Tell your buddy you’re going to be a cybersecurity specialist when you get out, and he’ll bob his head in approval. That’s pretty cool, he’s thinking, and probably comes with a ginormous paycheck.

Tell that same buddy, however, that you’re going to work in the housekeeping department at a local hotel and you’ll probably get a blank stare … awkward silence.

Until you explain that you’ll be running a team of 20 or 30 employees at a major luxury hotel. That you’ll be earning a great salary and benefits. That there’s lots of room to promote up through the ranks based on merit. Oh, and that you don’t even have a college degree.

Watch him start nodding like a Derek Jeter bobble-head.

You may not realize it, but there are some good jobs out there that, at first glance, might not seem very glamorous. And because they’re not sexy, companies often have a hard time recruiting veterans for these positions. But take a closer look and you’ll find career paths with hidden advantages like upward mobility, great pay potential, and top-notch benefits.

Emmanuel Gomez-Santa, 32, took a job in November cleaning rooms at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Crystal City, Va. – a job that may not exactly be on your A-list.

“I believe that many people have a big misconception about working with the housekeeping department,” he says. “Many believe it’s a dead-end job and there is no career advancement in this field – that is far from the truth. In two months of being with Hilton I was promoted from houseman to housekeeping supervisor.”

Two months.

Here’s a closer look at 6 jobs you didn’t know you wanted.

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