In a recent Ask Reddit discussion, several Redditors shared their jobs that other people have either never heard of or have always doubted actually exist. Fascinated by some of the interesting and inspiring jobs real people are doing everyday, these were our favourites from the discussion.

Ten Real Jobs You Didn't Know Existed

Orthoepist

Most likely a word you've never heard of, the job of an orthoepist is also one we'd never realised existed before, but it's actually a very obvious and important one. Essentially, an orthoepist is responsible for checking the pronunciation of words for audiobooks and audio recordings. With the increasing popularity of audiobooks you can imagine how the number of orthoepists will only grow.

Pig Feed Chef

We touched on some of the jobs in the billion-dollar industry that is pet food in this article summarising the world's weirdest jobs, but we didn't fully appreciate that many people out there consider themselves pet food "chefs". As one pig feed chef explained on Reddit, there's "...a lot of science involved. Their diets change almost monthly with the weather so we are constantly changing the nutrients we give them."

Professional Hiker

There are millions of miles of walking paths and hiking trails in the world and obviously somebody has to look after them and check they're safe to walk on. What's the best way to do this? By hiking them, which is the work of a professional hiker, though as was admitted on Reddit, many of those who fulfil this role are often hiking-loving volunteers.

Toy Breaker

This could be a mischievous five year old's dream job, but in reality this is quite a serious profession as it could literally save lives. Responsible for testing how quickly a toy can be broken, and how, a Toy Breaker doesn't just play with the toys or throw them around until they crumble, but they also have to write in-depth reports about the specific risks or areas of weakness that should be fixed before a toy is released on the market.

Travel Trainer

One of the most applauded respondents to the Ask Reddit discussion was a young woman from London who explained how she's a Travel Trainer, which means she helps adults with learning disabilities get used to using public transport. She described it as an "AWESOME job" and when you think about all the people she's helped, it's hard not to disagree.

Supermarket Sign Artist

You know when you go to the supermarket or a grocery store and see chalk boards or posters of hand-drawn fruit, vegetables and other produce? Well, do you ever wonder who drew them? The answer is a sign artist. Yes, these people do exist. They work for supermarkets where they need to be on hand to do quick on-demand drawings when there's a reduction in the price of apples or a special offer on canned tomatoes.

Competitive Shopper

It sounds like a job many would love - shopping for a living! But apparently there's much more to the competitive shopper. Employed by one store, they're basically sent to spy on their employer's competitors by checking on product placements, price, marketing initiatives etc. so the shop they work for can stay ahead of the competition.

Professional Criminal

Not literally a criminal, this Redditor said his official job title was "Information Security Consultant" but his job description suggests he spends much of his time looking like a criminal as he is hired by companies to test their security by trying to break into their premises. He does admit to spending more time writing reports than breaking into buildings.

Eye Bank Technician

Of all the jobs that made us go "eww", eye bank technician could be top of the list. Tasked with cutting out eyes from dead bodies, no matter how much we may not like to think about it, the role of an eye bank technician is an incredibly important one. Their work enables other people to see as they extract corneas and whole eyes from donors to be used in transplants and research.

Standardised Patient

Staying with a medical theme, the final job on our list of real jobs you never knew existed is that of a "Standardised Patient", who acts as something of a human guinea pig for medical professionals. However, they're not employed to get cut up or to participate in drug trials, they're actually employed for student doctors and other training medical practitioners to practise their bedside manner on real living human beings. So maybe this is one job where you do get paid to lie around in bed all day...

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