It is often said that finding a job that you enjoy and are passionate about can go a long way to living a happy and fulfilling life.
The topic came up recently on Reddit when someone asked, “Which job is a LOT less fun than most people expect?” Here are the top-voted responses.
#1. Video Game Testers
One user said, “Video game tester. You aren’t spending your time playing completed, fully realized games. Instead, you repeatedly play the same game level to see if there are bugs.”
Another added, “Also, you are probably not going to test the next Grand Theft Auto.” They continued, “Instead, it’s something like Barbie’s Super Happy Funland 3 or some other game aimed at kids eight and under. And you’ll have to play it for 8-10 hours daily.”
#2. Archeologist
One user said, “Most people have no idea that professional archaeology is usually tedious, physically challenging, and uncomfortable work.”
The Redditor went onto say, “And you get paid nothing and share terrible hotel rooms with coworkers who, like you, are also functional alcoholics and have probably slept with coworkers.”
#3. Zookeeper
“Zookeeper,” one said. “Don’t get me wrong. Being around so many amazing animals and caring for them is incredible. But the smells are ridiculously, insanely foul. I have a strong stomach, and it’s still tough for me, and we’ve had some interns quit over it.”
#4. Demolition
“Demolition,” replied a user. “Everyone wants to break stuff with a sledgehammer. Everyone is tired of lifting that sledgehammer with five swings. Nobody wants to load the broken things into bags or a wheelbarrow and take it to the dumpster.”
#5. Animal Shelter
One user said, “Working in an animal shelter. We’re animal maids. You also deal with animals of all sorts of behavioral and developmental stages urinating and pooing all over the place.”
#6. Marine Biologist
One user admitted, “I’m a marine biologist. I spent the last week measuring defrosted fish heads.”
Another commenter said, “Adding to this – the entire industry relies heavily on volunteers from the get-go. Entry-level jobs can ask for five years of field experience. It’s also a lot more time in front of a computer/in a lab than you’d think. For example, I’d do a fifty-minute dive and then spend six hours analyzing one video for data,”
#7. Lawyer
“Lawyer, no, it isn’t like they show on TV,” a user replied. “Hey, finally, the case is before the judge, but the other party didn’t show up. The next date that judge has given is three months away. And you don’t work on one case until you solve it like How to Get Away with Murder.”
#8. Baker
One person replied, “Baker. Coming into work at 3–4:00 am so you can have a 6:00 am baked good is miserable.”
Another admitted, “I was hired as a baker and lasted two days after learning not only do we need to prepare and bake at 4:00 am, but the oven was HUGE.”
#9. Working in an Instrument Store
One said, “Working in a music store (musical instruments),” one said.
They added, “Your days are spent listening to 50 people misplay 50 different riffs simultaneously as if they’re all putting on their own concert.”
A second thought that, “I don’t mind people playing poorly, even, but I cannot stand stopping and repeatedly restarting because they made a mistake. Like, move on!”
#10. Lifeguard
Someone responded, “Lifeguarding. Everyone expects the Baywatch act to save lives all the time. But It’s usually just sitting there blowing your whistle and telling little brats to stop screwing around.”
#11. Character Performer
One Redditor said, “Don’t get me wrong, there are some amazing perks and truly magical moments. I know I’m super lucky and tons of people would love to be in my shoes. But the day to day work is EXHAUSTING in ways I never thought possible. Guests are ridiculously abusive…I’ve had things said and done to me I never would have imagined.”
They added, “And there’s so much focus on your body and face (good and BAD) that it can be incredibly depressing and difficult emotionally.”
#12. Paleontologist
“You don’t get to work with full dinosaur skeletons and do all kinds of awesome expeditions,” a user replied.
They continued, “You’re mostly sitting at a desk looking at some pictures and logging stuff on your computer, maybe examining a fossil occasionally. If you’re lucky you can go on a real dig, and OMG SPEND HOURS IN THE HOT SUN DUSTING OFF ROCKS!!!”
