# What is your Nightmare Job? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 16, 2012, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-nightmare-job/622134 "2012-05-16T20:01:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-nightmare-job/622134/41 "2012-05-17T01:51:06Z")
For me, sales in general isn’t so awful, but trying to sell via telephone would be much worse than shoveling elephant shit. Telemarketing is probably the worst job in the world, other than being a soldier under fire. ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-nightmare-job/622134/42 "2012-05-17T01:55:25Z")
Toll booth operator. You stand there all day, nothing interesting to do, can’t just put your mind on auto-pilot because you have a series of tiny uninteresting things to think about, you don’t even have any physical labor to at least burn some calories (except those burned through standing), the only people you see really don’t want to see you, and taking a bathroom break is a big production. ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-nightmare-job/622134/43 "2012-05-17T01:58:40Z")
> [@Eliahna](#): > > I couldn’t work at an abattoir. > > I also think dentistry is a horrible job. I’m sure there are millions of dentists who love their job and can elaborate on the many, many true and valid reasons why it’s worthwhile but for me, the idea of sticking your hands into other people’s mouths all day, dealing with blood (let’s face it, any job where you expect to see blood in the course of a normal day isn’t for me) and being a person so many people fear just adds up to something I’d hate to do. Thank God for dentists, but I don’t want to be involved in dentistry -shudder- Apparently dentists have a high suicide rate, and their long-term disability insurance premiums are ridiculously high (at least according to the guy who sold me long-term disability insurance) because they hate their jobs and have access to drugs. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-nightmare-job/622134/44 "2012-05-17T02:33:49Z")
When I was instructed to scrub out 10 \*absolutely disgustingly filthy _hamburger_-\*grease-coated hoods at a food service job on my old college campus ( **without gloves** ), I finally figured out one job I would rather be homeless than perform. I didn’t even quit, I just walked out and never came back. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-nightmare-job/622134/45 "2012-05-17T03:00:16Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > I didn’t even quit, I just walked out and never came back. I think that counts as quitting. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-nightmare-job/622134/46 "2012-05-17T03:00:42Z")
Food service. Especially fast food, but just about anything involving food. Cafeteria, waitressing, flight kitchen (shudder). Yeah, I’d do just about anything other than that. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-nightmare-job/622134/47 "2012-05-17T03:13:10Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > Toll booth operator. You stand there all day, nothing interesting to do, can’t just put your mind on auto-pilot because you have a series of tiny uninteresting things to think about, you don’t even have any physical labor to at least burn some calories (except those burned through standing), the only people you see really don’t want to see you, and taking a bathroom break is a big production. I agree. Back when I was working I used to cross over a toll bridge and see those guys and think that their job was worse than mine. And I was a prison guard. But there’s a job that would rank even lower with me. I went to college in the town of Potsdam, NY and there was a bus that drove around the village. And I think being the driver of that bus would be worse than being a toll collector. He was driving the same route through the village all day long. The guy must have repeated it three times an hour - imagine how boring that must get after a few years of repetition. And operating a bus in the middle of a town is a more demanding job than collecting coins in a booth - you can’t zone out like you could as a toll collector. The only thing worse than having a boring repetitous job is having a boring repetious job that you have to pay attention to. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-nightmare-job/622134/48 "2012-05-17T04:46:18Z")
Mud-bath technician at a spa. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-nightmare-job/622134/49 "2012-05-17T06:32:57Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > I think that counts as quitting. To me, it’s job abandonment. Quitting implies telling someone you’re leaving, or saying, “I quit!”, whether in person or over the phone. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-nightmare-job/622134/50 "2012-05-17T06:52:26Z")
Cook. I’ll carry it to the table, I’ll wash the dishes. Don’t make me cook it, slice it, dice it, chop it, or shape it into patties. I don’t mind baking things though. Or making drinks. ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-nightmare-job/622134/51 "2012-05-17T07:52:57Z")
