In this shortlist, Apolitical has assembled a selection of the world's wackiest, coolest and most unique government jobs. By sharing these jobs from around the world, we hope to inspire public servants to think outside the box, and to consider how diverse and varied positions in government can be.

Volcano Surveyor

A job all about volcanoes sounds like a 9-year old’s dream, but these positions are very real and important. In the Hawaiian Islands, a team of seismic network managers is tasked with monitoring and interpreting data from volcanoes and earthquakes related to volcanic activity. When seismic events do happen, seismologists analyse the data in real-time in order to publish earthquake information as quickly as possible.

Head of the NIH 3-D Print Exchange

What if you could hold a disease in your hand? At the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) 3-D Print Exchange, models of cells, viruses and DNA are published on their interactive websites so that members of the medical and research communities, as well as the public, can print the physical models on 3-D printers and examine complex cell structures.

Supervisor of the Motion Picture Preservation Lab

If you’ve ever wanted to be a doctor for old US military films, this one's for you. Supervisors of this team help preserve and catalogue the largest movie collections in the US. Using cutting-edge resolution scanners and specialised film software, films created by the US government are restored and maintained for educational and historical purposes. While some of these films are military instruction videos, some like the 1945 film ‘The True Glory’ are Academy Award winners, famous in their day.

Puppy Webcam Guru

Do you spend most of your time scrolling through cute puppy pictures on the internet? This could be the perfect job for you. At the Denali National Park in Alaska, a puppy cam lets viewers see the park’s sled dog puppy kennel. With nearly 100,000 views per year, the Puppy Cam gets nearly half of the park’s webcam traffic. But these aren't just cute furry friends; these pups also help patrol the national parks throughout winter, carrying sleds through the snow.

Planetary Protection Officer

Although the title ‘Planetary Protection Officer’ sounds straight out of a Steven Spielberg sci-fi, the job is very real – and it pays six figures. These officers are tasked with the protection of all celestial bodies, including planets, moons and asteroids. The protection of these places goes both ways, meaning both human contamination of other planets, and potential alien invasion.

Professional Sleeper

Calling all couch potatoes! You could be hired by NASA to spend time in bed. The space agency paid volunteers $18,000 to lie in bed for up to 3 months at a negative-6-degree angle. The volunteers were part of a study designed to examine how the human body reacts to the conditions of space and space travel, one of which is the unusual sleeping angles astronauts often experience.

Fire Lookout

If you’re looking for a job with plenty of opportunity for self-reflection and solitude, look no further than a fire lookout position. These officers hang out in remote watchtowers and keep watch over the surrounding area for forest fire outbreaks, often on nature reserves and protected land. Make sure to pack a good book (or three).

Coin Artists

The U.S. Mint employs five professional sculptor-engravers to work on the designs and art gracing the pennies and dimes in your wallet, and you can find their initials engraved on the coins they designed. In addition, the Mint also sometimes works with outside artists to innovate and create special designs for certain coins.

Geodesist

Another job that, believe it or not, isn’t science fiction is the position of Geodesist. They’re tasked with measuring and monitoring the precise shape of the earth, drawing on tools such as atomic clocks to measure the force of gravity, satellite signals to measure sea levels to precise amounts and noise echoing from space to measure distances between locations on the earth.

Census Cowboy

Chicago's mayor has proposed a ‘Census Cowboy’ to promote more participation in the 2020 census. This “cowboy” would ride a horse throughout the South and West sides of Chicago to spread awareness of the census because these places have low response rates. If you love Batman as the mayor does, then you remember that when the City of Gotham had a challenge, the mayor would call in Batman. This may be your calling!

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(Image Credit: Unsplash)