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You do what?
Gumologist? Fountain pen repairman? Here's a typical day in some very atypical jobs.
By Jenny Mero, FORTUNE reporter

NEW YORK (FORTUNE) - What's so interesting about seemingly traditional occupations like a chemist, a repairman or an artist? Not too much - unless you're a trained chemist now working as a gumologist, or an artist who illustrates ski trail maps, or the person that repairs and refurbishes vintage kiddie rides or fountain pens.

In the two years FORTUNE has put together the popular You Do What? page, we've aimed to capture a typical day of someone working an atypical job, either for themselves or for a large corporation.

Photo GallerylaunchSee more photos

We profiled chemist Jesse Keifer, who works as a gumologist at Cadbury Schweppes, a multi-billion dollar corporation and one of the world's largest confectioners. And while you can find lots of Trident at any local store, you'd be hard-pressed to find another gumologist. In fact a Google search returned a handful of links, most leading to Jesse.

Others, like James Niehues, find unusual ways to make a living with their artistic talent by illustrating ski resorts. Still, others make a living preserving the fountain pen, a writing tool that dates back many centuries. And another who takes pride in restoring the nostalgic kiddie ride.

Chances are you won't find these folks in your office, so you're bored of the usual water cooler conversations with co-workers, you'll be sure to find a detour from that in this photo galleryTop of page

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