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Growing up, it’s easy to idealize every job as “just the good parts,” from police officers chasing down bad-guys to working on a cruise ship being one endless vacation. As an adult, many of us know that everything has its own bureaucracy, paperwork and annoying nuances.
Someone asked “Which jobs turned out to be much less enjoyable than most people expect?” and professionals spilled the beans. From horrible working conditions to unseen downsides, get comfortable as you read through, upvote the most interesting examples and share your own thoughts and experiences in the comments below. 
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Veterinarian
Thinking going into major: I love animals and rabbits. And, cute, fuzzy things.
Reality : so much death and sadness
- think, when have you been to the vet? On your pets worst day? Or last day?
Traveling Lady Railfan 1 year ago
Thank you for everything that you do! Some of us do understand that this is a messy, difficult, stressful profession and we are so appreciative!
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
On the other hand (paw?) they save many lives, and ensure that the animals in their care have the best quality of life possible.
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
That was our soft can-opener. We do NOT approve of the soft can-opener of torture! He took away parts from Audi and me, both! And those were some pretty important parts!
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Carbonel 1 year ago
I just had to have my very elderly cat put to sleep (kidney failure). I cried, my husband cried, the vet cried…
Nancy Whiting 1 year ago
Yes, we've had some of those last days, and are deeply appreciative of the vets who helped our beloved pets pass. In between, we've also had countless well dog and well horse visits for general checkups and vaccinations. A couple of times, our vets have literally diagnosed a condition, prescribed treatment, and given our dog years more than they might have had. We know it's far from all candy and flowers--but know that you're also seriously appreciated for the work that you do.
Sand Ers 1 year ago
I don’t have the strength to work at a vet or animal shelter. But somebody has to, so I’m glad there are people who can. We lost two pet in less than a year, and in both cases the staff at the clinics were wonderful and supportive. Listened while we talked, and gave us all the time we needed before and after.
MrsFettesVette 1 year ago
The vets and techs are heroes, I don't know how they do what they do
Happy Onion 1 year ago
Bodily fluids, long hours, weekends and late nights (it's not a 9-5), bites, scratches, clients blaming you for not being able to cure their pet and then when you actually can, they lay on the guilt trip because you don't do it for free. The hardest part of the job isn't the pets, it's the clients. #NOMV
RELATED:
#2
Being a chef. Its...awful. I did it for a long time. The hours are ridiculous and the pay is bad.
Howl's sleeping castle 1 year ago
I can never be a chef. I have been cooking for 15 years now and I still hate it. I hate when someone is in the kitchen with me. There is no way I can cook in professional setting without losing my mind
iseefractals 1 year ago
There's a difference (for me at least) between working in a professional setting by people who know how to operate in that environment....and cooking in a home kitchen that's inevitably populated by people who refuse to accept that they are, and always will be IN THE WAY. Cooking alone can be cathartic, and it's infuriating to have that disrupted. But being part of a well performing team allows you to become more than the sum of your parts. I will grant you that cooking in a professional setting made up of a team of people who don't have any interest in taking things seriously is it's own special kind of hell though.
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Bonkers & Curious Panda 1 year ago
Man I love cooking! But I love doing it at my leisure ( I have no formal education, I'm an amateur ) and doing it for work would totally ruin the experience for me :(
Illifred 1 year ago
Plus: You always have to be creative, non-stop full of ideas, whether you feel it or not. I deeply respect all chefs that constantly bring variety to their menus.
P Peitsch 1 year ago
That's the best part of it, if you have a chance to be creative. But even, if you are kitchen-chef, not "just" sous-chef or chef de partie or line cook, creativity doesn't occur so often, as outsiders think. There are a lot of circumstances ... mostly the end-price, the team (can everybody make that dish alone too?), would the customers like, and so on ....
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Firstname Lastname 1 year ago
I took culinary in school for a semester and realized that it was draining all the fun out of food for me so I backed out. So happy I did now before I burnt through my passion.
Philly Bob Squires 1 year ago (edited)
I love to cook and have done so for many years for family, personal, fun and professionally but being in a scortching hot kitchen with a few temperamental idiots can make you wanna lose your mind! (I'm an IT tech and a multi-media specialist by trade but yes, I did work in a pro kitchen for 4 years!)
R Dennis 1 year ago
I apprenticed under a master chef when I was 16... he was fine, but the arrogance of his execs made me hate cooking. I quit after that summer and went back to my old restaurant and went dishwasher>expediter>prep>akm>km>agm>(left)> agm>gm>consultant and never cooked in a restaurant again. I still love cooking, but only because I quit at 16.
#3
All of them will find away to eat at your soul.
But working in a small company that likes to think they are a big company when it comes to everything but salary will destroy the fibre of your being.
Edit: Wow this has rung a bell with a lot of people.
Kurtz Frausun 1 year ago
Worst office job I ever had was at a print/web design shop. About 5 employees. But my boss acted like it was a Fortune 500 company, including pics he shared on social media sailing his yacht, while I was googling if I met the qualifications to get on food stamps.
MeowMix 1 year ago
I worked at a family owned company similar to this. The boss was the spoiled son who thought he was the next Elon Musk and threw over the top extravagant 'networking' parties while the salaried employees didn't get paid on a regular basis and we couldn't afford to buy paper towels for the breakroom.
