Professionals Divulge Insider Secrets No One Knows About Their Profession
Reddit user pocketcrackers asked: 'What fact is common knowledge in your field, but almost unknown to the rest of the population?'
As much as we know about the world around us, we can't know everything. This is especially true when we think about a field or profession we're not directly involved in or with,
The film industry is a good example. Unless we're directly involved, we really know nothing about what it's like to make movies. How much of that computer hacking scene is based in reality? Is that a real disease? Did the actor do that entire stunt himself, or was there a stunt double helping?
Reddit is full of professionals who know the secrets of their industries and are ready to share.
It all started when Redditor pocketcrackers asked:
"What fact is common knowledge in your field, but almost unknown to the rest of the population?"
Let's Get Out Of Here!
"People almost always try to exit through the same door they entered. In a crowded venue ALWAYS take a second to find your exit and then find a second exit. Mark them in your brain just in case. In an emergency most of the crowd is going to go for the main door they came in through. Knowing where another exit is can save your life."
– Spiritual_Worth
Be Aware Of Symptoms
"UTIs will often cause confusion in people over 70."
– silly-billy-goat
"I work in the mental health field. Often I’m told a loved one has dementia, Alzheimer’s, etc. I will ask about symptom onset and they’ll say “a couple days” or something similar. A round of antibiotics later and the loved one is usually back to their baseline. UTIs in older folks are wild."
– ChicagoOwls
Stronger Than You Think
"When you're taking Imodium you're actually taking an opioid. But it's designed to only interact with the opioid receptors in your digestive tract to slow down your intestines. Scientists were like hey. You know that anti-diarrhea medication heroin? Well what if we made a version of that without the pesky side effects of getting you high?"
– NotMyDogPaul
Come On, Stand
"Your calf muscles act as a pump for your lymph fluid, which is basically the garbage pick-up and immunity doordash of your body. Without flexing your calf, the fluid has no way of moving against gravity. Each time we walk, the muscles contract, squeezing the fluid back up towards the core for processing.That's why sitting for long periods causes swelling in the legs."
– Orange-Enough
If We Could Only Speed Up...
"Trucker here and we don't want to be anywhere near you either."
"Go around or stay back don't just ride right beside us. We can't see you very well when you are beside us and if sh*t happens you're gonna go splat."
"It is very very very rare that any driver wants to slow you down it's not like we get our rocks off on making you late. We work extremely long hours on very little sleep and we just wanna get where we are going without getting in an accident and killing someone."
"Trust me if we could go faster we damn sure would."
"Also if you give us the fist pump to honk our horn you just made our whole week. That's one of the greatest joys in a truckers life."
"Be safe out there!!"
– MissPatricia024
Not Your Fault
"Bed bugs don’t make you a nasty person with a nasty home. An infestation isn’t due to a sanitation issue. They’re an imported pest, which means they hitched a ride on something you brought into the house. Usually luggage or furniture."
– LosPetty1992
Real Or Not Real
"In any given nature documentary, the protagonist animal you’re rooting for is ‘played’ by several different ‘actors’ - i.e. that one brown bear’s story is patched together from footage of a bunch of different bears. And in about 90% of the ‘animal reacting’ shots they’re reacting to the camera crew. Nature documentaries are heavily constructed."
– BootsyRootsy
"Also all those amazing closeups of bugs and small critters burrowing and stuff are done on a set in a studio."
"Honestly, when you learn about all the work that goes into creating such a documentary, it's even more impressive."
– donkeyhawt
"I refuse to believe that one iguana running from all those snakes was multiple iguanas. Little man (woman?) ran its little heart out and earned its place in this world!"
– nozer12168
Gathering Info
"The point of most loyalty programs isn't to give you points so you'll shop more (though that isn't a bad thing) it's to gather data (i.e. where do you shop, how often, how much do you buy there, what sort of things at what price points, etc etc.). For us marketing types, data is king (even small things like if a cashier asks for your zip code)."
–inostranetsember
Grey's Anatomy Lied
"When a person “flat lines” you cannot shock them out of it."
– unassumingtoaster
"Chest compressions!! Chest compressions!! Chest compressions!!"
