Unusual Or Strange Occupations.

[mawnansmiff]

Being involved in genealogy these past twenty years I have often stumbled upon strange trades and occupations of my various family members. One in Sheffield (Yorkshire) was an "incandescent lamp inspector" which involved traipsing around Sheffield to check the gas lamps were all working and correct.

Another was a "garthman", a trapper of eels in Lincolnshire!

However I have just happened upon a distant cousin in Blackfoot, Idaho who was "State Potato Inspector". This made me smile as I thought of every potato in Idaho passing through his hands to see if it passed muster

Anyone got an interesting or humorous occupation worth mentioning?

Regards,

Jay.

 

[Elric]

Being involved in genealogy these past twenty years I have often stumbled upon strange trades and occupations of my various family members. One in Sheffield (Yorkshire) was an "incandescent lamp inspector" which involved traipsing around Sheffield to check the gas lamps were all working and correct.

Another was a "garthman", a trapper of eels in Lincolnshire!

However I have just happened upon a distant cousin in Blackfoot, Idaho who was "State Potato Inspector". This made me smile as I thought of every potato in Idaho passing through his hands to see if it passed muster

Anyone got an interesting or humorous occupation worth mentioning?

Regards,

Jay.

Potatoes are serious business in Idaho!

 

[mso489]

From my high school alumnus newsletter, which I have always read with fascination though I have never attended a reunion (class of 999, so my small social h.s. group wouldn't be represented); one of my classmates gave me to believe he made a living doing wax head portraits of people who had died in accidents etc. whose survivors wanted to have an open casket funeral. That this would be sufficient for a career struck me as odd. Perhaps he also did figures for wax museums and such. On a happier note, one of our football players, a guy in my homeroom, has made a life career as a fishing guide in Minnesota. It is also interesting that several of the guys are serial husbands, marrying over and over, and pitching for new romantic interests among their old h.s. classmates. These little bio notes contributed every few years are like short stories in themselves, usually a short paragraph long. One of my near-classmates, a year younger, is a high profile political figure, but I won't get that discussion going.

 

[haparnold]

My dad has worked in manufacturing all his life. At one point he worked for a large food company in the US. He met a co-worker who was involved in quality control for Oreos and other cookies. This fella's full-time job was to travel to various factories where Oreos are made and taste them to ensure consistent flavor nationwide. Apparently he had an incredible palate and could detect minuscule changes in production processes.

 

[Capt Morgan]

This may fall under interesting. I have to preface that I am a mentally disabled veteran.

The company I work for has a Neuro-Diverse group that I work in. We are all technically disabled eg. Asperger's, Autism, PTSD, Social Disorders, and other disabilities. I myself am a coder and programmer, and many of us are highly skilled and intelligent but have been unable to keep a job due to said disability. We are on the forefront of technology for my company.

 

[anantaandroscoggin]

How about "Cannon Repairman"? That's basically what I was doing as a GM1 in the Coast Guard.

 

[jguss]

Apparently he had an incredible palate and could detect minuscule changes in production processes.

The jiminks of Nabisco!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

One of my daughters is working as a professional bridesmaid, just till she passes a State Board for cosmetology. But, she makes pretty good bank at it.

I also have an old college friend in Spain who sexes piglets before they are born.

The guy who lives in my neighborhood is a taxidermist. I was most surprised that very little actual animal parts even go into those things. They are more plastic and papermache than actual parts.

One guy in my pipe club is a professional extra in movies. And, another one gives ghost tours in Birmingham.

I also had an old professor in college that was a ceramicists, who designed toilets of a few years, before going to work with a contractor who designed the ceramic formulas and tiles that were used on the Space Shuttles. He then went on to work making ceramic satellite dishes, before eventually coming back to teaching. He had, had the most interesting jobs I had ever heard of.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Ohhh, and I met a guy who restores broken marble and stone sculptures. He was trained in traditional marble carving in Italy, but also uses 3D scans and CAD processes to better fit replaced parts. He travels the world repairing cathedrals, tombstones, and sculptures. Sounded fascinating to me.

I've also met opal miners from Australia who live in homes dug underground. That also sounded like a fascinating job to me.

 

[mawnansmiff]

"I also had an old professor in college that was a ceramicists, who designed toilets of a few years"

Mike, did you know they use tinned dog food to imitate poop when testing the efficiency of flushing toilets?

Regards,

Jay.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

"I also had an old professor in college that was a ceramicists, who designed toilets of a few years"

Mike, did you know they use tinned dog food to imitate poop when testing the efficiency of flushing toilets?

Regards,

Jay.

I learn something new on this forum every day.
I wonder why specifically dogfood? Nevermind, I don't really want to know, ha ha.

 

[smudgersmissingleg]

From an article about meerschaum pipes on smokingpipes.com (this bit concerned colouring) :
"the wealthy would hire people to smoke their meerschaums for hours or instructed the pipemaker to smoke the pipe for a few weeks before delivering it so that it would develop a patina."

Now that's a strange AND enjoyable job! Unless you only had Clan on hand of course?

 

[mso489]

I don't know how closely dog food is to fecal matter, but I heard from a plumber that food in general doesn't process well in plumbing. Women's schools where there are bulimia patients who purge their meals after eating them cause a lot of plumbing repairs because the commodes and drains can't clear some of the food. I guess getting sick once a year may pass on through, but regular misuse causes clogs. Plumbers earn their fees. Addressing a stopped up toilet, a plumber once asked me if anyone in the household was constipated.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

How about embalmers to mortician offices,,,

 

[troutface]

There are folks who clean up grisly crime scenes. That's too creepy for me.

 

[samuelgawith01]

Professional breaker inner of new pipes.My choice of tobacco (rope) Accepting new patients now.?

 

[anotherbob]

I did some modeling which lead to some light gigolo work. That was interesting. Kind of humorous at times too.

 

[mawnansmiff]

"I did some modeling which lead to some light gigolo work"

Pictures or it didn't happen chum ?

Regards,

Jay.?

 

[samuelgawith01]

I did some modeling which lead to some light gigolo work. That was interesting. Kind of humorous at times too.

Showed them your pipe collection, did you??

 

[gamzultovah]

My dad has worked in manufacturing all his life. At one point he worked for a large food company in the US. He met a co-worker who was involved in quality control for Oreos and other cookies. This fella's full-time job was to travel to various factories where Oreos are made and taste them to ensure consistent flavor nationwide. Apparently he had an incredible palate and could detect minuscule changes in production processes.

Was his name Jiminks???