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30 People Reveal Which Professions Are Hell Even Though They Sound Fun
Interview With Expert
Look, let’s not be naive—there’s no such thing as a ‘perfect’ profession. No matter the job, it’s going to have some great aspects, as well as some awful sides to it. The trick is to find something to do that you love, that you’re good at, that you can be paid for, and that the world needs. In other words, find your ikigai.
In some cases, it can be easy to be seduced by an overly romanticized illusion of a particular career, whether that’s becoming a world-renowned streamer, a stand-up comedian, working in the entertainment industry, or becoming an artist. Some seasoned job industry veterans took to AskReddit to share which professions might sound fun but are actually hellishly stressful. Scroll down to read their experiences.
Bored Panda reached out to Jodi Wellman, MAPP, for her advice on how employees can find the courage to aim for their dream jobs, as well as how we can all have a bit more fun at work despite all the stress. Wellman is the founder of 'Four Thousand Mondays' and the author of the book 'You Only Die Once: How to Make It to the End with No Regrets.' Read on for our interview with her.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Anything that you enjoy as a recreational hobby. I’ve discovered that if you try to monetize it, you won’t enjoy doing it anymore for very long after that.
keyboardtek 2 weeks ago (edited)
I am a jazz pianist. I also love to use tools and fix things. I had a repair shop for 36 years repairing electronic keyboards and pro-audio equipment. It was a blast! I got to play a lot of interesting synthesizers. I just did not make much money as average musicians are notoriously lacking in wealth.
We asked Wellman how she would advise someone who has already put a lot of time and energy into a job that makes them stressed and anxious. After all, chasing your dreams can be terrifying.
"We often overlook the important step of acknowledging that job changes can be tumultuous... let's normalize that it's stressful to make career moves that feel risky! Sometimes, accepting that it's not easy and that it requires courage can help reframe a scenario where we think we're supposed to just be confident right out of the gates," Wellman from 'Four Thousand Mondays' told Bored Panda.
She added that we should also consider the sunk cost fallacy. It's something many of us "fall prey to" when making decisions. "We're reluctant to make a career move because we've 'spent 12 years here already,' or we've 'invested our education and training in this industry already,' or we feel like we're in too deep. It's never too late to make a change," she said.
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#2
I was able to quit my job at a hospital and become my own boss by selling my art online for about 7 years now. It’s definitely sounds fun to work from home, sleep in, work your own hours, not have a boss but…
The amount of people out there that will call you the worst dehumanizing names because their package (not delivered by me btw) was delivered incorrectly is awful.
Ive been screamed at , sworn at, yelled at, threatened, letters even sent. And usually it’s a 7.00 item that’s been marked delivered but they didn’t get and it’s actually been misplaced by a family member.
Not to add , having to market yourself, the constant imposter feeling of feeling like your own creations aren’t good enough. Worried every day if you can afford bills, the constant worry of you can still do this in 10 years,working 70 hour weeks to avoid 40 a week jobs. the holidays. Buying supplies, having to save money for taxes.
Oh and the isolation! It sounds good and is good if you’re a social anxious person, especially after coming out of a drama filled job. But trust me, even if you think you are not a people person you might miss them after awhile. I just miss the non personal interactions, like watching others interact and then the occasion of seeing that one or two people I got along with. Knowing my coworkers and how they acted and what to expect from them. Just saying hi to coworkers workers or people asking how my weekend was .
Sorry for long post,
Maybe I needed a vent more than anything haha.
Roan The Demon Kitty 2 weeks ago (edited)
and now artists also have to suffer AI copycats and thieves. :') (and op forgot to mention the obvious choosing beggars)
#3
Any job with a nonprofit. You start working there because you want to be part of some worthy cause. Then you realize that the pay is awful, there's no advancement, and the politics are like every small family company, but worse. When you quit, they'll try to guilt you into staying "for the cause.".
Child of the Stars 2 weeks ago
This really depends on the organization. I work for a non-profit healthcare organization and my job is awesome from the pay to the hours. I even get decent benefits.
