep yourself safe from harm on the road. A combination of on-the-job learning and medical training can help you earn $25,000 or more per year in this heart-pounding profession.
The Ins and Outs of Adventure Careers
Almost all of these jobs offer the chance to work both indoors and outdoors, in a variety of challenging situations. Training for these adventurous careers is also challenging, but surprisingly convenient. A growing number of colleges and universities offer online courses in technology, law & criminal justice, and even health care & medicine. When paired with apprenticeships, internships, and other hands-on training activities, online learning offers an easier path to a more exciting job.
In many cases, experience from another career or industry can make you an even stronger candidate for an adventurous new job. Law enforcement agencies crave recruits with organizational and management experience as well as sharp instincts. Energy companies practically beg recruiters for engineers who can effectively manage teams. And first aid workers with customer service experience can help make the best of an unpleasant event. Overall, your attitude and your tolerance for risk are the two most important factors than can determine your success in any of these six careers. With the right mindset and some career training, you can make sure you’ll never again be bored on the job.