This is a bit of an update to the man-job theory I wrote over two years ago.
One point of clarification: while the jobs titles listed below may not be the official title of the job (garbageman being ‘civil sanitation specialist’ and the like) if a job can be referred to by a -man name and understood as such, it qualifies.
-man jobs are still at the top of the list of good jobs. -man jobs are nearly always jobs that don’t involve sitting behind a desk, are always interesting, and not very difficult. -man jobs pay well – not enough to live extravagantly, but enough to live well on. -man jobs usually have easily met prerequisites, most training occurs within the job.
-man jobs:
Fireman, Delivery Man, Mail Man, Spokesman, Policeman, Garbage Man, Milk Man, Salesman
-smith jobs are also very good jobs, and while they rank above -man jobs in awesomeness, they rank below -man jobs in everything else. -smith jobs don’t pay any better than -man jobs, but require more training (apprenticeship), and more skill. Make no mistake, -smith jobs are very good jobs, but because of the increased emphasis on training and skill, ranks below -man jobs.
-smith jobs:
Blacksmith, Goldsmith, Silversmith, Locksmith
-er jobs are far more common than either -smith or -man jobs. -er jobs are like -man jobs in spirit, but it isn’t as smooth sailing as a -man job. There is some undesirable aspect that sets it apart from -man or -smith jobs. These jobs embody the -man job spirit, and are a good first step in the direction of a good job. Note: -er jobs are still better than jobs that do not fall into any of these categories.
-er jobs:
Painter, Shopkeeper, Barber, Teacher, Auctioneer, Dog Walker,
I plan on updating this list with jobs in all three categories as they come up. Comment if you have any to add.
Notable exception to the man-job rule: Congressman.
I dunno, I think that falls pretty neatly into that category. You don’t need any real credentials to become one, you don’t have much work to do once you become one, it pays very well, and is fairly easy.