Cool Jobs
Ryan McNamee's cool cruise-line job
What do you do? I am the marketing coordinator at Un-Cruise Adventures, an adventure cruise line [based in Seattle]. My primary role is to manage the visual assets and act as the company photographer and videographer.
Jen Green's cool cosmetics job
What do you do? I am the trade marketing and merchandise manager for butter LONDON, a Seattle-based cosmetics company. I work closely with the sales team to develop and deliver marketing collateral and merchandising elements to support our retailers and...
Book editor Kjersti Egerdahl's cool job
What do you do? I'm an editor of nonfiction illustrated books, mostly on pop-culture-related subjects. My company, becker&mayer! Book Producers, creates books for publishers. We work with a lot of licensors; I’ve done officially licensed books with Star Wars, Star...
Good Job: Kate Murphy of Hunger Intervention Program
What do you do? I am the program manager for the Hunger Intervention Program (HIP). At HIP, we provide nutritious meals, basic cooking skills and nutrition education to underserved individuals in Seattle. I oversee the weekly meal programs and create...
Developer Shyam Habarakada's cool job
What do you do? I lead software development at Artefact [a Seattle technology product design company] and am a hands-on developer at 10,000ft, a business software product built by Artefact Product Group. This means I'm involved in multiple projects at...
Niki McKay's cool audio/video production job
What do you do? I own Blue Danube Productions, an agency that specializes in helping event planners bring ideas to life and bridge the gap between the technical requirements and their vision. That includes orchestrating video, video capture, video content...
Chief executive artist Kamal Siegel's cool job
What do you do? As chief executive artist, I get to run a studio called Digital Double [in Redmond], which does 2-D and 3-D graphics for the games and advertising industries. I get to manage the affairs of the company...
Cool Job: espresso-machine guru Bryan Arndt
What do you do? My job description [at Seattle Coffee Gear] reads: Interface with customer to give accurate estimates and on-site repairs; is the liaison between our customers and our techs. What this really means is that I translate tech...
Good Job: Nancy Stillger of Art with Heart
What do you do? I am the program manager at Art with Heart, a nonprofit that heals children's emotional wounds through expressive, therapeutic books and programs. I oversee and develop programs and curriculum that support schools, hospitals and other nonprofit...
Furniture designer Andy Whitcomb's cool job
What do you do? I am a furniture designer, and I own two furniture companies, Whitcomb & Company and Brackish. Whitcomb & Company is a custom furniture company in which I design unique pieces made from salvaged wood, steel, and...
Anthony Johnson's cool airline job
What do you do? I am an interiors engineer at Alaska Airlines and part of the team responsible for maintaining and improving Alaska Airlines' aircraft cabins, which includes seats, lavatories, carpets, etc. My main focus is to oversee the exterior...
Light designer Karen Fischer's cool job
What do you do? I am a senior designer at Tube Art Group [in Bellevue]. Tube Art Group designs, manufactures and installs custom signage and environmental graphics for a variety of clients including retail, stadiums, transit and healthcare. My area...
Hydroplane museum director David D. Williams' cool job
What do you do? I am the executive director of the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum [in Kent]. We are the nation’s only museum dedicated exclusively to powerboat racing. Unlike many museums, all of our artifacts are restored to running condition,...
Lieutenant Commander Daniel Simon's cool job at NOAA
What do you do? I'm a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) commissioned officer currently assigned to the role of associate director for operations for the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory). My main responsibility is to find ships to perform oceanographic...
Shawndra Illingworth's cool bobblehead job
What do you do? I’m a sales associate at Funko, which produces licensed pop-culture toys. It’s often referred to as “slangin’ bobbleheads.” Some of my main focuses? Obtaining new customers, keeping current and potential customers excited about Funko items and...
Animator Tom DesLongchamp's cool job
What do you do? I am an animator. I use whatever materials/tools are available to create animations. This primarily occurs on my computer with the help of my Wacom Cintiq, which is a special monitor and stylus that allows me...
Good Job: Rob Schadt of Big Brothers Big Sisters
What do you do? I am a program manager at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound, the largest mentoring organization in Washington state. I assist in supervising our team of match coordinators (who support the more than 750 matches...
Script supervisor Rhona Rubio's cool job
What do you do? As a [Seattle-based] script supervisor, I'm the one who makes sure the lead actor's hair is parted in the same direction during a scene, even though we may be shooting the scene over multiple days. I...