Load More Replies... iseefractals 1 year ago
It doesn't matter how much you love something, or how passionately you start out....work will always, always, always become just another obligation....quite often sooner rather than later. If you love something, keep doing it....but don't bank on being able to monetize it, or that passion will always be worth more than salary. Find something that pays well, that you can do sufficiently. Your job isn't meant to define you, it's meant to facilitate your life.
#4
Game tester
Growing up it sounds like the perfect job, but running into a wall 500 times at 500 different angles to try and find a bug is Boring.
CG 1 year ago
QA tester is an essential, but difficult job. Many a long hours, and trying everything in your power to find every possible game breaking scenario is a job that doesn't get the attention it deserves.
Christopher Easton 1 year ago
Essential? Come on, games aren't even essential
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John Smith (he/him/xy/️) 1 year ago
Is it better or worse than having to strip out content and turn it into a dlc or make micro transactions out of them?
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
Audi got into the 'nip again. Don't mind him.
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#5
Teaching...was great for years but nOw it is S**T. I want to disappear every day.
Andie 1 year ago
Been a teacher for 17 years, mainly Kindergarten (5-6 year olds). I have been bit, hit, slapped, kicked, punched, spit on, had things thrown at me and almost been stabbed with pencils and scissors. I have had parents threaten me and been yelled and screamed at by both admin and parents until I am crying. I love all of the kids I have taught. But parents are making the job so much worse. They want the teachers to be the parents and its the teachers fault if the child doesn't succeed. Most teachers are at school early and leave late. They are planning on weekends. Over the summer "break", they are getting ready for the new school year and doing professional development. Kids have such a short attention span now and many struggle with creative play. What is expected of them in Kindergarten is what I learned in 1st and 2nd grade. They need to be able to play and be kids. The US school system is struggling and I am terrified on the direction it is heading.
Alexandra 1 year ago
This is exactly why I never went into teaching, even in secondary education. Parents who expect you to bring up their child and refuse to accept it if a child is less bright dan they think it is and my own personality. I absolutely refuse to teach kids who don't want to be taught.
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Michael Largey 1 year ago
I spent ten years of teaching under a principal without any degree in education or professional license, or training. Imagine how bad that was. Nope, sorry, it was even worse than that.
ILoveMySon 1 year ago
Wowza. How is that possible? Seriously, I am curious.
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Costco card 1 year ago
I'm in high school right now and really want to go into teaching but it is absolutely terrifying because of modern kid's attitudes.
Elizabeth Lloyd 1 year ago
I see daily the result of parental failure. Please for the love of God do not have kids if you are not prepared to do the leg work. You are NOT their mate and yes they need guidance and boundaries. We are not the enemy.
Bonkers & Curious Panda 1 year ago
I did it for less than a year when I was 19 because I had to support myself and my baby. The pay was really bad and the students were incredibly obnoxious (think 13 year old, purposefully rowdy because I was real young). Would never do it again.
kansasmagic 1 year ago
My parents spent most of their working years in education. When I finished college and started thinking more seriously about what to do, their one big piece advice was "don't go into education". Now I teach at a community college. That's a lot better (IMO) than, say, middle school - but these days community college is basically two more years of high school, rather than the first two years of college. And I can only see it getting worse...
Sophia Athene 1 year ago
I was a college professor and loved nearly all of it besides the admin work, committees, attendance forms, faculty meetings, etc. Well, it seemed I loved the act of teaching, getting to know students, fellowshipping with students in simple office visits and official student functions. Disability and depression took that away and I miss it every day (but don't miss the f-ing depression every f-ing day, I don't think it'll ever end).
RamiRudolph 1 year ago
Yeah, with kids getting dumber and dumber and more disrespectful, I can only imagine how horrible it must be.
Madeline 1 year ago
Twenty-three year retired veteran here: Disrespect, violence, parents, admin... whew!! (That is not acceptable and that's the tip of the iceberg). But it's also incredibly intellectually-stimulating: the kids make the most interesting comments, I get to facilitate that lightbulb going off, I am challenged to teach skills in an attempt to guide them back to pre Covid times... It is not easy, it is not for the faint of heart, and also it's an amazing job. State and federal officials bad mouth education yet none of them have ever been into a classroom, none of them understand that education standards are written by non-teachers at the state level, none of them understand the devastating effect of non-supportive admin and none of them know about the incredibly strong bond most teachers have with each other as they navigate the challenges of a system over which they have mostly no control. I begrudge no teacher for leaving however. 7/10 would do it again.
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I work with dogs all kinds of jobs.
I had to quit grooming because it destroyed my back, i was in constant pain i couldn't sleep from the pain, I was only 23 at the time, being 6'3 and having scoliosis doesn't help. I actually loved grooming besides that
Dog daycare/boarding is also pretty nice but I've been bitten several times and a huge chunk of the job just involves cleaning dog s**t.
Dog training has terrifying moments, there's a lot of people that have dogs that will attack you and they want you to fix it In one session, there's also a lot of people who want you to train their dog to attack people which is its own set of issues
I think everyone can figure out the s****y parts of vet med.
On top of all these jobs there's a layer of sadness around seeing abused dogs, dogs that just got adopted get picked up. Getting attached to dogs and having them get strange diseases and die unexpectedly. And seeing owners be s**t to their dogs but sometimes there's nothing you can do.
