5 Fun Jobs If Money Is No Object

There's something incredibly thrilling about the lights and crowds of an upscale casino. At the center of this excitement are the dealers, who, with one flip of a card, can send a table into lucky celebration or penniless defeat. Their responsibilities include operating table games, dispensing cards, distributing winnings, and collecting players' money or chips.

While gaming dealers have the ability to put a great deal of money into other people's pockets, they're unlikely to put much into their own. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 85,430 Americans were employed in this capacity in 2010, earning an average annual salary of just $21,820. In Nevada, the state most associated with gambling, wages are even lower -- just $17,010 on average per year [source: BLS].

As the saying goes, "the house always wins." But if you're a dealer, you may not win by much.

For many people, photography is a relaxing hobby that's often done while on vacation. But some people actually make a living taking pictures. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that 54,550 Americans worked in the field in 2010, either as portrait photographers, commercial and industrial photographers, scientific photographers, news photographers, fine arts photographers or freelance photographers.

Photographers make an average of $35,980 per year, but that figure is skewed upward by salaried workers, many of whom work full time [source: BLS]. Self-employed freelance photographers tend to have lower and more unpredictable annual earnings, in part because they have to cover their own expenses, including travel and the purchase and maintenance of equipment. So if money is no object, snap away!

Ski resorts are a popular vacation destination, but what if skiing was actually your job? All major winter recreation areas employ a ski patrol whose members get to break fresh powder while monitoring activity on the mountain and assisting guests who become lost or injured. It's hard to say exactly how many people work this job each winter, because the Bureau of Labor Statistics lumps ski patrol in with lifeguards and other recreational protective service workers. However, the bureau lists 6,530 people employed under this category in the ski-friendly states of Colorado, Montana, Idaho and Wyoming.

While ski patrollers get to live and work in some of the most beautiful country that the United States has to offer, they don't get rich doing it. The average annual salary for such workers in the four states mentioned above is just $20,010 [source: BLS]. There is usually one major perk to this job, however: all the skiing you want, free of charge.

While serving alcohol isn't quite the same as drinking it, bartending can be fun if the atmosphere is festive and the patrons are amusing. In addition to taking drink orders and showing off your flashy pouring skills, you can be a friend to your customers in times of celebration and despair. If this line of work sounds appealing, there are plenty of jobs out there to be had; the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that 495,350 Americans work as bartenders.

The worst part about serving booze may be the paycheck. Bartenders bring in an average annual wage of just $21,310, an amount so low it'll make you want to drink [source: BLS].

Many people look back fondly on their college years. The mix of lifelong friends, wild parties and thought-provoking classes is so enjoyable, in fact, that some people never want leave, choosing instead to drag out their coursework or go back for advanced degrees. The down economy has bolstered this trend as workers who get laid off from their jobs often choose to go back to school over remaining in the dismal job market.

Despite its appeal, being a permanent student is perhaps the worst paying job on this list because it actually costs money. In 2009, the average cost of tuition, room and board for a four-year degree was $20,154, and in 2010, college seniors graduated with an average of $24,000 in student loan debt [source: NCES, Ellis]. With expenses like these, the job market may soon look much more appealing.