Good Job: Cyrus Malapajo, ACRS youth counselor
What do you do? I am a counselor and Southeast Asian Young Men’s Group (SEA-YM) facilitator within the Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS). SEA-YM seeks to explore and connect teens’ cultural and ethnic identities toward achieving academic success. Currently,...
Renewable-energy forecaster Verene Martin's cool job
What do you do? I am a member of the team that operates and maintains 3TIER's wind, solar and hydro forecasting system. My primary focus is our hydro system, which provides our clients with predictions of streamflows that impact their...
Kaijudo community manager Andrea Cole's cool job
What do you do? I am the community manager for [Renton-based] Wizards of the Coast’s newest brand, Kaijudo, a collectible card game and television series. I manage the brand’s Facebook page and other social-media accounts and keep my ear to...
Ghoul job: Ghost-tour guide Jake Jacobson
What do you do? I am the owner and guide of Private Eye on Seattle Tours, which offers Ghost and True Crime tours in the city. What’s a typical day like? Depending on the schedule, I chauffeur people to either...
Michael Strick's cool job at NOAA
What do you do? I prepare, calibrate and check out oceanographic instruments for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) climate-research cruises. I'm primarily responsible for rain gauges and current meters. These instruments are used on oceanographic research buoys studying El...
Water taxi deckhand Chad Wiesenfeld's cool job
What do you do? I work as a deckhand on the Vashon Island to downtown Seattle route of the King County Watertaxi. I collect fares, handle lines and stand bridge watches. The way I see it, my job is to...
Good Job: Lara Oso, MS Navigator
What do you do? I work with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s MS Navigator program. Our goal is to give people with MS the tools, knowledge and confidence to make decisions about their needs, opportunities and rights in life with...
Seattle Storm emcee Shellie Hart's cool job
What do you do? I am the on-court entertainment emcee for our two-time WNBA Championship team, the Seattle Storm. How did you get started? Since the tip-off of the first season in 2000, I volunteered when I could to emcee,...
European tour specialist Robyn Stencil's cool job
What do you do? I work as a tour operations specialist for Rick Steves’ Europe Through the Back Door, managing the Germany-Austria-Switzerland, Berlin-Prague-Vienna, Ireland, Scotland and Adriatic itineraries. My job is to assist in planning and coordinating these itineraries; organize...
Cruise itinerary director Simon Douwes' cool job
What do you do? I create the itineraries of all 15 Holland America Line ships, which sail worldwide and explore every continent. We have 415 different ports of calls scheduled for 2013, of which 13 are maiden, or first-time, calls....
Auctioneer Graham Crow's cool job
What do you do? Public-relations professional by day, charity/benefit auctioneer for nonprofits by nights and weekends. I do events throughout the Northwest, around the country and in Canada. How did you get started? When I couldn’t attend our son’s open...
Chocolate maker Erin Holzer's cool job
What do you do? I am the chocolate maker and engineer at Theo Chocolate [in Seattle]. My role integrates a healthy dose of very defined process engineering and a fair amount of creativity. While I have to create and adhere...
Game tester Jonathan Bettger's cool job
What do you do? I test games at Big Fish Games [in Seattle]. A game tester's job is to discover bugs, or problems, in the game software and then work with developers to get those bugs or problems resolved before...
Therapeutic riding instructor Kelly Chaplin's cool job
What do you do? I am a Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH) International advanced instructor at Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center [in Woodinville], and I work here as the senior instructor. This means I teach people with disabilities how...
Good Job: Northwest Harvest's Jennifer Chew
What do you do? I am the volunteer program manager for Northwest Harvest. Together with a volunteer team in western, central and eastern Washington, we recruit and manage thousands of volunteers to serve clients at our Cherry Street Food Bank,...
Conservation director Jim Wharton's cool job
What do you do? I use education to inspire conservation of our marine environment. [At Seattle Aquarium], I work with a team of passionate, creative educators and volunteers, and together, we try to infect our audiences with a little of...
Interpreter Hua (Barbara) Robinson's cool job
What do you do? I am a Chinese freelancer interpreter and translator. I do oral interpretation in person and via video and phone in consecutive and simultaneous modes, as well as written translation and proofreading between English and Chinese. The...
Ballet dancer Carrie Imler's cool job
What do you do? I am a principal dancer with Pacific Northwest Ballet. How does someone get a job like yours? Many years of practice! I started training when I was 5 and a half years old and have been...
FBI forensics leader Kera O'Reilly's cool job
What do you do? I am a special agent in the FBI Seattle Division and serve as the senior team leader of our Evidence Response Team (ERT). The ERT gathers evidence in an expert, competent and systematic manner so that...