"People change careers all the time: the organizations they work in, the roles specifically, even the industries overall. Believing it's possible can help summon the courage required to make a job change. Sometimes we have to ask ourselves, 'I have ____ Mondays left in my career. Is it really worth it for me to stay here and toil, unhappy? Or would I be even more proud of myself when I'm long since retired and looking back on my career, for 'giving it a go' and changing into a job that's fulfilling? Or multiple fulfilling jobs?'" Wellman mused.
She added that she herself plans to work for about 624 more Mondays. "That question helps me make the best decisions every time!"
Bored Panda was also interested to hear about what everyone can to to enjoy themselves at work more, no matter what it is they do. "The best first step is to recall what fun even means to you in your job. What was going on when you were having fun in the past? Were you learning a lot/succeeding/playing practical jokes on your colleagues/spending more time with clients/having more social outings with your coworkers? Is there a way you could replicate that?"
#4
I’ve been a flight attendant for 24 years and I always get people who say “oh I bet that’s fun!” And they think it’s glamorous.
I’m a waiter in a bad restaurant that can’t throw out patrons who get too belligerent with me.
To be fair, the travel is fun and if I hated the job, I wouldn’t have done it for so long. But the thing that’s kept me here this long is that I’m in a union and I have health insurance.
#5
Policing! It's often depicted as being a job with a lot of interesting action where you're always on the go, chasing bad guys, investigating crimes, etc.
The truth is most police work horrendous hours (typically 12 hour shifts cycled between 3-4 day shifts then 3-4 night shifts in a row). Your sleep schedule is abysmal due to the long hours and your circadian rhythm being out of whack from the constantly changing schedule. So you're constantly tired and irritable.
You miss a lot of family events, birthday parties, get-togethers with friends, your kids' school events, etc. and a lot of people start to resent you for it.
You're constantly being surveilled through your own bodycam/car cameras, other police officers' bodycams and you're made painfully aware of that by sergeants and inspectors.
You spend most of your time sitting, and a lot of that will be crammed into a car where your police toolbelt and vest are jamming into your body and making you uncomfortable 24/7.
You've seen terrible things that will haunt you for the rest of your life (suicides, beheaded children on highways from traffic collisions, victims of murder and brutal sexual assault, etcetc.) and there's supposed to be a culture of silence where you don't show pain or signs of PTSD.
And the best part is, you go through all of this suffering in service of the public, and yet those people hate you or are weary around you just because you're a cop.
#6
Being a vet. Long hours, constantly over-booked and under-staffed, you watch animals suffer and you often are contributing to their suffering in order to try and help them, owners are often at best ignorant and not interested in being educated, and at worst genuinely couldn’t care less about their animals, and if they do care, they don’t have the money, so you get to run a constant mental calculus of how much you can afford to discount treatment to help them this month without getting fired and while still being able to pay your techs, all while under the crushing burden of student loans, with the fun of a really bad day sometimes including a lawsuit, death threats, or physical violence.
I have seen some vets online say they enjoy it, and I’m happy for you. I don’t personally know a single one that doesn’t regret their choice, and I know a LOT of them.
Wellman shared some more questions we should ask ourselves. "What kinds of people were you working with when things were fun? Were you connected to people in different departments/working onsite instead of remotely/getting to know new people/close with a few like-minded friends at work? Can you rekindle those kinds of quality connections?"
Another thing to consider is the type of people we were when we were enjoying ourselves at work. "Were you working out more often/meditating/planning more interesting meetings on the team/sharing more anecdotes about your weekend? How can you start to be more like the Fun You from the past? Many of us think that work is supposed to make things fun for us, and we forget that we're the ones who make work fun."
If you'd like to see how many Mondays you still have left, you can check out the 'Four Thousand Mondays' calculator. Meanwhile, don't forget to take a peek at Wellman's book 'You Only Die Once: How to Make It to the End with No Regrets.'
