In manga, the adult characters always have the same jobs. No, in dramas, cartoons and comics too. In almost every cartoon I ever watched the family's father worked in a office. The soap operas always have an executive, a doctor, a model... Always the same. Manga are not different. There are lots of teachers, lawyers and businessmen. In josei and seinen the protagonist (or his/her friends) works in some kind of store (usually, convenience stores) and, sometimes, carrying boxes.
I'd like to see people in different works. It doesn't need to be the focus of the story, but it has to be mentioned or showed at least once.
The cliché jobs, for me, are lawyer, businessman, actor, singer, teacher (middle and high school), writers, salesman, host, prostitute, model.

I have saw at least once nurse (in not hentai manga), doctor, architect, designer, fashion designer, ceramics artist, mangaka, scientist, teacher (college and primary school), cook/chef, detective.
I want different stuff. Like... psychologist (and psychiatrist, even that one counts as a doctor but anyway), biologist, nutritionist, historian, librarian, etc.
You can also recommend stuff with the ones that I've seen at least once too. Or it'll be too difficult. Even not-exactly-jobs will do. Such as nuns (there is a category), idols (I don't like it), military (somewhat common, but still nice) and yakuzas (too cliché). And really rare jobs (as astronaut) also are nice.

I don't mind yaoi and yuri. I prefer if it is not hentai (I mean, just sex. I don't mind hetero sex if the story has a plot). And yes, I know some jobs have categories. The "different" ones, doesn't.
(I hope it's ok and I'm getting tired of apologizing for my bad English. Oh, well. XD Sorry again!)

itoshi no kana job: clean up crew... i think o__0.. he was jobless at the beginning
aqua-aria job: gondola rower
ah! my goddess job: garage mechanic.... and goddess (if that can be consider as an occupation)
wolf and spice job: merchant
xxxholic job:... well for this one u got to figure out yourself ^__^ (can also be consider as psychiatrist...i think)
koe de oshigoto! job: eroge seiyuu
chokotto sister job: apartment manager
nyan koi! job: mailman
allumage job: firemen and stunt woman
otoyome gatari job: carpenter and herder
gunslinger girl job: anti terrorist force

ok basically i could go on and on here... so i guess this much is enough from one person

Last edited by mu2020 at 5:30 am, Aug 6 2010

Lots of unusual professions have been mentioned in this post.
You could also take a look here and here.

These topics have many different titles suggested by lots of people (myself included), so I didn't recommend anything here.

ES is exactly what you're looking for.

Wild Life - veterinarian, not the normal kind

Franken Fran - plastic surgeon / surgeon / scientist / mad scientist / genetic experimenter / etc.

Megumi no Daigo - firefighter

________________
I care waaaaay too much...

Planetes - space debris clean up.
Narutaru - the MC's father is a (military-ish) pilot, and that's a fairly important part of the series.