In this day and age of vanishing social security and corporate coffee, the employees of America spend lifetimes seeking the unquantifiable quality that can be summed up in just two elusive little words: job satisfaction.

According to the Conference Board, only 50% of Americans are moderately satisfied with their jobs, and only 14% of that 50% are thoroughly satisfied. This means that half of all the workers in America trudge unhappily to jobs they hate every single day. Fortunately, there are plenty of hidden alternatives to the standard nine-to-five, and today’s motivated twenty-somethings are determined to find them.

Dottie Lux is one such twenty-something you won’t see hunched over in a cubicle. Dottie is a burlesque performer, a human telegram, a filmmaker, and a special events coordinator for Coney Island USA. What, you may ask, is a human telegram?

“A human telegram,” Dottie explains, “basically means I deliver gifts and messages from one person to another. This includes a costume and, if requested, some kind of performance.” Dottie studied Writing for Performance and Publication in college, but it soon became evident that her tastes were somewhat unorthodox. She began making film shorts and studying burlesque, and, although the work is difficult, the hours are long, and the pay is inconsistent, Dottie has found herself a good niche. When asked if she thinks burlesque and film making will be her ultimate careers, she sagely replies, “Ultimately, I don’t think I have a choice in what I become. I think I will always be an artist in one form or another. Even if that means I’m the crazy lady in the park.”

Less of a performance artist and more of a techie? Jim Yang, 24, is a game analyst for a video game company. According to Jim, it is “an intense creative experience to be able to work with developers and help create a game.” An aspiring screenwriter, Jim graduated with an expensive BFA from NYU and few job prospects. How did he land such a coveted career? Jim “randomly applied for the position off a job posting” from his school, and next thing he knew he was working for a top gaming company and doing two of the things he loves best: being creative and playing video games. Still, Jim doesn’t see video games as his last stop. He spends most of his evenings and weekends writing screenplays. Of breaking into the video game industry, Jim says, “I suggest you avoid the most popular route, video game testing, as it’s often a thankless job with long hours. If you’re serious about games, you’re better off taking courses in programming or art.”

26-year-old Elizabeth Kate Switaj is always on the move, but lately she has been doing a job that most people wouldn’t have guessed even existed. Elizabeth “writes descriptions of kimono for a company that imports and sells kimono online.” Elizabeth lived in Japan for two years before moving to Brooklyn and searching for a job. Hoping to use her MFA in Poetics and Creative Writing, she answered an ad on Craig’s List and, because of her “ability to express abstract concepts in an appealing way” and her knowledge of Japanese culture, Elizabeth was hired immediately. “I love that I get paid for writing and that I get to look at kimono all day,” says the young writer. “Even though I write about seventy-five garments each day, I rarely see two that are alike, and some of these items are real works of art. I learn something new about symbolism, dyeing techniques, materials, or Japanese traditions every day.” To supplement her income, Elizabeth also teaches English as a Second Language. Any advice, Elizabeth? “I’ve never really planned any sort of career. I’ve practiced the skills that are important to me and learned as much as I can in life. It seems to have worked so far.”

Rachel Bostic, a 25-year-old Michigan native, has three very different careers: She is a publishing assistant, a belly dancer, and a mystery shopper. “I’ve been a belly dancer for just over a year,” says Rachel. “My first performance was in an Off-Broadway production of an adaptation of Arabian Nights. Now I perform at corporate events, birthday parties, bar and bat mitzvahs, birthday parties, and all sorts of other events all over the New York City area.” When she’s not performing or working at the publishing house, Rachel is mystery shopping. “I like the idea that what I experience and report can help shape how companies treat their customers,” she says. Although Rachel says she wouldn’t work either of her supplementary jobs full-time, she feels fortunate to be doing them. Her motto is this: “Find balance in your life by turning hobbies into self-supporting ventures–you won’t feel guilty spending time or money on them if they are paying for themselves. Don’t be afraid to do really different things at the same time–it brings out different aspects of your personality and helps balance you as a person.”

There are tons of fascinating jobs out there, but unfortunately, most of them don’t pay enough on their own to cover the rent. Is job satisfaction worth the sacrifice? Is getting to do what you love enough to balance the check? To each her own, but these four twenty-somethings sure seem to think so.