Best job for a werewolf?

This is the place for discussion and voting on various aspects of werewolf life, social ideas, physical appearance, etc. Also a place to vote on how a werewolf should look.
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Best job for a werewolf?

Post by lycanthropeful »

What a silly topic. I started thinking about another aspect of social life for a lycanthrope: what would be a good occupation for a were? Now I suppose you have to consider two things: one, the psychology of the human before AND after transforming, and two, when and how the lycanthrope shifts. Would their increased tendency for aggression become a burden? Would they be able to get a better job because of the physical traits they have due to the lycanthropy? And a million other questions.

I was thinking about this as I was filling out a meme on my werewolf character Versa - trying to nail down what she would want to and be able to do when she is older in order to make a living. We don't want any bum werewolves, now, haha. Various things I noticed were that she'd want to be a teacher (since in my novel/her character in itself she can't stand the "popular" students and those who aren't at school to learn; she's a bit of a prude). But, that wouldn't work because of her werewolf's temper. She'd probably kill the students that pissed her off before trying to correct the problem logically. I also thought something in the scientific field would be great, like a zooloogist, chemist, or geologist, since she'd naturally be interested in both animals and nature. This is where I had to think of what her motives and desires are: if a werewolf likes being a were, let's say, they may want to do an occupation in those fields, but if they don't, they might want to move into the medical realm in order to find a cure, etc. I guess that's all up to how each Pack member here views a werewolf.

But then I wondered how a werewolf would HOLD a job. I suppose they could have any job of their choice as long as their boss gave them three days off a month for when the full moon comes around (good luck explaining that one). Depending on how the lycanthropy afflicts them, they might be able to use enhanced strength and senses, for example, to eliminate competition and complete task much more quickly/efficiently than others. I suppose being a werewolf could have its advantages that way...

All I'm curious about is what you might foresee a human doing as an occupation, given that they are afflicted with lycanthropy. Discuss away!
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Re: Best job for a werewolf?

Post by RedEye »

Work in a bank, as one of the Tellers who are never there! I'm sure you've seen (or not seen) them... :lol:
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Re: Best job for a werewolf?

Post by Vagrant »

It's 4AM, and this is my last spin around the boards before I hit the hay, so forgive me if I'm not too articulate here.

My favourite would be a private detective, sort of akin to Angua in Pratchett's Discworld, but not tied to any organisation. The type that work on contract, to track down lost people, and figure out mysterious circumstances. There are so many more factors that would be available to a Wolf's senses that a Human wouldn't have access to. A Human would only discover perhaps 40 per cent of the clues that a Werewolf would find.
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Re: Best job for a werewolf?

Post by Leonca~ »

Interesting topic.
Hmm, I suppose the best jobs would be the ones that would allow the werewolf to harness the good aspects of its animal senses, and perhaps keep it closer to nature. It would also depend on the werewolf’s personality of course- some of my characters don’t mind working in a cubicle in the office on the big city all day, some would be driven mad by how boring and socially awkward that would be. Many prefer jobs that keep them out in nature though. I think jobs like game wardens, park rangers and such would be appealing to them. :) Might also be a good way to stay away from people if they are awkward around them or aggressive toward them.
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Re: Best job for a werewolf?

Post by vrikasatma »

They'd make excellent game wardens! They often have to deal with poachers toting high-powered firearms, animal rights saboteurs (who can really be a menace out in the bush; Sea Shepherd and ALF people have been known to take potshots at hunters, hikers and other back country users), and white supremacists who don't have a lot of respect for government agents.

Having enhanced natural-setting senses, a belly full of aggression and the ability to shrug off a (non-silver) bullet would be an advantage, and game wardens often do a lot of semi-autonomous work on their own recognizance.
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Re: Best job for a werewolf?

Post by JoshuaMadoc »

Sparring partner.
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Post by Midnight »

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Re: Best job for a werewolf?

Post by Wingman »

I think that, in part, it depends on what type of werewolf you have. If you've got the type that only transforms on or around the full moon, then that's quite different from ones like mine, which can transform just about whenever they want. It's not much, but a traditional werewolf is going to be at a disadvantage unless they've got some special way of enhancing their human abilities.

