# What professions are dead or dying? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 13, 2010, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038 "2010-12-13T21:51:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/21 "2010-12-14T01:53:53Z")
I wouldn’t be surprised if fast food order takers are phased out soon. At certain Jack in the Boxes they have a kiosk that is touch screen. Actually, at the main parking garage in town they have everything automated. I personally like doing it that way but there’s just way too many damn old people who can’t figure it out. Slows everything down, it does. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/22 "2010-12-14T01:55:17Z")
Encyclopedia salesman. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/23 "2010-12-14T01:55:41Z")
> [@Lightlystarched](#): > > Reference librarians. Hell, all librarians. The packed house we had today in the library would beg to differ. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/24 "2010-12-14T01:55:58Z")
> [@Lightlystarched](#): > > Reference librarians. Hell, all librarians. Eventually perhaps but I think it’s more than wishful thinking on my part that they have at least another generation; they’ve done a good job of redefining themselves kind of like secretaries redefined themselves after most bosses learned to type and do word processing. I’m assuming the CRACKED article was tongue in cheek, because housekeepers and firemen aren’t going anywhere for a very long time. We’ll have robots doing those jobs the week after we get our disposable flying cars. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/25 "2010-12-14T01:59:14Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Why would you need an agent for a cruise? I’d think that wouldn’t be any more complicated than buying an airline ticket - am I missing something. > > I can see how you’d want an agent for more complicated trips, though - particularly if you were traveling to a poorer country, it would be good to have help from someone with experience in planning such trips. Cruise tickets are a lot more involved that airline tickets: There’s the itinerary, of course, but there’s also the particular cruise line, the cabin, etc. On many ships there’s usually about ten different kinds of cabins to choose from. People who have gone cruising before, particularly those who are familiar with a particular cruise line or ship, may be comfortable picking a cabin online. But many people aren’t. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/26 "2010-12-14T02:05:48Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > Encyclopedia salesman. Og be praised; those guys were a nuisance. Probably door-to-door salesmen in general as people have gotten a lot more reluctant to let strangers inside and most prices can be beaten online or at chain stores. Do many people still make money through tiered marketing (e.g. AmWay, Mary Kay, etc.)? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/27 "2010-12-14T02:19:32Z")
Local disc jockeys have already phased out in some smaller markets; it’s a lot cheaper just to syndicate. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/28 "2010-12-14T02:20:37Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Og be praised; those guys were a nuisance. > > Probably door-to-door salesmen in general as people have gotten a lot more reluctant to let strangers inside and most prices can be beaten online or at chain stores. Do many people still make money through tiered marketing (e.g. AmWay, Mary Kay, etc.)? Those still exist, the most recent that I’m aware of(I’m sure there’s plenty more) was [MonaVie.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MonaVie) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/29 "2010-12-14T02:24:12Z")
Alchemist, Dodo plucker, Stage coach driver, Telephone operator, Arctic explorer, Democratic leader ---
**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:** [December 14, 2010, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/30 "2010-12-14T02:28:46Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > I definitely would not want to be in any business that involves tobacco. Actually, I think the tobacco business is doing pretty good overall. Sure, smoking has declined in the United States but they’ve got a solid foothold in foreign markets where smoking is still popular. And they’ve cut deals to ensure that their liability in smoking related lawsuits is limited. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/31 "2010-12-14T02:36:44Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Actually, I think the tobacco business is doing pretty good overall. Sure, smoking has declined in the United States but they’ve got a solid foothold in foreign markets where smoking is still popular. And they’ve cut deals to ensure that their liability in smoking related lawsuits is limited. And they’ve diversified and merged until they have fingers in everything. That wouldn’t help the tobacco rollers and planters perhaps but it does the execs and the stockholders. A good government resource for those not familiar: [Occupational Outlook](http://bls.gov/oco/). In addition to things like educational requirements and average earnings for a field it tells whether the field is expected to grow, shrink, go away, etc.. (Health fields are of course the biggest growth fields.) ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/32 "2010-12-14T02:44:13Z")
> [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](#): > > \ Typists of all kinds, now that it’s no longer a specialized skill. I’m not sure if you’re differentiating between data entry and typing, but data entry jobs aren’t going away any time soon. ETA: Data entry is at least a little bit specialized; you have to be fast, accurate, and able to type all day, every day. I think the printed newspaper jobs are going away, too. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/33 "2010-12-14T03:01:14Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Actually, I think the tobacco business is doing pretty good overall. It’s worthwhile to remember also that a lot of smoking doesn’t involve cigarettes and occurs where it’s not seen. I’m talking about pipe and cigar smokers who enjoy tobacco in their own own homes or other private areas. Premium cigar manufacturers can still afford to take out big splashy ads in publications like Cigar Aficionado magazine, pipe manufacturers still design and manufacture pipes that sell, and online review sites offer all kinds if information on cigars and tobaccos. The market is small but it is certainly there. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/34 "2010-12-14T03:10:49Z")
All this, and no one has brought up typewriter repair? ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/35 "2010-12-14T03:11:35Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Kinko’s type places. Kinko’s won’t be going anywhere until the places that provide wi-fi also start providing printers. ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/36 "2010-12-14T04:21:28Z")
> [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](#): > > Medical Transcription, probably legal too. Typists of all kinds, now that it’s no longer a specialized skill. The link Sampiro provided lists Medical Transcription jobs as likely to “grow about as fast as average”. Given the increase in healthcare-related jobs overall, I think it unlikely that medical transcriptionists will be out of work anytime in the foreseeable future. Sure, anybody these days can _type_, but not everyone can type quickly, efficiently, and with few errors while dealing with medical jargon. That takes training. I’ll add to the list: Independent bookstore owner Fax machine repair / manufacture ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/37 "2010-12-14T04:28:38Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > All this, and no one has brought up typewriter repair? Also shoe repair, watch repair, and pretty much any small appliance repair (TV, stereo, etc.). These things are all disposable now; it’s more cost effective 90% of the time to just toss them and buy a replacement. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Surb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@The\_Surb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Surb)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/38 "2010-12-14T04:32:56Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Does any place still have milk men? Yes, we have a delivery service here in Colorado. We also have a shoe repair place here too. They did a helluva job on a boot that my dog used as a chew toy. But I doubt that either will be replaced if they go under. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/39 "2010-12-14T05:10:11Z")
We have several shoe repair places. they have fixed, purses, coats and my leather racquetball bag. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038/40 "2010-12-14T05:17:36Z")
I once helped teach a group of railroad fireman (coal shovelers in engines) who were being retrained. (The deal the railroad had made with the union to allow them to eliminate fireman jobs required the railroad to keep all current firemen employed – either retrain them or pay them to do nothing.) So the railroad was retraining them to be mainframe computer programmers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-professions-are-dead-or-dying/564038.md?page=3)