#7
Kids are told that engineers get to invent cool new technologies like Benjamin Franklin or whatever. Most engineers do paperwork, marginal continuous improvement stuff, and sit in meetings all day.
Beak Hookage 2 weeks ago
A friend of mine is an engineer and got offered a very lucrative job, which he turned down. I asked him why and he said because it was with a weapons manufacturer. I'd have said no too.
#8
Forensic work in general is not as glamorous as the television would have you believe (go figure). I have a degree in forensics, and my current job has me working closely with people doing firearm investigations and the work looks monotonous as all Hell. I wouldn't be able to do it.
I was a crime scene investigator for several years. I have dug through dumpsters with 6 inches of garbage juice water looking for a murder weapon that wasn't there. I've spent prolonged time in a third floor attic with no air in the middle of summer trying to find a knife that was *on the front porch next to homicide detectives the entire time.* I have gone into homes so infested with cockroaches, bedbugs, or both that the walls *looked alive*. My personal vehicle had tear gas residue for about a week after one scene because it was on my clothing, even after changing before getting into my car. I know what the skin of a human body feels like after death, and I've seen children and innocent people violently killed.
CSI looks fun on TV. And I did enjoy aspects of it. But it is 100% not a job that you can just be trained to do. You have to be able to handle it and parts of that aren't something you can just teach someone.
#9
Teaching, especially if you teach a subject like art or music.
When I was teaching art, people would constantly make comments about how I just got to have fun for work and color with kids all day. Other teachers were often the worst, implying I didn’t really work and that my job was easy.
Aspects of it were fun, yes, but it was really hard and the not fun aspects outweighed the fun stuff. Parents calling me or emailing me angry I called their kid the wrong name, I taught 400 students), admin coming to my class to complain that I showed an art work with nudity in it even though I sent home permission slips to view said MANDATORY work of art, kids with behavioral problems doing things like cutting the pants of other kids or throwing scissors which would halt my lessons, documenting the over 40+ IEP/504s/BPs every single day, the endless cleaning, kids crying, parents mad that a winter Art project was too “Christmas-y” for their JW student, being voluntold to work after hours, on my weekends, and over breaks…It was a nightmare.
There are aspects that I miss, but it wasn’t a fun profession. I used to set a timer between classes, typically about 2-5 minutes, sit under my desk and cry, then when the timer went off, take deep breaths, wipe my eyes, and let the next class in.
YouGov notes that when it comes to prospects, American teenagers mix pragmatism with idealism. The top things they prioritize in their future careers include money (22% of respondents said this is the most important to them), a sense of purpose or helping others (16%), fun (14%), work-life balance (10%), and the day-to-day activities they’d be doing (9%).
Things like career progression opportunities were important only to 5% of respondents. Also, less weighty job priorities for American teens included their colleagues (4%), the company’s values and ethics (also 4%), the brand’s popularity (1%), and the location of the job (also 1%).
When you put all of these factors together, you start to see a fairly nuanced picture take shape. These young people want financially stable jobs with a good work-life balance that are also enjoyable, purposeful, and aimed at helping others. In short, they want a balance between financial rewards and deeper fulfillment. And, to be honest, this matches what many adults probably want out of their careers, too.
#10
Working on Film sets is a lot of fun. But it comes at a tremendous personal and health cost for below the line workers.
It has long work hours, unpredictable employment, and a totally different way of life than most regular jobs. It will cost your your relationships outside of work and your health.
It is absolutely a lot of fun to work on these sets. I would never want to do anything else. But it will absolutely ruin you.
#11
CASINOS. The amount of sad, terrible and depressing things I have seen and heard. Watched people lose 100k + in one night, countless times. Medical emergencies at the tables because the player refuses to stop gambling or at least have us call EMT. People falling over dead at the poker table while the other players at the same table (refused to move) complain that the cards are taking too long. People so ridiculously drunk that they could barely move their hands, but as long the chips were placed in the right spot, the play continues. A common joke was "if I don't win this hand, me/my dog/my kid won't be eating tonight." and often, they wouldn't win. Husbands storming in and punching out their wife for spending the family savings at the tables. Families being forcibly removed because they are trying to convince their loved one to stop. I will never expect gaming "luck" again, I have touched too much cursed money and taken too much back. It is one of the professions with the highest divorce rates. Even the best employees are not happy to come in to work. If you can help it, don't let the lights and glamour draw you in. The house will eat you up, spit you out, and laugh at you in your final, pitiful state.