Cyclist Tommy McCarthy's cool job
What do you do? My main job is lead trainer/cycling instructor at Flywheel Sports in South Lake Union. I am also a cycling coach for Team Survivor NW, a life coach with Seattle Life Coach, a Lululemon ambassador and a...
Microbiologist Karlyn Beer's cool job
What do you do? I'm a Ph.D. student at the University of Washington, and I work at Institute for Systems Biology, studying how microbes navigate their way through complicated and ever-changing environments. I work with a single-celled organism native to...
Pie-maker Dani Cone's cool job
What do you do? I own Fuel Coffee and High 5 Pie; these days, I spend most my day making pies and drinking endless amounts of coffee. How did you get started? I have been a barista since about 1992....
Model Tristyn Rowlan's cool job
What do you do? I’m a [Seattle-based] fashion model represented by Heffner Management. How did you get started? My ex-girlfriend always suggested I should do it. I took the time out to do the research on where I needed to...
Ralph Morton's cool job at Seattle Sports Commission
What do you do? I am the executive director of the Seattle Sports Commission. Our job is to make the Seattle metropolitan area a world-class sports destination. We advocate for local sports, create economic impact, deliver a better quality of...
GoodJob: One Nurse At A Time's Sue Averill
What do you do? I’m a “humanitarian snowbird,” taking breaks from ER nursing to volunteer abroad. I’ve had the privilege of eating goat with Nigerian villagers, riding a Darfur nomad’s camel, and treating frontline war wounded. I co-founded Seattle-based nonprofit...
Naturalist Kevin Mack's cool job
What do you do? I am the naturalist in charge of the release program at the PAWS Wildlife Center in Lynnwood. Our center is a full-service wildlife hospital that rehabilitates sick, injured and orphaned wild animals with the goal of...
GoodJob: Alzheimer’s Association’s Travis Roderick
What do you do? I’m the assistant walk coordinator [for the Alzheimer's Association's local chapter]. We sponsor nine Walks to End Alzheimer’s, adding more every year! It’s our largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and...
Kung-fu instructor Michelle McVadon's cool job
What do you do? I teach kung fu and self-defense at Seven Star Women’s Kung Fu, a nonprofit women’s martial arts school founded in 1981. How did you get that job? I started at Seven Star in 1983, just a...
Cookbook author/foodie Becky Selengut's cool job
What do you do? I'm a private chef who prepares dinners for small groups of diners. I teach cooking classes out of my home, in client's homes, at PCC, Bastyr University and The Pantry. I lead foraging trips in the...
Engineers Without Borders' Carmen Cejudo
What do you do? I’m an engineering assistant at Ecotope, Inc., where we design mechanical and plumbing systems for super-efficient buildings. Ecotope’s focus on sustainability is directly applicable to my role as president of the Engineers Without Borders USA Puget...
Tasting-room host Ken DeCamp's cool job
What do you do? I try to entertain as well as educate our customers while introducing them to our wines. Brian Carter Cellars has a great group of European style blended wines. When they leave our [Woodinville] tasting room, I...
Bridal director Andrea Wasserman's cool job
What do you do? I'm the national bridal director for Nordstrom. I select dresses for our 18 Wedding Suites around the country and NordstromWeddings.com and work with our store and online teams to try to make sure brides have a...
Musician Jack Forman's cool job
What do you do? I'm the bass player, joke teller and business manager for Recess Monkey. We're three elementary school teachers from here in Seattle who make music inspired by kids and their families. What's a typical day like? This...
Documentary food photographer Clare Barboza
What do you do? I am a food photographer, with a particular passion for documenting how food goes from the farm to the kitchen to the table. I shoot for chefs, farms, cookbooks and magazines, and also teach food photography...
Home stager Patty Bonnell
What do you do? I am a home-staging professional [at SetTheStageWA.com]. I make houses beautiful so people can sell them faster and for more money. I work with real estate agents, builders and home sellers to create clutter-free, dramatic rooms...
Fantagraphics PR director Jacq Cohen
What do you do? I’m the publicist for Fantagraphics, which is a comics publishing house [in Seattle]. I’m the liaison between our books and the media. Day to day, I set up book reviews and cartoonist interviews, and confirm features...
Cool Job: Mountaineers education manager Becca Polglase
What do you do? I was hired in October 2010 by The Mountaineers (a Seattle-based nonprofit outdoor education, recreation and conservation organization) as education manager, a new position designed to work with volunteers on curriculum and course development and to...
