When we're kids, we often dream of having a variety of jobs when we grow up.
At age 5, I was trying to choose between being a firefighter and a nun. Both didn't seem like a viable option.
I ended up choosing neither.
Some people pick their dream job, stick with it, attain it...
Then absolutely hate it.
Reddit user Head_Somewhere3770 asked:
"What type of job seems appealing but ends up being quite disappointing?"
Video Game Developer/Tester
"Video game developer and video game tester."
"You have to play through the same levels over and over again to look for bugs. It can be soul-crushing to the point where you lose interest in video games as a whole."
~ Vinny_Lam
"The biggest disconnect is that people get into game design because they want to flex their creative muscles. They want to make games."
"But the reality is that very few people in the game design process actually get to decide how the game works, most people just implement the ideas of the people at the top."
"Let's say you get a job working on the next Halo game. You might have an idea for a cool new weapon, but no. The weapons and game options decisions happen WAY above you."
"You're going to work on the muzzle flash. Make sure the muzzle flash is rendering correctly on the arms of all the character models. Then make sure it's still working in low light, and in bright light, and while you are against a wall, and in low light against a wall, and on and on and on."
~ ColSurge
Event Planner
"Event planning seems exciting until you’re stuck with last-minute changes, unresponsive vendors, and managing everyone’s stress."
~ Exotic_Insect8587
High-Priced Lawyer
"Big law. The pay is incredible, the work is unbelievably stressful and exhausting."
"A lot of people tell me that 'they also work a lot', but constantly being 'mentally on' for 50-70 hours a week (~40-60 in billables) analyzing deals in the tens and hundreds of millions of dollars around a bunch of cutthroat brilliant high functioning A-type personalities who are ready to pounce on any mistake is a whole different level of mental exhaustion that sucks away your ability to do anything, enjoy anything in the time that you do have outside of work.
"You end up spending so much money for shortcuts just to make life work out—living close by the office, food delivery, cleaning, dry cleaning, the grand gestures when you can't reliably be there for loved ones etc... that you don't actually pocket nearly as much as you think you do despite the high salaries."
"I am so glad I finally made it out after many years of grinding and went Of Counsel. I still get paid reasonably well, but the hours are dope."
~ WeddingElly
* "Of counsel" is a title used in the United States legal profession to describe an attorney who has a relationship with a law firm but is not an associate or partner.
Rancher/Farmer
"Ranching/Farmwork."
"I cringe every time I see someone say they want to live on a farm or ranch."
"It's hard, brutal work. Most people that say that will not last long."
~ peezle69
Nurse
"Nursing. Became a nurse to help people and do cool medical sh*t…and I did do that."
"I also got yelled at by patients and other staff, spit on, hit, demeaned, worked 16+ hours sometimes, and frequently missed important family events while working on weekends."
~ lindslinds27
Architect
"Architecture is a very weird medium to be in compared to other Art or Science professions cuz it's kinda both, or either, depends on which side of the trade you're doing. But fundamentally it's an odd place to be."
"Let's say you're a painter, you think of stuff then you paint it; same if you're a sculptor. But you rarely (if not ever) see an architect going out and physically building his/her own sh*t."
"It relies on others to make it happen and in the end, you're actualizing someone else's dream, using someone else's money, relying on someone else's labor. So you can take pride in being a part of it (or not)."
"The pay is relatively low if you're not licensed—hard to break 100k unless you're deep rooted in a company in a big city like NY. Long work hours are expected cuz it's a noble tradition in architecture from academic level to professional level."
"Lots of planning, and deadlines are always around the corner. At the end, you're in the service industry."
"Instead of a 5 minute deadline for a cheeseburger at a drive through, it's a 6 months deadline for a design or a set of drawings or construction or... There's always something."
~ 2u3ee
Scientist
"I work as a scientist."