"- Dr. Mike"
– thedanishgirl02
The Movies Also Lied
"Movie hacking: "I've decrypted the firewall and begun a brute force method on the internal systems, but they have a quantum lock on the googleplex, I'll be sure to upload a dinglehopper and slay the Jabberwocky.""
"Real hacking: "I called a random employee and pretended to be IT, they gave me admin privileges in 5 minutes.""
– wererat2000
Ick.
"When I worked as a barista: how much f**king syrup is in flavored drinks. At the cafe I worked at, we measured flavoring by grams. If you got a large mocha, that motherf**ker would have like 110 grams of chocolate sauce in it."
"If you want a little bit of flavor, I suggest only 1 pump. 2 max."
– miss_queeferson
Verify, Don't Trust
"Historian here: everything you read, regardless of source, has the biases of whoever wrote it woven throughout. I will tell a much different account of a Roman Battle if I am a Roman citizen than if I am a Gaul. Same goes for modern times, I will tell a much different account of an event as a liberal woman than if I was a conservative man. That's why checking and vetting sources is our biggest advice, remember the context that the author is writing from when you're reading!"
– Chutzpah3
"The world runs on MS Excel."
– Boulavogue
How very true!
Do you have any tea to spill? Let us know in the comment below.
Inside Scoop: Professionals Share Dirty Little Secrets From Their Industries
Reddit user Thealexiscowdell1 asked: 'What is a "dirty little secret" about an industry that you have worked in, that people outside the industry really should know?'
When you've spent enough time in your professional industry, you tend to learn secrets about the industry that the general public won't know.
For example, I work in social media. I create social posts for influencers and activists. I have no real affiliation with these people, and I usually don't even get guidelines on what to post, past that I have to post every hour or so.
Every industry has a secret, and Redditors are ready to share secrets about their own industries.
It all started when Redditor Thealexiscowdell1 asked:
"What is a "dirty little secret" about an industry that you have worked in, that people outside the industry really should know?"
All The Same
"Not all that much of a secret, but, i used to work in a peanut butter factory, we produced about 25-30-ish different storebrands ranging from very cheap to stupidly expensive, we had a grand total of 3 recipes, chunky, not chunky and no additives."
– ptvipers
"Peanut butter should taste like peanut butter."
– GroundbreakingAsk468
Yuck!
"Wash the top of your cans. Mice poop on those things all the time while they are in warehouse or transit."
– Munchez8
"I’m so relieved that my mother raised me to do this lmao. I thought it was strange growing up but then I just started to do it automatically without question."
– glowmilk
"Absolutely, I did security at a local supermarket warehouse, and doing my walkthrough, I saw rats 🐀 so big the porters used to ride around the warehouse on them (obviously not really) but I did see the rats and they’d be everywhere. Of course, they cr*pped on everything."
– peepers63
Quite The Employee Discount
"I worked at a major jewelry company in the US. When we wanted to buy jewelry, we paid what it costs to make the product (material, labor, shipping), plus 10%. I paid around $115 for a pair of $950 diamond earrings."
– SComstock
"I worked wholesale diamond sales so I had connections throughout the entirety of the industry. Made my wife's 15k+ engagement ring for about 3k."
– Kreepy_Quoll
Keep Track Of Your Belongings
"I worked in the moving and storage industry and if you EVER pay movers to pack and move your family, DEMAND an itemized bill and proof of service."
"These people are out here RAKING people over the coals. Inflating box counts, charging for services not performed, etc. it’s not AS BAD if it’s COD but if it’s a corporate move for your job?? DEMAND IT. You might not be paying for it out of pocket, but it’s still showing on your income as taxable wages."
"special note to say not ALL companies do this but ALL the ones I worked with did."
– YEEyourlastHAW
Perfect Fit
"High volume recruiters spend an average of 10 seconds looking at a resume."
– K4SP3R_H4US3R
""You are a perfect fit for this [job title that's not remotely close to what you have done in the past] position based on your experience at [company].""
– F**kItImStillTired
"Emails are mostly just basic keyword match mass batches. They might not have even read your CV, it just had a keyword."
– LBertilak
"Totally. It's usually through LinkedIn. I generally respond with, "Oh wow! What part of my profile do you think makes me a good fit for the position?""
"Crickets..."