Daniel Atkins 2 weeks ago
People will also soil themselves because the slot machine is “about to hit the jackpot”and won’t leave it to use the restroom.
#12
I was always told teaching elementary school was "fun."
It really, really wasn't. Well, the actual teaching part was, but the other 80% of the job was a real shitshow.
Beak Hookage 2 weeks ago
I've worked with kids, and it was never the working with kids part that sucked. It was the horrible admin and even worse upper management.
In this day and age, certain professions are far more popular than others among kids. The BBC reports that a YouGov survey of British children aged 6 to 17 found that a whopping 17% of kids wanted to be footballers (soccer, not hand-egg) while 16% dreamed of becoming game developers. 13% wanted to be doctors or nurses while 10% saw themselves as future fashion designers.
Meanwhile, a fifth of 10-year-old respondents wanted to become influencers, but just 6% of 15-year-olds saw it as something they’d like to do when they grew up. Unsurprisingly, political jobs weren’t popular among kids. Just 4% of respondents said they’d like to be activists or the prime minister. Compare that to 7% of respondents who wanted to be astronauts, vets, lawyers, or environmental scientists.
#13
Doggy daycare....it's mostly stopping the from eating each other's poop and constantly cleaning up said poop and mopping up pee. Very little dog interaction .
Jules 2 weeks ago
My dog loves daycare once a week. They also post photos and videos of the dogs playing. On her first day she hid in the corner and was terrified. Now she can't wait to go and barks with glee the moment we pull into the lot.......then she barks and paws at the door until I open it (Which is like a nano second)
#14
Childcare We have too many kids to do anything other than constantly play referee, the kids and I are sick every day all winter, anything fun I try to do is immediately broken or ruined by bad behaviors, parents don’t want to deal with their own kids so they spend 11 hours a day at daycare, the parents don’t respect us and blame us for everything, and no one teaches their child how to behave anymore these kids do whatever they want whenever they want and parents get angry when we talk to them about their behavior.
#15
Private Investigator. I worked as a PI for a while about 20 years ago. The excitement and intrigue you might see in the media is not exactly made up, but it is severely condensed. More than 90% of your time as a PI is sitting there in the back of a van with your camera just waiting for someone to do something. There were certainly some "fun" aspects, like using hidden cameras and tailing people through traffic without being noticed; but sitting there in the cold, day after day, peeing in a bottle got really old after a few months!
*splileng mistakke.
These stories are a reminder that no matter what you do, where you work, and what your career plans are, it’s always helpful to be flexible, disciplined, and resilient. When you’re adaptable and have a reputation for perseverance, you’ll be able to find a path forward no matter the tough circumstances you find yourself in. Meanwhile, it’s also a great idea to develop your soft skills (e.g., empathy, communication skills, active listening) alongside all the technical skills you’ll need. You are far more employable and valuable when you’re able to work in a team and are, generally, a likable person.
Of course, you shouldn’t gaslight yourself into liking something you hate. You shouldn’t stay at a job if you’re in a toxic workplace environment or the stress from work is pummeling your health and relationships. But, at the end of the day, every job will throw situations at you where you wonder if it’s not better to quit or change career paths entirely. You have to look at your situation objectively and ask yourself whether you’re going through a temporarily tough period at work or if the entire situation is unsustainable and unsuitable for you.
#16
Maybe not 'fun' but many charities sell you the 'rewarding' angle but are in fact very toxic places to work...
#17
IT.
People want everything with zero investment.
Stuff you need 2 years to master is already obsolete by the time you finish studying it.
#18
Demolition.