"I'm not sure if people generally view that profession as enjoyable, but I believe they expect it to be filled with more 'Eureka!' moments and a lot less 'I have to manually process this data for 600 hours before I can start analyzing it'."
~ Ancient_Bowl_3634
Music Store Clerk
"I had a realization when I worked at a music store. I thought it was going to be listening to awesome music all day."
"It was just putting stickers on everything, trying to sell an absolute rip off of a store card, and listening to the same 4 f*cking sh*tty basic a** albums over and over and over until you understand why war crimes are a thing."
~ Comics4Cooks
Social Worker
"Social services. You’re made to think you’re gonna change the world, but you’re expected to overwork for 'passion' without being properly compensated."
~ BratS94
"All while not actually changing the world because the systemic issues that need to be changed are barricaded in red tape."
~ nails_for_breakfast
Florist
"Working at a flower shop is just like any other retail position, but everyone assumes it’s more enjoyable than it really is."
"Assisting families in selecting flowers for funerals is definitely not the fun part either."
~ Serious-Baseball-321
"Being a grocery store florist during COVID destroyed my mental health."
"Our department got cut hours—went from two people working Saturday and Sunday to just one person for both days."
"But the work load nearly tripled with all the funerals and people sending gifts to family at the hospital. It was horrible."
~ sammbabamm
Security Guard
"After four years in the military, my biggest complaint was the lack of sleep and the irregular schedule."
"First job after that was a security guard. I couldn't believe how lucky I was...getting paid to stand there and do nothing."
"Until that job, I had not realized how much I would hate being bored."
"It made me realize I wanted meaningful work that I enjoyed."
~ series_hybrid
Forensic Scientist
"A friend of mine is a forensic scientist, and whenever he's on dating apps, it's the only thing people want to talk about."
"His work is actually pretty technical and involves a lot of routine tasks."
~ Beneficial-Pop7235
"Former forensic scientist here, it sounds glamorous, but often you specialize in one thing like drug analysis or fingerprint analysis and it becomes very repetitive."
"I was fortunate to be a generalist and did a variety of things."
~ ironmanchris
Marine Biologist
"A friend of mine is a marine biologist, and they spent the past week measuring thawed fish heads."
~ Aggressive-Nerve-961
"My aunt and uncle spent almost all of their 50+ year careers as marine biologists studying barnacles together."
~ Foxxio
"I work with a lot of marine biologists in the Arctic and they all seem to absolutely love the work. There are definitely monotonous tasks, and it's always tough to get secure funding for projects."
"Lots of travel and it can be hard living on a boat for weeks at a time, but they all seem to be built to adore it."
"I imagine if you weren't you'd probably change careers pretty quickly. I certainly couldn't do what they do!"
~ Henheffer
Graphic Designer
"I often see graphic design touted as an escape route for people who find themselves wanting to change career."
"I honestly think it’s pretty irresponsible of the people who run these courses promising that, as it’s a really difficult industry to get into, and even if you can get into it, it’s then really hard to get the fun creative work you were picturing when you signed up."
"I’m sure a lot of people end up disappointed."
~ recycled-throwaway7
Veterinarian
"Veterinarian."
"Expectation: Ooo, lots of animals!"
"Reality: Death. SO MUCH DEATH."
~ rekniht01
"I'm a proud vet who hates my job."
"Love the animals, most of the humans with them, but it is non-stop grinding—packed surgery schedules, full appointment schedules every day, sometimes I barely have time to think/eat/take bathroom breaks, plus constant high stakes decisions, legal liability, corporate overlords."
"Emotionally, mentally, physically exhausting. Mediocre pay. And doing some shelter work mixed in is gut wrenching."
"Thank you to all of you who appreciate the vet support you have. I know quality can vary, but the vast majority of vets are kind people doing their best."
"And the techs and receptionists are working just as hard but with less respect and sometimes in the face of very poor behavior from the public so please share the love with them!"
~ Emmetottersmanager
What jobs did you think would be great but turned out to be awful?