When I tell people I work with dogs they think I just play with dogs all day, which sometimes is the case, but sometimes my soul is absolutely crushed over and over again.
Jessica Senia 1 year ago
I've been a dog groomer for 12 years and every day I have people tell me "What an awesome job you have!" It's actually not. It's loud, it's chaotic, it destroys your body (your back, your legs, your ears, your lungs), many of the dogs are completely unruly, and the customers are just ridiculous. "What do you mean you have to shave my matted labradoodle I've never once brushed?!" Not to mention the obvious neglect you see. I've groomed dogs that had their eyes completely matted shut, their butts so clogged with dried poop that they couldn't pass a bowel movement, and their teeth so rotten that they were literally falling out. You don't realize how many people are unqualified to have dogs until you're a groomer.
#7
Working with animals (zoo, rescue, vet, etc.).
Do I still love it? Yes.
Is it incredibly mentally taxing, frustrating, nonstop (what’s a weekend?), and full of laws (not a bad thing but another red tape to look out for)? Yes.
Not to mention for veterinarians the amount of education needed.
Pay is often bad, especially if you’re not a veterinarian.
Edit: I’m not saying vets shouldn’t make more or have great pay currently. They should, for the education, hours, and loans they have, they should make more.
But my first paid job was 12.75/hr and I was an overnight vet tech with a college degree. Fresh out of college vet making 90k went home to a simple breakfast. I went home to a piece of toast often without butter and many of my coworkers had a second full time job. When I was making 18/hr I was teaching vet residents making 70-80k how to place IV catheters. We rely on each other too much for that big of a gap.
Dragon mama 1 year ago
It is much the same in human medicine and pharmacy, sadly. There are aspects of the pharmacy that the pharmacists don't know how to do and 100% rely on techs (ordering inventory and handling insurance rejections come to mind right away) but the industry thinks a dollar over minimum wage is sufficient. Bah!
#8
Architect. Think you get to design beautiful buildings and create amazing sketches and renderings you can hang on the wall? Think again. Most design is client driven and clients are the worst. Even if you get a pretty cool design past the client, that’s just 10% of the project. The rest of the time will be drawing permit documents, dealing with the local jurisdictions design/permit review process. If your project even resembles what it did originally you then have to bid the project only to have your client learn that all the cool bits are $$$ so then they just cut them out. Finally you’ll have to deal with the contractor and actual construction (disclaimer: I do like this part but having a good contractor makes or breaks this phase). The building is finished! Yay! Congratulations! Your client can now occupy their brand new structure. Think you’re done? Nope. They’ll now try and sue you for anything and everything they think is wrong. Crack in the sidewalk outside? Straight to binding arbitration. Squeaky door? Straight to binding arbitration. Contractor didn’t properly flash the windows? Straight to binding arbitration. Oh yeah to top it off, long hours and s****y pay.
kansasmagic 1 year ago
For a brief moment I wanted to become an urban planner - until I learned that most urban planners just attend a s**t ton of meetings about things like how many streetlights we need per mile.
#9
Any job requiring a lot of travel. Having the company pay for your hotel and meals is glamorous for about a week. Then it’s a serious drag.
Bonkers & Curious Panda 1 year ago
Really??? I've never had a job like that and to me, in my head, was peak glamour to have work trips! LOL
Tim Fawcett 1 year ago
Faceless business hotels - you only know what country you are in by the missing dialling code on the international dialling list.
Lame Llama 1 year ago
I have woken up in hotel rooms, confused as in which country I was in.
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Igor914624 1 year ago
I did a year as an IT consultant, traveling anywhere they needed me. You don't get to go to the cool, hip, happening cities. You get to go to the small cities and towns where they don't have someone with your skill level. I was at one job in a small city, at a hotel in the downtown area. The customer didn't supply a car as the office was walking distance from the hotel. And there was no one actually left in downtown after 5pm. All the restaurants and any form of entertainment had closed. The only choice of food was a Bennigan's restaurant with only one waiter and a cook, or the hotel room service. After two weeks of this, I called a cab and had him drive me to the nearist KFC to actually get something different to eat. (This was pre-doordasy/uber eats). And I got sent to Canada mid winter, and Southern Arizona in mid summer. Traveling for work is not fun. It is work. And it spoiled me for going on vacation. All I wanted to do when I had time off was spend it at home.
ElfVibratorGlitter 1 year ago
It was really hard for me when I had to travel for work because I had a daughter in school. Now that she's grown I think I would enjoy it more.
Lame Llama 1 year ago
Yup. There are a few airports around the world that send shivers down my back cos I was flying there so much for work when I was younger. It's a shame since I would like to be able to properly visit those cities as a tourist.
#10
DJ... I did it for years, and all I wanted after some time was to read a book or watch a movie before bed.
Mila Sliacka 1 year ago
I always found working at night difficult, it took me long time to recover my sleep patterns.
#11
Probably anything that involves fame. Acting, modeling, etc.
Usually is very damaging to people's self esteem, unmeasured pressure to be good enough and maintain a certain (unrealistic) image, a lot of times the environments celebs work in can be abusive, loads of people hating on you or just scrutinizing you in general. Competition for these roles is fierce, so you have to take crazy measures to stay in the spotlight and not lose traction in your career.
