7 Great Jobs To Make You Money And Happy

If you are unhappy at your current job and thinking about changing lanes, you might be on to something. In fact, there may never been a better time to consider finding a new career. The economy is growing and companies are struggling to find good staff. That smells like opportunity to me. But where do you start looking?

How do you make sure you don’t end up in another position you can’t wait to get out of?  Well, I can’t guarantee that you’ll fall in love with any of the following ideas, but the people who are currently in these lines of work are having a pretty good time. On top of that, they make pretty good coinage too. Consider the following 7 ideas and see if any might work for you:

1. Private Investigator

This is a job I never thought about doing but I wish I had. Private Detectives snoop around and gather information about individuals and/or organizations on behalf of private clients within the boundaries of legality of course. You’ll look at legal, financial and personal data to do your job which is often to locate missing people, verify backgrounds and/or uncover computer and other crimes. You can probably get hired in this field with come vocational training or on-the-job training. You might do most of your work behind a desk using the internet or you might be out in the field searching for clues.

As reported recently, the average salary was just south of $46,000 a year so it’s not a bad gig. And best of all, 20% of all the private eyes are self-employed. That means this could be your gateway to finally having your own business.

Interestingly, most of the people in this career love what they do. According to MyPlan.com, private detectives report a 77.5 happiness rating – which is 21st on the list.

2. Mediator

Are you the one everyone comes to when they need to settle a dispute? If so, it’s time to cash in on your skills. Mediators help others mutually resolve disputes without resorting to the courts – or the use of WMDs. You’ll probably need a 4-year degree in order to get started. A little experience and/or vocational training might come in handy as well. You’ll either work for a local or state government or for a major law firm.

This is a high growth industry and it’s not hard to figure out why. In a world that grows more PC by the day, you can’t help but tick somebody off just by looking at them the wrong way. That means there is a lot of conflict to resolve my friend. And are you ready for the good news? The median wage for mediators was over $61,000 and the happiness rating was over 70 – 27th highest on the list.

3. Hotel Manager

If the idea of having secret access to multiple mini bars sounds good, this job might be the one for you. You might be able to grab this job by attending vocational school and getting a little on-the-job training under your belt, but a four-year degree is going to be helpful.

Your mission as hotel manager is to make sure your guests enjoy themselves (without wrecking the place) and keep the operations humming. Hotel managers pull down just shy of $47,000 and have a happiness ranking of 65.9 – making them the 36th happiest employees on earth.

4. Heavy Equipment Operator

Do you literally want to change the world? If so, this job could be of interest. People in this line of work use large motorized construction equipment to reconstruct the earth so others can build or develop it. This is another cool job that you can get without a 4-year degree. But you will need experience and possibly vocational training in order to get those big wheels turning.

This is a profession that is growing faster than the overall economy, pays over $40,000 a year and has a happiness rating of 65.8 – number 39 on the list.  This is just one of many outdoor jobs that pay out-sized salaries.

5. Cost Estimator

People in this of work tell companies what it will cost them to build a new product – or plant. You’ll could need a bachelor’s degree but may be able to get your foot in the door with less than a 4 year degree.

Since this is highly specialized you might even be able to start off in this field with a little vocational training if you have a lot of tenacity. This is especially the case if you lean towards the construction cost estimator positions. These jobs are in high demand as the field is growing by more than 25% per year and much faster than the overall economy. Cost estimators pull down over $58,000 on average and love what they do. They have an average happiness rating of 65 and land 42 on the list.

6. Insurance Appraiser

Do you need proof that you aren’t the world’s worst driver? Good. You can make a great living getting a first-hand look at how poorly other people navigate the road. As an auto insurance adjuster you’ll inspect cars and determine what the insurance company should pay to put that car right again.

You probably can get behind the wheel of this job with some vocational training and/or an associate’s degree and some on-the-job training or related experience.

You’ll work outside and rake in over $58,000 a year – not bad.

7. Buyer

How would you like to get paid to spend someone else’s money? Sounds good…right? As a buyer you’ll purchase either commodities or finished goods so your firm can resell at a higher price. This is a job you can get without a 4-year degree but training is essential. If you can get past that hurdle, I have some good news. Buyers make on average more than $57,000 a year and rank 52 on the happy list with a rating of 63.8

If you are looking for a career change and want to make a little more money and be a lot happier, there are limitless options. You may have to work hard to get your foot in the door and/or be willing to start off making less money than you currently do. But if you are ready to invest in yourself and do what it takes, you can change your career and have a much more satisfying future.

Are you thinking about changing jobs? What are you looking into? Why?