"And block."
– F**kItImStillTired
Heavier Is (Apparently) Better
"They put little weights in lipsticks to make them feel more expensive so they can charge more."
– RandomRedditCount
"Same for Beats headphones."
– BenHippynet
The Truth Comes Out
"Zoos and museums are universally held together with double sided tape. The size or prestige of the organization doesn’t matter either."
– Pentastome
"You guys can afford double sided tape?"
– ContentPriority4237
"We had to use single-sided tape, taped together."
– elenduwir
"Also, the dinosaur bones that you're ooh-ing and aah-ing over are probably plaster. The actual bones are stored safely in the basement."
– janisdg
"I imagine most artifacts on display aren't real, just very high-quality fakes. You really can't trust the general public not to f**k it up somehow. Honestly, as long as the museum is using the real ones to learn more about our history, I'm OK with it."
– RhynoD
Like Cramming For A Test
"When the health inspector shows up, a mad scramble happens in the back to clean the kitchen while they start the inspection in the dining/bar area of the restaurant."
– Lone_Buck
"Yup. One manager will hold the health inspector up in the front of house while back of house is busy labeling and making sure minor violations they visibly see are dealt with."
– kettyma8215
"Truer words have never been typed lol send out the king or queen of small talk and people skills while the back of the house tosses anything that isn’t temping correctly and runs ribbons of labeling to the walk in to make sure it’s all labeled."
– EatTheRichbish
Sneaky
"If you’re ever buying bulk gravel/sand/crushed stone from a local pit/quarry that has scales to weigh the amount of product you’re getting- you’re getting f**ked because you’re paying for water. Most of these pits/quarries spray the living f**k out of their stockpiles before/during operation to make the material heavier in the truck. Never buy by the ton- always buy aggregate by the cubic yard. It’s a measure of volume- not weight."
"Source: I own a rock crushing business/multiple quarries and I charge by the cubic yard to not screw the public :)"
– ianwrecked802
He No Longer Works For The Company
"I wouldn’t say it’s mostly a secret but agency staffing firms churn and burn college graduates who are basically thrown in the wild. The recruiter you worked with may be gone in six months and that’s why a lot of ghosting happens."
– resident16
"Yeah, recruitment and headhunting are not altruist professions. They're not social workers looking out for clients best interests."
"Story time:"
"I got a high-paying job via a headhunter. After three months at the new place, I realized I hated it, and I quit."
"Three days later, I got a call from the headhunter, and he was IRATE, YELLING at me over the phone at the top of his lungs. He called me every name in the book, and went hoarse from yelling."
"Turns out, he gets paid a commission for placing me at that job ONLY if I stay at least 90 days. I just happened to quit on the 89th day coincidentally."
"So he lost out on a good chunk of money thanks to that."
– whomp1970
Flora
"The roses you buy at Valentine's Day were harvested around Xmas. It's the worst time of the year to buy roses and I don't mean because they're more expensive. They're also the worst quality because it's a longer holding time between harvest and use than any other time of the year."
"Never ever ever send flowers through an order processing service. Look at the location you're in or sending to and talk to a florist in that area directly. Don't pick a picture off some external website. Ask the florist what they have and can make that fits your budget. If you're worried, ask them to text you a pic of the completed design."
– VinnyVincinny
The Psychology Of Groceries
"There is a lot of money spent every year that decides where specific items are placed on grocery store shelves."
"If you're at a grocery store that's part of a chain, and you look at a shelf and there's an item that's approximately at eye level, I guarantee you that the company that makes that item paid a lot of money to put them there. There's lots of weird psychological tricks that go on in terms of how stores are laid out."
– blueeyesredlipstick
"Candy, sugary cereals with mascots, the more expensive toys...etc. all at child height."
"The milk and toilet paper are always in the back because those are what people often make a quick run to the store for. By putting it in the back, it forces the customer to walk past all sorts of tempting end caps. The chances of the person going in for one thing and coming out with a bunch is increased."
"People joke about doing this all the time at Target, but it's not just a joke, Target actually paid a lot of money to get customers to spend a lot of money. All by designing things just so."
"I learned this in the one and only marketing class I took. It was really interesting, while also being kinda horrible."
