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According to a 2023 Ipsos survey of 22,816 people from 31 countries, doctors are the top trusted profession (58%), followed by scientists (57%), and teachers (53%).
At the very end of the list, we have journalists (24%), business leaders (24%), advertising executives (18%), government ministers (17%), and general politicians (13%).
Reddit user OnAFalseErrand wanted to know which of the latter were long in the making, so they asked everyone on the platform to share the occupations they once had a lot of respect for but ultimately lost every ounce. Below are the replies that generated the most buzz in the discussion.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Journalists. Many of them have proven themselves to just be duplicitous propagandists.
Vix Spiderthrust 2 months ago (edited)
It's always been a profession marred by people willing to feed themselves on crumbs dropped from the tables of power. However, it's been made worse by the hunger of the twenty-four hour news cycle, so now even journalists who didn't start out lazy and feckless end up regurgitating press releases without checking them because there isn't time. Luckily there are some handy rules of thumb to check whether a journalist is trustworthy or not. For instance, if they write for the Daily Mail or The Sun, you know that they are incorrigible shitbags who spew lies for a living.
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#2
Politicians who are slowly turning us into a slave state, at over £80k per year top 1% ruled over by what can only be described as an unelected oligarch
and police who are the worst of bullies exposed daily by auditors.
Richard Wareham 2 months ago
This should be much higher up the chart, at least from the UK perspective No politician will give a straight answer to a question. The UK has had two months of a new government and they are so immersed in sleaze that they have already lost any respect the county may have had for them. Accepting money from poarty donors for new clothes, Taylor Swift concert tickets, glasses, football matches in private boxes, trips tpNew York to stay in a millionaires luxury appartment, money for parties and travel. The list goes on and on. Pensioners are being deprived of a heating allownce that has been running for many years, yet the woman who has cancelled their £300 per year has claimed expenses of £4,400 for her heating. The sickening contempt for the voters is disgusting. The police should also be up there with politicians.
Whatever grudges people might have about the workforce, one of the biggest things they hate about it is artificial intelligence.
According to a new FlexJobs survey, 34% of respondents believe AI will lead to job displacement in the next five years.
Their 2024 Future of Work Report polled over 3,000 U.S. workers and showed that:
- 21% rely on AI for professional and work-related purposes—up 10% from 2023.
- 48% believe AI is a current or potential threat to their job security.
- 17% describe their AI knowledge and skills as “great” (13%) or “excellent” (4%), versus 46% who rated their abilities as “fair” (25%) or “poor” (21%).
#3
Footballers. I’m not saying they were saints, but money has turned them into entitled c***s from 15 years old.
Kids can earn enough to not give a s**t by the time they turn 20.
#4
Priests......I know there are rotten apples in every bushel in all fields, but I hit my limit when our priest vanished and was replaced. Seems he was removed due to accusations from years ago. I have never been back to mass again, and my entire view of religion has shifted.
Mama Clare 2 months ago
Once I start asking questions it was all over for religion with me. The way they view & treat women, gays or anyone different. That's a no from me thanks
"While job seeker preferences can vary widely, certain factors are more likely to make a job undesirable in the eyes of working professionals," Keith Spencer, career expert at FlexJobs, told Bored Panda. "Inadequate pay and the lack of remote work options are two of the most common reasons someone might turn down a role or seek to leave their current job."
According to Spencer, the rising cost of living is a major concern for most, "which is the likely reason that a majority of respondents in a recent survey cited a pay raise as the top factor that could prevent them from leaving their job."
"Remote work also remains high on the list of job seeker preferences, given the many benefits of flexible work arrangements, like the cost savings associated with working from home," the career expert added.
#5
Maybe I just had a string of bad experiences, but Chiropractors. My ex used to go a lot and loved it, I started going when I got older and found out it's a load of c**p. Get your back cracked, feels a bit better for a few days, go back in a week. Pay them $200-300/mo that's not covered by insurance.
#6
University senior leadership - Deans, Provosts, and VCs. Snouts in the trough with their boots on the backs of lecturers and students. A product of the marketisation of higher education. They disgust me.
