Careers for People Who Love Food

Recently a student of mine was struggling to identify things that he might want to do when he "grows up".  Finally, in a rather embarrassed way, he suggested that he might be interested in something having to do with food.  I think he was a little stunned when I proceeded to rattle off a whole list of jobs that would allow him to work with food.  This list is in his honor, but I admit to having thoroughly enjoyed compiling it - imagine being paid to eat!

1. Chef.  Requires training, but not necessarily at a cooking school - some restaurants will allow you to start off as a lowely commis and work your way up.  Some variations include sous chef, saucier, pastry chef, and garde manger.
2. Personal Chef.  If the idea of working in a frantic, crowded, steaming kitchen doesn't appeal to you, offer your services as a personal chef to people who have more money than they do time.
3. Caterer.  Join an existing catering company or start your own. You can specialize in food preparating, "plating" (making it look pretty) and/or serving.
4. Baker.  Find employment at a going concern or branch out on your own, selling baked goods to local stores or at farmers' markets.
5. Confectioner.  Making candy for a living - now that's a career I could get behind!
6. Cake decorating.  You don't actually have to be as gifted as those folks on the cable television decorating shows (though if you are, you'll never want for work!).  Plenty of grocery stores and stand-alone bakeries looking for people capable of creating good-looking cakes at a brisk clip.
7. Farming/Gardening.  Grow your own!
8. Wine-making.  You can make your own wines, or sell your grapes to wineries who will do the work for you.  Lots of opportunities to sponsor/attend events that focus on how to pair wines with good food.
9. Brewing.  Make your own beer!
10. Sommalier.  Or, if you enjoy wines but have no interest in growing them yourself, become a sommalier - that guy at the fancier restaurants who recommends the wines and decants them for you. Note: You must look good in a tux or gown.
11. Cooking Instructor.  Market your food prep skills by offering cooking classes.  You'll be especially desirable as a teacher if you have some specific expertise to offer: ex, French cooking, gluten-free cooking, cake decorating, cooking for children.
12. Cookbook Author.  Or, if you don't want to teach, try assembling your best recipes into a cookbook.  If you're lucky, a major publisher will pick up your cookbook and market it for you.  If you'd rather avoid that hassle, however, you can always sell your cookbook at craft shows/farmers' markets or even online.
13. Dietician.  Help people conquer their struggles with food by becoming a dietician.  The job isn't just about helping people lose weight: you'll also have an opportunity to help athletes, diabetics, chemotherapy patients, people with food sensitivities, and others. 
14. Test Kitchen Employee.  Yes, this is a real job!  Cookbook and cooking magazine publishers always test the recipes they plan to publish.  Not sure exactly how you land one of these jobs, but I know they're out there!
15. Food Critic.  You don't have to work for The New York Times or Fodors - even local newspapers regularly run restaurant reviews.  Or, if you aren't so worried about getting paid, create a blog and post your restaurant reviews there.
16. Restaurant/Food Service Worker.  One of the most obvious ways to work with food is to join the staff of a company that specializes in food/hospitality.  Just choose your venue: fast food joint, classy food joint, food cart, bar, hotel ...
17. Restaurant/Food Service Owner/Manager.  If preparing/serving food doesn't appeal to you, consider a position that will allow you to focus on brainstorming menu choices, shopping for unique/quality ingredients, and creating dining experiences.
18. Event Planner.  People who plan weddings, conferences, etc. are expected, as part of the job, to provide appropriate dining alternatives.  The cool part is that many caterers/restaurants/hotels, eager to win your business, will offer "comped" meals and tastings.
19. Food Bank/Community Kitchen.  If the idea of blending cooking and community service appeals to you, considering working at a community food bank or kitchen.
20. Food Journalist.  You don't have to criticize food to have an excuse to write about it - just pick up an edition of Bon Appetit or Weight Watchers magazine and count how many articles there are in each.  Someone's got to write them - why not you?
21. Culinary Travel Specialist.  Why not combine your love of food with your love of travel, by getting into the so-called "food tourism" business?  I'm guessing this usually involves organizing trips to exotic foreign destinations, though there may be a business to be made out of arranging local food tours, if you're lucky enough to live in an urban area where international offerings are abundant.
22. Food Scientist/Chemist.  If the science of cooking appeals to you, consider becoming a food scientist or chemist.  Plenty of companies out there eager to invent the next big thing: frozen foods that don't taste frozen, fruits that don't spoil, or the Holy Grail of food science, a side-effects-free sugar substitute
23. Food Photographer.  If you're into photography, consider specializing in food.  There's a great deal of art that goes into making food look delicious, fresh and appetizing, and people are willing to pay for the services of a photographer who does this well.
24. Grocery Store Employee/Manager.  All the fun of working with food without having to worry about preparing/serving it. 
25. Personal Grocery Shopper.  It's not glamorous, but if you like the idea of shopping for food using someone else's money, more and more grocery stores are offering this as a service to customers who don't have the time or ability to do their own shopping.
26. Theatre.  I stuck this one on the list because you always hear about theaters/studios setting up big food tables so the performers and technicians can grab sustainance in between takes.    
27. Politician/Lobbyist.  Frequent wining/dining is a prerequisite for both jobs - the major difference between them is who pays.
28. Celebrity.  Become a celebrity and you'll never have to pay for food again!  Everyone will be eager to shower you with free meals and delicacies.  The downside, of course, is that if you want to continue to be a celebrity, you'll probably need to watch your weight.  Cruel, isn't it?