– _Futureghost_
Turns out the world is even more manipulative than I thought!
All jobs are important. If they weren’t, those jobs wouldn’t exist.
However, some people view their profession as so important that they begin to develop a superiority complex.
This can be true for all professions, but Redditors maintain it’s more common in certain professions.
It all started when Redditor nameisMark asked:
“What profession attracts douchebags the most?”
Retail Snobs
“Clerks in high-end fashion boutiques. So snotty and pretentious, I mean...you work for them, you are NOT them. And most likely your clients are wealthier than you. Chill the f**k down.”
– Leocut78
“Some are fine but others act like youre the one who doesnt belong there. Like lol bruh you just work there. It's not like you can even afford anything inside. Which is no big deal but don't act like you're gatekeeping that store”
– watthekauloisthis
“Love the folks in high-end watch stores who have a huge ego about working at the mall and can’t afford a single product there.”
– Skydog57
"Salesmen."
"I remember when I bought my first house. COULD have bought one much sooner, but was just doing the young person thing of moving around for job promotions, etc. (Keep in mind, I was still only 29 when the below story happened.)"
"I was not/am not definitely not part of the generation that considered (outside of work) dressing down as wearing some khakis and a button up. Nope. I'll wear my sweats and a hoodie. Thanks."
"Anyway, I went to the furniture store closest (less than five minutes away) not because it seemed like the nicest place, but because it was close. A salesman asks "Can you afford anything in here?" The very stereotypical salesman - either in his 50s or aged terribly, probably weighed 2x-3x more than me, can tell he has 14 cents in his savings account - too. Not like some world-class salesman working on Wall Street."
"I wanted to tell him I had more money in my pocket than he has in his entire life, but I just turned around and walked away."
– 2020IsANightmare
The Clique Game
"Doctor here. Nearly half or more of my colleagues are a**holes"
– echophobos
"Medicine and the hospital environment is high school all over again, and the lounge is the cafeteria."
– ZombieDO
"The academic system they pass through to get to medical school does not reward good personality or balance."
– boredtxan
Please Don't Convince Me
"Any sales job. The competitive nature of the job means that the more confident and pushy you are, the more successful you are. It draws a certain personality type."
– Kazman2007
"Assumptive language is one of the most off-putting aspects of the dating world, imo. If I get the feeling you’re trying to sell me on going out/going home with you I definitely don’t want to."
– mypancreashatesme
Power Over The People
"Anybody in the criminal justice system. The amount of power they have over the general public or incarcerated individuals is horrifying and exploited far too often. These people also tend to adopt a gang mentality worse than the people they arrest"
"Speaking as someone who’s got incarcerated immediate family, 80% prison guards my family has dealt with are violent thugs and should be in prison themselves for the heinous things theyve done."
– SeraphimSpit
"I'm A Professional"
"Fitness trainers… particularly male ones. My f*cking god. I don’t know if it’s the steroids or testosterone but jesus christ."
– FizzyBeverage
"Honestly I’m a female persona trainer, but the first interview I had with a male fitness trainer was awful. He kept talking about how he basically knew everything there was to know in the fitness industry, which is ridiculous because it’s an ever evolving science. Anyway, if I’m generalizing I completely agree. Although I have met some extremely kind male fitness trainers as well."
– Lil_gumph
Necessary Technology
"Internet and Phone companies. (Rogers/Bell in Canada)"
– Full_Echo_3123
"THIS"
– redkat23
The Builders
"I don't know about most but I am starting to really not like civil engineers. My current pick."
– who_said_I_am_an_emu
Abuse Of Power
"bouncers. And I've never been in trouble with the law in my life or been in a fight etc but I've seen enough of them in action just being abusive power trippers and escalating situations needlessly. It's often akin to school yard bullying."
– billythepub
Money, Money, Money
"anything to do with money: bank, insurance ...etc"
– jenoworld
"How has no one said finance, my goodness."
– little_old_me_
Yikes!
"MLM's."
"Kimberly may be busy posting pictures of her "girl boss" mug while boasting about her ability to run her own company on her own time while being a super mom but I dont want her ugly leggings, crappy skincare or oil of oregano I can use to cure asthma, crowsfeet and the flu. Kimber is insufferable and I need to go to my real job that actually pays the bills."
