10 New Jobs for Men in 2010

The jobs report may be improving, but we've still got a ways to go. So whether you just like drinking Absinthe all day, or tend to hijack your son's Tonka trucks too often, these creative career ideas could be just right for you.

1. Forensic Accountant:

If men like Bernie Madoff are national villains, then forensic accountants might be considered heroes. Large corporations and the government have increasingly trained regular old accountants for these positions in the wake of Enron; now, graduate programs like the one at the Rutgers Business School are gaining traction. Your job is simple: make sure everything adds up (in a legal sense), and hope you uncover a huge scandal.

2. Mobile Business Entrepreneur:

Every time you turn a city corner (or magazine page), there's another mention of the Kogi Truck, a dumpling delivery service, or one of the hundreds of food trucks crowding our city streets. But you don't need a truck. And you don't even need food. That's what retailers across the country are realizing: just use the Internet. Make pizza and deliver it from your house; sell neckties on Etsy.com. This job, unlike others, isn't so specific it just takes the balls to execute that idea you've always had. And, hey, no interview.

3. Independent Insurance Salesman:

Looking for a way to make the health care debate make sense for you? Don't worry about it too much just profit from it. These independent contractors help people who aren't offered health insurance through work or who can't afford premium private plans find an option that matches their circumstances. And, as health care becomes mandatory for all Americans, now's a good time to get certified.

4. Ethical Hacker:

Want your identity stolen? Probably not. And neither does your bank, which is why financial institutions have started finding computer experts the non-criminal type to give their Web sites a workout. The best of the geeks crack the computer systems before the crooks do. So, basically, it's just like being a real hacker, only with up to a hundred grand instead of the jail time.

5. Bike Lane Engineer:

In cities, especially, biking's a great way to avoid those subway-car crowds that can be more awkward than a Ben Stiller sex scene. But those lanes zigzagging their way through Chicago, Paris, and New York aren't coming from the will of the people; they're carefully orchestrated by these new engineers. The gig sounds simple  build lanes where riders won't get hit but unfortunately for bikers, that's easier said than done. And as all cities become bike-friendly (which they will), the field will only grow.

6. Algal Field Monitor:

Sure, it doesn't sound too exciting you would, in fact, be monitoring microscopic, funny-looking, water organisms as they grow but the implications are important: at some point, the country will run out of fossil fuels. We'll be turning to things like these weird-looking water organisms. Plus, this is your chance to tell women who love the environment that you're involved in "alternative fuel research." Sorta.

7. Marijuana Lobbyist:

The right to get high has been a states' issue for several years now, but as pot reform becomes a larger part of the national debate, these are the people at the forefront of the movement to de-stigmatize the drug. Just like other lobbyists, they glad-hand with politicians and policy wonks about why the drug should be legal, and get involved in fundraising for the cause. Of course, this requires charisma in addition to sketchiness a potential roadblock for your typical burnout.

8. Marijuana Lobbyist:

The right to get high has been a states' issue for several years now, but as pot reform becomes a larger part of the national debate, these are the people at the forefront of the movement to de-stigmatize the drug. Just like other lobbyists, they glad-hand with politicians and policy wonks about why the drug should be legal, and get involved in fundraising for the cause. Of course, this requires charisma in addition to sketchiness a potential roadblock for your typical burnout.

9. Housing Bulldozer Operator:

The field itself isn't new, but it's definitely been re-ignited by the country's housing crunch. And yeah, it's a bit of a downer no one wants to have to tear down abandoned homes and buildings, really but we're willing to bet a real bulldozer's a helluva lot more fun than those Tonka ones.

10. Barter Trade Broker:

Since not everyone has so much cash on hand these days, these brokers work as a middleman between companies who might want to trade goods and services. Say a new wine store needs some fresh paint? This guy will decide how much French red is worth four freshly coated walls. No day's ever the same, as you can imagine, plus you get to find out what weird shit people are willing to trade. Just like Hoarders, only without the cluttered house.

http://www.quintcareers.com/recession_job-hunting_articles.html