There are many careers nobody knows about because they’re not discussed often. People have no idea that they don’t need to get the usual college jobs such as lawyers, doctors, or engineers. Regarding trades, they might only consider being electricians, construction workers, repairers, etc. However, many unique and niche careers exist even within these industries, and it’s time to discover them.
1. Water Drilling
If you like working with your hands and the construction field interests you but want to find something more exciting, you need to consider what water drilling companies provide for their customers. There are many different aspects and jobs in this field that you can follow, but one of their main gigs is to provide water supplies where they’re generally not available.
Nowadays, many people are moving far from the cities and into more rural areas and need water in their homes. Therefore, they call a water driller to dig a well and make their homes livable. However, that’s just one part of the industry. Water drilling is also vital for oil and gas companies. You might even get to live on a boat, depending on where this career takes you and your expertise.
Most of these careers nobody knows about will require certifications and licenses. For water drilling, you might need to go to college. Being an engineer could give you some advantages and ensure you get to climb the corporate ladder in the field. If you have leadership skills, this niche job could be exactly what you have always wanted. Being the manager of a drilling company is engaging and even intimidating to others.
2. Hydro Excavation
Another exciting niche to look at is hydro excavation businesses. Hydro excavation is a technique where you use pressure water and air vacuum to remove soil. It’s used to make tunnels, trenches, etc. The best part is that it’s environmentally friendly because no heavy machines or chemicals are utilized. It also doesn’t damage anything above ground, so people can continue developing without worrying.
It’s the safest way to dig and clear dirt. Additionally, all the equipment is easy to handle. It’s also applied in many fields, like plumbing, because sewers and pipes are installed underground. Cities and towns are constantly developing, so it’s an industry that can offer you job security most of the time.
Cities usually also need hydro excavation before installing necessary items such as traffic lights, signs, etc. These things require precise holes, which can only be achieved with this method. It’s one of the many careers nobody knows about, and it could be easier to enter than other construction aspects.
3. Skyline Dredging
Skyline dredging is another way of removing soil. However, unlike hydro excavation, this is used to clear space in lakes, rivers, harbors, etc. It’s needed worldwide because sea and ocean sediments constantly move, especially when boats and ships pass. Therefore, channels and ports collect deposits after a while, and they need to be removed, or it could stop several businesses.
It’s also needed when a company has developed a new kind of ship. Some cargo vessels today are so massive that they need deeper channels to sail through, and the only way to do that is by hiring skyline dredging companies, one of the careers nobody knows about. Meanwhile, this process also helps keep fish and other wildlife away from these places, reducing possible exposure to chemicals or other toxic matter.
This helps humans, too, because they won’t end up consuming contaminated seafood. This is known as environmental dredging. When scientists and other experts discover some kind of pollutant in the sediments, they must clear them out to avoid causing a bigger problem. If the body of water is near factories and other industrial businesses, it’s likely to get infected. Therefore, these companies pay for dredging services, so the industry can be lucrative.
4. Plastic Preform Supplier
If you’re not interested in construction or being a developer of some kind, consider becoming a plastic preform supplier. The plastic industry is vast, and many facets could attract people who want to enter careers nobody knows about. However, you have to understand what this job entails. Typically, plastic products are not made with one kind of material.
Instead, they combine several components with fiber additives that increase strength and longevity. These additives are known as preforms. These elements are made of sliced fiber threads, usually glass, and turned into mats that will be used to make other plastic products. They make plastic easier to mold and manipulate.
There used to be other kinds of mats for these matters, but preforms are the most reliable when it comes to making complicated products and 3D forms. Becoming a supplier for this specific item might not be difficult. A supplier doesn’t need to understand chemical engineering, for example. They just need to find clients or ensure that current customers have their requested amount of preforms. You might have to deliver or schedule the delivery yourself, but that’s part of the job.
It might not be flashy, and it might even be a desk job sometimes, but you could also get some interesting opportunities, such as visiting other factories. You just need to work on your charisma and customer service skills. It would also help if you had experience in sales.
5. The Diesel Industry
Regarding the diesel industry, you need to consider a couple of jobs, which are careers nobody knows about. First, there are marine diesel surveyors who check engines to determine their condition. In this case, it’s for the maritime industry, where you find heavy machinery with tons of power. Any malfunction could cause issues and affect employees’ lives.
A surveyor must take their job seriously. You might do fantastic in this career if you’re a meticulous person who can easily memorize protocols, safety rules, and codes. The best part is that you’ll have to visit actual sites to check these engines. It’s not a desk job most of the time.
