18 Fun High-Paying Jobs You Can Take On in 2023

Let’s be real: 2022 was a tough year (as were the past several too!). If you’re looking for a lighter career (head)start, we’ve put together this big list of fun high-paying jobs to go after. 

The Top 4 Most Fun High-Paying Jobs

If you want an entertaining, yet financially rewarding job, the following four roles pay north of $50K per year: 

1. Theme Park Designer

Whenever you’re rushing through to another rollercoaster, the last thing you’re thinking about is who designed the park layout. And that would be a theme park designer — a specialist, trained in public space and/or architecture design who’s responsible for creating the park layout, theme, and branding. 

Theme park designers:

• Collaborate with stakeholders to decide on the overall design and theme of the park

• Create theme park layout and determine the placement of rides, attractions, and other facilities 

• Working closely with architects, engineers, and construction workers to bring designs to life

• Ensuring that all facilities and decor elements meet safety and building codes

• Continuously seek ways to improve and innovate the design of the park to enhance the guest experience.

Salary: Starts at $47K per year. 

2. Food Stylist

Fancy dining isn’t just about tastes — it’s also about the dish’s presentation and looks. Social media has given rise to a plethora of new Instagramable foods — from unicorn lattes to rainbow sandwiches. To the point, where some restaurants started prioritizing the visual uniqueness of a dish over other factors.

That’s where food stylists come in — pros that assist food businesses in creating attractive dish presentations for promotional materials and real-world serving.

Food stylists:

• Collaborate with chefs and restaurant managers to determine the desired look and feel of a dish

• Use props and backgrounds to create a setting for the food photoshoots 

• Apply food coloring, glazes, and other techniques to enhance the appearance of the presented munchies 

• Photograph or film the food to capture its best angle and lighting. Then supply a set of visuals to their clients 

Salary: Over $70K per year on average  

3. Metaverse Game Designer 

Metaverse — fully digital VR-based environments — are gaining momentum. By 2030, the metaverse market size is set to reach $5.8 trillion, up from an already substantial $161 billion in 2021.

For aspiring game developers and designers, this translates to more high-paying fun jobs. From designing custom character gear or in-game interactions, there are entire new worlds, waiting to be constructed!

Metaverse game designers:

• Conceptualize the overall layout, mechanics, and gameplay of a metaverse game

• Create new characters, gameplay objects, and environments for the selected game platform 

• Playtest and iterate on game design to ensure a smooth and enjoyable player experience

• Collaborate with the VR/AR engineers, the development team, and other stakeholders to ensure the successful and timely completion of the game

Salary: From $64K per year.

4. Art Therapist

Different art forms — painting, sculpture, collage, and music-making — are proven to have therapeutic benefits. Research confirms that art therapy can help alleviate pain, reduce stress levels, improve anxiety and sometimes even address depression.

Art therapists:

• Provide therapeutic art sessions to individuals, groups, or families to help them explore their emotions, thoughts, and experiences

• Employ a variety of art mediums and techniques to facilitate self-expression, personal growth, and greater mental health 

• Observe and assess clients’ art creations and reactions to the art-making process and provide guidance 

• Maintaining accurate and confidential client records and documentation. Collaborate with colleagues to correct treatment. 

Salary: Over $55K per year on average. 

6 Fun High-Paying Jobs You Can Do Without a Degree

You can earn a lot even if you don’t have a degree on your resume. Take a look at this list of fun jobs where college credentials are optional:

Flight Attendant

Flight attendants make on average $80K per year. To snag a job, you need to prepare a great application package and do well during an in-person interview. If you’re new to the industry, most airlines will then provide all the necessary training. Food and board are usually compensated, while some also pay a training stipend.  

Travel Writer

If you’re an adventurous spirit and traverse the globe (or some of its regions a lot), you have plenty of stories to share (and sell!) to magazines. You can work freelance or try getting a part- or full-time position with a travel magazine. Such roles pay $52K per year on average. 

Photographer

Weddings, fashion shows, or new hotel openings— photographers are in-demand across multiple industries. Pick your niche, set up a portfolio, and start picking up assignments. Or consider going after a full-time role with a content creation agency or an event marketing studio. Event photographers make $85K on average per year.  

Romance Novel Writer

If you have a knack for words and a creative mind, romance remains one of the most popular fiction genres. These days, you can choose between self-publishing to your own audience or pitching a manuscript to a publisher. Who knows, maybe you’ll become the next E. L. James? 

Voiceover Actor 

Can you do accents? Do you speak several languages? Or does your voice just sound extremely pleasing? In that case, singing up as a voiceover actor might be the right gig for you. On average voice actors make $80K per year in the US. 

Chocolatier 

This job doesn’t require a degree, but it does require some training and personal resilience. After all, you’d be dealing with chocolate all day long without being allowed to munch on it. That said, experienced chocolatiers can earn up to $74K per year — good compensation for your trouble. 

12 More Fun High-Paying Jobs With No Experience

Just entering the workforce and what to have a “light start”? The following jobs don’t require much previous work experience and can be super joyful to perform: 

1. Bed tester or mattress tester. 
2. Stuntperson 
3. Party organizer 
4. Concert promoter 
5. Animal caretaker 
6. Park ranger 
7. Personal shopper 
8. Tour guide 
9. Golf ball retriever 
10. Dance instructor 
11. Crossword writer 
12. Travel agent 

Found a job you’d fancy doing? Then it’s time to refresh your resume. Give it a better look and format with one of our free creative resume templates!