Amelia Jade 1 year ago
I've always said that I'd love to be wealthy. But fame is a curse. I don't get why people want it. I used to blog for a famous author's website. She was only famous in a niche area. I started to be known in those same circles. Again, super niche. But just being known in that small community was too much for me. I value my privacy too much.
Alicia M 1 year ago
I have experience with this. I worked as a local model from ages 15-26. Some of it involved modeling swimsuits. My parents signed a waiver for me to model bikinis, in a bar, when I was 15. It ended with men groping me, following me down back hallways to try and touch me and talk to me, and the event organizers even pulled me in front of the crowd so the men could pick their favorite "girl" by the amount of cheers she received. It was disgusting. I had old men giving me their business cards and inviting me on their yachts for the weekend. 🤢 Most of it was ok, but there were several awful, unhinged moments, and in hindsight, my parents should have never me do it. I did my last modeling job, at age 26, for a major cosmetics brand. Overall, I had fun and mostly good memories.
ILoveMySon 1 year ago
It is great that the experience was mostly good. I imagine you can relate to Brooke Shields to a certain extent?
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#12
I once worked for a major bank in the production of evidence for human trafficking, terrorism and serious organised crime offences. Once an officer came to seize information (quirk in Scottish law) and I was signing over hundreds of pages of information which she had to count and counter sign. We got talking about some of my more interesting cases - stopping people from going to ISIS, using insurance documents to show how a man tried to murder his wife with a parachute etc.
"You job sounds so much more interesting than mine", she said. "Mine's just filing paperwork".
She was a homicide detective.
Michael Largey 1 year ago
When you're an income tax auditor, it's amazing what you find out about people.
#13
Travel agent. It's just sales - and of a product that's on the other side of the world. How the F am I supposed to sell something I've never seen and know nothing about? "Oh, but you must get great deals!" Nope. The agency's commission per person's vacation package was $7. Seven dollars. .... CANADIAN! Very little left to discount for myself when the markup is only $7! Then there's the part where you have to listen to everyone's complaints: about airlines you don't operate, or hotels you don't run, or weather you don't control, or too many sticks on the beach because of the literal f*****g hurricane that just went through there. Oof. Flashbacks.
#14
Working with fireworks. Everyone loves the show. Nobody appreciates the crew of people who prepare/build/pack the show up.
Peter Trudell Jr 1 year ago
Learn a little bit of chemistry and realise the hard work that goes into making fireworks look so awesome... add in all the additional mechanical bits to engineer multi-stage fireworks and realise just how much work went into getting these displays juuuust right. (Speaking as a person that appreciates all the work that leads up to the big show, no matter the show)
Sophia Athene 1 year ago (edited)
So what makes the job bad enough to be listed. So people don't recognize the behind-the-scenes work. Is that the problem?
ILoveMySon 1 year ago (edited)
I was privy to a show wherein the fireworks were set up on a barge. There was a mishap and all of them went off at once. My visiting friends forever comment on the "firework" that year.
#15
My wife works in a library. People think " Oh, that must be a quiet, mellow atmosphere ! " -- Not so much. Druggies do their deals in the library, smelly homeless people sleep all day in the library, Teens to do the latest noisy, disrespectful " Tik Tok Challenge " in the library, people use the library computers to look up inappropriate topics. You wouldn't believe how difficult it is to kick people out.
BookFanatic 1 year ago
I respectfully disagree. I've been a librarian for 20+ years. I have no problems kicking people out if they break library rules. And those "smelly homeless" people are some of our nicest, kindest, best behaved patrons. I'd take them over some of our entitled patrons any day of the week.
Carbonel 1 year ago
As a librarian also of 20+ years, I agree. It’s still not the quiet, sit-at-a-desk-and-read job people think it is. But yes, the homeless and even the addicts are often NOT the most difficult customers.
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Karl Havoc 1 year ago
It’s awful just to GO to the library anymore, especially a university library. I feel sorry for the unhoused but no one has the right to jàck off in the middle of the stacks…
Sophia Athene 1 year ago
So it seems being a librarian is bad b/c of entitled jerks and the homeless. Alot librarians have said it's not what people think they do. So what is it that you do? What besides entitled jerks makes this job bad enough to be listed? Honestly asking and not intentionally being snarky or an AH. Always wanted to be a librarian if I wasn't a teacher.
Lorena Weinstock 1 year ago
As someone who worked in a library I can say all this and more is true.
Sara 1 year ago
We have panic buttons for a reason, thanks for the ignorant snarky comment.
Load More Replies... #16
Office jobs of most varities. I worked physical jobs from like 15-25 (I know people have worked them much longer, not the point, I'm 32 now though) and while I appreciate not having to sweat all day and deal with the aches and pains of that kind of work, people do not understand what sitting all day does to your body and mind. It physically makes you weak, makes things hurt that shouldn't hurt, causes health issues, causes mental fatigue, it's a tradeoff that most people think is worth. But if I was physically fit to go back to physical labor making the same money I would. I'd rather sweat and deal with the pains of working with my hands/body than deal with the constant tailbone pain, foggy mental after a day of work, sore hips/knees from sitting, weight gain from sitting, etc.
