Does anyone have any advice on picking an occupation for their characters? My main cast's age range is from 19-23, so they will not have legit careers by any means, but I also do not want them to work in fast food or having a job that a high schooler would normally have. They are werewolves, which is why they do not currently attend college or pursue any kind of higher education (though my werewolves don't age, so they can attend later in life when they are not as much of a risk to people). Any suggestions on jobs for my characters/characters in general?
Why don't you want them to have regular high school jobs? That might offer somme guidance in suggesting alternatives. But some thoughts, all on the assumption that the characters haven't had time to get any significant formal training, and that their jobs are mostly about making enough money to survive: - Gardening help. (Lawnmowing, untrained landscaping, and so on.) - Carpentry - Construction help. They'd probably be low-skill and low-pay, given how young they are, but they could be working on learning a construction trade. - Cooking/food prep - eBay or other online auction sales. This would require them to have some sort of knowledge that lets them pick the minor gems out of garage sales or thrift shops, but I could find that plausible. - Subsistence farming/gardening. If one of them, say, inherited a house with a decent-sized yard with sunlight, he could grow quite a lot of food and perhaps barter with others. - Untrained/unlicensed auto repair. - Cab driving - Informal/unlicensed cab driving. There are also ways to reduce the amount of money needed--for example, the guy who has the house with a big yard could provide rooms, either to normals or to fellow werewolves, in exchange for labor or barter or some money. Someone with a grocery job could nab the slightly old food before it lands in the dumpster and hand it out. Someone working at a Salvation Army thrift stor could get first dibs on the good stuff. And so on.
If I have to be blunt and straightforward, it wouldn't be realistic if your characters had jobs outside what young people regularly encounter as temporary prospects. However, there are many occupations for a young adult, because they are mainly chosen for manual and general labour, which in itself opens a lot of opportunities. Here are a few examples: - Supermarket handyman/cashier - Roller coaster attendant - Pool boy - Piccolo - Waiter/Barman - Mover (furniture, etc.) - Catering handyman - Hotel desk worker It all depends on where they live and what skills they have. For example, if they live in a tourist destination, they could easily apply for a job at a hotel. They're always looking for waiters, handymen, piccolos, even desk workers. If they live in a city with a large theme park, they could work there as attendants and handymen, cashiers, too. Generally, young males work as handymen or attendants, irregardless of location. Of course, be fully aware that these jobs, no matter how trivial they may seem, require a certain set of assets that each employee must posses. You'd be a rather lousy handyman if you can't screw a light bulb or can't manage your way around a washing machine. Employers aren't idiots, and most of the time aren't desperate, either, so they will kick your boys the minute they find their work sloppy. Their abilities should be duly applied, and you should make note of their disabilities as well. All of this determines whether or not they fit any given job description.
By the way, it's not so much the occupation that you should worry about, it's the way you present it. You can turn even the most tedious of jobs into an interesting vocation, if you can manage an adequate amount of quality and diversity into your writing.
Hi Holo, The above advice is solid and difficult to add to but I had one thought: I don't know if it's been done before but could you look at jobs which might 'link in' to or suit the circumstances generated by their lycanthropy? They could work as park rangers, trail guides, game wardens, zoo employees. Some sort of wilderness based job would facilitate them keeping their true nature secret and, if you wanted, give a steady stream of food/victims. Have fun figuring it all out!
People don't always have the luxury to do the jobs they want to do. An adventure loving person may end up doing an accountant's job, an introverted youth might have to stand on the roadside and talk to strangers to promote a restaurant, and a warewolf have to cook and baby sit a vegetarian Hindu kid. My point is that a job that is seemingly uncharacteristic of a char might open up many interesting ways to develop the char, the plot and the story as a whole.
Thank you for all of the responses. This is a big help. I'm also thinking that younger werewolves would probably work in establishments owned by older members of the pack. Like, if an older werewolf owned a bar, maybe one of the younger werewolves would work there.
They could maybe have a contraband business, like smuggling counterfeit money or simple car parts. You could also have an established business that the original werewolves owned, like a bar or something.