50 Careers for People Who Like to Work Alone

Do you have a personality that irritates others?  Or do others have personalities that irritate you?  Does the buzzword "teamwork" make you bristle ... or, worse yet, break into a cold sweat? 

Seriously - my eldest son is blessed with a high IQ, intellectual curiosity, and a great work ethic.  However, he is also an extreme introvert, has a speech impediment, and isn't exactly patient when it comes to tolerating fools.  The kind of guy, in other words, who needs to work somewhere far from the maddening crowd.  All of which has started me wondering what sorts of careers are available out there for folks who would prefer to earn an income without having to deal with a lot of human interaction.

1. Animal-based careers.  Assuming you're okay with animals, just not people, some possible careers include working as a breeder, vet, kennel worker, dog walker, pet sitter, zookeeper, etc.
2. Archivist/librarian.  A great career for people who enjoy books, cataloging, and/or find hissing "shhh!" at total strangers to be a power trip.
3. Artist.  Creating art is an inherently independent effort; painters, photographers, handicrafters, potters, sculptors, and their ilk possess the ability to observe the world without necessarily interacting with it.  The challenge, of course, is finding a way to sell one's artwork without having to deal with galleries, magazines, or craft fair organizers. Thank goodness for the web.
4. Athlete in solitary sport.  Lots of sports emphasize individual effort over teamwork, to include marathoning, swimming, diving, bicycle racing, kayaking, surfing, scuba diving, skiing, rock climbing, surfing, sailboat racing, etc.
5. Caretaker.  Steven King's novel The Shining may have given caretaking a bad name, but it's not all spooky mansions, snow-bound mountains, creepy twins and demonic hedge animals.  Locations as varied as estates, cemeteries, earth stations and weather stations require caretakers to attend to basic facilities needs.
6. Close Captioning Typist.  I don't actually have any information about this job, but have always imagined it involves sitting in a cubicle, wearing headphones, watching TV and furiously typing.  Or maybe these days there's software that does the work?
7. Clothing/shoe creation/repair. Once you've taken the measurements, each job requires blissful hours of solo cutting and sewing.
8. Computer programming/networking.  If I weren't doing this alphabetically, this entry would probably deserve to be first.  The work is lucrative, easy to find, and wonderfully isolating: a really juicy networking problem or coding assignment can potentially cut you off from all social contact for weeks at a time.
9. Courier/Deliveries. Lots of stuff besides pizza needs picking up and delivering: think mail, packages, trash, newspapers, dry cleaning, medical samples, confidential legal material, expensive jewelry, cars, etc.
10. Crime.  Hey, I'm not recommending it as a career choice - simply noting that it is, in fact, a career that lends itself to solitary effort.
11. Custodian/maid.  Custodians at hotels and office buildings seem rarely to interact with anyone.  Perhaps because they are simply too busy.
12. Data Analysis.  Tons of jobs out there for people who like to analyze data.  I know this because, in just the past 24hrs, various forms of media have informed me that (1) kids diagnosed with ADD are at higher risk for heart disease later in life, (2) the economy is actually recovering, if you take into account about 20 extenuating circumstances, and (3) it is a statistical improbability that Donovan McNabb will remain healthy enough to work off the huge new contract he just signed for the Washington Redskins. 
13. Data Entry/Retrieval.  Until every tidbit of information in the world has been transferred to computer (which can't be too far off now), there will continue to be a need for files clerks to categorize, catalog, sort, store, and retrieve paper-based information.   I recommend any organization or agency affiliated with local government.
14. Equipment Operator. Lots of jobs out there operating big machines with little cabs/offices: toll bridges, cranes, oil rigs, rollercoasters, snowplows, etc.
15. Explorer.  Make a career out of going places where no man has gone before: the arctic, above a rainforest, under the ocean, outer space ....
16. Factory Work.  The upside is that, as long as you're doing your job, no one's going to interrupt you.  The downside is the tedium of potentially doing the same tasks day after day after day.  Your call.
17. Farming/Ranching.  This category incorporates a huge range of jobs, from plowing fields to picking fruit, from raising chickens to milking cows.  Lots of opportunities for solitary work, as long as you don't mind mosquitoes.
18. Firespotting.  Isn't this the first job everyone things of when you talk about "lonely jobs"?  I don't know how many of these jobs are actually available, but I can think of worse careers than sitting in the middle of a lush forest, reading books and occasionally scanning the horizon for smoke plumes.
19. Garage/Tollbooth Attendant.  Not a bad gig if they let you listen to your iPod while you're working.  Plus you can work on assembling a first-class coin collection.
20. Gardening/Landscaping/Nursery Work/Forestry.  The plants aren't going to mind if you don't talk to them.
21. Graphic Design.  Decided not to lump this in with "artist" since it's more of a career than a vocation.  And a pretty lucrative career at that, if you've got talent and can sign up with an agency that will handle all the pesky client touchy-feely stuff on your behalf.
22. Internet/Online Careers.  Become a blogger, online journalist, wiki writer or web portal host and interact with the world without ever actually having to change out of your pajamas.
