Musicians, journalists, photographers, designers, historians, and ceremonial guards. Yes, the military pays people to play music and tell stories.
Top pay: highest pay, longest training
Public Affairs Officer: Officer who serves as a commander's spokesperson, handles reporters, and tells the military's story to the public. Typical pay $122k.
Military Band Officer / Conductor: Leads and conducts military bands, from field bands to the premier ensembles in Washington, D.C. Typical pay $122k.
Hollywood Entertainment Media Liaison: Officer (or civilian) in Los Angeles who works with movie and TV studios that want to film with real military jets, ships, and troops. Typical pay $122k.
Flight Demonstration Team Pilot: Elite fighter pilots who fly precision air shows for millions of spectators as the Blue Angels or Thunderbirds. Typical pay $140k.
Mid pay: solid pay, degree or apprenticeship
Premier Military Band Musician: Professional musician who wins a highly competitive audition to perform at the White House, state funerals, and national events. Typical pay $70k.
Military Historian: Historian who researches, records, and writes the history of military units, wars, and operations. Typical pay $75k.
Military Museum Curator: Cares for and displays historic aircraft, tanks, uniforms, and artifacts in military museums. Typical pay $62k.
Heraldry & Insignia Designer: Designs military medals, insignia, flags, seals, and unit patches at the Army's Institute of Heraldry. Typical pay $70k.
Military Broadcast Journalist: Hosts radio shows and produces TV news for troops and families stationed overseas on the American Forces Network. Typical pay $62k.
Military Band Musician: Plays in military bands for ceremonies, concerts, parades, and morale events worldwide. Typical pay $62k.
Mass Communication Specialist: Military journalist, photographer, and videographer who covers stories about service members. Typical pay $62k.
Multimedia Illustrator: Creates graphics, illustrations, animations, and briefing visuals for military units. Typical pay $62k.
Tomb Guard Sentinel: Elite ceremonial soldier who guards the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington, 24 hours a day, every day. Typical pay $62k.
Ceremonial Honor Guard Member: Performs military funerals, presidential ceremonies, and parades, including with horse-drawn caissons and colonial-style fife and drum. Typical pay $62k.
Military Combat Artist: Soldiers and Marines who document military life and combat through paintings and drawings for official history. Typical pay $75k.
Military Uniform Designer: Designs and tests the uniforms troops wear, from dress blues to flame-resistant combat clothing and women's body armor. Typical pay $90k.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.