For unemployed people who have been out of work for any number of reasons and are ready to be proactive again, job-seeking can be arduous.
But once they land a position and earn a livable wage, they can be assured that a consistent paycheck is the end of their problems.
But not so fast.
Not all jobs are what people thought they signed up for.
Curious to hear from strangers about work expectations, Redditor KaitlinKitty04 asked:
"What is the worst job you've ever had?"
Typical occupational hazards.
Annoying Coworkers
"Silverado Plumbing in Tucson. It was a bunch of 40 year old women who acted like they were the mean girls in high school."
– slappy_mcslapenstein
Priorities
" Concert security. I was a huge fan of the artist and couldn’t turn around to watch. It was so tempting and an overall bad time."
– Dependent-Prune-7714
"My brother worked security for Ozzfest one year, and being as big as we are into metal, I felt really bad for him not being able to watch his free Ozzfest show."
– T1NF01L
Daycare Nightmare
"I worked at a daycare center, and the building was so old and run down. My classroom carpet was disgusting, it had pee and vomit spots all over. Broken toys, ripped up books. No supplies. Just horrible! Mice would run around the children, while they slept on their cots at nap time. I ended up quitting, and calling the state on them."
– PlanktonSharp879
We all gotta start somewhere.
Golden Arches
" Cleaning toilets at mcdonalds."
– Glittering_Offer_69
"People drunk enough after the bars and all they want is some greasy McD's. Used to go to this burrito place that was open until 3am on weekends because the bars closed at 2am. It looked like that McD's sometimes because of all the drunk immature college kids. I knew the owner and he said it was worth it, because between midnight and 3am on Friday and Saturday nights they made more than they did the entire rest of the week."
– vonkeswick
Working With Tobacco
"Hoeing tobacco. I was 14 and it was a summer job for $40 a day. 7am to 4 pm. I did it for one day."
– EggRamenMan
"Cutting\hanging tobacco was worse for me. Cutting it wasn't horrible but the barns we hung it to dry in were sealed with black plastic. So 95F outside becomes 140F inside the barn. No breeze. Had to keep drinking water and have a barn buddy as people could and did pass out from the heat inside the barn."
– nebelhund
Sexist Tactic
"I worked at a DVD store, doing floor stuff - organizing shelves, putting out new stock, that sort of thing, fun job for me."
"We had a rewards program you could sign up for. Very few people did, and our numbers were bad. So my boss got the brilliant idea to put cute little 19 year old me in a low cut top to stand in the anime section and encourage the dudes to sign up for it. I guess he figured dudes who buy anime are sad and lonely and would be pleased at any attention from a girl. The sad thing is that it totally worked."
"It was super degrading and I only worked there for a few more weeks before I got another job that didn't depend on my cleavage."
– KnittinAndBitchin
These jobs can really take an emotional and physical toll.
Big-Box Store Reputation
"Walmart Distribution Center. When Amazon was under fire for their mistreatment of employees, i watched an interview and the distribution center I worked at was SO much worse."
– itsrainingmelancholy
"My worst job was at a Home Depot distribution center. These places treat human beings like a number. You have to meet quotas or face retribution. I destroyed my back for life at that place for $12 an hour. To this day I avoid the tile aisle because it gives me a phantom twinge in the back."
– Phxician
Constant Streamer
"Had to engage with people's YouTube content and watch their videos fully including ads and send them proof. A 100 videos a day."
– Minnie-Chuu-4062
Pandemic Hustle
"A testing covid site having to test 100s of people a day was A LOT of stress because it was peak covid had a great team though which made it better but sneezing kids and adults and boatloads of schools and the management was horrendous I got covid three times working at that place"
– False_Grape_7485
These positions didn't help with self-esteem.
Phone Company Shyster
"Worked for a third party company that sells AT&T service (so basically your typical AT&T store)."
"First store I worked at the manager would drink on the job and would throw tantrums in front of customers. I actually felt afraid to be with him by myself."
"I was then told I had to transfer to another store that needed help. The manager would not accept anything less than the top service plan we offered. She’d have me purposely add things to peoples plans without asking. She would meddle with peoples plans in order for us to make money off of it. I ended up walking out of that job."
"So if you have AT&T, really look at your plan and what they’re charging you. People will do shady sh*t just to get a small commission off of it."
– Kai-Tlyn
Low On The Academic Totem Pole
"A school counselor. You are essentially the school’s dumping ground for things no one else wants to do and you barely get to do any counseling. I left after 5 years but looking back, I should have left after the first year."
– ksw90
Sticking to a job no matter what is admirable, but to what extent?
If you're miserable and not feeling productive or fulfilled, there's no shame in walking out and seeking a better opportunity somewhere else to make money.
It's not worth the stress to be stuck in those situations.
Better jobs are out there.
You just have to dedicate time to looking for them.