– Solid-Question-3952
"I'm Your Biggest Fan"
"Paparazzi"
– SuvenPan
"This should be way higher. Paparazzi are scum."
– DisneyFoodie20
"Hey that’s not fair what did pizza ever do to you"
– Road_Warrior0711
What Happened To Beside Manner?
“Worked healthcare IT.
I've never met a surgeon that who wasn't putting literally every bit of effort they had into "The World's Biggest D-bag" contest.”
– KhaosElement
“I met one briefly who wore a big medallion, presumably by choice”
– PsychologicalTowel79
Yeah, I saw that coming!
Do you have any more to add? Let us know in the comments below.
It feels like I scrub and scrub and scrub and still things are never fully clean.
I have no idea what spotless looks like.
Soap always leaves spots.
And as soon as you finish sweeping, there is more to sweep.
Tell me your secrets.
Redditor gossipchicken wanted to hear about all the best ways make things spic and span. They asked:
"Janitors/maids of Reddit. What are some neat cleaning tricks we can use?"
We all can use as much advice as possible when it comes to cleaning. So let's listen up.
Red Matters
Brea Grant Movie GIF by Signature EntertainmentGiphy"Peroxide gets fresh blood out of clothes/linens if applied ASAP."
aaronkellysbones
"If it's your blood, your own spit also begins the breakdown process!!!"
littlegingerfae
Mix 10:1...
"Tri-sodoum-phosphate is my go to for anything oil/fat based. Get it in the painting prep supplies at the hardware store. It just melts though grease. You only need a tiny bit for a stain. Mix a few tbsp into your bucket for cleaning around the kitchen."
"Mix 10:1 with water to clean really really greasy messes, like between the stove and the cupboards in a new rental or to strip waxed floors. Keep the stripping ability in mind if you're cleaning anything wood, you can take off the finish if it's a strong mix or sits too long."
"Only reason it's not in all cleaning products like it used to be was overuse was causing problems with algae growth in waterways (phosphates). It's not a problem to use a bit there and there, it's more a problem if every single load of laundry done by everyone has phosphates."
Wtrset
Get the Gunk
"Former cleaning tech here. Get a scrub daddy and some bar keeper’s friend. Literally the best stuff I’ve ever used to get any sort of gunk or residue off of any surface."
alteredsauce
"Not a cleaning professional (and God bless all of you, you should be paid a hell of a lot more than you already are, no f**king joke), but barkeeper's friend, a scrub daddy, some steel wool, rubbing alcohol, vinegar, baking soda makes a hell of a cleaning kit. There are few household messes you can't fix with them."
DeepStateofAffairs
Efficiency
"Make sure the mops and brooms are long enough so you don’t have to bend. That increases your efficiency and you don’t get tired easily."
femoric9
"Man. I'm entirely freaking convinced that no mop or broom is made for people over 5'8". TF am i supposed to do when I'm holding the top of the broom at my waist? I'm disabled. Slightly bending over to do housework is the greatest source of rage (and pain) in my life and I hate it."
Original_name18
To Dust
Cleaning Tidying GIF by The Addams FamilyGiphy"Use an old pillowcase to dust ceiling fan blades, it contains the dust so you don't get the dreaded allergy ash cloud."
HauntedButtCheeks
I hate dust. And I hate ceiling fans. So good to know.
Genius
Lets Go Dancing GIF by Rosanna PansinoGiphy"Vacuum your way out of a room to not leave footprints. Incredibly satisfying work."
Mellokins
Slow Down
"Learned this one from a janitor. Don't scrub right away when you're mopping a floor. First get the whole floor soaked (kind of like soaking a dish with dried on food), then go back to the beginning. Anything that was stuck to the floor will be easier to clean with less work."
audiomechanic
Hot Pour
"(Restaurant janitor) Pouring Hot coffee and letting it sit for a while paired with a good follow up scrub for some reason is good at removing grease stains, I was shown this and never looked further into the why it works but it does!"
thetwin22
"Might be because coffee is slightly acidic! Really good tip as long as you clean the coffee off properly."
