WASHINGTON — While many people spend their work days behind a desk, others spend their time on the clock riding water slides, sipping beer or eating chocolate.
Yes — there are professional water-slide testers who ride down the slides for fun and to make money.
TODAY interviewed Shelly Rucinski, a water park’s director of operations. She tests water slides, which she enjoys, but admits that not all jobs are perfect.
“I mean, there’s downfalls; we work a lot of hours in the summertime. But I get to be outside and this is my office. … Not bad, not a bad view,” Rucinski told TODAY.
Mashable spoke with 22-year-old Seb Smith, who zips down water slides around the world for a resort company, ranking slides on “biggest splash” and “adrenaline factor.”
His job comes with a salary of about $30,904, paid travel expenses and a seven-day vacation for two at any of the operation’s resorts after his six-month contract. Smith was picked out of 2,000 applicants.
Other jobs with lots of competition — but very nice perks — include tasters of chocolate and beer. Mashable says tasters can range from entry-level employees to executives with six- figure salaries.
A love of creating food can pay off, too.
A Dallas man told TODAY he works only three weeks a year making deep-fried concoctions for Texas’ state fair. His most recent creation: deep-fried butter.
“Mainly I just take it easy the rest of the year and think of new things to fry,” he told TODAY.
For the more open-minded, websites and publications have added marijuana reviewers, as laws get relaxed.
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