If you are thinking through what careers might interest you or just fancy a change, then it’s always good to consider careers where your skills are going to be valued. If you enter into an existing, busy marketplace, then you’re always going to be competing with others – others who might have more experience or better qualifications than you do. To ensure your future job security, opting for a career where there is a long-term shortage of interested parties is always a good idea.

There are a few ways to find this type of career, but let’s focus on something a little outside of the norm: careers that most people are afraid to do. If you opt for jobs in a field that is never oversubscribed due to a general fear factor, then you can be sure your nerve and eventual experience will always be appreciated by potential employers.

Perhaps the best way of narrowing down which careers fit into this category is by looking at the most common phobias. So long as you don’t find the prospect of one of these frightening, you could make your mark working in fields that many people shy away from. You get a fascinating career doing something unusual, and you’ll always be in demand – it’s a win/win!

So what are the most common phobias, and what could you do within them?

Heights

A fear of heights is usually listed in the top three of any compilation of the most common phobias.

Us humans have spent relatively little of our time on this earth at great height; our ancestors were restricted to a few hundred feet. Now we build thousand-foot skyscrapers; it’s no wonder plenty of the population are struggling to keep up!

There are plenty of potential job opportunities if you have a head for heights. You could look into roofing, working with fall arrest and fall restraint systems to ensure you keep safe while tending to one of the most vital parts of construction. Or you could look into electricity maintenance of pylons – or perhaps a career in the fire department might be more of interest? All three career paths offer a steady progression of skills, and those skills will always be needed.

Tight Spaces

Claustrophobia is one of the most common fears, and one that has a solid root in good sense as well. If this doesn’t concern you, then there’s plenty of options to consider to make use of your ability to go where others don’t dare!

The horror for many a claustrophobic person is the elevator, the shafts and mechanics of which tend to require maintenance. Could that be something that interests you? Or do you like the idea of caving – you could be a guide on holiday tours if there are any caves of interest near you. Finally, you could consider a job on aircraft, which involves being confined in a small space for relatively long periods of time.

Spiders

Finally, the fear of spiders – better known as arachnophobia. If you and the eight-legged creatures of the world are on good terms, then you might want to consider a career involving pest control as you’ll see plenty of the beasts there.

You could also look into the academic side and become an arachnologist. You have to really love spiders to want to study them in that kind of depth, but it might just be perfect for you!

This post has been contributed by Ryan Gatt, it may contain affiliate links.