There are many people who dream of having one specific job their entire lives.
Their desire to pursue it never dies from childhood through college.
And then, their dream finally comes true, and they begin to study or work in the field they've been waiting for all their life.
Only to discover they have an aversion to a fundamental element of the profession.
Such as an actor having crippling stage fright, a teacher who hates public speaking, or a doctor who faints at the sight of blood.
Things which will no doubt prove a problem towards, if not flat out disqualify, their ability to thrive at work.
A recent Redditor was curious to hear examples, both theoretical and actual, with people whose phobias, fears, and aversions hampered their jobs, leading them to ask:
"What's the 'went through med school just to realize you couldn't stand the sight of blood' of your job field?"
Honestly, though, who Can Stand Vomit?
"Went through nursing school, only to figure out I cant stand vomit."
"Just vomit though!"
"I can stand blood, feces, urine, biliary drainage, pulmonary secretions, etc."
"There's just something about vomit."- deofictitio
They're Not Prepared For The Real Thing
"Well, I'm a phlebotomist, sooo."
"Never had anyone who ended up not being able to stand the sight of blood, but have had several people who couldn't do other specimens collected or received in a lab."
"Urine, stool, sputum, etc."
"Also people who were surprised that most of our draws would be kids, the elderly, chemo and dialysis patients, all notoriously difficult draws, and thought everything would be exactly like it was in school."
"I've had new people in the hospital when I was there tell me they 'won't' attend the Code Blues because 'they can't see anyone die'."
"Like, it's a hospital."
"People are in bad shape and die in it."- ICanHandleItOk
It Takes A Special Type Of Person...
"Got a prestigious degree in finance and economics, realized I sincerely hate the type of people who work in IB/Finance."
"Not all of them of course, but you all know that guy who thinks 'Wolf of Wall Street' is a documentary about him."- MoschopsChopsMoss·
Season 4 Money GIF by SpongeBob SquarePants
Giphy
Actual 'Nightmares At 20,000 Feet....'
"There’s quite a few pilots that are scared of heights."- TRex_N_Truex
The Open Sea Isn't For Everyone...
Had a teacher in my nautical academy that found out he was chronically seasick."- N-Gannet
You'd Think They'd Have An Idea?
"I work in a pathology/bacteriology lab, so basically if you're at all squeamish, you've got no chance."
"I took swabs from a chunk of necrotic tissue on my second day, and I'll never look at fried mushrooms the same way again."- godoflemmings
Bacteria Microbiology GIF by kirun
Giphy
Not As Glamorous As They Expect
"Many people become a lawyer only to discover they hate practicing law, because they didn't really understand what that meant when they went to law school."
"Law is very boring, involves a lot of minute, rote work which has little practical effect on a case, and is ultimately soul sucking.'
"Being a lawyer involves very little grandstanding in court room."
"Many lawyers NEVER do that."
"Even trial lawyers, like you see on TV, only get a couple trials a year at best and some go years between trials."
"The only kinds of lawyers in court every day are criminal attorneys."- MentoBecomesManatee
Some People Just Can't Find The Words...
"My brother in law went through seminary and got a job as a youth pastor, only to find he absolutely could not speak in public."
"He does construction now."- sh4w5h4nk
Didn't Think This Through, huh?
"Sound engineer."
"I’m sensitive to loud noises."
"Should have thought that one through."- sequentialsilence
*loud internal screaming*
Giphy
Stick To Ground Level Fires?
"Went to school for firefighting, had a classmate drop out because he was afraid of heights."- cok3noic3
We'd like to think that we know some professions aren't as glamorous as they might seem, or are portrayed in films or television shows.
But sometimes we just need an hour or two of first-hand experience to truly see what we're getting ourselves in for, and start considering other professions.
Only to discover something about that job we also can't stand...
@imthedrizzle/Instagram
@clavclips2026/Instagram
@snow.sterling/Instagram
@impurreza/Instagram
@anthxny.5.21/Instagram
@officialjasonharwood/Instagram
@alexislovesmagic/Instagram
@leblanckians/Instagram
@mythoughtsarepink/Instagram
@poisonwazthecure/Instagram
@xlonelee21x/Instagram
@spiked_slush/Instagram
@billyfender2019/Instagram
@manny_olla/Instagram
@lilladii_101/Instagram