Earlier this month, FlexJobs also announced the most in-demand hybrid job titles, which act like an interesting counter to the list we see born in this Reddit discussion. They were:
- Accountant;
- Executive Assistant;
- Financial Analyst;
- Software Engineer;
- Project Manager;
- Account Executive;
- Accounting Manager;
- Sales Development Representative;
- Customer Service Representative;
- Business Development Representative.
#7
Not sure respect is the right word but I always thought HR were “for the workers” I work in Management now and 100% know HR are not your friend, do not go to them thinking they are ever!
Got the HR community after me!! All I said was when I was on the tools I was under the impression that they were there for the workers and were the go to for independent help guys when they are absolutely not and you shouldn’t ever go to them under those pretences!!
#8
Ok this is going to sound weird. I have huge respect for anyone in a caring profession and I totally get that the pressure and difficulty of the job has a negative impact on worker's and their mental health and personalities.
But over and over again, the b***hiest, nastiest environments I encounter are in care working professions. I sort of get it. But also I don't. If you can't even pretend not to be at worst a psychopath and at best not a toxic individual then don't do that job.
Roots & Wings Boutique 2 months ago
My dad got injured at his job and was given certified nursing assistants. 95% did not do their jobs. One even left two hours early and didn't clock out. One chewed me out after I asked her to clean the microwave after heating snapper in it. One sat in a chair all day watching movies.
Spencer said that while remote work and salary are the top factors that a majority of workers are looking for in a job, there are a few other important considerations that job seekers take into account.
"Having a flexible schedule, a good relationship with one's boss, the ability to set clear work-life boundaries, and engaging in meaningful work within a healthy company culture are also qualities that many professionals seek in their next role," he explained.
#9
Doormen/bouncers/private security.
In seven years working alongside them I have met one that was in it for the right reasons.
They are narcissistic, predatory and power mad, some of whom use it as an excuse to express sanctioned violence.
Nimitz 2 months ago
Here's a thing: lots of security people are on their last leg financially. Here in Canada when I was having trouble finding work, when I went to apply for benefits the people just gave me brochures for security companies. Apparently NO ONE wants to be a security guard so they just recruit from people who are denied welfare/EI. So all you get are psychos who are there hoping to be a big man and hurt people, or people who are out of hope. That's why every manager/supervisor in those jobs is a complete and total roid rage psychopath
#10
The BBC management. They've fought a mate of mine over ten years after a severe accident at work. They basically bankrupted him, destroyed his life, and hired experts to discredit him in court. After a decade, he won the case, but those who dragged him over the coals for years continue to have successful careers and just saw him as a game, a toy to be played with, with hundreds of millions available to outspend his lawyers. The BBC top brass are pretty sick in the head - they could have just admitted liability and paid up years ago, but no one would.
Tucker Cahooter 2 months ago
When I first saw "BBC Management" I thought the discussion was going to be about Jimmy Savile and how they covered it up for years and years
#11
Lawyers. I studied law and did so many work experiences to see what area of law I wanted to get into. Every single lawyer I met (save for a few posh white men) was a glorified administrator. 99% of the job is soooooo menial. It’s really a profession where success is determined by your socio-economic profile and connections, not actual talent. Boring.
XanthippeⓐWulf🇨🇦️️🇬🇧 2 months ago
I think this is a bit reductionist. There are so many avenues of law that you can get into: entertainment, business, environmental, immigration, real estate, international.... I'm sure those men & women who work very hard (whatever their ethnicity may be) would love to know that they are "glorified administrators" simply because their careers don't consist of high-profile, Netflix-worthy cases. If you go into this field thinking every day is going to be like Law & Order, you're going to be very disappointed.
#12
Car mechanics.
I worked in the field for 40 years, and there were always bad actors, but the norm was that something would be diagnosed and repaired as needed, and you tried to keep the bill down and respect the customer and the car. The normal markup on parts was 40% for ages. Now it's fairly normal for shops to just replace everything that might cause a problem (instead of diagnosing it), and markups are almost always over 100%. Customers get a $2,000 estimate for a small issue, with a shrug, "take it somewhere else if you want".
The number of guys on the job who don't know or care to know how to actually service things rather than just swapping new parts in is appalling.
#13
Academia and anything based in universities. Since starting a PhD and being considered a staff member instead of student, the corruption and egos involved from a Dr to senior management makes a struggling industry toxic to work in. Can't wait to finish and move on.