My guys typically find work in physically intensive fields, or jobs that allow them optimal placement for keeping eyes to the sky and ears to the ground, such as firefighters, police, EMTs, bouncers, or muscle for loan sharks and bookies.

But really, they could do anything they want, since nothing says a teacher has to be calm and composed, and I'm sure we've all seen the corporate folks screaming bloody murder into their phones.
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Re: Best job for a werewolf?

Post by Aki »

Police work would be good. Though unless werewolves-exist is widely known they'd have to do some extra footwork to explain why they think suspect [x] did it because "She smells like the crimescene" isn't something that would be viable in court as humans have piss-poor oflactory sensors. But they'd have a good idea of who they were looking for from that scent - they'd just need to acquire the evidence to prove it.

Also, if they don't mind vigilantism and not using the court to determine guilt, I imagine a werewolf cop could clean up the city Punisher style. But with less guns and more RIP AND TEAR.

Soldier might work - though use of the were forms would be unlikely (Squad would freak, the brass would be like "What the hell happened, soldier?" and you'd f*** the secret. Unless the squad already knew and was keeping quiet or the government knew and had special werewolf units or something) but the regenerative ability and hardier body and better senses would be useful. Until you got in a firefight indoors, I imagine - guns indoors are loud and a werewolf would get it worse than a human would and well, humans get it pretty bad already. Part of the reason SWAT units use silencers is because clack-clack-clack is easier on the ears than BLAMBLAMBLAM.

Doctors would be really handy too. Or even just paramedics - any job that'd afford you the ability to treat wounds. Werewolves occaisonally have cause to end up with wounds you wouldn't want logged at a hospital but need medical attention so having your own on-hand fixer would be handy as hell. Not to mention that if the condition is detectable through blood/saliva/semen/etc. it'd be nice to have a guy on hand who would conviently ignore or hide the strange virii in your blood or whatever rather than go "Hey guys, this guy's got something NEW. Check it out!"

Politicians or lawyers or such could also be useful in supressing anything related to the secret or getting stuff passed that would be unsuspicious to human eyes but be rather helpful to the pack. Or something like that.

I don't see much reason why a werewolf couldn't work any normal white or blue collar job though. It'd be a great cover to be the werewolf mechanic or account or IT guy. No one would suspect it really, and unless the werewolf in question's lycanthropy gives anger management problems you'd be as fine as any human in the same job. Stealth is handy, and the kinds of skills you pick up in normal jobs can even be handy to a werewolf pack - being able to deal with the pack's car being shot full of holes would be handy. Most mechanics would question how so many bullet holes ended up in your vehicle. It might be good to have someone who could create and maintain a wireless network for the pack safehouse or something so the pack has access to the endless supplies of the internet whilst convening, etc.

And of course, there's nothing saying a werewolf can't be a crook. Be they a burglar with a particularly unique get-away strategy ("He turned into a wolf, officer! I swear!") a enforcer who manages to come in the next day after a nasty brawl with someone who refused to pay while the other guy who went with him is still recovering, or a gang member who leads the gang like a pack and survives numerous attempts on his life with ease, shrugging off last week's drive-by after only a few days of bed rest.
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Re: Best job for a werewolf?

Post by Celestialwolf »

Wingman wrote:But really, they could do anything they want, since nothing says a teacher has to be calm and composed, and I'm sure we've all seen the corporate folks screaming bloody murder into their phones.
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Re: Best job for a werewolf?

Post by Noir-Okami »

