Nightmare Jobs

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I'm "only" pushing 30 so I can't say I've had any nightmare jobs per se, but my current job as a university administrator is very stressful. The work isn't problematic, but rather the people (that's typically the case everywhere, right?). Colleagues constantly manufacturing problems and are very nefarious and conspiratorial. There is a huge disconnect between faculty and staff, and intellectualism is rampant (if you don't have a degree, you can forget it.) Not that it matters, but I'm currently a PhD student and was told by one faculty member/senior admin that she doesn't talk to anyone who doesn't have a PhD. Another told me that since she has a PhD, she doesn't answer phones or make copies. I'll just leave that there.

I worked fast food in high school (10th-12th grade) and loved it, but I cannot attest to how it would be working there as a full adult. It gave me an extraordinary appreciation for people in general, and instilled I'm me common decency and respect for neighbor. The country and world would be a better place if everyone had to work in the service industry for some period.

I've also worked in luxury hospitality which was fun but a mess. Work hours suck, guests frequently arrogant and hostile. I've had guests threaten to fight me and coworkers, been called every name in the book, propositioned for sex, and asked if bagged drugs could be accepted as a method of payment to settle bills. There was a murder there shortly after I left. Glad I never had to deal with anything like that.
 
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Saint Raphael said:
I'm "only" pushing 30 so I can't say I've had any nightmare jobs per se, but my current job as a university administrator is very stressful. The work isn't problematic, but rather the people (that's typically the case everywhere, right?). Colleagues constantly manufacturing problems and are very nefarious and conspiratorial. There is a huge disconnect between faculty and staff, and intellectualism is rampant (if you don't have a degree, you can forget it.) Not that it matters, but I'm currently a PhD student and was told by one faculty member/senior admin that she doesn't talk to anyone who doesn't have a PhD. Another told me that since she has a PhD, she doesn't answer phones or make copies. I'll just leave that there.

I worked fast food in high school (10th-12th grade) and loved it, but I cannot attest to how it would be working there as a full adult. It gave me an extraordinary appreciation for people in general, and instilled I'm me common decency and respect for neighbor. The country and world would be a better place if everyone had to work in the service industry for some period.

I've also worked in luxury hospitality which was fun but a mess. Work hours suck, guests frequently arrogant and hostile. I've had guests threaten to fight me and coworkers, been called every name in the book, propositioned for sex, and asked if bagged drugs could be accepted as a method of payment to settle bills. There was a murder there shortly after I left. Glad I never had to deal with anything like that.
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Oh, the bubble that is intellectualism! I forgot all about that! Does not fly in the real world, fortunately, but what “fun” to pretend it matters in the world of academia! In the real world, if you cannot apply your intellect, your degree becomes meaningless. It’s much safer for those people to remain researchers and at universities where they can learn and study the rest of us. :joy:

(Says one who applies her academic work in real world environments.)
 
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I was a chemical engineer years ago. The money was good, the mental stimulation was good, and it almost killed me. I worked for a no longer existing company that let me be exposed to sulfuric acid fumes for months. I reported that the vapor recovery system was turned off multiple times. The foremen ignored me. My body absorbed it through inhalation, and I had to quit. I almost died 5 times in 3 years. I became hyper allergic, and here 39 years later still sweat the stuff out of my body. My sweat was so acidic that it ate the black lacquer off my piano bench. I received no compensation for my injuries. I was too sick at the time to even try to sue. I was fighting for my life. My family was no help. They did not care about me, and I truly believe that they hoped I would die so they could sue.
The people responsible have all died. Some of them suffered at the end. My own parents did, and to be honest, I'm not happy or sorry about it.
 
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meningreentights said:
I was a chemical engineer years ago. The money was good, the mental stimulation was good, and it almost killed me. I worked for a no longer existing company that let me be exposed to sulfuric acid fumes for months. I reported that the vapor recovery system was turned off multiple times. The foremen ignored me. My body absorbed it through inhalation, and I had to quit. I almost died 5 times in 3 years. I became hyper allergic, and here 39 years later still sweat the stuff out of my body. My sweat was so acidic that it ate the black lacquer off my piano bench. I received no compensation for my injuries. I was too sick at the time to even try to sue. I was fighting for my life. My family was no help. They did not care about me, and I truly believe that they hoped I would die so they could sue.
The people responsible have all died. Some of them suffered at the end. My own parents did, and to be honest, I'm not happy or sorry about it.
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Wow...what a horrific story. I’m so sorry that happened to you.
 
