That little anecdote probably explains my resident soft spot for people like Tom Neiheisel and Kathleen Alfano.

What they chose as a career was the option of never growing up.

Neiheisel is a 'toy tester'. He also happens to be president and owner of Youth Marketing Solutions, Inc., where his work is all about testing toys. In fact, the man hesitates to hire anyone for research if they don't play with the toys in his office during an interview!

Alfano does pretty much the same thing for a living. She heads the Play Laboratory at a company called Fisher-Price, and spends hours observing people have fun with the latest toys ready to flood the market. Makes the phrase 'all work and no play' redundant…

Leaving them to their toys, here's something different. I could be wrong, but animal psychology may catch on as a career in India, given the sudden proliferation of folk preferring flora and fauna to good old homo sapiens. The job draws on learning and behavioural theory to treat problems like a cat with schizophrenia, cocker spaniels with psychosomatic disorders, and iguanas who strongly believe they're all Govinda travelling incognito.

Just kidding, but you get the picture, yes?

For those genuinely interested, more information can be found online; and while you're at it why not consider a career as dog walker, since it happens to be animals we're talking about?

Another option is becoming a birdman and joining a select group who give up home comforts to search for sea parrots or raise bluebirds in their backyards. You might also want to emulate Alan Stewart, a different kind of birdman who has, for over 30 years now, been developing a machine that will enable man to fly like a bird.

Here's one that should appeal to that repressed exhibitionist in all of us. Ever considered being an exotic dancer? Think of it as sort of like the 'full monty', but not quite. Not your cup of tea, you shriek, in mock horror? Something a little less audacious then, like ophthalmic photography: special, offbeat, and perfect for introverts everywhere.

I know people who love playing with fire, and I don't mean metaphorically. For them: fire dancing. It involves cavorting with fire in some form and bringing the big bucks home, too. Some do it with candles in each hand, others balance candelabra on their heads and still others love doing it over open pots of fire. A woman called Cody offers pictures of her 'fiery' routine, and amateurs can pick up more photographs and tips here.

Unusual professions from the past can be just as intriguing; like the 'Town Crier' who has been in charge of dispensing local news for centuries. The tradition continues in some parts of the world, albeit on a nominal basis. Bevan Craddock, for example, was appointed Town Crier in Staffordshire, England, in 1989; while a guy called Mike Blackburn made it in 1995, in Cambridgeshire.

Some guys also restore ships. The Australian Boat Restoring Site has comprehensive data for these enthusiasts, including painting, sheathing, gluing timbers, deck painting, laminating and timber preservation. Then there are special folk like Andy Mathews, a model carmaker who builds miniatures from over 3,000 handmade pieces.

The man once spent six days (and 21 hours daily) crawling around the floor of a car factory in England, and took 1,504 photographs of a Williams FW 14-B in his quest for detail. Does this get him money? You bet. Collectors shell out over $9,500 per model.

For that kind of money, I'd crawl for days too.

One last career option: 'shamanic healing' a la Zannie Volpe. A trained psychosynthesis guide, Zannie is registered on the Practitioner's List for Sacred Trust that helps people with different problems and illnesses. Shamanic guidance, according to her, improves relationships, and cures depression or health problems.

Now, given this sort of variety, why would anyone in his or her right mind consider incredibly boring careers like that of a chartered accountant, civil engineer or (shudder) software developer, when they could easily pick from animal psychologist, ophthalmic photographer or exotic dancer?

Well, okay, the money factor. That and the inability to present oneself to a pretty young thing at a party with, "Hi. I'm Lindsay, the exotic dancer. Wanna dance?"