Fun-Calligrapher980
Relax
matt smith newspaper GIF by HULUGiphy"If you show up to a job and find out that the building was unused that day then make sure the garbages are empty then go find a quiet place to read for 8 hours."
jackfaire
Pay Attention
"Former custodian here. Trash bags don't need to have all that air surrounding them, wasting space in the can and making trash bounce back out, and it's surprisingly easy to get out."
"- Unfurl the bag and get some air in it, so it's not stuck to itself."
"- Shake the air out. Yes, this may sound like extra work, but the next part is cool."
"- Fling the bag, bottom-first, into the trash can, holding onto the top so it doesn't just crumple up at the bottom."
"- Blow into the bag from a foot away. The Bernoulli Effect fills the bag AND pushes out all the air around the bag."
"Now the bag fills the trash can and has its full capacity ready to use. You can even add a knot to hold the bag in place if you want, but I've found it's not needed if done right."
DuplexFields
Common
"Common rubbing alcohol is great at breaking down oily, greasy, or resinous materials that soap struggles to remove."
ApocalypseSpokesman
"Speaking of which: to clean a bong, pour in a sloshy amount of isopropyl alcohol and a heaping teaspoon of salt, and shake that fragile maraca until the residue clears up! The bowl/stem can be cleaned the same way in a ziplock bag."
Q_Fandango
Triangles
"Using a mop (the triangular dusting one they sell at Dollarama are cheap and do the job) to clean shower walls and bath. It used to take me like 45 mins to clean the whole thing. Now I can do it in 20 and don't have to bring a chair/climb on the bath sides to clean the upper walls."
LivingForMCyrus
Bristles
"Toilet brushes rarely reach all of the visible stains in the toilet bowl but the smaller size and shorter bristles on a toothbrush works wonders. Clients usually have one in the medicine cabinet or in one of the drawers but you should rinse it afterwards."
ThisIsNotWorkingOut
Ways to work
Giphy"Clean from the ceiling down to floor, aka start high and work your way down. Dust before vacuum."
zomboi
Get out of here Muriel...
"Not a janitor or maid but baking soda is amazing for getting caked on burned shit off the bottom of your pan because you suck at cooking and you're living a lie. Just fill up the first couple inches with water, add in a bunch of baking soda, stir it up, boil the water for 5 minutes, then scrape the bottom of the pan with a wood or plastic spoon."
"Do this a couple times and you should be good to finish in the sink. And if anyone in here starts talking about vinegar so help me god. Vinegar smells like sweaty ball rot and baking soda is basically odorless. Get out of here Muriel. I'm getting me mallet."
HeroinBob138
Fantastic
"WD40 is a fantastic alternative to clean stainless steel. typical stainless cleaners leave a coating that can easily smudge, WD40 (essentially an oil that evaporates) spreads evenly then removes itself, smudges are less noticeable and dust wont cling to the surface. You just need to tolerate the smell when applying."
Orzine
Anything & Everything
Animation Wash Your Hands GIFGiphy"Hand sanitizer works absolute miracles on ink spillages and writing on tables (not so good on floors though, leaves a nasty stain)."
Barkeep_W_A_PewPew
No product needed...
"Not a janitor just someone who cleans sometimes... but I am all about a steam cleaner these days. Even a regular garment steamer can shine windows, eliminate fabric smells, and clean walls. No product needed, still does a really good job. Starting or following with a cleaner is great too, but not always needed."
punkishblob
Maybe now I can keep my house clean. Maybe...
Professionals Describe What A Day In Their Life Looks Like On The Job
Whenever people meet for the first time, a commonly asked question is what they do for a living.
Learning about the different jobs people have is a great conversation starter and can reveal a lot about who they are.
People outside of the entertainment industry are always fascinated about my performing career, and it is a great opportunity to clarify any misconceptions about my career in the theater being just a "nice summer job."
Likewise, it is always just as interesting to hear about the specifics of the work other people do. And most impotantly, it's a connection – one that may come in handy somday.
Curious about the lives of strangers on the internet, Redditor nottheonefosho asked:
"What is your job and what does your day in the life look like?"
Hats Off To These Workers
These jobs may not be career goals for some, but we should be thankful there are those who enjoy taking care of the things we may not be so inclined to do.
