12 Professions that are uniquely suited for singles and solos

Being single, not having a family, or kids, certainly gives you enough space in your life to do whatever it is you want to do. If one of your ambitions is focusing on earning money and growing your career, you will most likely have some significant plus points to offer your prospective employers. These are some of the areas and sectors where you will likely have a significant advantage:

1.International Consulting

In essence, International consultants are the people that get on a plane to go and fix an issue, handle an incident, or fill in a need that a client cannot fulfill locally. This means your knowledge and expertise are in high demand. And this in turn leads to clients pulling you from one side of the world to the other. International consulting fields in IT, Legal, and Finance scramble every year to find the best talent around the world to meet the needs of their customers. One of the key points they look at in a candidate is flexibility. And this has more to do with what you don’t have than what you do have. The less attachments the better.

What you normally see in this industry is a huge influx of brand new talent every year. They work like mad for a few years, build up a nice set of reserves, and when the family phase begins, they change jobs to something more “in one place”. And understandably so. For those that stay however, the advantages are many. The longer you stay, the greater experience gap you build up between yourself and the incoming talent. You will have more value, and a sea of possibilities throughout your career in the international consulting field as an individual with no kids or family tying you down.

2. Regional, Area, and Territory manager

This job has you on the road quite a bit. Monitoring productivity, ensuring KPIs are met, keeping a finger on the pulse when it comes to employee morale and engagement…in short you are the eyes and ears of your headquarters. Supervising your company’s locations across the country, or the world, you play a key role in your organization’s continuity. Most directors would rather lose a molar than a competent and experienced regional manager, so you will have solid leverage throughout your career as long as you keep your load light.

3. 24/7 Customer Support

As the job title implies, you will be working tough hours. This is not to say you will be working 24/7, but your shifts will be set at any point in the 24 hour work day. You could also be set to work on the weekends or holidays. This is not a schedule friendly job, but for those that can get used to the irregular schedules, this can offer you a very promising job prospect. A customer support managers’ biggest headache is by far the scheduling of their resources, and if it’s the holiday season, you can upgrade that to a full on migraine. Having resources like you, that can be set at a moment’s notice, for extended periods of time, is a godsend they are happy to reward.

4. Boat captains

Even though you would be forgiven to directly think of cruise captains, this is a relatively small group compared to the cargo boat captains. Around 80% of all goods transported are carried by ships and containers. And each of these ships is carrying millions in cargo and investment. Needless to say, most of these trips are measured in weeks not days. Some routes only navigate seasonally which would very likely mean you will be off for months at a time. You can imagine the pressure for shipping companies to obtain and retain experienced captains. And with such working conditions, it’s certainly not a walk in the park to find these talented individuals to lead your operation. Experienced captains can bring home in a year as much as some CEOs.

5. Yacht crew, cruise crew, deckhands

A captain is just as successful as his weakest deckhand. Having experienced crew personnel is of paramount importance to the outcome of any sea voyage. One mistake by a greenhorn crew member (a “newbie” in the boat world) could cost millions to the whole operation. The exponential increase of world trade and leisure travel, has depleted an already sparse industry of thousands of available personnel. This has forced many shipping outfits to hire a tremendous amount of greenhorns. This is not something that any captain likes. If you can be the go-to-person for a captain, you can rest assured they will keep you for as long as they can.

6. Offshore Industry

Doesn’t matter how you look at the energy topic, we will still need oil in our foreseeable future. And that oil comes in big part via the offshore drilling industry. This industry welcomes newcomers from all walks of life. They will train you, and find you a place in those huge metal platforms. You can see this as a short term career, as a stepping stone to your next, or simply to earn some of the highest per hour rates in the energy industry. Something to keep in mind though, this is a profession that incurs a substantial level of risk. After all, you are working under and around heavy machinery, dealing with immense hydraulic pressures, with thousands of moving parts, and last but not least, the massive forces of nature.

7. Resource and Mineral Exploration

Similar to the offshore oil industry, there are plenty of resources on, or below, the ground that companies are desperately looking for. Armies of scientists, geologists, and a whole bunch of ists travel to the most remote part of the planet to find them. These exploration trips can sometimes take months, even years. Having a crew that can undertake these uninterrupted missions is a key dependency to making these projects a success.

8. Bartending

This is the profession we are all most likely to be familiar with, on either side of the bar. As we all know, bars are the last establishments to close and someone has to make the customer’s drinks. The late nights are the norm rather than the exception. In contrast to some of the other jobs and professions we’ve discussed so far…this one is the most customer facing position on the list. You are in direct contact with the customer, so you will need to have some people skills. Having said, this can be one of the most fun jobs you will ever have in your life!

9. Actors, Musicians, and Entertainers

How would it be to make a living exercising your artistic talents! These are what these guys do! And one thing you know about this group is that they need to be in many places all the time. You go where the circus goes. In addition to performing, there is a significant amount of promotional work, social events, and gatherings most professionals in his industry need to regularly cater to. And yes, let’s not forget, this is a creative heavy profession, you will need your space in order for this creative magic to flow.

10. Airline Pilots, Private Jets, Charters, Cargo

Any profession that has as its primary objective to get you off the ground, you know right there, is not going to mix well with having ground level attachments. You can make it work of course, but then you throw in words like, “sacrifice” and “absence”, it can make the long term status of this career a bit tricky for those with a family. The schedules can be tough, especially for long haul routes which will keep you off home base for a significant amount of time. Also keep in mind that returning home to bouncing children and a grumpy overworked partner after a grueling 3 day flight schedule can crack even the strongest. Longevity in this industry has a lot to do with how you manage your home affairs. Not having any, means you just have to worry about the flying part.

11. Flight Attendants

What is true for a pilot, counts the same for flight attendants. The pilot’s main job is to transport the passengers safely to their destination. The flight attendants focus on both safety and keeping the passengers happy, they are the face of the airline throughout the journey. The airline business is perhaps one of the most volatile and cyclical of all industries. Sure there are times that they can afford to slack a bit with their customer engagement, but these periods are fewer and far between nowadays with so many new airlines flooding the market. Now more than ever, airlines need to stand out not only on price but also on the customer experience, and the heaviest portion of this responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of the cabin crew.

12. Healthcare Professional

The hours are long, the pressure is high, and someone’s life is in your hands. No profession ranks higher on the social importance scale than the one that saves lives. This is a career path you can follow for the rest of your life, you will be highly valued, and more importantly, you will be doing work that really matters. If you can balance out the pressures of the job, can establish regular cycles in your routine to alleviate the fatigue, you could be in for the most rewarding job of your life!