Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Break Down The Most Unhealthy Professions

People Break Down The Most Unhealthy Professions

A woman is very frustrated at work, looking at her computer and holding her head in her hands

Photo by Elisa Ventur on Unsplash

Finding a career is not easy.

And many professions are stressful and prone to burnout.

So what do we do?

Apparently, we keep going.

We have to work in order to get money and survive, right?

But some career choices just don't seem to be worth the coin.

The folks on Reddit stepped up to help us avoid certain career paths.


Redditor kk-sahinul wanted to chat about the jobs that make the money not worth it, so they asked:

"What profession do you find unhealthy?"

I worked as a waiter. That's all I say.

Heavy lifting...

construction GIFGiphy

"Construction, breathing in all kinds of dust all day, working in weird positions, heavy lifting, loud, dangerous tools and so on."

thatsoneuglybaby

On the Road Again...

"I imagine trucking comes with a lot of problems."

Poorly-Drawn-Beagle

"My grandfather was a trucker his whole life, he started his own business and raised 3 kids off of trucking. It killed him."

"Sleep deprivation, sitting still for 10+ hours at a time, an endless stream of black coffee and later energy drinks to stay alert, eating nothing but fast food and truck stop fare."

"And even when he was 'home,' the phone rang non-stop, usually brokers asking him to run another load from VA to CA."

"And to top it all off, he would be gone for weeks at a time, missing significant chunks of his children’s lives. And all of this, just to enjoy retirement for 2 years before dying of total kidney failure."

ChallengeLate1947

Toxic

"Welding, did that for 15 years. Breathing in toxic fumes all day sneeze into a kleenex and it would be black."

Consistent-Panic-996

"My dad was a welder and after retiring got lung cancer and caught it early, but lost part of a lung. Luckily my husband is a lawyer and has a friend that does personal injury lawyer specializing in asbestos so my dad has been getting settlements from over a dozen companies. The companies were required to put $ in a fund for settlements."

ketomachine

Too Much

"EMT. Those hours are unbelievable."

Jrk16

"Why are 24 hour shifts so common in medicine? There is ample evidence that mental performance declines over even an 8 hour shift, let alone 24hrs. Seems that of all professions this is one where you'd want everyone to be sharp and fresh as much as possible."

Johnny_B_GOODBOI

"And the lack of sleep, the caffeine intake, the trauma, the assaults, the gas station food."

austinh1999

The Fields

couple dancing GIFGiphy

"Farmers. My dad was exposed to toxic herbicides/pesticides and his doctors attributed his terminal stomach cancer to his decades of exposure."

username987654321a

"And that doesn’t even get into the insanely dangerous machinery they work with. I’ve read some real horror stories about guys getting caught in equipment and that’s all, folks."

kittyness02

Farmers are necessary. But not fun apparently.

Chronic

Doctor Hospital GIF by LCLGiphy

"Healthcare workers, chronic lack of sleep due to understaffing, potentially combative patients, various communicable diseases, sometimes threats from patients/their families."

HollyRoller66

Shaken & Stirred

"Bartending. There are so many alcoholics on both sides of the bar you become friends with. It can be difficult to keep yourself in check."

Mowings1

"I bartended for 10 years. Stopped almost exactly a year ago and while I loved being in that industry, getting out made me realize that drinking almost every day and doing drugs just to keep being able to handle those crazy weekend shifts wasn’t as fun as I justified it to be in my head. LOL."

freakybe

Not Safe

"Bouncer/Security. In my younger days I spent time as a bouncer, bar-back, and concert security. Nothing like having a drunken a** take swings at you for trying to do your job. Or getting blind-sided by a beer bottle to the head, etc. 100% not a long term sustainable role."

Toxikfoxx

Hazards

"Service work. Healthcare & K-12 teaching particularly. Medicine sucks due to inept healthcare & residency. My mother’s a teacher - overworked, underpaid."

Saint2th

"Where I am the schools are filled with lots of environmental hazards that really are unsafe to work around let alone have kids at everyday (mold, asbestos etc) it's unreal."

"People turn a blind eye or say it's not there but I grew up exploring every corner of that big old school... it's there. My mom was a teacher for four decades, got a different rare cancer 2x. The second one killed her. Underpaid is an understatement."

Bureaucrat_hell-loop

All of Us...

"Pretty much any job you don't like doing, which seems to be most for the majority of people. Forcing yourself to get up everyday to go do a job you hate just so you can break even at the end of the month."

chickadeedeedee_

Do what you love. If you can. And perhaps try to avoid some of these whenever possible.

Do you have any jobs to add? Let us know in the comments below.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Ariana Grande; 'Access Hollywood' reporters
@daydreamrem/X

Reporter's Tone-Deaf Question For Ariana Grande At Golden Globes Leaves Fans Stunned

An Access Hollywood reporter asked music icon and actor Ariana Grande a question that many shocked internet users thought was a major breach of social etiquette.

On Sunday, Grande represented team Wicked alongside castmates Cynthia Erivo, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, and director Jon M. Chu at the 82nd Golden Globes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Elon Musk Calls Student Ableist Slur For Criticizing How Much 'Disinformation' He Spreads

Billionaire Elon Musk was widely condemned after he referred to a student on the platform by using the "r-word"—a known ableist slur—after the student called him out for being the "largest spreader of disinformation."

The R-word is a derogatory term derived from "mental retardation," which was once introduced in 1961 as a medical term for individuals with intellectual disabilities. However, the term has since been co-opted as an insult, widely used in everyday language.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nancy Mace; Jonathan Van Ness
Kent Nishimura/Getty Images; Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

Nancy Mace Gets Blunt Reminder After Criticizing 'Queer Eye' Star For Golden Globes Dress

Rep. Nancy Mace was called out after she criticized Jonathan Van Ness, the nonbinary star of the hit Netflix docuseries Queer Eye, for wearing a dress to the Golden Globes—except Mace has her own recent history with gender-bending fashion.

Since November, Mace has garnered national attention for her campaign against Democratic Representative Sarah McBride of Delaware, the first openly transgender person elected to Congress.

Keep ReadingShow less
The silhouette of a man leading against a wall.
men's white dress shirt

People Describe The Worst Pain They've Ever Felt In Their Life

It's often surprising just how much minor injuries can hurt.

Sometimes after we stub our toe, prick our fingers, or hit our funny bones we feel like we're in almost unbearable pain.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jeremy Strong
ETIENNE LAURENT/AFP via Getty Images

Jeremy Strong's Green Suit And Matching Bucket Hat At The Golden Globes Spark Hilarious Jokes

As always, the 2025 Golden Globes were full of memorable moments, but none have generated quite as much discourse as actor Jeremy Strong's red carpet outfit.

Strong won a Globe in 2022 for his role in HBO's Successionand was a nominee this year for his supporting role in the film The Apprentice.

Keep ReadingShow less