#13. Cyber Security
“Bro, the movies do us no justice. Hacking is not as fast nor is it as easy as the media makes it. It’s a great field but you spend a lot of time researching or watching paint dry, especially in the gov side.” said a contributor.
#14. Google Street View Driver
Another contribution was Google driver. One user said, “You’re all alone for 8+ hours a day, can almost never take a break, need to constantly be “on” and focused (lest you crash the $25,000 Subaru with $60,000+ worth of camera equipment on it).”
#15. Writer
Another contribution was, “Being a writer. I always thought it was my absolute dream job. But the only job I could get after college was working in a content mill as a blog writer.”
The user continued, “I used to work 70-hour weeks staring at the computer in a basement of an old bank writing b******t articles about the dangers of mold, fence cleaning, and why you need a commercial awning and the dream turned into a nightmare.”
#16. Bar Bouncer
One said, “Hours of tension and boredom interrupted by moments of adrenaline fueled fear for your life. Then some a**hole pukes cheap booze on your shoes.”
#17. Captioner
One contributor said, “While I joke that yes, I get paid to watch TV, it’s actually very tedious. And if you don’t actually enjoy the programming you’re being forced to watch something you don’t care for.”
#18. Accountant
Accountancy isn’t exactly glamorous but it made it to the list, as one Redditor drily said, “Everyone thinks it’s all fun and number crunching. But the constant stream of women throwing their panties and wanting to bear your children is honestly exhausting.”
#19. Extra Actor
Another contributor said, “All the ones we see on TV and movies are the 0.0001% of incredibly lucky and talented people who managed to thrive in a hostile and overcrowded industry. And even when you are working, the actual job itself is 99% sitting on apple crate in hot makeup waiting for some grips to move a lighting fixture.”
#20. Park Ranger
One contributor spoke about their experience, they said, “Don’t get me wrong, I loved it, but a lot of days it was less ‘talk about cool animals while wearing your ranger hat’ and more ‘the toilets are overflowing again, go clean the septic tank filter and stir the tank with a shovel.'”
#21. Video Game Developer
A developer contributed to said, “They’re notoriously overworked, especially during crunch time. The field is highly competitive too, so I imagine if you have the slightest issue with work being your entire life, it wouldn’t be hard to replace you.”
#22. Scientist
One contributor, perhaps a scientist said, “I don’t know if people usually think of that career as fun, but I think people think it’s a lot more ‘Eureka!’ and a lot less ‘this data’s has to be manually processed for 600 hours before I can analyze it.’
#23. Flight Attendant
A flight attendant contributed to say, “1) You are on call (on reserve) forever, have a terrible schedule, have no life, and make no money for 5-10 years. 2) While you work for peanuts, you can’t afford to use your flight “benefits” in any substantial way.”
They continued, “Did I mention there is an act of US legislation (Railway Labor Act) that allows airlines to exploit so you don’t get paid for certain work hours that you actually need to be working? For example, FAs don’t get paid for boarding, or any time the plane is at the gate. WORST JOB EVER.”
#24. Florist
Another Redditor said, “It’s just like any other retail job, but people constantly tell you how fun your job must be. Also helping grieving families chose funeral flowers is not fun. -For sure! Dealing with brides…dealing with their mothers, funerals, sitting in traffic making deliveries, waking up super early to get to the flower market, and so so so much bleach.”
#25. Beekeeping
The final contributor may well be a beekeeper, they said, “Get used to the constant sound of buzzing during hive inspections/swarm removals plus wearing the protective suit in hot a** weather for hours on end (give or take the situation). Also, there appears to be a large number of beekeepers allergic to bees so epipens are a must. -Why on Earth would someone who’s allergic to bee stings go into beekeeping?”
The post 25 Jobs That Are a Lot Less Fun Than People Think and Some You Probably Already Knew Were Pretty Bad first appeated on Career Step Up.
Source: Reddit