23. Inventor.  Isolation is practically a job requirement, lest anyone steal your great ideas.  Potentially lucrative fields include iPad/Kindle apps (Apple/Amazon being equally desperate to justify purchase of their respective products), alternative energies (Obama's still hoping green is the next internet), and/or life-saving technologies for 3rd world countries (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - pockets don't get any deeper!)
24. Lifeguard.  Another one of those careers where you're surrounded by people but essentially alone.  If anyone tries to bug you while you're sitting on your stand you can just tell them: "Can't talk. Have to stay vigilant."
25. Lighthouse Keeper.  Another career that automatically comes to mind when someone mentions solitary jobs.  To tell the truth, I'm not even sure this job is available anymore, due to improvements in automation, but it's certainly one of the more romantic options on this list.  Think tretcherous shorelines and storm-tossed seas, moaning foghorns, billowing fog, and the ghosts of dead sailors lingering among the waves.
26. Long-Haul Truck Driver. Make a downpayment on a rig and start living the life of a long-haul trucker.  No need to be bound by stereotypes:  feel free to eat healthy and spend the time improving your mind by mastering classical music and listening to great literature (or college courses) on audio.
27. Mathematics-Based Careers.  Try it - just tell someone you're mathematician and watch them hasten to leave you to your own resources!  Respectable wages await folks able to qualify for employment as actuaries, accountants, bankers, investors, codebreakers, handicappers, and statisticians. 
28. Mechanic.  If you're competent, doesn't matter how rude your are: your customers will never let you go!
29. Monk.  Again, not necessarily recommending this as a career: just saying that if you fancy limited wardrobe choices, stark accommodations, and atonal music, this is an option to consider.
30. Movie Projectionist.  Do theaters hire movie projectionists any more, or is this all done automatically?  Am kind of hoping humans are still in charge, as this was the go-to career for loners with a fancy for cinema back when I was a kid.
31. Musician.  Though you typically have to perform with others, there is no requirement to socially interact socially with them.  Plus, remaining aloof creates the impression that you're brilliant and eccentric.
32. Night Shift Employee.  When most of the world goes to sleep, a few solitary souls emerge to keep things running through the wee small hours of the morning.  Some institutions that require night work include stores (restocking), hospitals, hotels, convenience stores, tollbooths, airports, and astronomers.
33. Park ranger.  If you can duck out of having to lead tours, there are plenty of other solitary jobs that require doing, from grooming trails to monitoring/tagging wildlife, environmental testing, and/or maintenance.
34. Philosopher/Theologist.  People will beg you not to tell them what you're doing.
35. Pilot.  I'm picturing the sort that fly their own planes, delivering corporate bigwigs to important meetings or packages to isolated locations. 
36. Reader.  I'm thinking of those folks that record the text of books onto tape for the benefit of folks who have vision impairments or who enjoy listening to books rather than reading them.  Getting the gig to do War and Peace has to qualify as full time employment!
37. Researcher.  Am distinguishing this from data analysis because there's are plenty of research jobs that don't require numbers.  Consider genealogy, history, or one of the soft sciences.
38. Restoration.  Become an expert at restoring books, cars, boats, paintings or some other category of possession that people prize and will pay to keep in good repair.
39. Scanning books into digital libraries.  Speaking of moving hard files to computer archives ... before all the great libraries of the world become accessible online, someone's got to actually, manually scan the books into a hard drive somewhere.  Sounds mind-numbing, but maybe if they let you listen to your ipod as you work ....
40. Scientist.  Sure, you can work in a lab, like your stereotypical mad scientist.  But there are also careers in fields such as geology, botony, and biology that involve engaging in field work in remote locations.
41. Seafaring Jobs.  All that lovely water separating you from the rest of humanity!  Careers include boat maintenance, boat relocation, towboat captain, fishing, and mapping/navigation.
42. Security work.  All you need is a uniform, a badge, an ipod, a bag full of doughnuts and a big thermos of caffeine.
43. Surveyor.  You may need a partner to hold that pole with all the measurements on it, but at least they'll always be 20yards away from you!
44. Technician.  Get a job in a laboratory developing photos, sorting samples, or processing DNA.
45. Trade career.  Many of the more skilled trades - plumbing, electrician, carpenter, welding, car repair - allow you to work solo, and most of them pay well to boot.  
46. Transcriptionist.  Legal and medical transcriptionists are, I understand, in great demand.  All you need is a lot of patience and a wrist brace to prevent carpel tunnel syndrome. 
47. Translator. Another one of those great careers you can pursue in the comfort of your own home.  
48. Umpire/referee.  The only career I can think of where you're surounded by people who you can penalize for trying to talk to you.
49. Undertaker/coroner/mortician.  The perfect job for folks who possess compassion in combination with a strong stomach.
50. Usher.  Even though you'll be surrounded by patrons, no one ever talks to the ushers.  All you have to do is hand out programs and show people to their seats.
51. Writing/journalism.  There are so many niche magazines and newsletters out there, all in need of folks able to organize their thoughouts and output them in grammatical Engish.  It's harder to find those folks than you may think.