LaFemme said:
Oh, the bubble that is intellectualism! I forgot all about that! Does not fly in the real world, fortunately, but what “fun” to pretend it matters in the world of academia! In the real world, if you cannot apply your intellect, your degree becomes meaningless. It’s much safer for those people to remain researchers and at universities where they can learn and study the rest of us. :joy:

(Says one who applies her academic work in real world environments.)
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I had plenty of those in university. They work at the university because they cannot fit in the real working world. Outside of academia, they'd be unemployed.

The most important person at your job is the one who cleans the restroom. If you don't believe me, let it go uncleaned for 6 months. Janitors, garbage men, sewer workers, wait staff all deserve a decent living. I pay good tips to wait staff.

I've had people with lesser degrees look down on me. Not only do I shoot them down with my chemical engineering degree, I laugh to myself that they make chump change.

BTW, I have used my engineering skills many times outside of my field. I've used it many times to help out postal workers. I haven't been compensated for it but I am willing to help.

I am retiring at the end of June. They say it must be nice. I smile, and tell them it is great.
 
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meningreentights said:
I was a chemical engineer years ago. The money was good, the mental stimulation was good, and it almost killed me. I worked for a no longer existing company that let me be exposed to sulfuric acid fumes for months. I reported that the vapor recovery system was turned off multiple times. The foremen ignored me. My body absorbed it through inhalation, and I had to quit. I almost died 5 times in 3 years. I became hyper allergic, and here 39 years later still sweat the stuff out of my body. My sweat was so acidic that it ate the black lacquer off my piano bench. I received no compensation for my injuries. I was too sick at the time to even try to sue. I was fighting for my life. My family was no help. They did not care about me, and I truly believe that they hoped I would die so they could sue.
The people responsible have all died. Some of them suffered at the end. My own parents did, and to be honest, I'm not happy or sorry about it.
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That sounds truly horrific. There is a very old chemistry poem ending something like "what Johnny thought was H2O was H2SO4." It sounds as if your company quickly went into CTA (cover their ass) mode and no one including your immediate family lifted a finger to help. Truly mans inhumanity and lack of compassion toward a fellow human being.
 
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Onions contain a weak chemical relative of sulfuric acid. I am now highly allergic to onions. If someone is cooking with them, I have to leave the room.
I know it as Johnny too but in 1884 it was cited in a journal.
Our Willie passed away today,
His face we'll see no more;
What he thought was H2O
Proved H2SO4.

P.S. I hope my willy never passes away.
 
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meningreentights said:
I had plenty of those in university. They work at the university because they cannot fit in the real working world. Outside of academia, they'd be unemployed.

The most important person at your job is the one who cleans the restroom. If you don't believe me, let it go uncleaned for 6 months. Janitors, garbage men, sewer workers, wait staff all deserve a decent living. I pay good tips to wait staff.

I've had people with lesser degrees look down on me. Not only do I shoot them down with my chemical engineering degree, I laugh to myself that they make chump change.

BTW, I have used my engineering skills many times outside of my field. I've used it many times to help out postal workers. I haven't been compensated for it but I am willing to help.

I am retiring at the end of June. They say it must be nice. I smile, and tell them it is great.
Click to expand...
I worked non-profit for 15 years. Someone came in once a week to clean, otherwise if the bathroom was flooded or the toilet was plugged, we took care of it ourselves. I remember supervising practicum students, and a few would think they were “too good” for menial tasks like photocopying. Once I was literally wearing rubber gloves because I had to unclog the loo while a student is informing me that due to her upcoming degree she is too good to file some paperwork. I nearly hit her the head with the plunger!

My attitude has always been that if you can’t be good with the small tasks, you can’t be trusted with the big ones. I’m always friends with the cleaners and the admin. They make our world go round!
 
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I worked part-time at a convenience store. When I found out I got a job at a refinery, my friend told me she was happy for me but she'd miss me. She said she really liked that I cleaned the employees restroom every single day I worked.
( I think you should have plunged her mouth. It might have jogged her brain into working properly.)

