When planning your career, it helps to consider all possibilities. Unfortunately, many college graduates unnecessarily limit themselves. For example, if your major in college was business, are you only applying to companies hiring for typical management type jobs? The more creative and open-minded you are, the greater your possibilities. With this in mind, let’s consider 5 awesome career choices most college grads never think consider:

1. Air Traffic Controller

Air traffic controllers are responsible for maintaining air safety. This job requires a great deal of focus and the ability to work well with others. While you don’t need a specific degree for this career, you do have to pass an examination given by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA). Air traffic controllers are well paid and often earn more than $100,000 per year. This job requires good general health and an above-average ability to focus on details. There’s also an age limit of 30 for starting out in this career.

2. Park Rangers & National Parks Jobs

If you love the outdoors, working as a park ranger in a national park is worth considering. This type of position is especially attractive if you live in a place such as Hawaii with many national parks to maintain. Park ranger and other jobs in national parks involve maintaining grounds, ensuring visitors’ safety, fighting and preventing fires, and many other tasks.

In addition to outdoor jobs at national parks, there are also administrative positions that require customer service, fundraising, website design, or supervising employees. The median salary for park rangers is around $15 per hour. However, this includes many seasonal positions. Full time park rangers earn as much as $80,000 per year.

3. Teaching English As A Second Language

Teaching English abroad or at home is a great career choice for people who love to travel or enjoy learning about other cultures. There’s a great demand for English teachers in China, South Korea, and other Asian countries. Opportunities also exist in many other parts of the world.

You usually need a bachelor’s degree in any subject and an additional certificate such as TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). However, some schools will hire anyone with a college degree. This isn’t a career that will make you rich but it lets you travel cheaply. Many overseas jobs include accommodations along with a salary. Many of these jobs are also in countries with very low costs of living.

4. Social Media Specialist

If you’re a social media enthusiast, one possibility is to parlay this interest into a career. Many businesses, both small and large, need people to help them establish a presence on sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and others. This position, of course, requires more than an ability to post selfies and memes. You need some knowledge of marketing. A social media specialist also needs skills such as research, media outreach and an overall familiarity with the latest technology.

Social media managers and coordinators are also involved with tasks such as recruiting brand ambassadors and influencers (celebrities and others with lots of followers). This is a position that doesn’t require a specific type of degree but a background in business, technology, psychology or communications are all helpful. The average salary for a social media manager is around $47,000 per year.

5. Land Surveyor

Land surveyors or geomatic engineers are essential for measuring property lines, mapmaking, identifying land features and other such tasks. This is a good career for people who like to work outdoors. Land surveyors work for engineering, mining, real estate, and construction companies as well as for city and county governments. This is a detail-oriented position that involves calculating and measuring. The average salary is around $60,000 per year. A degree in mathematics or engineering is good preparation for this career. In addition to a degree, land surveyors need licenses from the state.

If you’re seeking a job or qualified applicants for positions in Honolulu, contact us. Or, if you’re looking for more tips as a graduate, check out this blog post.