In the big city life is hard, it’s dog eat dog. But the rent still has to be paid and you gotta eat, man! As a result some people take whatever job is available. Sometimes it’s a 9 to 5, sometimes it’s the night shift at a gas station. Sometimes it’s not even legal. To that end, here is my Top 10 List of The Worst Urban Jobs in America. If you have had experience in any of these jobs, tell us about it in the comments.
Unless you are patrolling Mayberry, you are risking your life every day you start your shift. Most cities have budget constraints that prevent an adequate number of police on the street in the first place. They are often under trained and out gunned in the most dangerous situations. Every traffic stop, domestic dispute call or drug house bust could be their last. Although the benefits are great the pay is only adequate and many officers moonlight doing private security or as bodyguards. Moving through the ranks and becoming a Detective or some other non street level position is usually the best option for a long career.
Arson for profit. Old, abandoned buildings full of homeless people. These are a couple of reasons that that big city fireman have to risk their lives everyday. They have to go in, save lives and put out a fire before it spreads to surrounding buildings. In times of riots (Detroit and Watts in the 1960′s and LA after the Rodney King verdict) they are actually the victims of attack from angry mobs. It is a demanding job not for those weak in mind or body.
If a roach or rat infested house is your idea of fun then this job is for you. For the rest of us, the prospect of going into a stranger’s house that is overrun by disease spreading vermin is a nightmare job. This is such an awful job it even inspired a Stephen King short story!
A job where your life could be lost over a few dollars in the till. Some stores are mom and pop businesses that are family run. Others are large 24 hour conglomerate stores that offer a chance for people to work hours suitable to their lifestyle. Despite closed circuit cameras and even an occasional gun hidden under the counter, many employees are shot even before a demand of money is made.
The world’s oldest profession is alive and well on city streets all across the planet. Besides the risk of being raped, assaulted or even killed, there is always the real chance of catching an STD or AIDS. Since it’s illegal in most states, prostitutes also run the risk of being arrested and jailed.
The $5 a day that Henry Ford offered people to work in his Detroit factories almost 100 years ago was life changing to some families. Many laborers and skilled tradesman jumped at the chance to double their income. Although conditions are safer nowadays and the pay is much more thanks to unions and collective bargaining agreements, the typical factory job is still dirty, hard and tedious.
A long commute to spend an even longer day in a cube. You work just hard enough to keep from getting fired and get paid just enough to keep from quitting.(That’s a quote from Les Brown, the motivational speaker). Most people spend a lot of time surfing the net, exchanging humorous emails or updating their resume. It’s a wonder any business gets done at all!
Most drivers have to put in long hours behind the wheel to make a living. You have to deal with traffic jams and passengers that don’t tip. Sometime passengers are actually out to rob you of the few dollars you have made and will kill you in a heartbeat. This is why some cabbies will not pick up certain fares which of course leads to more controversy.
Crack, weed, meth, etc. They’re available on any street corner for a few dollars a hit. In neighborhoods where drug use is rampant and jobs are scarce, many people choose this fast money option to make some cash to pay the bills. Whether it is the low level, street corner dealer or someone in a “middle management” capacity, the risks are high (prison, rival gangs) and pay is surprisingly low.
They call at dinner time, in the middle of your favorite movie or right when you finally get the baby to sleep. They are pre-scripted, auto call generated denizens of call centers calling to sell us magazines, insurance or to get us to change our long distance service. The truth is most of those people calling us are hard working young people that really are paying their way through college or older people in between “real jobs” trying to keep up with their mortgage payments. They are practically tied to the phone by a headset and breaks and lunches are also tightly monitored.
Contributor: MT
Being a firefighter may not be completely glorious, but it has way more benefits than faults. My dad is a firefighter in the city and loves his job. It is definently not one of the worst jobs in America. Neither is that of a police. This list was not very well thought out. Have you even seen dirty jobs? Do some research. Many of the newer lists here are lacking.
I’m a firefighter working for two different departments, one in Norther New Jersey and the other in Pennsylvania, depending on the time of year.
To the kid who is 16 and says he is involved in the emergency services, congrats, you are a cadet, you do not receive and proper training beyond basic first aid, cpr and Gopher work until you are 18.
I love working in emergency services, I have the opportunity to assist people every day. There’s a good and bad side to every job, I guess.
I was a soldier for 5 years…
It was not so much dangerous as it was a soul dirtying excursion into the real world of jerks and drug abusers, many of whom should have been in a psychiatric hospital.
