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47 Older People List Once Popular Jobs That Have Since Vanished In 2024
Interview With Expert
Adapting to the world changing around you is a core part of human life. You don’t necessarily have to like those changes all that much. But if you want to survive and thrive, you have to be somewhat flexible. Enter—stage left—your career. The odds are that your current workflow is going to shift a ton in the near future due to changes in technology. Meanwhile, you might even find that your job, as a concept, goes extinct because the demand plummets.
It’s a part of life. And you’re not the first to feel anxious. In a viral online thread, the older professionals of Reddit spilled the beans about what jobs have pretty much vanished in their lifetimes, from telephone and elevator operators to ice and milk delivery people. Scroll down to read their experiences, Pandas. Oh, and be sure to tell your careers not to worry—it’s important never to panic.
Bored Panda got in touch with Jaime-Alexis Fowler, the founder and executive director of the non-profit organization Empower Work, for her thoughts about the future of work and how to respond to change. Meanwhile, we also reached out to u/tshirtguy2000, who sparked the interesting online thread, for their insights. You'll find both of our interviews as you scroll down.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Telephone operators.
aprehensivebad42:
My mom was an operator for decades! She went from the switchboard (“number please”) to early computers (the mainframe took up an entire floor and you could walk around inside of it)
Michael Fernandez 4 weeks ago
One of my many part time jobs was as night operator for my college 45 years ago. One incoming phone number and about 20 simultaneous lines, and I’d have to plug them into the right campus extension on a switchboard that looked the one pictured. The worst nights were when earthquakes occurred, because every news organization would immediately call the same place: Caltech. I'd have to spend the rest of the night watching blinking lights, gradually connecting everyone who i'd put on hold as the one or two geology spokespeople finished up their calls. I developed a very clear, patient talking voice, though, which has benefited me greatly.
Research shows that the rise and spread of generative artificial intelligence tools is going to have a large impact on the global economy. However, it’s unclear how extensive that impact will be. Some researchers believe that how we work will fundamentally change and are ringing the alarm bells. Others are more grounded and think that new and previously unheard-of job opportunities will replace (at least some of) those that fall by the wayside.
The Guardian reports that AI may displace between 1 and 3 million private sector jobs in the United Kingdom, based on research done by the Tony Blair Institute, a think tank. According to the Institute, you might see between 60k and 275k British jobs displaced every year, over the next couple of decades, as the peak of the disruption.
However, the “ultimate rise in unemployment will be in the low hundreds of thousands as growth in the technology also creates new roles.” Currently, over 33 million people are employed in the UK. The country is the 6th largest economy globally, by GDP.
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#2
Gas station attendant, as in Pumps your Gas for you, washes the windshield, checks your fluids and performs minor repairs (ie.. Brake Lamps, Headlamps, Belts, Battery, etc...) (I was one and it was hectic at times but, overall a fun job).
#3
Today it's hard to believe there was a need for elevator operators. But they weren't always automated. I remember growing up in the 50's, and what few buildings in our town had elevators, there was always an operator. A New York city operator strike in the 40's led manufacturers to create the elevators we have today.
The Mediterranean Fruit 4 weeks ago
I knew just about every job on this list once exsisted and I am the younger generation. I was raised on old TV shows and movies, they have a lot of random information
On the other hand, the International Monetary Fund warned that AI might affect almost 40% of all jobs, globally. A poll by Adecco Group and Oxford Economics, looking at the opinions of executives, found something similar. 41% of the respondents said that they expect to employ fewer people due to AI.
Goldman Sachs sees things slightly differently. It predicts that 18% of global work could become automated due to generative AI, somewhat ironically affecting advanced economies the most. Meanwhile, the World Economic Forum believes that most digitization and automation-related job losses will occur in administrative, clerical, secretarial, factory, and commerce roles.
We asked Fowler about the 'soft' skills that all employees can develop, irrespective of their career paths. "Skills that are uniquely human and connective will always have value," the founder of Empower Work told Bored Panda in an email.
"For example, the ability to listen deeply, ask powerful questions, and collaborate across differences are fundamentals of human interaction that can apply to tough problem solving or interpersonal challenges."
#4
Almost every job in the printing industry. Type setters, strippers, pressmen, etc. 1 in 5 jobs was associated with the printing industry at one point. Former paper salesman here. I watched it fade.