Another option is starting or working for a diesel fuel delivery company. If you love the burned smell of this petroleum product, you might love this job. Starting your own company in this industry can also give you a sense of pride, especially if you find clients who need bulk fuel deliveries constantly.
There are no real alternatives to most fuels yet, so it’s an industry that will be around for a while and is worth exploring. You could deliver diesel to municipalities, fleets, power plants, manufacturing companies, school districts, truck stops, service stations, and more.
6. Tub Resurfacing Services
Another exciting job in this list of careers nobody knows about is porcelain tub resurfacing services. Resurfacing or refinishing gives a bathtub a new look by buffing out the exterior to remove all minor defects, filling cracks, and adding a new finish. It’s often confused with the term reglazing, which is adding the finish at the end. You pour a substance over the tub to make things shiny.
It’s a niche industry for sure, but more people are choosing to get these services instead of buying a new tub for several reasons, including costs and trying to be more eco-friendly by upcycling things instead of discarding them. Many new homes have fiberglass bathtubs, and you can also choose to provide refinishing services for that product. Refinishing those can fall between $300 and $1,000, depending on the size.
It’s a lot more expensive than repairing a porcelain tub because maintaining the smoothness of fiberglass can be more complicated. Unfortunately, it’s harder for a fiberglass refinished tub to retain its new look forever, and you can only do it sometimes. Therefore, porcelain refinishing is much better, as it’ll last longer. It’s a job worth considering, especially if you like contractor work.
7. Spray Drying
Have you ever been curious about the process of turning things into powder? It’s an industry that spans food, construction materials, cleaning products, and much more. Only a powder spray drying service can turn a slurry into dry granular powders. A slurry is a mix of liquid and solid materials. This industry uses hot air to dry the solution as quickly as possible in a moving wheel or a nozzle.
Spray drying ensures that your new product doesn’t have any foreign particles, such as dust. However, it’s a meticulous industry where protocols must be followed and inspected closely, or the entire powder could be contaminated. Experts must pay attention to the particle size distribution and things that might affect the drying method, such as wheel speed, pump pressure, etc.
You’ll need to know how to handle a spray drying machine, and each one might be unable to process all slurries. You can make those at the factory or get a pre-made solution delivered, but each batch needs to follow the indications of every customer. Once the drying process is done, the power needs to be inspected to ensure that you made quality material. You’ll need licenses, certifications, possibly a college degree, and years of experience for that.
8. Knife Sharpening
Another exciting career you need to consider is the knife sharpening industry. You can choose to focus on cooking knives or go further and add tool sharpening. Either way, working for professional knife sharpening companies is something most people don’t think about when they’re trying to plan their future. It’s another one of those careers nobody knows about, and it’s vital for kitchens worldwide.
Chefs can’t buy new sets of knives all the time, mainly because they get used to their personal collection and only want to ensure that they’re sharp. Most cooks have their own sharpening tools, but after a while, they’ll need professional services, which is where you’ll come in. However, knives are also required in factories that process food. They’re essential items, which is why this job is worth considering.
Your services for knife and tool sharpening could also have you working for barbers and hairstylists, as they need optimal scissors and blades to cut hair properly. You could also be employed in forestry and gardening because they have axes, chippers, yard scissors, etc. Even ice sports need knife sharpening because ice skates, drills, etc., need to be sharp to work. This industry can have you working with all kinds of people, and it can be exciting as long as you know how to expand your knowledge correctly.
The American knife sharpening industry was valued at $70.9 million in 2020, and it’s expected to grow through the rest of the 2020s, particularly because cooking at home has become more popular thanks to cooking competition shows.
9. Sandblasting
If you weren’t convinced by the careers nobody knows about shown before, working for a sandblasting company might be more attractive. It’s another side of the construction and repair industry that could be more appealing than other niches in the field. Paint and coatings get damaged over time, and something must be done about it before the material below also starts suffering.
However, you can only add something new once you remove all the ruined surfaces. That’s called sandblasting, where you can take off old coverings from hard materials like metal or wood. You need to know that while sanding was used for this purpose before, it’s no longer common. Sandblasting nowadays commonly uses abrasive substrates to remove these coatings. Therefore, some people refer to sandblasting as abrasive blasting.
Regardless, the process is still interesting. You need the abrasive element, an air compressor, and a blaster nozzle. You’ll send compressed air and the product toward the object, house, etc., to remove all the old particles. It’s an industry worth considering because you’ll use a machine only some get to handle.
Now that you have more information about these careers nobody knows about, you can make a decision about your future. Would it be exciting to work in the water drilling industry, or is knife sharpening more to your speed? Whatever you pick should make you happy, or you’ll hate working, no matter how impressive the job is.