Aki wrote:Police work would be good. Though unless werewolves-exist is widely known they'd have to do some extra footwork to explain why they think suspect [x] did it because "She smells like the crimescene" isn't something that would be viable in court as humans have piss-poor oflactory sensors. But they'd have a good idea of who they were looking for from that scent - they'd just need to acquire the evidence to prove it.
Maybe an EPA guy? Sensitive sense of smell could detect more pollution compaired to a person's sense of smell. :lol:
Aki wrote: Doctors would be really handy too. Or even just paramedics - any job that'd afford you the ability to treat wounds. Werewolves occaisonally have cause to end up with wounds you wouldn't want logged at a hospital but need medical attention so having your own on-hand fixer would be handy as hell. Not to mention that if the condition is detectable through blood/saliva/semen/etc. it'd be nice to have a guy on hand who would conviently ignore or hide the strange virii in your blood or whatever rather than go "Hey guys, this guy's got something NEW. Check it out!"
Doctor, probably a good idea. So the Masquerade isn't broken due to a werewolf patient.
Aki wrote:
Politicians or lawyers or such could also be useful in supressing anything related to the secret or getting stuff passed that would be unsuspicious to human eyes but be rather helpful to the pack. Or something like that.

I don't see much reason why a werewolf couldn't work any normal white or blue collar job though. It'd be a great cover to be the werewolf mechanic or account or IT guy. No one would suspect it really, and unless the werewolf in question's lycanthropy gives anger management problems you'd be as fine as any human in the same job. Stealth is handy, and the kinds of skills you pick up in normal jobs can even be handy to a werewolf pack - being able to deal with the pack's car being shot full of holes would be handy. Most mechanics would question how so many bullet holes ended up in your vehicle. It might be good to have someone who could create and maintain a wireless network for the pack safehouse or something so the pack has access to the endless supplies of the internet whilst convening, etc.
The politician thing would be a scandal if it came out.

Having a normal job would probably be a good idea.
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Re: Best job for a werewolf?

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Re: Best job for a werewolf?

Post by Gray Wind »

why not journalism or something similar. it would come in handy if someone sliped and a human saw them so they could suppress the news, and if they can't do that, flood the news with fake stories so eventually everyone will blow off any werewolf sightings as hogwash.

doctor sounds like a good idea.
also why not a vet, because weres have fur and what likes to live in fur, fleas, and having pouders or what have you for similar problems could awaken a bit of suspician in anyone who notices (if you dont have a pet)

Also i would say someone in a pack should work for transportation like a cab, because if someone changes but is having trouble changing back, they might want to get home before they're seen but a gestalt walking across the street from a random stranger may not get to keep their eardrums for long and would then have to escape before the whole block woke up around them.

basicly, any job that could help ones pack incase of those odd events that always seem to hit you at the worst time.
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Re: Best job for a werewolf?

Post by Celestialwolf »

I've always thought being a doctor would be very beneficial. You'd understand a lot more about a werewolf's anatomy when not only are you a werewolf yourself, but are able to understand everything werewolf-related in medical terms. You could write the first werewolf health books to aid other aspiring doctors or for those who are isolated and have to do it themselves, and also be the "go to guy" should any were need medical help for some reason.
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Re: Best job for a werewolf?

Post by Terastas »

It would depend on whether you're looking for jobs a werewolf would be adept at, or jobs which a werewolf could hold while seemingly maintaining an ordinary life.

For the former, assuming the society in which they work is at least tolerant of werewolves, they should have an easy advantage in both the armed forces and law enforcement, as others have already covered at length.

If, however, werewolves were treated as we presume they would be today, the ideal job for a werewolf would be one where he could choose his own hours and easily excuse any extended periods of absence.

One of the primary werewolves in my own writing, for example, is a photographer because it allows him an excuse for any behaviors that would otherwise be unusual. He can work right out of his home and only has to have a showcase for his work at a nearby gallery two or three times a year, so if he doesn't leave the house for two weeks straight, his neighbors don't find it at all unusual. If he has to leave town and doesn't come back for a few weeks, he can easily excuse it as a "business" trip -- say he went somewhere to just walk/drive around taking pictures all week, and as long as he comes back with a couple of rolls of undeveloped film or a full memory card (which he keeps in the trunk of his car at all times), his neighbors will all believe exactly that. And, if he can't control his shift and he has to do it right there at home, he can easily take cover in his dark room.

That would be the closest thing to a one-size-fits-all occupation, with exception to the fact that a werewolf would have to have a good eye for the craft and a knack for B.S. to pull it off effectively (the werewolf I mentioned actually gets payed by other werewolves to run a safehouse; his photography isn't good enough that he could make a living at it, just good enough to convince his neighbors he makes a living at it). What other options a werewolf might have would depend on what you interpret about the legends / Hollywood version to be fact or fiction. The biggest X-factor for me would be determining whether or not the werewolves in question shift involuntarily at every full moon. If they did, that's what would limit their options most of all.
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Re: Best job for a werewolf?

