Jobs for Jokesters

Certain careers require employees to be serious when dealing with clients. Accountants, lawyers, software engineers and such can kid around with colleagues but not so much with customers if they want to keep their job. Former class clowns find that kind of work can be stifling.

Funny folks tend to flourish in jobs where they have an audience to play to even if it’s not in a theater. Check out these jobs where jokesters thrive without having to hit the circuit as a stand-up comic:

Photographer – It’s a photographer’s job to capture people’s smiles in their portraits. No one likes pictures of plastic expressions though. A photographer needs to be somewhat of a comedian to create natural smiles and catch them in an instant.

Teacher – Sometimes the best way to engage a class is to make them laugh. Teachers who don’t take themselves too seriously tend to have a higher retention rate of the information that they share with their students.

Bailiff – If you don’t believe a bailiff can be a comedian outside of Night Court, come down to the Camden County Courthouse in North Carolina. It’s almost worth getting the ticket for the show that follows. The bailiff there knows he’s got a captive audience and no one can heckle him without being held in contempt of court.

Minister – Pranks from the pulpit quickly catch a congregation’s attention. Ministers know humorous antidotes can explain complex theological concepts making it easier for church goers to connect these principles with areas in their own lives.

Tour Guide – Anyone who’s been on the Jungle Cruise ride at Disney World knows it is much more enjoyable with an over exaggerated riverboat skipper. Tour guides at historical landmarks, corporate headquarters, or anywhere are always better received if they can use their charisma to charm tourists.

Wait staff – Keeping it light can be a lifesaver when orders go wrong or the food comes late. Customers tend to be more forgiving of witty waiters and waitresses. While it might not be true for upscale fancy fine dining, a funny food server will typically take home more tips.

Audience or not, to succeed, even the funniest people need to know when to turn the nonsense off. Super silly jobs will still require appropriate reactions in somber situations. Show you can find a balance between being outgoing and going over the line.

Look at the decorum Martin Short recently displayed when Kathy Lee Gifford recently gushed about how good his marriage is when his wife actually passed away almost 2 years ago.