Messy Mushroom 1 year ago
I realised at 16 that I was not capable of working in an office... It felt like a backrooms prison. Slow, quiet, boring, draining - and so many fake nice people. I now work in a trade position and I love it. Every day is different, new challenges, always moving, and if people don't like each other it doesn't matter - we can have a heated argument then get straight back to work. As a chick the industry was a little challenging to get into, but now I have years of experience and I LOVE my job. [Getting diagnosed with ADHD 6 years ago made my whole life up til that moment make so much sense 😂]
Sand Ers 1 year ago
I made the genius decision to quit office work for a career in manual labor in my mid-forties. But I just couldn’t cope with sitting at a desk pushing electrons around all day. I was good at the jobs, but I couldn’t keep them because I’d get bored and lose focus. ADHD’s a bìtch.
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
*bats the electrons under the sofa*
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#17
Being a mattress tester. Everyone thinks it's all naps and relaxation, but imagine being stuck in a lab, trying to sleep on command with people staring at you, taking notes like they're watching a bizarre sleep experiment. It's like the worst sleepover ever!
#18
Being a doctor is glorified to young people. Years of studying, astronomical student loans, long hours, night shifts, and you have to try your best to save everyone, even those who tell others to get together, avoid masks, vaccinations, and live off big macs and red bull as long as they avoid MSG and GMO vegetables. Also if a repeat pain medication junkie doesn't get what they are looking for they can leave an online review with a horrible made up situation and the doctor is not allowed to defend themself or say what actually happened because of patient confidentiality.
Tempest 1 year ago (edited)
@Pep Ito It’s not just in the USA. This describes the experience from a doctor’s POV, not the patient’s side (which is the expensive bills version in the USA). Medical school is expensive pretty much anywhere. I’m a medical school graduate and I’m heavily in debt but I still haven’t started earning properly (because you still have to pass licensing exams and unpaid internships before you can start earning). When I was looking for universities to apply for med school to I had so many uni representatives tell straight to my face that attending med school at their universities is a no-no because of the tuition and no scholarships given. Doctors don’t get typical holidays like Christmas, etc unless there’s a replacement doctor for the day. And salaries aren’t always attractive in this economy. I know a household where both parents and doctors and are still struggling to pay bills. It’s mostly the senior doctors or those with established private practices who flourish, which isn’t everyone.
#19
Working in the music business. It's still business, and a lot of times, still an office job.
Diolla 1 year ago (edited)
I was in the industry for a while, doing artist mananagement, road/ tour management, etc.. So mostly hands on. Had to quit. Could not handle the work hours (late night, early travels) and the sexism. Also many artists are not the nicest people to work with which is not very surprising if you see what life on the road is like. And the pay was not good either.
R Dennis 1 year ago
Grew up in a recording studio... that song you like isn't as fun as you hear it pieced together for 12 solid hours each day... take after take, snippet by snippet.
Illifred 1 year ago
I absolutely agree. Not all that glitters is gold. Most of all time, it's kinda cow poo polishing.
WindySwede 1 year ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiJ9fy1qSFI Mythbusters Polishing a Turd 🙃
Load More Replies... #20
I miss my waiter days, it was dynamic, every day a little different and by the end of the shift it’s done. Now in corporate life the BS just never stops!!!
#21
My wife was a buyer for Macy's for years. She even went to Italy a few times to look at clothes. It is not sitting in beautiful converted Italian mansion sipping wine and eating cheese while gorgeous models prance around in front of you. It is dirty warehouses and long hours. Plus, she was working her a*s off while everyone else, her husband and children included, were enjoying holidays. Also, my best friend is a record producer who worked with the biggest of the big names in the industry. Again, long hours, managing huge egos and toddler type behavior. One music star would show up hours late for recordings sessions in an expensive studio. He'd be so drunk he could not stand up and sing, so they go him a stool to sit on and sing. He'd fall of the stool. He'd call me ranting about this music star. Then his d**g dealer would show up at the studio. The guy, a name you have all heard of, is still alive and performing, and seemingly doing well. He did say the nicest star he ever met was Willie Nelson. But I kind of knew that without be told.
ILoveMySon 1 year ago
My friend is the widow of singer/songwriter Freddy Powers. She is friends with Willie and confirmed he is an amazing person.
John Smith (he/him/xy/️) 1 year ago
So that's pretty much all singers, or at least rappers. Name them and shame them
#22
Working at a dispensary...most people think "Cool, sell w**d all day!" But it's just like any other job except most of the customers want to seem cool and act super knowledgeable when in fact they don't know s**t...hey man, I just want to sell you this eighth and get you out of here so I can go back to figuring out how I'm going to fit this huge delivery we just got into the dab fridge. You don't need to pull out a jewelers loupe and look at 15 different jars for a half hour...if I tell you something is good, trust me. It's good.
Rob D 1 year ago
Retail workers need to remember customer service is not incidental to their work tasks. Their work tasks are incidental to the customer service. The public can be soul crushing and evil, but there's a not-ignorable wedge of retail workers that seem to resent all customers. Get over it or move on.
#23
Being a trained winemaker. Very long hours, mediocre pay, you’re feet are always wet but most importantly your boss is almost always a needy, delusional, demanding rich person who gets all the credit because they own the place and gave themselves a “winemaker” title even though someone else does all the work.