Taibhse Sealgair 4 weeks ago
Linotype: The Film - In Search of the Eighth Wonder of the World (2020) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDM-EbDCiQg
#5
Rag & Bone man (UK) would collect old clothes/ small items or bric a brac to recycle. Always a horse drawn flat back wagon
Coal man, the same as above by horse and full of sacks of coal
Chimney sweep, to clean out all the open fire hearths and chimneys.
#6
Delivery of Telephone books. I remember those big thick things being dropped on our doorstep.
Wirejack
I was still receiving them up until about 10 years ago... Haven't had a land line in 25 years, so not sure why I was getting it. Glad they finally stopped, I always threw them straight into the recycle bin.
Gémeaux jumeaux 4 weeks ago
The phone book had the best maps!! I'd pore over those as a kid, learned a lot about how to navigate my way around by the time I was driving. So, telephone books went... and with them, printed maps.
According to Fowler, it's normal to feel anxious amidst many unknowns. "Worry is a natural human emotion and can be a signal for us to pay attention. The question is how to use that signal in ways that move us forward. For those who are feeling concerned about changes in their jobs, industries, and more, spending time reflecting on skills you have, areas you may need to grow, and getting support to think through areas you may be missing can be important," she said.
"There are great platforms like SkillUp where you can look at different career pathways or resources like Empower Work where you can chat with a trained peer counselor. The one known is that there will be change—and what we have control over is how we respond to it," Fowler suggested. If you face challenges at work and need support, you can visit the Empower Work website or contact their text line at 510-674-1414.
#7
TV repairman (and yes, it was always a man).
Wards_Cleaver
My uncle was a TV repairman for many years. After he passed, we cleaned his house out, and he had scores and scores of vacuum tubes and repair manuals.
#8
Going but not gone: we have a milkman who delivers up to twice a week. They come by every two weeks, delivering to the milkbox by our door. It's a luxury, but worth it.
#9
My dad was a floor trader at the Chicago Board of Trade. Ya know, the kind that yells at the top of their lungs in brightly colored jackets. He didn’t even go to college. I used to work summers down there .
It’s all computers now.
Meanwhile, Bored Panda also got in touch with redditor u/tshirtguy2000, who was kind enough to share their perspective about the future of work. We were curious about their perspective on what types of jobs might be the most vulnerable to AI in the next few decades.
"I think clerical-type roles will be largely automated," the OP said, echoing the general sentiment among many researchers.
However, things aren't all grim. Other career paths might prosper because they're more resilient to being replaced.
#10
Fotomat attendant.
Della-Dietrich
I loved this job during college! Once you sorted your envelopes you could do your homework, they didn’t mind. Also they would relocate you anywhere you wanted, they were everywhere.
In my area they all become locksmith shops; a handy place to get your keys copied.
#11
Toll collectors. There used to be manned booths on the PA turnpike, but that's completely disappeared.
Ill-Vermicelli-1684
You just took me back. I remember us digging around for change in the car to throw into the container as we went through the tollbooth.
Gémeaux jumeaux 4 weeks ago
I always felt for them and all the car fumes they must have inhaled
#12
VCR repair tech.
ehbowen
They came and went during my lifetime.
Although, to be fair, there's still a shop on the north side of town here which will work on old VCRs, among other electronics.
"On the flip side, healthcare and social services will flourish," u/tshirtguy2000 shared their perspective. This is very likely to come true due to the need for human connection, empathy, and communication in these lines of work.
Bored Panda also asked the author of the thread what advice they'd give anyone who hopes to change their career path if they're worried about automation.
According to them, it would probably be best to focus on careers that still require human traits, such as empathy, judgment, creativity, strategizing, or others.
#13
My first job was in the mail room of a large company. pretty sure that job has dissappeared.
OkWelcome6293
Mail rooms exist, but the concept of intra-office mail was completely killed by the widespread adoption of email. People forget CC and BCC used to mean something!
G A 4 weeks ago
Weird, so many of these that I either worked or remember! I used to have to write up envelopes for associated offices, line up all the envelopes and use a wet roller to get them wet enough to stick. Then do up these plastic bags with little plastic arrows that could only be busted out as a security thing.
#14
Door to door vacuum salesman. They’d dump dirt on your carpet and would vacuum it up.
#15
Word processors used to be people. (My mom was one; you were considered extra-technical to be able to format a paper on a computer. Maybe…an IBM 8086? On Word Perfect?).
Ace 4 weeks ago (edited)
The 8086 was an Intel chip whose architecture (in the slightly modified 8088) was used in the first generation of IBM PCs. (It was further developed into the 286-486, thence Pentium processor range.) WordPerfect is possible, it was one of only a very few wp applications available in the early years of MS-DOS.