20+ Careers for People Who Love Theater

I understand the unemployment rate for actors is something like 85%.  Depressing!  And a little surprising, given the range of careers available to people who have the ability to make others suspend their disbelief.  I think these people must not be thinking outside of the box: those communication skills come in handy not just on the stage, but in sales, PR/advertising, public speaking, teaching, and politics!  The following list is compiled in honor of the many people in my life who abandoned careers on the board in order to pursue more "stable" careers.  It's never too late, guys!

1. Actor - film, television, theater, local theater, advertising (venues = major theater, local/regional theater, production studios, dinner theater)
2. Personality - anchor, commentator, talk show host, podcast host, etc.
3. Entertainer - singer, dancer, magician, etc. (venues = local theater, cruise ships, amusement parks)
4. Directing/producing
5. Theater management
6. Costumes/makeup
7. Usher
8. Technician - camera, lighting, audio, set design, film editing
9. Stagehand
10. Ticket sales/brokering
11. Casting agent/Talent Scout
12. Radio DJ
13. Voice acting/voiceovers
14. Audio book reader 
15. Teacher/Coach - drama, public speaking, training, communications
16. Screenwriter/Playwright
17. Journalist/writer/critic - film, drama
18. Historical Reenactor. 
19. Children's Entertainer - storyteller, puppeteer, clown
20. Public Speaking - instructional, motivational
21. Sales
22. PR/advertising
23. Politics

21 Careers for People Who Love to Travel

Sometimes I toy with the idea of combining two of my life goals into one, by picking a career that would also allow me to see the world.

Realistically, almost every career offers some travel possibilities.  Sales personnel attend training sessions.  Professionals attend conferences.  You can be a computer specialist in Belgium as easily as you can be a computer specialist in the U.S.