> [@spooje](#): > > I already had it and quit it. > > Here it is. the company made desktop calendar books. On a long table there are stacks of paper. A pile marked A, a pile marked B, a pile marked C…and so on. > > My job was to walk around the table, taking one page from each pile until the book was complete, then do it again and again and again… Ah yes, collation. For added ick mine was a graveyard shift. Thank god it was a one-weekend temp job. My nightmare job I’ve already done – line worker at a chicken processing plant. Disgusting, absolutely freezing (I’m pretty sure I was heading for some kind of hand damage because my hands would instantly get so cold I was practically in tears from the pain), and shitty bosses who would call me on the carpet for not chatting with the other line workers while I was supposed to be working… 😕 I still have NO idea what that was about, it’s not like we even _could_ talk – the machinery is so loud that we used OSHA-mandated hearing protection. I couldn’t make out a damn thing anyone said on the floor, nevermind being able to chat **and** keep up with a rapidly moving line at the same time. And for added ick this one required I get up at 5am to drive for an hour to get to my shift on time. And at 3pm I had a second awful job waiting for me. I cried every morning. I cried myself to sleep every night. Military could be a nightmare, but honestly I think I’d just wash out pretty quickly. You don’t want me handling a machine gun. ---
**Author:** ![PalJuicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a8b319/32.png) [@PalJuicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PalJuicy)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-nightmare-job/622134/52 "2012-05-17T10:22:38Z")
Air traffic controller. To me, that seems to be the most stressful job ever created. I just can’t imagine . . . ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-nightmare-job/622134/53 "2012-05-17T12:22:14Z")
One where I had to work at heights wearing a safety harness (the problem is not the heights, it’s the harness), under the orders of one of those guys who want to be a Sturmtruppenführer when they grow up (as they’re completely deluded about the job of Sturmtruppenführers, but they saw one once in a movie and thought the uniform looked spiffy). Oh, and it would involve staying late frequently with no actual tasks to do, simply because Sturmtruppenführer Wannabe felt like making us stay late. ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-nightmare-job/622134/54 "2012-05-17T13:09:54Z")
Vet or farmer. I don’t like animals and I’m categorically not outdoorsy. I’d actually rather shovel the shit then having to touch/handle the animal that produces it. ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Hartwick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-nightmare-job/622134/55 "2012-05-17T13:20:16Z")
Kiao wins. Factory chicken always wins. ---
**Author:** ![Corcaigh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Corcaigh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corcaigh)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-nightmare-job/622134/56 "2012-05-17T13:47:39Z")
Anything in the animal slaughter/meat production line. I’m a meat eater, but I do no want to see how it got from field to fork thank you very much. Knowing about it is bad enough, and no I don’t want to go veggie, that would be practically impossible where I live, I cannot live on pasta and cheese alone. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-nightmare-job/622134/57 "2012-05-17T15:08:13Z")
I will say that my “filling out forms” job was based on the likelihood of my applying for a position where I would have to fill out forms. Obviously such a job would be far better than chicken plant/child abuse caseworker/slaughterhouse zapper, but the chances of me applying for one of those is nil, so I didn’t consider them. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-nightmare-job/622134/58 "2012-05-17T15:21:24Z")
Stand-up comic. I’m not funny, I hate public speaking, I hate embarrassing myself (which is not a necessary quality of the job, but would absolutely happen to me because of the first two items), I hate exposing myself to harassment, I hate traveling for a job, I hate competing for attention, and the pay to start is terrible. ---
**Author:** ![Patience\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@Patience\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patience_Jones)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-nightmare-job/622134/59 "2012-05-17T15:34:14Z")
Waiting tables. Lousy pay, rude customers. Honestly, the thought of taking any customer service job again depresses me beyond reason. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-nightmare-job/622134/60 "2012-05-17T15:44:41Z")
I have two categories: 1. Anything with lots of people interaction. I’m an introvert with social anxiety. I tried cashiering once, it was exhausting and my nerves were shot just because of all the people. I get frazzled just _being_ at Walmart! 2. The really hard manual labour. Like roof tarring mentioned above. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-nightmare-job/622134.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-nightmare-job/622134.md?page=4)