#24
Scientist. In academia it’s all about grant writing/ securing funding, admin and teaching, very little time for actual science. Out of academia it’s mostly logistics and health & safety.
BoredPossum 1 year ago
Yes, this! Even if you're doing experiments, they seldom work on the first or tenth try. The trial and error phase may be fun but as soon as you get it working, you'll repeat the same experiment with different chemicals infinite times. The difference you see is a number on a screen. It rarely bubbles, gives off green smoke or ends up with a supersmart mutant penguin.
Sand Ers 1 year ago
But that one time when you end up with a smoking green genius mutant Penguin blowing bubbles makes it all worthwhile.
Load More Replies... #25
I used to work at boat dealership and people said I was lucky. Not sure if they thought we just cruised around the lake with a cooler full of beer or what, but the reality was more like having to clean out someone's battered, moldy pontoon that was filled with garbage and old beer cans.
#26
Everything in IT!
- Is it pleasant overall? Yes.
- Do you feel laughed at because no one really understands what you do and everyone thinks you must be rich while you do nothing all day? But in reality you have strict deadlines, crappy projects, crappy management and users complaining all day. Big yes
Do I like the job? I love it. - But it's less enjayable than most people expect!
Dirk Daring 1 year ago
Most Non-Techie people don't realize that IT is a very broad profession that has many specialties. I'm a network engineer, I don't know how to program that awesome app idea you came up with that probably already exists.
John Smith (he/him/xy/️) 1 year ago
Anything that requires a smidgen of brain or logic has 80% of the people clocking out, meaning that 80% of the jobs people do are useless
#27
Travel documentary filmmaker (as in working with a full film crew not just travel vlogging)
Its awesome fun, but you work 18 hour days, and you are just absolutely monstered by the end. And you never really get to experience the place you go to, its all about your shots and getting coverage.
Edit: Here's one of my pieces if anyone is interested
https://youtu.be/D0u08lyhsMo?si=cvJgAajBJQ13Nrp3.
#28
Teaching.
Rose the Cook 1 year ago
It isn't the problem students but their problem parents. Please just accept and love your child a they are, you don't need to compete with you so called friends.
Andie 1 year ago (edited)
I had a parent say to me, "My other son and daughter are in the gifted program. He (son) will be too!" No. Your son is not the same as your other children. He is gifted in his own ways, but struggles academically. Pushing him is going to make him hate school and comparing him to his brother and sister will kill his self esteem. Had a different parent tell me that they were upset that their child was reading 3 grade levels ahead because now she keeps asking for books and all she wants to do is read. "And she's pretty, so she doesn't need to be smart!". That hurt on a level I didn't know existed.
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#29
Musician. The romance dies quickly and it becomes a grind, especially after the third beer has been spilled on you as you play Piano Man while hearing drunks request Freebird.
Peter Trudell Jr 1 year ago
To allow the piano player time to get back from the loo.
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#30
Being a musician. Right after the first album is released, you ought to work on the second one whether you want it or not. Tours are also romanticized a lot. Imagine you play 1,5 hour show, then sit on a bus, try sleeping in it all night, next day you arrive into new place, help to unload rig, do a sound check and then it repeats for 2-3 weeks in a row almost every day.
Bartlet for World Domination 1 year ago
First album is a decade of work and life experience condensed into music. Second album is written and produced in the year of dealing with the fallout.
Sand Ers 1 year ago
These towns all look the same. We just pass the time in the hotel rooms, and wander round backstage.
Diolla 1 year ago
Man I hate touring. It's nice for a few days and then you just want to be home, cook your own food and pet your cat.
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 1 year ago
We approve this message, except for the "your" Poor soft can-opener doesn't even know they're the pets.
Load More Replies... #31
Probably already said, but marketing. I always thought it was some cool Mad Men stuff, sitting around brainstorming about slogans, print, etc. Turns out it's just cramming as many words into many pages/articles as you can. That or just outbidding on clicks. Basically, I'm just trying to scam Google now, which they always circumvent in some way after a while. Do not recommend it. I also can't believe this is still a job.
#32
I was the Easter Bunny for years at a local function hall. May seem fun, but you also get screaming kids being forced to take a picture, you can hardly see, some adults are just weird. Like sexual weird. I've been threatened and yelled at, both in full costume.
Des Williams 1 year ago
I used to work at toys r us and had a parent complain to the manager that the Easter bunny wouldn't talk to their kid. Easter bunny doesn't talk to anyone!
#33
I’m not one, but I would say a veterinarian. They have massive student loans and they’re dealing with pets dying and having to be euthanized. Sometimes said pets are euthanized because the owners don’t have the funds to pay for treatment. They see animal abuse and neglect and deal with the ire of the pet owners.
BoredPossum 1 year ago
Even in countries without such an expensive education, having to euthanize perfectly healthy animals for ridiculous reasons must suck.
#34
I am not a lawyer but every lawyer I know is an alcoholic, cheats on their spouse (if not already divorced) and their kids hate them. There must be something rotten in that profession.