Certain skills and jobs are more resilient to the flow of time than others. Sure, no career is ever completely immune, but it’d be naive to think that every job has the same potential longevity.
For example, until you see competent, independent, and cheaply produced robots walking the streets, your hands-on job that involves a lot of manual precision is going to be safe. Anything related to building and fixing things is going to be resilient to change, even though we’ve seen lots of manufacturing jobs replaced by machines over the centuries.
Meanwhile, jobs that require high emotional intelligence and social finesse—e.g. doctors, caretakers, consultants, psychologists, etc.—also won’t be replaced by AI any time soon. Artists with a unique, soulful style also shouldn’t panic because there’s always going to be a demand for creativity with a fundamentally human touch.
#16
Paperboy.
Huckleberry2419The sound of the paper hitting the porch used to gently wake me up every morning.
#17
When I was very young I can remember the Iceman bringing blocks of ice to our house for refrigeration. I was probably about 4 years old when we got an electric refrigerator.
Moonie Pinkslip 4 weeks ago
We had an ice man in Australia, he'd bring big blocks of that went in the cooling cupboard, for meat and milk and cheese. Unreal!!
#18
Fuller Brush man.
carwatchaudionut
I sold Fuller Brush door-to-door while in Junior High. Probably around 69 ~ 70. Made pretty good money for a kid.
Though it might seem like generative AI is ‘smart’ or 'gets' us, these tools are probability machines, not thinking or feeling ‘beings.’ Things might change in the far-off future when we get artificial general intelligence, but that’s likely a very long way off.
In the meantime, you can become more resilient to whatever career bizarreness comes your way by developing your personal brand, sharpening your skills (both old and new), networking with other professionals, and generally being a pleasant person to be around. You should never underestimate the power of being someone who it’s easy to work in a team with.
#19
Darkroom techs in Radiology departments. Everything is digital now. I remember our darkroom tech was blind. It was the perfect job for her.
#20
Tailors and dressmakers are rare now. Both those who do alterations and those who make clothes "to order."
Cobbler- shoe repair people. Also did other leather repair such as purse straps, luggage, etc.
Jewelry and watch repair for everyday items. Every little town used to have one. Now only at very high/expensive levels.
Small appliance repair. Toasters, coffee makers, waffle irons, wall clocks, etc. all used to be repaired.
Wallpaper hangers. There used to be people who did this full time. Now it's rare.
Photo studios. I know there are some left, such as wedding photographers. But there used to be many independent studios and in all the department stores, even KMarts, etc. where you could take your kids for photos or have engagement or other photos taken.
Upholsterers. Very hard to find now. I waited a year to get an old chair redone. My mom had her couch and living room chairs reupholstered regularly. Now people just buy new.
Catalog sales stores. There were small shops in rural towns like Sears stores where you'd place a catalog order and then go to pick up the delivery when they called you. This was not a Sears store like in the city. Just a small store with tables and chairs to sit at, go through catalogs, and fill out your order form. Or if you had a catalog at home, to drop off a pre-completed form there. Why do that? There was no shipping charge like if you mail ordered it to your home.
nomnomborkbork 4 weeks ago
I'm not sure where this person lives, but we have all of these stores/services except the catalog sales store in our town of 85,000 in northeast USA.
#21
My father had a cigarette vending machine business. In his day, one of his employees put 2 cents change in between a double pack because it was 2 for 23 cents.
Bill 4 weeks ago
I don't remeber that cheap but I remember 75 cents from the machine. Everyone smoked everywhere. Restaurants, Department stores, Grocery store, Dr office, Hospital. Kent in particular had an ad that said Dr's say smoking is good for the lungs, then a cross section of the filter of asbestos lol. Now I'm 58 with cancer and copd and feel stupid for doing it to myself, for 43 years. I won't even get into the cost.
Are you at all worried about your jobs getting replaced, dear Pandas? What careers or skills do you think will disappear in your lifetimes? Have you already seen some popular jobs (almost) completely vanish already? What career paths would you choose if money wasn’t an issue at all?
We’d love to hear your thoughts on all of this. Grab your favorite beverage and scroll down to the bottom of the post to share your experiences in the comments section.
#22
I was a newspaper pressman for over 20 years. No luck getting another one of those jobs for me I think. After 2 layoffs from 2 different newspapers who ended production I would have to move out of state to find another newspaper job. This vocation is on the verge of extinction.
