Not Suicidal

October 7, 2008 8:52 AM

What are some high risk, high urgency jobs that don't require a lot of physical strength?

My strengths:
Staying calm and clear-headed in challenging situations.
No phobias, and not easily grossed out or disturbed.
Following protocol when it exists, finding solutions fast when it doesn't. Thinking on my feet.
Some computer skills. (Almost a given on MeFi, but I'll mention it anyway.)
Easily able to work long hours and night shift.
Enjoy risk.

My weaknesses:
Staying focused and meeting deadlines in non-urgent work.
I weigh less than 150lb, so I don't think I can be a firefighter, cop, or drill for oil.
I don't have a college education.

I would like to find a job that fits these strengths and weaknesses. Some level of intelligent work a plus. Good karma, i.e. benefiting others a plus. Room and board a plus. Good compensation a plus, but not essential.

Questions to [e-mail]. Anon because people seem to interpret it that way when I talk to them about it.

posted by anonymous to work & money (20 comments total)

politician?
posted by arniec at 8:58 AM on October 7, 2008

Can you write? Crisis communications or PR for the Red Cross, utility companies, FEMA, local law enforcement/ fire/ rescue.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 9:00 AM on October 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

Police/fire/ambulance dispatcher
posted by meeshell at 9:03 AM on October 7, 2008 [2 favorites]

Work towards a career in emergency room nursing?

I believe a previous askme looked at starting as a nurses's aide (a short certification course) and then taking a program that leads to full nurse-status.

Nurses do have to lift and move people sometimes, but not all of them are muscle-bound!
posted by MissSquare at 9:06 AM on October 7, 2008

You could look into being an EMT or a paramedic. Long hours, occasional risk, helping others and a great deal of following protocol. A fair amount of lifting may be required, but not as much as a firefighter. A quick google for job postings shows 150 pound lift requirement which doesn't seem unreasonable for someone who weighs 140 or so. No college degree required and EMT training is only 150 hours long so you don't need to put in a lot of time before you find out if it is right for you or not. You can work as an EMT while training to be a paramedic.
posted by Chrishartley at 9:06 AM on October 7, 2008

Air traffic controller.
posted by poq at 9:08 AM on October 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

See if you can be an air traffic controller, your profile sounds pretty good for it. They are supposed to make tons of money for 2-3 days of work per week, mostly because of all the stress and responsibility.
posted by ghost of a past number at 9:12 AM on October 7, 2008

This is what I get for fine-tuning my flowery prose.
posted by ghost of a past number at 9:12 AM on October 7, 2008 [2 favorites]

Paramedic?
Hotline work ? (911, suicide, domestic violence, or child abuse prevention?)
posted by A Terrible Llama at 9:21 AM on October 7, 2008

No reason from what you said why you couldn't become a cop.

Big city police forces seem to have very modest physical requirements for entry. It's a rare day that I don't see dozens of NYPD cops under 150 pounds (short and/or skinny). And that's assuming you're male -- the vast majority of female cops weigh under 150, of course.

There's typically a partial college education requirement -- 2 years of community college suffices.
posted by MattD at 9:23 AM on October 7, 2008

Crime scene clean-up, perhaps? These are private companies, since law enforcement doesn't do the "dirty work." If you're not squeamish, these companies are always looking for good employees. (You do have to wear a haz-mat suit, so consider whether that might be physically difficult for you.) A certain level of compassion is also necessary, because quite often crime scene cleaners also deal with grieving family members and often help them in filling out the necessary paperwork for their insurance company.
posted by Oriole Adams at 9:49 AM on October 7, 2008

Run away to sea? There's a worldwide shortage of merchant seafarers, particularly officers. It's a path that could get you a college degree (actually, I don't know exactly how it works in the US (and I'm assuming that's where you're from because you gave your weight in pounds)), paid for by a company, with a living allowance throughout your training, and let you walk into a highly paid job once you qualify. And room and board is, of course, included.

Ok, I just looked at a few details for the US, and eww, you seem to have to be a military reservist, that seems a bit unnecessary. But on the other hand, if you're someone who feels that the military helps others, go for it. Or just join the military in the first place, I suppose.

Then once you're qualified you can go work in offshore support on an anchor handler or something, with all the drama and long hours you want, although it is an incredibly macho environment so if you're female it might be that bit harder.

The major negative, unless you have reasons why you can't travel for work, is the 'staying focussed on non-urgent work' bit; college contains large amounts of it. Also, if you're a bit older than the usual college entrant you'll still be a bit of a rarity as a cadet; again, not sure what it's like in the US, but in the UK older cadets are becoming more common with the introduction of the Foundation Degree cadetship. Feel free to mefimail me if you want any more information.
posted by Lebannen at 9:56 AM on October 7, 2008

Nurse, especially in the Uk's national health service. Infact thats pretty perfect. If you are not from our fair isle, nurse in a charitable run place.

FYI Im nursing staff so it comes from experience.
posted by Neonshock at 10:30 AM on October 7, 2008

Air Traffic Controller is great for the calm head, though you could take advantage of your iron stomach by doing medical work (as an EMT probably, I don't know the education requirements for everything else.)
posted by Solon and Thanks at 10:56 AM on October 7, 2008

Line tech for the power company? People lose power, you have to get it up again pronto. In a similar vein, nuclear power plant technician.
posted by backseatpilot at 11:15 AM on October 7, 2008

Cooking in a real kitchen.
posted by GilloD at 11:31 AM on October 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

Proffesional poker player. Donate a nice % of your winnings to charity.
posted by NexEffect at 12:35 PM on October 7, 2008

I just want to say that you shouldn't let being less than 150 lbs stop you. My boyfriend is very, very leanly built and even though he stands 5'8", he weighs a whopping 120 soaking wet. He's a marine that's been deployed twice now, he works as a prison guard when he's stateside, and he has his police officer application exams coming up in a few months. This is a guy whose 5'3" girlfriend outweighs him by a solid 20 lbs.

From your use of lbs, I'm assuming you're an American, so consider the military (provided you're otherwise fit and don't mind the risk of deployment), being a police officer, Peace Corps, an EMT, a 911 operator, or really anything else. Don't let your size stop you.
posted by internet!Hannah at 1:03 PM on October 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

You could do something like this. My former roommate did it for a while. Rustic living conditions, but room and board is included, although the salary is really low. College degree preferred but not required. I don't know about risky, but it definitely involved staying calm/not panicking in situations where things got a little crazy. She was 5'5" and 120/130, so strength is not as much of an issue as having control/authority. Not much in the way of planning/desk type stuff.

Some folks object to these types of institutions, but I'll put it out there as a possibility.
posted by clerestory at 3:06 PM on October 7, 2008

A spy?
posted by 913 at 6:40 PM on October 7, 2008