Francisco Scaramanga 2 months ago
I would also add to this their "expert opinions" upon request, which are based on data from a******s.
#14
Not going to shock anyone as I don't know if they ever had it, but Estate Agents. They straight up lie, they make negotiation more complex between seller/landlord and buyer/renter. They make an already stressful situation worse to deal with. I actually believe their jobs are now redundant in the modern age where the internet can do a better job of advertising and owners/landlords do a better job of showing you around.
Politicians have become (even more) spineless and all they're doing is saving their jobs and securing income for themselves and family.
Journalists because they've stopped explaining who has expertise and a decade in the job and who has just done a google search. But they don't they give equal importance under the guise of fairness. But that's not fairness, that's spreading misinformation.
Přemek Marek 2 months ago
In this situation, I am an owner and I have a list of realtors that I work with. They make it easier for both sides - keep track of legal requirements, they do photos, advertisement, make tours, check the tenants (lawsuits, insolvency etc.), help with transfer of utilities... They are experts at all those things (those I work with). It is not my job. I can take photos - they will be worse. I can make advertisement - they have more experience what is important and what should be in or not etc. All the things they could do, I could do - but worse or at higher cost. Like with lots of other professions. So yes, there are many bad ones, but I can't agree with that damning of the whole profession.
#15
Vets. I used to buy into the whole "we're just covering our costs" with insane prices but since working alongside them a lot, they mark up emergencies surgeries based on availability of vets, not a percentage, to the point where when there aren't alternatives, owners just have to go into crazy debt or put thier animals down. They also try and talk you into treatment and tests that aren't necessary.
Disclaimer: not all are bad, like any profession.
#16
Having worked in a prison - prison officers and governors. Some of them are the most crooked, racist, sexist, homophobic people I've ever met, who continuously cover up each other's mistakes and drive out anyone who is any way a threat / has any morals.
The people who are the worst get promoted. There's a crazy amount of officers who go to court for assaulting inmates in "self defence", come back and get promoted. Lots of people get "investigated" for misdeeds and the person in charge of the investigation are their uncles / parents / inlaws. Unsurprisingly, they're found innocent. These people earn £50-80k a year for doing nothing, and are on the world's largest power trip. Getthe job through nepotism then never leave. Basically a bunch of thuggish bullies.
Had one senior manager brag about how when he started in the 90s, him and his coworker stripped a prisoner down naked and used as a staple gun on his ballsack. I was talking about the standford prison experiment (he'd never heard of it). He asked, "oh, dyou think yhat counts as brutality?" Have a ton more stories like this. I was there less than a year.
Worse than the police.
#17
Physio's. I used to think they played a key role in injury recovery and were very knowledgeable about the human body but over time, and several sport related injuries, its become clear to me that a lot (not all) of them dont actually know a great deal and its not much more than i have learned through life experiences and reading up on injuries online.
I had one who was giving me exercises so light i dont think they took in to account i was a regular exerciser and gym goer before the injury and the exercises were far far too simple. I had another who regularly pulled out a little book that looked like it was £5.99 from Amazon on leg exercises and another who i told repeatedly i had a back problem and they just focused on my knees for weeks and weeks (it was later proven to be a back problem).
Im sure theres some very good ones out there but im yet to encounter them.
#18
Senior leadership in NHS hospitals. Not Drs or Nurses or support staff, who do great jobs. The nepotism starts at the top and its deep.
Vix Spiderthrust 2 months ago
You get what you pay for. The NHS is undermanaged - it has 20% fewer managers than any organisation of comparable size, according to the King's Fund. But the taxpayer doesn't understand what managers do, so they don't want to pay for them. And, of course, RIGHT at the top you've got to contend with the politicians at the Department of Health, who will never do the right thing when they get spend the same amount of effort managing how the newspapers refer to them.
#19
Midwives. I work in a hospital and I’ve been unfortunate to work at a very high level for a while a few years back. The midwives were the most vile, abusive and toxic cohort. Totally delusional. Thinking they’re better, more important and special. I copped more abuse off them than the rest of the hospital put together. Recently (in a different role) I had the misfortune to have to go to their ward to review a patient. I got interrogated about who I am and why I’m there 7 times on my first visit and 11 times on my second visit. Yes I kept a tally. They were aggressive, argumentative and generally bullies.