Gene Perry 4 weeks ago
My father was a pressman for 30+ years. Only job he ever had. Now, both he & the newspaper are gone.
#23
Vacuum and sewing machine stores. My mom used to take hers in for repairs and had the same vacuum and sewing machine for years. Nowadays people just replace them every few years.
Julia Mckinney 4 weeks ago
I have to disagree with this one, there are at least 2 sewing machine repair stores in my smallish town.
#24
Repairmen in general. TV repair people. Stereo repair people. Even computer repair is probably going to be gone in a few years. We live in a disposable economy now where when things break they're replaced, not repaired.
Even big systems like central air conditioners are now becoming obsolete and no longer economically viable to repair (as the government keeps changing freon types and making the older coolants less available and more expensive).
The other day I bought a 1970s receiver at a thrift store. I was amazed at how "repair friendly" it was. While it didn't work properly when I bought it, I was able to get it fully-working in less than an hour with some basic electronics repair experience. It's a shame those days are long gone. Most modern electronics are difficult if not impossible to repair without very specialized, very expensive equipment.
Thee8thsense 4 weeks ago
Unfortunately, greedy mfs decided that built in obsolescence is ok, and given the attention span of the average consumer, they validate that greed by buying into some need for the latest, greatest itiration of devices.
#25
Car Audio Installer. Best Buy even had a garage at the back for the techs to tear out the standard radio and put in those fancy new cd players...or cassette prior to that. As I recall, a cassette player was an upgrade on a new car that not everyone was willing to do.
David 4 weeks ago
These still exist (locally anyway) but the demand is less because the sound systems in many new cars are greatly improved from the cars of old. Back in the day, the radio in a car was practically an after thought. Most had a basic AM/FM and mono or maybe stereo speakers. But even my 2002 van has stock AM/FM/CD/Cassette with 8 speakers, decent volume, side and rear faders, lots of other features. And it is a dinosaur by today's standards. If you are not spending a bunch of money "pimping your ride" there isn't much point in custom stereo installs these days. Also, in the 70s you could usually access the radio just by laying on your back in the car. These days you might have to pull the engine and two of the tires. Exaggerating a bit for effect but you get my point.
#26
Someone said 411, but if you are too young to remember, that was "Information". You called and could get someone's phone number. A live phone book, basically. I once called for the time...they were flexible.
#27
Drafting technicians have become CAD operators. Typist has become (different terms) but someone who formats documents instead of just typing them.
Data Entry Clerks are much less common. Instead of entering data, you just have to analyze supplied data.
John Nelson 3 weeks ago
I can still operate a punchcard machine... lol. If I could still write COBOL and RPG-II, I hear I could make the big bucks!
#28
Asbestos installer.
michiganwinter
And when they installed it, they do it without a mask or any dust protection with a cigarette hanging out of their mouth and now they’re wrapped up in plastic wearing a respirator.
Brian Droste 4 weeks ago
isn't asbestos a ban product now. If a older building needs to be torn down that has asbestos in it, whoever is tearing it down, don't they need to take extra precaution in tearing it down to protect the environment?
#29
Bike messenger. I moved to San Francisco during the height of bike messengers, and it was quite a sight to see hundreds of young, tattooed, punky-looking people with incredible calves riding up and down Market St. downtown every weekday.
Brenda Spagnola-Wilson 4 weeks ago
Downtown Houston still uses bike couriers for documents between companies where original copies are required. Mostly in regard to legal issues. Only a few companies still do it (usually part/branch of a bigger delivery service), and I've only ever seen them downtown, although the medical center may use them
#30
Printing press operatiors.
BabyKatsMom
As well as a slew of supporting jobs in the industry- typesetters, compugraphic operators, paste-up artists, process camera operators, scanners and Scitex operators, film etchers, strippers, plate makers, proofers, paper loaders, collators and bindery workers.
What do you think ?
Fat Harry (Oi / You) 4 weeks ago
How about the obvious one: Computer. Computer was originally a job largely done by women, whereby they would make complex calculations. They literally "computed" and hence were called "computers".
Steve Robert 4 weeks ago
I sold Collier's Encyclopedias door to door during the summer of '73 while going to college. That was the "Google" before the Internet and smart phones.
Fat Harry (Oi / You) 4 weeks ago
How about the obvious one: Computer. Computer was originally a job largely done by women, whereby they would make complex calculations. They literally "computed" and hence were called "computers".
Steve Robert 4 weeks ago
I sold Collier's Encyclopedias door to door during the summer of '73 while going to college. That was the "Google" before the Internet and smart phones.
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