Post by MoonKit »

When I think of werewolf jobs I think of blue collar outdoorsy jobs like mailman (bite that dog back!), park ranger or animal control officer. Fresh air, somewhat solitary and a touch of danger.
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Re: Best job for a werewolf?

Post by White_Wolf »

I saw a Blockbuster employee. Can you imagine getting a visit from Mr. Furry who's come to collect overdue movies? I wouldn't be late with my movies again *nods*. Either that or put them in charge of immigration control....all-you-can-eat buffet. If they cross the fence, you can eat em :P
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Re: Best job for a werewolf?

Post by Celestialwolf »

White_Wolf wrote:...Either that or put them in charge of immigration control....all-you-can-eat buffet. If they cross the fence, you can eat em :P
I hadn't thought of that, but I think it could actually work! I mean, not to eat the illegal aliens so much as to be able to patrol the border much better than any human could, and find/take them down a lot easier. Regeneration could also come in handy if any of the drug traffickers take shots at you (and at the same time justifies the whole buffet thing).
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Re: Best job for a werewolf?

Post by White_Wolf »

Celestialwolf wrote:
White_Wolf wrote:...Either that or put them in charge of immigration control....all-you-can-eat buffet. If they cross the fence, you can eat em :P
I hadn't thought of that, but I think it could actually work! I mean, not to eat the illegal aliens so much as to be able to patrol the border much better than any human could, and find/take them down a lot easier. Regeneration could also come in handy if any of the drug traffickers take shots at you (and at the same time justifies the whole buffet thing).

I know, right? And after a little lunch, who could bury rifles and such better than a wolf? Not to mention all those prairie dogs and other rodents that would make nice snacks between meals.
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Re: Best job for a werewolf?

Post by Silveera-Ice »

Haha, maybe a park ranger? Looking after boundaries and stuff, could chase out any intruders etc :shift:
Maybe your own personal driver? Like a chaufeur (Sp?) Anyone who gets in the way, or moves too slow, traffic jams etc, they could threaten them with meaning to get out of the way!!
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Re: Best job for a werewolf?

Post by Fallenwolf »

i think my job sniper they can move fast at night with little to no noise they can smell for a target and see well beond a mans eyes perfect job :lol:
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Re: Best job for a werewolf?

Post by Wingman »

Yeah, military or law enforcement jobs are brought up 70% of the time when talking about supernatural.

Cause really, superpowered gardener is a little less exciting.

Fallenwolf, you're a sniper? Personally, I'd think a werewolf would favor a bit more of a close range approach, though a high powered rifle certainly would be a nice counterpart to some claws and fangs.
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Re: Best job for a werewolf?

Post by Fallenwolf »

well let me tell you close up cames in handy more then you think as a sniper in todays warfare when i got in my first close up fight man claw and fang would have helped me alot. but i think the speed and the night eyes would be a good thing because 80% of my job is at night. but im rambaling
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Re: Best job for a werewolf?

Post by JoshuaMadoc »

Wingman wrote:Yeah, military or law enforcement jobs are brought up 70% of the time when talking about supernatural.

Cause really, superpowered gardener is a little less exciting.

This is a notion I have to absolutely object towards. Just because you get to be Rambo on crack and being Rambo on crack "should" be the rage, that doesn't mean being a gardener prohibits you from having an imagination and wield serrated twisted metal salads you call gardening tools. Being a gardener also means that you're able to grow vegetables and fruit -- and wolves have to eat, even if they insist on meat just for the sake of being wolf-ish.
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Re: Best job for a werewolf?

Post by Avareis »

I have decided that a job in the hair removal business would be for them. Yes, a hair waxer! LOL

Being in the medical field wouldn't hurt, if you're in a pack. Something with good vacation time, flexible hours...Owning one's own business or teaching in a college could do it. The lifestyle habits make sense...
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