Sure, it's great fun blowing stuff up, like old buildings, oilwell fires, quarries, etc.
But the paperwork. Insane.
Need it to buy/order high explosives, transport them, obtain consumables, (caps, boosters, etc.), pages of explosive design, liability paperwork, proof of certification, use disbursement, dud reports, actual use, leftover reports...and in quadriplicate so the FBI, BLM, ATF, and local government can lose their own copies.
Still, blowing s**t up *is* fun...
There’s nothing wrong with admitting that you may have made a mistake and wasted some of your time, energy, and nerves. Instead of looking at the situation as a ‘failure’ of sorts, see it as an opportunity for growth. You’re not messing up, you’re getting real-world experience in a harsh and competitive environment. So, pivot. Learn something new. Take some courses. Apply to a bunch of companies, including those you’ve long dreamed about working at. And while you do have to be practical and consider what industries generative artificial intelligence will impact, nobody can see the future with certainty.
It’s okay to admit that the dreams and goals you’ve had aren’t the right fit for you anymore. Maybe you’ve outgrown them. Maybe you were seduced by the fame and money a particular career promised rather than the job itself. Or maybe some of those goals were never a good fit for you (you’re allowed to admit you were oh-so-incredibly wrong). Whatever the case might be, grab a pen and some paper and come up with some new goals. Don’t just keep all of your ideas and feelings in your head.
#19
Standup comedy. You spend an insane amount of time watching and studying yourself, polishing your presentation and delivery, and telling the same jokes over and over again, relieved when there's an audience, because at least SOMEONE likes the jokes you've heard hundreds of times. Then, if you're successful and have a special or something, you agonize over the editing: watching yourself over and over again deciding on what camera angles to use at which part. No thanks. I remember some commercial where Chris Rock turns on a tv and it's his standup. I would be like, "NO! I'm not watching this again!".
#20
I'm a travel writer.
When I tell people that, they envision that I lead an exciting, jet-setting life. One wherein I have a ragged, stamp-filled passport tucked in a rucksack next to a dog-eared Frommer's guide and a Moleskine journal crammed with maps, notes and photos. And then I get to come home and spin up a rich narrative of satisfying adventures, unexpected delights, exotic foods, and moments of life-affirming connection with friendly locals and gorgeous scenery from all over the world.
Nope. I sit at a laptop in a home office in a very cold state, and write and submit blog posts, ads and websites based on assets pre-supplied by clients I don't actually get to meet, or visit. I've never once been flown to a single one of the stunning destinations I describe as such in order to try to entice OTHER people to visit them. It's all just speculation.
Still, overall? It beats digging ditches. And I get to write for a living in the age of AI. So I don't HATE it. It isn't "hell" *per se*. It's just way more Walter Mitty than Indiana Jones. Not what anyone expects.
Ripley 2 weeks ago
That really doesn't sound like a genuine travel writer - more like copywriter for travel advertising. I would expect that many, if not most, travel writers actually do travel to the places they write about. it still doesn't mean that it's glamourous or fun - a lot of horrid economy flying, being stuck in airports for hours on end, missing family and friends, sometimes bad food or accommodation, and going to places that might be a bit scary or dangerous. It would be amazing, but certainly wouldn't be easy or always fun.
#21
Touring side of music industry is fantastic when you are 20. It's awful when you are 40. Away from home most of the year. Living out of a bus and hotel rooms 300 days a year. Eating at the same truck stops for the last 20 years. Showering at those truckstops. load in, stage set up, wait wait wait, dance on stage like a monkey, load out, on the road again. Repeat repeat repeat. It's like Groundhogs Day.
You don’t have to be a video game streamer or veterinarian if you’ve tried it and feel burned out and powerless. Nor do you have to stick to a prestigious and profitable career if you’re wrecking your physical, mental, and emotional health.
Many jobs are stressful and will require sacrifices, but they should not be h**l on earth unless you’ve felt a genuine calling as a brain surgeon, frontline war medic, oil rig worker, etc.