Messy Mushroom 1 year ago
I know some incredible lawyers who fight for justice and the rights of people who can't fight for themselves. I know at least 2 who I would consider the most kind-hearted people I've ever known. Sure there's always bad apples but maybe it's just the circles you run in 😅
Aimee Maldonado 1 year ago
There are two kinds of lawyers: 1) the a$$holes with no morals and 2) the mentally drained severely depressed ones. The problem with being a lawyer in any kind of litigation is that you don't get to pick your clients. You're either an a$$hole with no empathy and the work doesn't affect you, or you end up depressed because you're helping scumbags (or losing cases for genuinely good people depending on which clients you get). Lawyers don't get to only take the strongest cases from the nicest clients if they want to avoid being broke.
Load More Replies... Tempest 1 year ago
Lawyers are seen as “cool”? They’re some of the most uptight and selfish people I’ve met who always want their way. While such a personality is needed for the job, taking it home and being an insufferable person to your family doesn’t make you any bit an admirable person. (Ps I’m speaking from experience in here regarding a lawyer family member but in addition I know several school friends who are now lawyers and they had the same annoying personalities as I described. Works well with the job though.)
Hosteshumanigeneris 1 year ago
One of our best friends is a lawyer and he's not an alcoholic, his wife and kids love him and he is overall an awesome man! I think it's more about the kind of law you practice and the type of clients that you have.
#35
Not to be overly broad, but most jobs are pretty underwhelming. Whatever the general populace sees of a job tends to be the 5% most outwardly facing portion of the job with the other 95% of the job being the same boring meetings, paperwork, logistics, and day to day sameness everyone else goes through.
#36
Social media manager. People think it's all about scrolling through Instagram and tweeting witty comments, but in reality, it's a 24/7 gig of putting out digital fires, dealing with trolls, and constantly coming up with new content to keep the engagement up. Plus, the pressure to go viral can be more stressful than a cat stuck in a tree meme!
Howl's sleeping castle 1 year ago
My husband worked as a social media manager for the police department for 6 months. He would start working at 6 in the morning, work till it's time to go to office, work there for 8 sometimes 9 hours, return home by 8. Take bath, eat and sit again till 11. Even on weekends he used to work. We no longer had time for anything else in our lives. He was turning into a different person. Always annoyed, always cranky, getting angry over mundane things. One day suddenly he told me he doesn't want to work there anymore and if I will be okay managing the house till he finds another job. I immediately said yes. He resigned on spot. The next day he kept repeating 'i am feeling so relaxed '
#37
Beach lifeguard. Sunburns, sand in every crevice, and screaming kids everywhere. Not Baywatch.
#38
Lawyer. TV shows make it seem glamorous (fancy offices), passionate (fiery arguments in front of an enthralled jury) and efficient. In reality, the vast majority of lawyers don’t work in those fancy offices, and if you’re in a big firm in those fancy offices, it’s just late nights of drafting and getting yelled at. If you make a fiery speech in the court room, a judge will likely to tell you to control yourself (unless you’re in a high profile celebrity case). The jury will be mostly checked out and bored. Unless you’re in federal court, the process drags on simply because it’s the norm in state court for parties to request and be granted extensions on deadlines.
#39
I was a game tester way, way back in college during an internship Even though I only tested one game for 3 months, I didn't feel like playing anything at all for next 2 years.
Michael Largey 1 year ago
I've been a beta tester for a number of games I was interested in, but never played one of them after they were released.
#40
Wedding planner (I have a good friend who does high-end, six- and seven-figure weddings). The menu tasting and design of wedding are great. Seeing the event get pulled off is great. The other 90% is phone calls, emails, dealing with people and running a small business. It’s super stressful.
Fabian Bernard 1 year ago
Having worked with wedding planners as a florist for 15 years, I can tell you those people are just horrible and entitled. Unreasonnable last minute askings, trying to make their orders more important than those of the usual customers ( who feeds the business more than them) , hard to reach when having to be paid, always trying to lower the price to a non sustainable amount for us, discharging their responsability on us when there's an issue with their customers....Future brides, just skip those parasites, at least for the flowers
#41
Pretty much any job that’s your hobby already. In ‘95, me and a couple buddies moved to Tahoe to go snowboarding for the winter. I saved up all summer and got a pass. They got jobs at the resort, and that included a pass. They worked in the parking lot freezing their collective tushes off, and spent their lunch break and their ride break by the fire in the cafeteria. I rode all day and delivered pizzas at night. Even on their days off they didn’t want to go back to “work” and go snowboard with me and any friends who might be up for the weekend.
RamiRudolph 1 year ago
Agreed. Hobbies are great when you do them for fun, whenever you like. As soon as you HAVE to do them, they become a drag. Even the most enjoyable activities suck when you're forced to do them.
Diolla 1 year ago
I actually make money doing something I love, it used to be a hobby. BUT it's not my main income. If I had to do it fulltime I would suffer.
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Brent Amador 1 year ago
Not a hobby, but I’m a truck driver (deliver propane) I drive anywhere from 100-400 miles a day, and the last thing I want lately is to drive anywhere whether it’s a couple miles to a hundred, I dread Friday nights after work having to go grocery shopping cuz I get stuck driving to the 2-4 different stores.
#42
From what I’ve heard, game development. You have to play through the same levels over and over again to test for bugs, and it can make you lose interest in video games as a whole.
#44
Working in a video game store sounds like a dream job to many, but it often turns out to be less glamorous than expected. You imagine playing games all day, but in reality, you're dealing with difficult customers, managing inventory, and often working long hours during release periods.
