Cupid’s Arrow: Careers for Those Who Love Love

Happy Valentine’s Day! While most of us are deciding between chocolates and flowers, there is an entire industry built around this hallmark holiday.

So, we decided to do a little research to find what careers are possible in the romance industry.

There are the obvious ones:

Florist/Floral Arranger – If you can say it with flowers, you could expect to earn about $35,000 annually. Plus, you get to work in a place that smells good all the time.

Wedding Planner – Love and Marriage. One can lead quite naturally to another. Then you have to plan…everything. If you like to plan events and make sure Aunt Sally is not seated with Cousin Erma (they do NOT get along). What a wedding planner can earn varies by experience and location. In a major metropolitan area like the DMV an experienced planner could earn into the six figures annually. This is often a career that starts part-time as a planner builds her business.

Chocolatier – Got a sweet tooth? This might be an opportunity for you. Of course, it requires a lot of training but an experienced chocolatier can earn around $30,000 per year. As long as you don’t eat the profits.

Marriage Counselor – Love and Marriage quite often leads to “he said/she said” and can require a referee. A Marriage Counselor does require advanced degrees and licensing but could earn you up to a $120,000 salary.

Then, there are a few more esoteric opportunities…

Greeting Card Writer – Well, it is a Hallmark holiday. If you are pithy with the prose and can turn a phrase then this might be for you. You can expect to earn – on average – about $35,000 a year. However, you might have a longer future if you specialize in e-cards.

Romance Novel Writer – Are you the next Jane Austen? Or Pippa Grant. If you can write lines like this: “The air was thick like molasses. It had to be – she couldn’t breathe” then you could write a romance novel. You could start by self-publishing on Amazon. You might earn a few thousand dollars and start to build your fan base.

Finally, we found a couple of rather interesting ones…

Gondolier – What is more romantic than a gondola ride? How can you be the one manning the pole? First, move to Venice. Then see if you can join the Gondolier Guild. Go through 400 hours of instruction, make sure you speak several languages and develop a deep knowledge of Venetian culture and history. If you can do that expect to pull down about $150,000 a year. Who knew?

Professional Cuddler – Yes, this is a thing. It is totally platonic and perfectly acceptable in about 30 states. You are basically giving hugs for a fee. Seriously, it requires you to be empathetic and caring as this is considered a form of therapy. It also pays about $80 an hour.

While Goodwill doesn’t offer training for any of the careers above, we do love our students!

Whether or not you work in the “love” industry, we hope you love whatever it is you decide to do. Follow your passions and you will have a great career.