What’s the worst job you’ve ever had, pandas? Was it working in a high-stress restaurant where cooks and customers constantly blamed you for their own mistakes and berated you for being too slow? Or was it a mind-numbing desk job that sucked the life out of you and wasn’t nearly worth it for the disappointing paychecks you earned? No matter what your preferences are when choosing a place of employment, I’m sure you can relate to having at least one job that you wouldn’t wish upon your worst enemy.
As it turns out, there are plenty of career paths out there that even the people in them wouldn’t recommend. Last week, Reddit user HalosOpulence asked readers to detail why they wouldn’t recommend their professions to others, and these workers were brutally honest. Below, we’ve gathered their most eye-opening, and frankly unfortunate, responses, so you too can know which career fields to be wary of.
Keep reading to also find an interview with HalosOpulence to hear what inspired this conversation in the first place, and be sure to upvote the replies you resonate with. Then if you’re interested in reading about even more careers that aren’t all they’re cracked up to be, check out this Bored Panda article next!
#1
I’m a scientist. That means you don’t make much money, and no-one listens to anything you say.
Image credits: EmotionalTruth3477
#2
Pediatric cancer scientist. A lot of the kids that end up on our research protocol are going to die. Fewer of them are going to die than if they were *not* on our research protocol, but the prognosis for the “we’ve tried everything else” cases that get to us is not great.
Image credits: DrSuviel
#3
Social work (US) – every system we have to work within is failing or already broken. the trauma these children go through, sometimes at the hands of your own agency (unexpected placement changes), will shatter you. I’ve been doing it for 4 years and am feeling the cracks… no idea when the break will finally come.
Image credits: NotoriousFawn90
#4
Machine operator, I’ve had 6 lung infections in the past year and a half from all the welding fumes.
To all the geniuses who think I’m not wearing a respirator. I am. But it can only filter out so much. Especially if the shop looks like willie Nelson and snoop dogg were hanging out.
Image credits: External_Recipe_3562
#5
Healthcare (U.S.) should be avoided as a career because it’s exploited ruthlessly for profit. If you go to work in my field, you’re signing up for extra stress for life, all to make money for some parasitic MBA.
Image credits: hestermoffet
#6
Book Editor.
Well, I used to love reading. I joined a book club while in college and even voted as one of the committee. Now I see books as work and never touch them outside my work hours. *sigh*
Image credits: pangcukaipang
#7
Middle School Teacher
It’s stressful and low pay
Image credits: mrwilliams623
#8
Plumber: make 6 figures after your apprenticeship but it’s a long road. Don’t really know how to describe it, but this isn’t your backup plan if academia doesn’t work out for you. It will destroy your body and be both physically and mentally stressful every day for many years. We aren’t just fixing leaky sinks. Heavy electrical/controls component and it’s heavy duty on the commercial service side. You will be injured, and have lasting chronic pain. I’ve encouraged all of my very young apprentices to seek a desk job. That being said, if you have the brain and the toughness, you will make good money, but have a plan to get out.
Image credits: Pihkal1987
#9
Musician.
It’s countless hours of practice (and talent doesn’t hurt either), just to get to career level, and countless more to maintain that level. And even *that* doesn’t guarantee you a spot on stage or in the studio, or that people will like what you do enough to pay you.
It’s also about who you know. Which is a combination of networking skills, a tasteful amount of pushiness, and sheer luck. So if you’re not a people person (and that’s ok, lots of musicians aren’t, even some successful ones), your task is even harder.
We certainly must do it for the love of music, mustn’t we…
Image credits: crappotheclown
#10
Nurse-> PTSD
Image credits: RoofLegitimate95
#11
Union Laborer. Mainly concrete work but occasionally I do asphalt or other stuff like that.
The money is great and there is always work but unless you want to have very bad back, neck and joint pain by the time you’re 25 I wouldn’t recommend it.
I’ve seen countless people(basically 75% of the people I work with) addicted to all sorts of painkillers because it’s so rough on the body. I’m only 27 and I’m starting to see why they all are, my body aches all the time.
Go to college.
Image credits: StrongReach3401
#12
Freelance filmmaker here (cinematographer, director, producer).
Upsides:
– I can charge $150+ / hr.
– I can usually survive on less than 100 days of work per year.
– Seeing your name in the credits of a film/TV show feels pretty good.
Downsides:
– There is not a clear career path / road map to success. It’s mostly right time, right place, luck of the draw.
– A normal shift is 10.5-12.5 hours and have often gone 18+hrs…for WEEKS AT A TIME with sporadic days off.
– It can require extended travel, often with no warning.
– A job typically gets booked as a “hold” (which is a soft “maybe this will actually happen” kind of commitment) and will often get pushed or dropped with zero explanation or recourse for payment.
– With every job, you must negotiate against a shrewd producer who is always “working with a tight budget” whenever the client is: Disney, Facebook, Nike, Coldplay (insert Fortune 500 company / organization not hurting for money)
– Getting work often has zero to do with your portfolio or level of talent.
– Competition for work is FIERCE and often results in people undercutting each other (even as friends) to get that gig.
– For equipment, I have invested tens-of-thousands of dollars with the hope of rolling the new gear into my rental kit…only to have a client decline to use my camera or lenses in favor of cheap / inferior rental equipment.
– Films are no longer “fun” to work on
– I am self employed and have no insurance
– It costs $10k to join the Union to not have to fight for a decent rate
– The divorce rate in the film industry is extremely high
– There is zero stability as a freelancer
– I’m always “working”
– My mental health has suffered during periods without work. You begin to question why so-and-so is working and you are not. It’s a vicious cycle.
– On the best days, I feel like a disposable cog in a machine and not an artist.
Image credits: dahveeth
#13
Advertising
Most people in advertising get aged out of the profession between the ages of 35 and 40.
Image credits: copyboy1
#14
I build power lines-
it’s extremely hard on your body, long hours, work a lot of weekends and holidays. The pay is good but you can only do this trade for so long before your body gives out.
Image credits: OsideScumbag
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