What are some jobs that are fun/interesting they also pay well?

Geologist - If you're well-trained, you could find yourself working for a utility, oil and gas company, or specialty consulting company. You'd be able to spend a lot of time outdoors, doing surveys and tests.

Hi Matt,

That's a tough one to answer. Honestly, when I decided to be a graphic designer, the industry was a complete mess. Tons of people told me I wouldn't be able to find a job and I was worried, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I really love this design thing. When you find something you truly enjoy, even if it's sitting behind a desk, those hours fly by. In the end the paycheck is good, because you thrive to be the best in the field. The industry now is "How talented are you at what you do? Are you passionate? Are you going to change the way people think?"

So for yourself, just be true to what you love to do, you probably already know. Research what you can do with that to make a career out of it. My husband loves music, realized he wouldn't make enough money as a musician and turned to becoming a sound designer. Anything is possible. Good luck Matt.

Dream big, Vivian

Good morning, Matt! Here are a few other tips I would offer you.
1) You should consider what "paying well" means where you live. If you live in a city with a high cost of living, being paid $40-50k a year is not the same as a lower cost of living at the same amount. Cost of living does not always equate to the size of city, so I would search online for what your city/state average cost of living is each year.
2) You should also understand that the pay for an entrance-level employee will always be lower than someone with years of experience and education.
3) Higher pay may also come some negative consequences, such as a loss of flexibility in your schedule. You may need to work odd or long hours. For example, I have a masters degree and supervise a program at a nonprofit organization. I don't have a great salary but I have very flexible vacation and paid time off. I have a good friend who did not go to college but has worked his way through restaurants over 12 years and now runs a restaurant. He makes a great deal more annually than me ($60,000 annually), but he works 10-20 more hours each week.

Jared provided some great examples of very diverse careers, but I would emphasize that your earnings over your career will vary. The longer you work and the better you are at your job the more likely you are to earn more! Good luck!

Join a nonprofit as a program officer or operations person. If you find a nonprofit program that does hands-on work like building houses, running a food pantry, or helping developing nations fight poverty, you could have a lot of fun helping people!

Construction manager - jobsite managers work in groups, rarely spend a day at a desk, and have decent compensation ranges. However, the industry is highly cyclical, which means that you might find yourself out of a job if new building activities stop for economic reasons.

Registered nurse - RNs have interesting high-intensity jobs, work in groups, help others, and rarely spend a day sitting at a desk. They also get paid very well (an average salary range of ~$75,000 per year)