My emphasis here is on jobs where travel isn't just a fluke, but an actual job requirement.   Land one of these jobs and you will see the world ... though possibly not at your convenience or on your terms! 

(Want to travel when/where it's convenient for you? Marry well or win the lottery!)

1. Airline Pilot/Steward.  The classic choice for people who want to see the world, for good reason: these days, there's almost no exotic destination not serviced by air.  Before you sign up, however, consider carefully whether you have the "right stuff" to endure endless hours of airport muzac, disarm shoebombs, and clear away sick bags with a smile on your face.
2.  Seaman.  It's an oldy but a goody - become a sailor and see the world!  Or at least those parts of the world that have ports.  You can join the Navy, Coast Guard, Merchant Marines, or become a seaman for private merchant vessels.  (Just remember your vitamin C tabs so you don't catch scurvy.)
3. Military.   At the time of this writing, various U.S. military services maintain bases in such exotic locals as Japan, Germany and the Philippines.  The downside is that the parts of the world you're most likely to see are Iran, Afghanistan, and war zones being policed by U.N. forces.
4. Cruise Ships.  The cruise ship industry is always hiring: the bad news is that, in general, they prefer to hire internationally since foreign workers are so much less picky about matters such as work hours, salary and accomodations.  However, there are opportunities for U.S. citizens, particularly in the areas of cruise staff, day care staff, and entertainment.
5. Diplomatic corps/State Department.  This is an obvious choice, but be prepared to take what you're given - the State Department has a pretty ingrained policy of alternating so-called "desirable" postings (places with beaches, orchestras, history and/or really good local breweries) with undesirable postings (war zones, 3rd world countries, areas of tectonic activity).
6. Peace Corps/Volunteerism.  Then again, if you're an adventurer, a risk-taker, a romantic ... if you like the idea of spreading peace and doing good ... if you see "undesirable postings" as a challenge rather than a punishment (and if you aren't to particular about the quality of your health care) ... then the Peace Corps may be for you.  Failing Peace Corps, there are plenty of other international volunteer organizations willing to whisk you oversees in exchange for free labor.
7. Translator.  If you are fluent in one of the "hot" languages (Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, etc.), companies may be willing to pay you to travel to these countries to help their sales representatives conduct business with the locals. 
8. International Business.  Or, you can be the guy that the translator is translating.  International companies engaged in law, banking and sales need employees willing to travel to oversee/train/manage their foreign operations.
9. Nanny/Au Pair. This is an obvious choice for young women who don't mind working with children.  The problem is that families will expect you to stay for more than a few months, so you may not get to see many countries before the demands of nannying wear you out and leave you begging for home.
10. Student Laboror.  In countries with manual labor shortages (notably the U.S. but also some small European countries with tourist seasons), companies often spring up that specialize in importing students from other countries to fill temporary vacancies.  While a viable option, expect to work long hours and live in intimate quarters.
11. International Courier.  Some companies will pay good money to ensure that sensitive materials travel safely from country to country.  You'll need to be bonded, insured, cleared, fingerprinted, and you may have to turn over a child or two as hostage, but in return, people will pay you to cart their precious documents, diamonds, etc. from destination to glamorous destination.
12. Travel Agent.  Though the practice isn't as common as it used to be, resorts/hotels/cruise ships/etc. used to offer low-price or comped trips to travel agents in hopes the travel agents would then recommend their facilities/services to their clients.  I suspect, however, that if you can convince these hospitality providers that you influence the decisions of a big enough client base, perks are still available.
13. Travel Writer.  I have a feeling this probably isn't a lucrative career - if there was big money to be made from travelling and then talking about it, hard to imagine why anyone wouldn't do it.  Rather than set out on your own, perhaps the thing to do is to offer your services to one of the going travel writing concerns: Fodors, Rick Steves, etc.
14. Hospitality.  Hook up with a mega-hospitality provider for a chance to work at hotels, spas, restaurants or resorts overseas.  While outfits like Marriott, Hilton, Sheraton and Intercontinental are more likely to land you in exotic resort areas, less glamorous companies such as McDonalds, Starbucks, and Walmart are aggressively expanding across the globe and may offer more immediate opportunities.
15. Tour Guide.  Offer your services to a travel company that specializes in offering guided tours to foreign parts.   This works best if you have some special expertise to share - fluency in a language, expertise in a particular era of history, or specialized athletic skills (white water navigation, climbing, parasailing) - but some companies may be willing to give you a script to memorize and set you on your way, if you show yourself capable and game.
16. Professional Sports.  Certain sports - such as golfing, surfing, and scuba diving - require you to travel to where the best facilities/conditions are.  But even more mainstream sports like baseball, basketball, and soccer enjoy worldwide appeal, with franchises in almost every continent.  If you aren't born with natural athletic ability there may still be opportunities in sports medicine, training, and coaching.
17. Academics/Research.  Positioning yourself as an expert in pretty much any academic area will provide opportunities for travel - speaking at conferences, guest-lecturing at foreign universities, conducting research in international libraries, etc.
18. Academics/Teaching.  There are always opportunities for folks able to teach English to citizens of foreign nations eager to learn the "international language of business."  Potential employers include governments, embassies, foreign companies, and foreign universities/schools.
19. Science.  Some scientific disciplines - such as geology, biology, and mechanical engineering - practically require travel as a prerequisite.  After all, if you want to study rocks, plants, or dams, you have to go to where they are, right?
20. Arts/Entertainment.  Cultivate an artistic talent and, if you're good enough, you should be able to market yourself in any country that enjoys drama, orchestra, and/or dance. 
21. Journalism/Foreign Correspondent.  A gig that's as hard to get as it is glamorous.  Just know in advance that they're not going to send you somewhere unless there's actual news to report, so you're far likelier to end up in Iran than Belize.