I got a very irate phone call from their discharge planner about my patient demanding I create the patients discharge plan then getting angry when I didn’t know what she was on about. The discharge planner had not spoken to the patient about what and how they wanted to discharge. I suggested the midwife have a discussion with the patient rather than me and reminded her of putting the patient at the centre of her care.
I’m torn about writing this as I am friends with a couple of midwives and they’re great. But they seem to be the few and far between.
Did I say that out loud? (he/him)cis/het 2 months ago
Shrewsbury maternity scandal, amongst others.
#20
Independent Financial Advisors are an absolute joke. I work in pensions and some of the questions they ask me are shocking, some even ask me to explain basic maths to them. They shouldn’t be giving financial advice to anyone, and the advice they end up giving to their clients is always “we’ve evaluated your portfolio and recommend you invest your funds with us”.
#21
Builders. I’ve had nothing but bad experiences with them. One stole a lot of money from me and I’ve had to fight them in court for it back. They won’t get into trouble or pay interest on what they owe because these kind of people get away with stealing… but if a member of the public went into a shop and stole something, there would be hell to pay.
#22
The royal family. I was brought up in primary school to believe that they were to be admired and respected.
Turns out they are a bunch of elitist c***s. The national anthem doesn't even mention the country, it's just a vanity song for whichever tw@ happens to be sitting on the throne.
Also their entitlement to any archeological treasure "gold and silver objects, hidden with the intention of retrieval, and which are discovered with no identifiable owner or heir, belong to the Crown"
The scamming bastards weren't even in power when these items were crafted and should have no right to just claim them.
Alexandra 2 months ago
In this case, 'the Crown' means that archaeological finds wil become property of the state/country, not Charles personally; it's just a manner of speaking. As for royal families: don't forget they generate trade and thus jobs and income for their countries. They also push forward those charitable causes that otherwise won't get the attention they need. Lastly, it's not much of a fairy tale. Sure, you don't need to worry about paying bills and whether you have enough to retire on, but the continuous scrutiny, the obligation to look good (especially for the women), the criticism, the not-being-able to express your own opinions on anything, the set calendar of events...this all makes it less of a fairy tale and more of a bit of a grind.
#23
Boxing. As a sport, it has become too much about the money and focusing too much on fights involving social media influencers.
#24
My own profession (work in tech). I thought people cared about their work and enjoyed working in a team to meet some goal. I also thought everyone else was bright. Turns out we are all charlatans that do next to no work.
cerinamroth 2 months ago
Sign me up! Since AI has practically put me out of work as a professional translator, the least you can do is give me a job where I don't really need to do anything ;-)
#25
I’ll get attacked for criticising an NHS profession but GPs.
Just my anecdotal experience of them is that they don’t give a f**k.
I’ve been prescribed medication I’m allergic to on multiple occasions, I have a scar thing on my leg that sometimes keeps me up at night when it flares as the pain is so bad and the reply from 3 separate GPs now is essentially “that condition doesn’t typically cause pain so I don’t believe you and can’t/won’t help you”. I injured my Hamstring pretty bad one time and now it often flares up if I try and resistance train and the GP just googled “hamstring stretches” in front of me and printed off a page of stretching designed for the elderly. No follow up or referrals.
cerinamroth 2 months ago
The system is collapsing and requires an immediate and comprehensive overhaul. But long live the NHS as a concept!
#26
For me, dentists.
Growing up, dentists were people who stopped you eating sweets, but actually cared about your health.
But as an adult, they just seem money hungry, as they seem to find issues where you've never had them before. Fiancé was told they needed 12 fillings (2 pretty big ones, the rest small ones), and went to a different dentist to have them done (as they are anxious about dentists, so needed a specialist). The dentist looked at their mouth and said "You don't need any fillings, no idea why your dentist said you needed any".
This happened a week after the same dentist gave me a filling on a chipped tooth... Which just over a month later abscessed, and I find out the dentist was fired from the practice. So him alone completely turned my view of dentists on its head... And my current dentist seeming to always have something extra to charge me extra for...
#27
Controversially, builders/laborers.
They seem to come in 2 distinct categories.
Reliable cowboys, or unreliable craftsmen.