Friday, a young lady at work said to me, "I don't know how you've worked here over 34 years.".
I told her, "I am retiring at the end of June. This place is full of assholes. The only place with more assholes is a hot dog factory.". Her eyes got wide, and she laughed. Now, we just say, "hot dog factory" to express our opinion.
 
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So I saw this on a job posting today and it made me laugh at the vagueness:

RESPONSIBILITIES
JOB KNOWLEDGE
Firm Job Knowledge - Firm working knowledge of concepts, practices and procedures and ability to use in varied situations

-------------
You best have a firm working knowledge of those concepts, practices, and procedures and have an ability to use them in varied situations.
Me: Which concepts, practices, and procedures?
Them: Yes.

lol. Come on folks. SMH.
I wish I could change the name/title of this post to Crappy Jobs/Managers..etc. but whatever.

So here I am asking you guys about your nightmare jobs and didn't even post my own. My nightmare jobs weren't like hey go clean a taco bell bathroom or empty out a clogged sewage drain but terrible in their own way.

So the first one was when I worked in the food service industry back in 2007 where I was the person who had to clear the tables off after the customer left. I had been at this place all of a week maybe two and they had expected me to learn their table numbering system which was ignorant af. I would hear "hey bob, table 24 is empty go reset it" and I would be like which one is 24 again? and they would look at me like I was stupid. Then because I didn't run over to the table like someone spazzed out on drugs and clear the table off within 3 seconds and have it reset for the next guest I was too slow and one girl working at the bar said to me "You've got to work faster than that" and then something about Greg the manager not keeping me on because of how slow I was or how that wasn't going to cut it and he wouldn't keep me on because I was too slow.
Then after clearing tables, assisting the kitchen staff with doing the dishes, helping with kitchen duties, and other such duties they started cutting my hours from four days a week to three maybe getting four or five hours a day at some point to two to three days then one to two then one. I remember working 1 day a week on (saturdays only) during the brunch time frame. I did that for about two weeks then I finally quit and the manager was playing like he was shocked that I was quitting. I'm like you dicked me around for 2 weeks not giving me any hours while they gave someone brand new 3-5 days a week. Its horseshit. He knew it was horseshit. Then I asked for my check and left. I got to my car to find out all the times I stayed over or even my regular time wasn't correct so I had to walk back in to a job that I just quit and speak to a manager that I had issues with about my check being incorrect. Which was his job. It felt like he was trying to jip me out of money. Fuck that.

It was a really crappy situation. I felt like I was being singled out there or like I wasn't apart of some clique.
 
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My nightmare job was residency. Medical school was intense but residency? Pure torture. As frustratingly insane as a hospital can be it wasn't the work. I was glad to be exposed to as many different cases/procedures as possible. What did me in were the long, long hours scheduled deliberately to test medico wannabes. Working twenty-four to thirty-six hours straight with the lives and health of patients in the balance isn't good practice. At one point I didn't leave the hospital for three days. I quit a couple months into my second year when I realized they were trying to kill me.
 
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For me, nightmare jobs in this order:

#1 Waiter
#2 Retail Clerk

God awful work for low pay serving absolute ignorant assholes. Thankfully it's been 20 years since I last did either of those jobs. I love what I do now, so I'm lucky. I certainly paid my dues in full to get here though.
 
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Worked at a Goodwill for two years a long time ago. Minimum wage. Not only did we have a mysterious serial bathroom shit painter who struck at random, but we had to sort used clothes.

The kicker: I always wore gloves when sorting and stocking the bins with underwear. USED underwear. I had female customers ask me why I was wearing gloves. Did I mention used underwear? Replete with skidmarks and crotch stains. I'll let that sink in....

While we're talking used underwear, who is so destitute (or cheap) that they can't afford a 3 or 5 pack of brand new Hanes? I'd rather pony up a few bucks for that than risk catching crabs (or worse) wearing a stranger's gross underwear.
 
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One more thing I forgot to add:

The hobo who liked to frequent the place. He never bought anything, just wandered around. Was later arrested for defecating in a mall fountain not far away. We didn't miss him when he was gone.
 
:joy:

Well even weirder than that, there was a guy in Florida who was caught on video licking doorbells. They had a camera on their porch. It really is true what they say.... the weirdest stuff happens in this state!
 
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