Careers for Teachers Outside of the Classroom

1. Educational Consulting.  Educational consultants administer testing and provide other evaluation services for students, especially students with special needs.  Some tests you can administer without certification; others will require training and certification. However, for those who are trained in the tests that are most in demand, this can be a lucrative career.
2. Educational Advocacy.  Educational advocates help parents - especially the parents of students with special needs - ensure that their students are receiving the education and protections guaranteed by federal, state and local law.  Prerequisites include a good knowledge of educational law, strong negotiating skills, and a desire to advocate for the needs of students.
3. Proctoring/Grading.  State and national testing companies are always looking for folks to grade the essay portions of standardized tests.  If you just can't get enough of overwrought undergraduate prose, this might be the ticket for you.
4. Test Prep.  Speaking of standardized testing, the companies that prepare students for high stakes standardized testing (SAT, LSAT, etc.) are always looking for teachers willing to teach their test-prep courses.  This is a nice gig because they supply the curriculum - all you have to do is teach it.
5. Create curriculum. Create worksheets or other materials for online or paper publishing companies.
6. Literary Analysis/Review. Write essays for publishers of literary analysis (ex: Cliff Notes, Sparknotes, online providers).
7. Tutoring.  Offer tutoring services as an individual or through a for-profit tutoring center (ex: Huntington Learning Center, Sylvan Learning Center).  
8. Adult and Community Education.  Most school systems offer adult and community education.  Courses offered often go beyond tradition school subjects to include IT, creative writing, finance, resume writing, college essay prep, fine arts, music, and more.  These classes provide a great opportunity for teachers to work with students who have a genuine passion (or need) for the subject they are teaching.
9. Create a "homework helper" website. If face-to-face tutoring isn't for you, create a website that (for a small yearly fee) will provide homework assistance for students. To add value, create downloadable flash cards, worksheets, and other resources.
10. Homeschooling.  Groups of homeschoolers may be interested in classes offered by a certified teacher but offered outside of the constraints of the public school system.  Demand is particularly high for those able to teacher higher-level content courses such as chemistry, physics, algebra, geometry, and foreign languages.
11. Online Education.  More and more school districts are beefing up their online offerings to make up for constrained funding available for summer school, summer enrichment, and homebound education, increasing the demand for certified teachers willing to teach such offerings.
12. English as a Second Language instruction.  There aren't too many communities these days that don't have a pocket of immigrants needing to increase their English skills.  There's no need to speak a foreign language to be an ESL teacher.  However, if you haven't taught ESL students before, be sure to spend some time researching best practices, as this type of instruction requires skills that go beyond traditional teacher training programs. 
13. Proofreading/Technical Writing.  A great career for you English/journalism/creative writing teachers out there.  People who "speak science" often possess lousy English skills: thus the need for people with solid writing and grammar skills to polish their technical papers, proposals, and professional materials.