# If you had to do a menial job, what would it be? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 16, 2009, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-do-a-menial-job-what-would-it-be/496678 "2009-05-16T20:19:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2009, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-do-a-menial-job-what-would-it-be/496678/21 "2009-05-17T11:36:07Z")
Grave digger. If I got to use a backhoe, it’d be sweet. But I’d just be happy not to have to dig in rocky, root-matted hillside redwood soil. Even better if I could dig in a proper grid, without having to worry about accidentally churning up an old…well, you get the picture. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2009, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-do-a-menial-job-what-would-it-be/496678/22 "2009-05-17T12:05:58Z")
I’d also like to be a night security guard at a museum. It would be so cool to walk around them at night. To be honest, I’d do that job for free. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2009, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-do-a-menial-job-what-would-it-be/496678/23 "2009-05-17T12:44:00Z")
Clerk at a bookstore or a wine shop. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2009, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-do-a-menial-job-what-would-it-be/496678/24 "2009-05-17T13:04:13Z")
Regional airline pilot. ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2009, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-do-a-menial-job-what-would-it-be/496678/25 "2009-05-17T13:52:03Z")
I actually really enjoy being a retail stockperson. Pallets of freight, boxes of loose items, and a limited amount of time each night to get it all on the shelf-- it’s like getting paid to play Perfection or Tetris. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2009, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-do-a-menial-job-what-would-it-be/496678/26 "2009-05-17T13:58:48Z")
Probably housecleaner. But if I get to be a clerk, I’d go for a book or fabric store. However, clerk in a store doesn’t sound menial to me. ---
**Author:** ![CutterJohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/91b2a8/32.png) [@CutterJohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CutterJohn)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2009, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-do-a-menial-job-what-would-it-be/496678/27 "2009-05-17T14:48:43Z")
\o/ I have a menial job! Well, half my time is anyway. I work at a factory that produces printing ink(If you have ever drank a bottle of bud light in the last year, chances are good that I am directly responsible for its colorfulness. 😃 ), and every other day I get to fill up containers with pigment to be dumped into the mills. Hefting 50lb sacks, cutting them open, then dumping the pigment dust(its like flour, really) into containers. The pay is adequate for my needs, and I get filthy. Colorful, but filthy. Tbh, its my favorite job in the plant. I’m a good daydreamer, so i sit and listen to music while nobody bothers me and mindlessly go about my tasks. I’m a lazy person naturally, so hefting several tons of sacks around gets me some much needed exercise. ---
**Author:** ![YoungKusher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3e96dc/32.png) [@YoungKusher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YoungKusher)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-do-a-menial-job-what-would-it-be/496678/28 "2013-12-24T19:18:00Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > Regional airline pilot. I think you have to go to college to do that, or at least extensive flight school. Like others have said, isn’t menial something that takes no skill or in depth training? Fast food restaurants, some factory work, janitor, that type of stuff. I’ve seen a lot of factory jobs that aren’t easy. They can be complex and strenuous. That being said it’s kind of hard to think of an obvious menial job that you would want to do. I would want to be a Valet person at a ritzy hotel or something like that, if that’s menial. My buddy moved to Colorado to try and become a pro snowboarder and that’s how he pays the bills. He said it’s a fun job, it pays $15 an hour, and the tips on top of that are awesome. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-do-a-menial-job-what-would-it-be/496678/29 "2013-12-24T19:28:47Z")
I had a job once sanding furniture in a furniture factory. I really enjoyed the transformation from rough to almost finished. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-do-a-menial-job-what-would-it-be/496678/30 "2013-12-24T19:43:10Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Or cesspool sucker-outer. While this would qualify as a “shitty” job, I don’t think it’s menial because there’s actually a lot to know about how to do it correctly. ---
**Author:** ![randompattern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@randompattern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randompattern)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-do-a-menial-job-what-would-it-be/496678/31 "2013-12-24T19:48:57Z")
Zamboni driver ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-do-a-menial-job-what-would-it-be/496678/32 "2013-12-24T19:53:57Z")