Cool Job: TV producer Eric Riddle
What do you do? I’m a segment producer for KING-TV’s "Evening Magazine." My job is to find and write compelling stories for our 30-minute weeknight show. I basically do everything a reporter does but I’m not on camera so I...
Cool Job: EMP senior curator Jacob McMurray
What do you do? I am the senior curator for the EMP Museum, which means that I get to spend my days coming up with compelling exhibition ideas, gathering priceless cultural artifacts, interviewing amazingly talented people and presenting all of...
Cool Job: Horse trainer Laura Moore
What do you do? I am a horse trainer and horseback-riding instructor. I train horses in the fields of dressage and show jumping. Horses come to me in all stages of training; whether I’m breaking a horse or just putting...
Cool Job: Propmaster Shauna Frazier
What do you do? I make props and scenery for Teatro ZinZanni [a Seattle dinner theater that’s part circus, part cabaret]. Every day, someone (an artist, director or colleague) describes something to me that they wish could be real. What’s...
Cool job: stylist/personal shopper Tiffany Wendel
What do you do? I’m a stylist and personal shopper, helping clients weed out and maintain their wardrobes. I shop for the key pieces they need for the season and put together a look book of outfit combinations for them...
Cool job: hot air balloon pilot Shannan Sorensen
What do you do? I get paid to fly a hot air balloon! Over the past few years, I’ve shifted from flying passenger flights [for Airial Balloon Company in Snohomish] to mainly tethering for commercial interests and in public events...
Cool Job: Bailiff Sherri Tye
What do you do? I am bailiff to Chief MRJC Judge Mary E. Roberts, currently assigned to the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent. I coordinate the criminal motions, arraignment and bond calendars. My duties also include managing the court’s...
Cool job: FBI Special Agent Cheryl Hinderer
What do you do? I am a special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I investigate criminal cases involving the sexual exploitation of children. I speak at schools and community functions about the risks children take while online. I...
Cool Job: Social media manager Evonne Benedict @king5seattle
What do you do? I am the social media manager for KING 5 TV and KING5.com. Part of my job is to post news to Twitter and Facebook, but even more important is using social media to build our community...
Cool Job: Chief Formulation Officer Eric Butler
What do you do? I am the founder and CFO (chief formulation officer) for Eric’s Energy Co. (a small all-natural beverage company in Mill Creek). I create the recipe for each custom formulation that bears the Eric’s name. How did...
Cool Job: Malaria researcher Alexis Kaushansky, Ph.D.
What do you do? I’m a postdoctoral scientist at Seattle BioMed in Stefan Kappe’s lab, where our focus is malaria vaccine research. I design and conduct experiments, share the results of those studies in papers and presentations and write grants...
Cool job: Record label utility player Adam MacKinnon
What do you do? I’m in charge of shipping/receiving, odd jobs and comic relief for Barsuk Records, an independent Seattle record label that’s worked with Menomena, Death Cab for Cutie, Phantogram, Nada Surf and David Bazan to name a few....
Cool job: Costume designer Emily McLaughlin
What do you do? I am lucky to work at the Seattle Children’s Theatre in wardrobe for the Mainstage Season and as one of the Costume Designers for the Drama School Summerstage Season. I also work as Costume Designer for...
Cool Job: Snowshoe strategist Chris Parkhurst
What do you do? I’m the division director for winter products at Cascade Designs (a Seattle outdoor-equipment manufacturer). You’ll recognize our gear under the MSR, Therm-a-Rest, Platypus, SealLine and Hummingbird brands. … I create the overall strategy for the winter...
Cool Job: Shana Iverson, The High Priestess of Rubber Chickens
What do you do? My title is The High Priestess of Rubber Chickens. I manage and select all the products for the store (Archie McPhee in Wallingford), I am a manager of our wholesale business, and I am involved in...
Cool Job: Oceanographer Jim Thomson
What do you do? I am an oceanographer, and I study waves and currents using field measurements. My goal is to understand waves and currents well enough that they can be predicted for naval operations, renewable energy and other applications....
Cool job: Zookeeper Celine Pardo, Woodland Park Zoo
What do you do? I am the penguin-keeper at Woodland Park Zoo. This means I am in charge of the daily care and maintenance of our 32 Humboldt penguins and their exhibit. As a zookeeper, it is my job to...
Cool job: Flight nurse Jeff Richey
What do you do? I am a flight nurse and regional manager for Airlift Northwest, an air ambulance company that transports about 3,500 patients a year by helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft. Best part of the job? Being able to help...
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