#45
Working as a govt employee at one of the most busiest agencies in the govt. Every person in America will use this agency. No it's not the IRS. Social Security Administration. We are at a 25 year low in employees and a 14 percent increase in claims. Use a 40 year old legacy program. The policies can be complex. I work for the American people. You deserve the best service possible. Are case loads are high.
#46
Veterinary Medicine. People think you play with puppies and cute animals all day. And people expect you to act like that, when in reality you may just have had to euthanize a perfectly healthy animal due to terrible owners. Maybe you didnt go in to clinical work, and you can work within government control and argue with politicians and human medical professionals over OneHealth issues which seem to be a predominantly veterinarian specialisation.
#47
I would assume Airline pilot. It involves long hours, time away from home, and a lot of stress and responsibility that aren't always apparent from the outside.
Edward Valleau 1 year ago
I've heard it referred to as hours of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer panic.
Sand Ers 1 year ago
Excessive automation created a generation of airline pilots who don’t know how to fly an airplane. Look up Air France flight 447 in 2009. It crashed because when the air speed indicator temporarily malfunctioned, it switched off the automation. The First Officer and relief First Officer then grossly mishandled the controls, making mistake they would have been trained on in their very first day of flight school.
Load More Replies... #48
I have a friend who was a french fry taste tester. It apparently was the worst job ever.
Angelshark 1 year ago
I wouldn't be a taste tester for my favorite candy company on their best day.
#49
Working in a bookshop. If you're working in a small bookshop, the owner, your boss, is almost certainly someone who, in a previous era, would have been hanged for sexual infelicities with farm animals, and in the modern era is more likely to be mistaken for a street bum. If you're working in a chain bookstore, you're one step up from working in a McDonald's. Actually, maybe about the same level.
UselessKnowledgeFont 1 year ago
This seems like a them problem. The only real problems with the chains is not being allowed to read books on the clock, constantly changing the displays, and surprisingly low pay for many. Knowing where stuff is automatically is a wonderful experience. So are the sales friendships with regulars
#50
Graphic designer. In my experience, most agencys keep you on a tight budget which prevents you from actually being creative. Bigger fancy agencies burn you out super fast and are very competitive, or straight up require you to be an underpaid intern and milk your brain for months, before deciding if they'll even hire you. You quickly count as "old" in the industry, which makes it hard to find a job. The pay isn't all that great and the field is overrun, at least where I live. It's a job you just really have to live for, I guess. (I don't, I like having hobbies and a social life outside of my colleagues).
#51
Engineer.
Michael Largey 1 year ago
Engineers are not known for their communication skills.
Load More Replies... #52
Everyone's just posting s****y jobs that most people already know are s****y.
Lavern Defazio 1 year ago
Yes, but they forgot the guy that has to unload the c**p in port-o-potties...now that's s****y. We salute you Port O Potty Person!!
What do you think ?
Miracle Max 1 year ago
It seems writing for Bored Panda is less exciting than we think, the amount of duplicate entries in this list is ridiculous!
Bec 1 year ago
The depressed listless unemployed man who lives in my basement might disagree. He never wants to go to events with me because most people strike up a conversation with, 'and what do you do? '. Not having a job can make you feel as if you have no purpose just like having an unfulfilling job
Load More Replies... Bec 1 year ago
Farmer. Nowadays it's get big or get crushed, but in general you take on a large amount of risk, worry about the weather and the market. Planting and harvesting season are long long days. If you have livestock, you can only go on a vacation if you have someone trustworthy to oversee them.
Vix Spiderthrust 1 year ago
"Everything seems and interesting, and then you find out it's just another job." - Terry Pratchett
Sand Ers 1 year ago
The only hard part of being a billionaire is that they don’t have any real problems, so they invent phony ones to obsess over. Then they think their meaningless “problem” is a public policy crisis, and start buying government agents to implement laws to fix the problem. Which is usually, someone told them “no”.
Load More Replies... Miracle Max 1 year ago
It seems writing for Bored Panda is less exciting than we think, the amount of duplicate entries in this list is ridiculous!
Bec 1 year ago
The depressed listless unemployed man who lives in my basement might disagree. He never wants to go to events with me because most people strike up a conversation with, 'and what do you do? '. Not having a job can make you feel as if you have no purpose just like having an unfulfilling job
Load More Replies... Bec 1 year ago
Farmer. Nowadays it's get big or get crushed, but in general you take on a large amount of risk, worry about the weather and the market. Planting and harvesting season are long long days. If you have livestock, you can only go on a vacation if you have someone trustworthy to oversee them.
Vix Spiderthrust 1 year ago
"Everything seems and interesting, and then you find out it's just another job." - Terry Pratchett
Sand Ers 1 year ago
The only hard part of being a billionaire is that they don’t have any real problems, so they invent phony ones to obsess over. Then they think their meaningless “problem” is a public policy crisis, and start buying government agents to implement laws to fix the problem. Which is usually, someone told them “no”.
Load More Replies... You May Like 50 World’s Weirdest Jobs That Pay Out Quite Well We Rounded Up Some Absurdly Funny Job Titles For Your Entertainment Pleasure Job Interviews Turning To Dystopian Hell Are A Reality As This Person’s Experience Proves
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