Risky Business
"I'm an armed security guard for a night club. I get paid by shift, but if you do the math I make about $35 an hour. I get to work at 9pm and usually leave around 4am. I spend 92% of my nights checking ID's, playing on my phone and searching people for weapons. 8% of my nights breaking up fights or arguments. But I spend 100% of my nights hoping I don't get jumped, hit with a glass bottle, or shot."
Unsung Hero
"I'm an undertaker and depending on the day, I bring deceased into my care from hospital mortuaries or sometimes during the day I will get called out to a private address or care home/hospice. Majority of most days I will be out on funerals, driving the hearse/limousine and bearing the coffin into the crematorium or lowering into a grave.
I will prepare and dress the deceased ready for funerals and viewings. I will also line and fit coffins and engrave nameplates among general cleaning of the funeral home and vehicles. It can be pretty full on physically as well as emotionally, but I really appreciate my job and the comfort I can help bring to some families."
Lots Of Pools To Clean
"I service swimming pools in Florida. I do 20 a day. 100 a week. I balance chemicals and make these pools pretty for my homeowners. Even after 20 years at the same company I still love my job."
Literary Rewards
Books seem to be a passion for these Redditors, who work in jobs that involve editing or handling a variety of tomes.
The Editor
"I'm a bookeditor! Some days usually start with random check-ins and meetings, most are just checking emails and working. 90% of the time I'm editing spellings, making sure stories are coherent, checking if the plot makes sense and/or editing and adding pictures to books!"
Like Christmas Every Day
"I work books in a thrift store. My day is like Christmas morning and a round of Russian roulette all at once since I never know what's going to be inside a box. 200 Harlequin romance novels? Hardcover hand painted books from the 1700s? A newspaper from the day Kennedy was shot? Human teeth? Grandma's bank paranoia cash stash? Literal cat poop? Porn mags? Who knows, not me!"
Training And Skillsets
These jobs require skill but as one Redditor said, learning new skills and getting a job in those fields can open up opportunities that can change your life for the better.
Surveying And Digging
"I'm an archaeologist. A lot of archaeologists like me work in the construction industry, rather than for a university or a museum."
"Basically, anytime someone wants to build something, the land has to get surveyed for anything that could be archaeologically significant. My company gets hired to survey the site. If we find stuff, we often get hired to dig it up. Most days are spent walking through woods and farmer fields. We check for evidence of sites, dig small test pits and make lots of maps. Sometimes we find a cool site and get to spend a few weeks fully excavating it."
Wine Cellar Designer
"I design high end wine cellars for a living. I work in a 3d modeling program all day. Most days are drawing 'small' wine cellars to hold 250-1000 bottles of wine, but every few weeks we get a request for a design to hold 10,000 bottles. We design, manufacture, and ship all over the world. They're incredibly expensive but the quality is unmatched. 10,000 bottle cellar would cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $300,000 installed. Maybe more. The job has its drawbacks like any other, but for the most part I love what I do. Before this I worked in landscaping for 10 years, started using sketchup to design my hardscape projects to help me lay it all out and accurately figure material costs. Don't be afraid to learn a new skill, it changed my life."
Things You Ride
One job requires operating a train, while the other requires maintaining a horse, of course.
Staying On Track
"Train driver."
"I arrive and pick up my schedule card for the day, I read through it and see if there are any safety notices relevant for the day. I make my way to my train either departing from the station or depot, following the schedule for stopping pattern on that trip. Breaks are put as part of the schedule, occasionally there are moments to snag a coffee here and there. There may be requirements to travel as a passenger depending on the work. Finishing up may be taking a train back to home station and stabling there/being relieved by a driver or shunting into the depot."
Animal Care
"I work in horse breeding, and it is horrible."
"I lost my job as a waitress during the pandemic and was looking for work, and thought 'hey, I rode horses for a while in high school, let's apply for this.' And the salary was better than a waitress..."
"But the work is just plain gross. Spending all day around stinky, horny-as-f'k stallions who want to f'k anything that moves (particularly if it smells like a mare), cleaning smegma out of horse penises...ugh. No fun. I'm not sure how I'm still here, except the money's good."
– nogus2
The Final Word
Every job has its drawbacks. But in challenging times, any job is better than no job – even if it entails "cleaning smegma."