#22
Although the position has largely died out, being a radio disc jockey was not nearly as fun and crazy as it is often portrayed. Terrible hours, low pay, and micromanagement from higher ups led to quick burnout for most dj’s. Not to mention, you could be fired at any time for the smallest error.
keyboardtek 2 weeks ago
And these days 90% of radio station in the USA are owned by a few media corporations. The DJ is non existent as the same preprogrammed feed of corporate c**p gets sent automatically by satellite or internet to the station to be broadcast.
#23
Paramedic. Sometimes it was fun, other times it was absolute hell and destroyed my mental health.
Donald 2 weeks ago (edited)
Every EMT I know has had some struggle or is still struggling with substance abuse issues to cope with the trauma and insane work load. Their diet is usually terrible because their on the go all day and stuck in a truck. Between the poor diet and the physical strain of the job your body breaks down pretty quick as well. They never know how a patient will react to them trying to help them, I know more than one who was been attacked by their patient with weapons. To top it off the pay is laughable for the line of work and skill set required to do the job properly.
#24
Chef but…you make your own hell. Being a chef is fun with the right people and attitude.
keyboardtek 2 weeks ago
A friend's daughter spent thousand on a culinary college. Only to learn the average pay for chefs is just minimum wage.
So, Pandas, have you ever worked somewhere that was the complete opposite of what you imagined? What careers sound super fun but you know for a fact they’re beyond stressful? What do you enjoy the most about your current job?
If you could pick any profession, what would it be? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Grab some tea or a cup of coffee and share your experiences in the comments!
#25
Personal trainer. No one actually f*****g does what you tell them to outside of your sessions, and then they blame you for not making progress because they’re mostly lazy idiots.
Huddo's sister 2 weeks ago
I thought you went to a personal trainer because you can't do it on your own
#26
Working as a Disney mascot.
There have been multiple people who complain about the hard working conditions were you can't stop smiling or break character as you stand and walk all day in the sun to entertain people who a lot of times get inappropriate even going to sexual harassment.
#27
Lawyer. It’s really not just arguing. The pay is good. But the hours are long, it’s tedious, and a lot of it is soft skills and client management.
#28
Graphic Design. Everyone thinks I "just make pretty pictures" all day. No, I'm cleaning up mistakes all day and taking orders from idiots who can't do my job, and won't spend the 5 minutes it takes to learn the vocabulary to properly communicate with a Graphic Designer.
#29
Entertainment industry.
Beak Hookage 2 weeks ago
It's not just the egos, the phonyness or the constant uncertainty over where your next contract is going to come from. It's the eventual realisation that you've been turned into a commodity by a system that doesn't give two short shits about you. I told my former agent that I had been extremely depressed thanks to a downturn in my career and got not so much as a flicker of sympathy. By that point he had long since stopped giving a damn about me because I wasn't bringing in enough money. Previously he'd been all over me telling me how talented I am, bright future in the business, etc., but that one moment told me how little I actually meant. Surprise surprise, I got even more depressed and still haven't fully recovered. (And yes, I fired him).
#30
Brewing Beer. It's fun cause beer. But if everything is working right, it's like working in a factory, often without the same pay.
Cruise Ship Musician. The music was great, but living on a boat sucked big time.
What do you think ?
John Louis 2 weeks ago
I am a professional magician. While I feel blessed to get paid to do what I regard as recreational activity, it is still a job. Long travel time, unpredictable schedule etc. really take the glamor out of the position. I keep hoping someone will pay me to stay home and watch TV.
Jonas Grinevičius 2 weeks ago
Hi, John, thanks for sharing :) What inspired you to become a magician?
Load More Replies... John Louis 2 weeks ago
I am a professional magician. While I feel blessed to get paid to do what I regard as recreational activity, it is still a job. Long travel time, unpredictable schedule etc. really take the glamor out of the position. I keep hoping someone will pay me to stay home and watch TV.
Jonas Grinevičius 2 weeks ago
Hi, John, thanks for sharing :) What inspired you to become a magician?
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