You either seem to get a bunch of workers who turn up do the "work" quoted and leave, but when you find out all of the corners that were cut you end up having to foot the bill for repairs as they won't ever return.
Then you get the ones with great repertoires, good reviews and generally coming in at a higher price point. You know you're going to get good results from them. The problem is *if* they turn up. Take "I'll be there at 10am Tuesday" with a large pinch of salt. They will also prioritise jobs on value. My friend had put £2k down on a new kitchen worth £10k, agreed on a start date. Start date came, nobody turned up. When he rang to see what was happening they said they needed to push it back a month. When down on the high street of the village he lives in, the contractors vans (small company, only have 2) were both parked outside a restaurant that had recently closed for renovation. He called and asked what it was about, they said that the bigger job had to take priority.
They're a group of people that I wouldn't trust as far as I could throw them.
#28
The employees of the The Probate Registry also have absolutely no idea what they’re doing. The long delays with applications are caused solely by their incompetence.
#29
Gunna get sh*t for this, but almost anyone who works on the trains. Commuted to London for 6 years (on one of the better services nationally) and I can’t say I found any member of staff particularly helpful (even when they weren’t being rude) and they seem to view passengers like cattle.
They always blame everyone else for problems on the trains but at some point you’re the people who run it day-to-day so that only goes so far.
Any time they complain about jobs and pay I can’t say I’m that sympathetic, given they never fight passengers corners when the ticket prices go up or for a better service.
I think bus drivers do a far more complex and demanding job than train drivers and should be paid more than they are.
KaiPonpon 2 months ago
The bus drivers are the absolute worst where I live, literally had one almost crash into us because he just went even tho he would've had to wait for us to pass. Also several times see people running to the bus (myself included), the bus driver absolutely looks at them and then drives off. They also drive like s**t and with the lack of seatbelts it makes me incredibly anxious Tho a tram driver did try to run me and my dog over twice in one day also. I was crossing and right as I was in front of the tram it started going, no bell or anything to warn us. And it happened two times. Same driver. We made eye contact the second time and he still just started driving
#30
Social workers - out of the few who really try to help
There are so many who are just box ticking or jump to conclusions and make assumptions about people's lives especially single fathers who get given 10% of the leeway single mothers get
Probably this is endemic of the chronic underfunding everywhere
Alot of marketing/pr jobs - I've worked for and run loads of charity events and shows, getting tonnes for free or cheap and they've come out alot better than when charities have hired a company to run their promotions or events.
What do you think ?
Marno C. 2 months ago
Well, this was a depressing, pessimistic list full of sweeping generalizations and stereotypes. Have a job? Well, someone on this list probably despises you. Fun times. I challenge anyone to read all the way through and not give up halfway due to all the p*ssing and moaning.
Starfish63 2 months ago
I work in NHS and, yes, it has its problems. On the other hand, I also use the NHS and can honestly say that without their care since 2020 (all through lockdown, etc.) if NHS didn't exist, I would have lost my eyesight. They do amazing work. Yes, there are people in all areas of work who are not the nicest or best suited to what they do but credit where it's due.
Panda McPandaface 2 months ago
Far too much painting an entire profession with the same brush becaus of one personal experience or anecdotal evidence. A highly annoying and unfair list.
UKGrandad 2 months ago
Precisely what I was thinking. It's mostly "I had a bad experience with an X therefore all X's are bad".
Load More Replies...
Marno C. 2 months ago
Well, this was a depressing, pessimistic list full of sweeping generalizations and stereotypes. Have a job? Well, someone on this list probably despises you. Fun times. I challenge anyone to read all the way through and not give up halfway due to all the p*ssing and moaning.
Starfish63 2 months ago
I work in NHS and, yes, it has its problems. On the other hand, I also use the NHS and can honestly say that without their care since 2020 (all through lockdown, etc.) if NHS didn't exist, I would have lost my eyesight. They do amazing work. Yes, there are people in all areas of work who are not the nicest or best suited to what they do but credit where it's due.
Panda McPandaface 2 months ago
Far too much painting an entire profession with the same brush becaus of one personal experience or anecdotal evidence. A highly annoying and unfair list.
UKGrandad 2 months ago
Precisely what I was thinking. It's mostly "I had a bad experience with an X therefore all X's are bad".
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