10 Worst Jobs Ever and Why
For many workers, the workplace environment is something to survive, rather than one to enjoy and thrive in. Emotional factors, earnings levels, advancement opportunities, job stability, stress levels, and other factors tend to make life at the average office far less than satisfactory.
Yet, some jobs tend to stand out. If you can possibly manage it, you should consider giving the unsatisfactory careers on this list a wide berth.
1 Reporter
Not only do journalists constantly worry about coming up with good ideas, developing stories requires going out and talking to dozens of people each day, as well. If you get your facts wrong, your employer may get sued and you could be out of a job. Meanwhile, live each day at a new organization revolves around unforgiving daily deadlines.
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At a median income level of $37,000, the pay isn’t great and the competition for jobs is stiff. The future for journalism is troubled, too: with free online news eating into the profit margins of established news organizations, job security in this field tends to be questionable. For those who love journalism, though, it’s a career area that inspires a great deal of passion.
2 Broadcasting journalist
Just as with journalism, the job market for broadcast news has been shrinking at more than 2% each year. Those in jobs are expected to be grateful for what they have, too: long, unpredictable working hours, the pressures of everyday deadlines and pay that is merely acceptable at $37,000 a year for reporters and $50,000 for program directors.
3 Private in the Army
The United States Armed Forces is a huge organization with jobs of every description and at every skill level. While every non-commissioned job in the military comes with a rich benefits package that includes education, paid vacation, health, housing and travel, some jobs take more out of you than others. Basic pay for a private on active duty is less than $20,000. For compensation at this level, soldiers put up with long absences from their families and put their lives at risk. Nevertheless, many find it immensely rewarding to serve their country.
4 Taxi driver
The licensed taxicab industry is under serious competition today with new car-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft taking their traditional custom away. At one time, it took a great deal of work to qualify as a taxi driver; these days, nearly anyone can get a part-time job as a taxicab driver.
Competition for jobs tends to be punishing. With 12-hour workdays, the risk of nodding off at the wheel tends to be high, too. At a median pay rate of $11 an hour, cab driving rates as one of the worst careers to be in.
5 Master chef
A head cook’s job isn’t for those without physical strength. The ability to work at breakneck speed during rush hours and to stay on one’s feet for long hours, both need a great deal of endurance.
The job also includes some risk of injury. Pay starts at $11 an hour and doesn’t get to $20 an hour for 10 years. It’s a creative job, though, and does offer job satisfaction.
6 Flight attendant
Decades ago, young people would dream of a career in the sky. The airline industry, though, has since been through multiple rounds of bankruptcies. Today, they’ve learned to push their workers hard for efficiency and to pack their flights to capacity.
Rude passengers, unpredictable hours, long periods of time standing, turbulence and jet lag make the flight attendant’s job an unpleasant one. Both inexperienced flight attendants and experienced ones make about the same – $37,000 a year and healthcare benefits.
7 Firefighter
For understandable reasons, firefighting is one of the most injury-prone lines of work in existence. A firefighter with 10 years on the job typically survives collapsed houses, terrible falls, explosions, and post-traumatic stress disorder. With 40-hour weeks and unpredictable hours, it isn’t a job for those who have trouble sleeping.
Yet, the median salary of $45,000 a year and the opportunity to live life as a hero tend to be great sources of satisfaction.
8 Police officer
While some jobs in law enforcement tend to pay well and to come with little risk, police officers on active duty accept poor pay, extremely difficult hours, ethical dilemmas (racism among fellow policemen, covering colleagues for unjustifiable use of force and so on) and a high level of risk of physical harm.
Working as a corrections officer tends to be even worse — one lives with violent criminals on a daily basis. With police departments and law enforcement jobs being privatized everywhere, there is constant pressure for more efficiency and lower pay.
9 Dentist
Dentistry does pay well and does offer reasonable working hours and job security. Going to school to be a dentist and investing in practice, though, tend to cost so much that dentists live their lives in debt, perpetually worrying about paying off their student loans and their equipment loans. Bankruptcies are common.
10 Marriage therapist
Marriage counselors and therapists get so deeply into debt to qualify for their jobs that they often don’t expect to pay their student loans back until well into their retirement. Making a median salary of $45,000 a year, they often can’t expect to pay their loans off quickly.
Yet, with insurance companies now paying for marriage therapy, the field is expected to grow by 40% over the next five years.