> [@randompattern](#): > > Zamboni driver Sorry, the [King of Spain](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9d5Ac_LFvs) beat you to it. Me (aside from quibbles over how menial it is)? I’ve been a security guard. Aside from the pay and (some of) the co-workers, it was awesome. Lots of quiet, I could listen to the radio, read books, mind my own business. Perfect job for a bookworm. ---
**Author:** ![StrangerThanFiction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f05b48/32.png) [@StrangerThanFiction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StrangerThanFiction)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-do-a-menial-job-what-would-it-be/496678/33 "2013-12-24T20:43:39Z")
> [@YoungKusher](#): > > I think you have to go to college to do that, or at least extensive flight school. Only if you want to be a _zombie_ regional airline pilot. And in reply to **Koxinga** : Zing! ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-do-a-menial-job-what-would-it-be/496678/34 "2013-12-24T20:52:54Z")
A lot of the jobs mentioned are a step up from the menial jobs I’ve held. I worked my way through my first degree as a janitor. I mowed yards for several seasons, no not landscaping, just pushing a mower. If I had to choose I’d go back to being a janitor, better pay than you might think but always menial. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-do-a-menial-job-what-would-it-be/496678/35 "2013-12-24T20:55:28Z")
When I was a teenager, I worked as a dishwasher. I rather enjoyed it. ---
**Author:** ![SerafinaPekala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@SerafinaPekala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SerafinaPekala)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-do-a-menial-job-what-would-it-be/496678/36 "2013-12-24T21:02:39Z")
I got sick of the grind so I did take a menial job once just for a break. Scooping poop in the kennels of an animal hospital. Lowest job on the totem pole there. This was initially appealing since I love animals and dont mind getting dirty. Then the reality of it came to light: most animal lovers hate people. Thats why they work with animals. The vet techs and other kennel workers were the meanest bunch of women Ive ever come across. I didnt mind doing whatever nasty and menial tasks the job entailed but their passive/aggressive bitchiness was worse than getting bitten by any animal. ---
**Author:** ![carlotta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@carlotta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlotta)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-do-a-menial-job-what-would-it-be/496678/37 "2013-12-24T21:14:49Z")
does daycare worker count? Low pay, low status, how much training needed? I love babies and little kids and getting to give them back at the end of the day is a nice feature. I really liked being a waitress actually. I’d do that too. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-do-a-menial-job-what-would-it-be/496678/38 "2013-12-24T21:28:43Z")
What about Postal Carrier, does that count? It seems that sorting machines have reduced the job substantially from the respected, uniformed, neighborhood icon it was when I was a kid. The guys who do it now in my neighborhood always look like they popped out of bed in a crack house and wobbled off for a day slam to earn the next hit. There are two or three who rotate through the week, but they seem to share the same holey jeans and dirty t-shirt - regardless of the weather. (I am by no means generalizing, just reporting what happens where I live these days.) Anyhoo, if I had to do something mindless, I’d like to be outside walking in a neighborhood I’m familiar with. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-do-a-menial-job-what-would-it-be/496678/39 "2013-12-24T21:31:08Z")
I like zombies. What happened to **dangermom**? She hasn’t posted in over a year. I don’t know that it’d be considered “menial”, but I operated a punch press once and happily thought I could do it 40 hours a week, no problem. ---
**Author:** ![Marion\_Wormer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d07c76/32.png) [@Marion\_Wormer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marion_Wormer)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2013, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-do-a-menial-job-what-would-it-be/496678/40 "2013-12-24T21:40:49Z")
> [@randompattern](#): > > Zamboni driver Yes, you could learn to be a zamboni driver in a single shift, just not a good zamboni driver. It takes experience to get good. I’ve skated on too much ice that’s had a crappy cut by a one lesson driver not to appreciate a skilled resurfacer. I would like to be a groom in a stable. I like horses and I’ve shoveled a lot of poop for my own horse to turn up my nose on shoveling it for pay. Also, if you’re a good groom you get exercise privileges. Also unlike the vet ‘bitches’ mentioned above, you can’t be bitchy with horses they’ll kick, step and bite you. Horse handlers need to be calm. (there are people that aren’t, I’ve just never met them) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-do-a-menial-job-what-would-it-be/496678.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-had-to-do-a-menial-job-what-would-it-be/496678.md?page=3)