Speaking of worst jobs, how come corrections officer isn’t on the list? COs have a dirty, crappy job, where they have to deal with the scum of the earth, many of whom are criminally insane(also read: incurably) and that’s only the inmates.
seems like you wouldve said “Firefighter” in stead of “firemen”
comes off as a bit ignorant and *****ist really….
great list man.love this website
#124. stef
seems like you wouldve said “Firefighter” in stead of “firemen”
comes off as a bit ignorant and *****ist really….
****
stef, do you understand the simple concept of a neutral personal pronoun?
What do you call the round metal things in the street which over sewer or power access holes?
What do you call the entire family of people, worldwide, in general?
Or are you one of those who are so “p.c.” that even the word “woman” isn’t usable because it contains the word “man”? “She” isn’t usable because it contains the word “he”. “Human” isn’t usable because it contains the word “man”.
Get a grip.
Complain about something that actually makes a difference, stef, not language which has been useful for centuries (at least for people who understand language).
I work as a griller in a restaurant and i would take the office job over mine any day!
It is 130 degress F at my station and has a high risk of severe burns. I have the scars to show for it. Not only that but the place is slammed all the time so i’m busy as hell.
I only make a little over minimum wage and get very little credit for my hard work while the waitresses and what not are allowed to stand around in air conditioning and chat while occassionally catering to their tables needs. I am expected to bust ass all night and not allowed to take a break since there is no time for one, but they take a half hour out of my hours for it anyway.
Yeah there’s worse jobs out there but my job is my hell
Good list, but the comments are annoying! How many times does the author have to say the list is in no particular order? I have had my share of good jobs and bad, but the worst situation is trying to survive on state benefit due to illness.
128. spacechick…but the worst situation is trying to survive on state benefit due to illness.
****
I’ll second that!
12 years ago I became symptomatic with an extraordinarily painful and extremely rare genetic disease. The pain rates about 15 on the doctor’s pain scale of 1 – 10.
I was put on disability, and there I’ll be forever. My disease will get worse.
The disability pay is minimal, even though I worked all my life, mostly at high paying jobs.
I wouldn’t wish trying to exist on disability on anyone.
Two and a half years ago I married a wonderful man, and my life is much improved (not medically, but in every other way!). Before meeting him, I was lost. What a difference love makes.
I work on the phones all day too, but I don’t call anyone, I get called all day by people yelling/screaming/panicing/abusing and the occasional apprechative soul. I work for the emergency police number. And yip, the hours suck, work shifts (therefore don’t have a social life) and the pay just don’t quite equal what you do. But for the rest its great.. would highly recommend it. hihihi.
same here miss nimbus however I probably dont get too many yelling and screaming at me. but your right about the pay and the social life.. *POOF! GONE!* hahaha
MartinL, let’s make your daughter a prostitute then and see how your morality flares up.
Also, the anti-American screed is tired and done to death. We don’t need to learn multiple languages here–we don’t live on a continent with many different languages every couple hundred miles.
Look, just go vote for Obama and shut up–*that* would be real change.
130. Miss Nimbus&131. Joanie Girl, maybe you can explain something to me.
One evening, many years ago now, my mum had a massive stroke while we were talking (luckily she was lying down, in bed at the time).
I called 911, and reported this immediately.
The 911 operator asked me how I knew it was a stroke, was I a medical professional?
I felt as if they were wasting time, questioning me, rather than sending the paramedics immediately.
By the time the paramedics showed up, her brain damage was massive and nothing could be done to treat or reverse the damage. She survived for 9 months, but in a condition I can only call a living hell.
Why the questioning? Why not just send the paramedics? Why would someone lie about their mother having a stroke?
HOW COME SLAUGHTERHOUSE WORKERS ARE NOT ON THE LIST? It’s a very dangerous, filthy, disease-ridden job, with lots of chancees to sustain serious injurious on the very fast, sharp machines. They’re not all out in the middle of nowhere – chicken slaughterhouses are on the DELMAVA penninsula which is where a lot of peole live due to its proximity to the Bay & Ocean.
How can #1 not be Assistant Crack *****?
(And Norm MacDonald fans in the house?)
I totally agree with the telemarketing job! That really is the worst job ever! I really don’t understand how I could survive for SIX MONTHS!
120. segue….Thanks! I didn’t want to come across as negative or anything. The thread is very interesting indeed.
I love this site! I love lists too (clearly).
I’ve worked at a call center, both inbound (taking orders) and outbound (trying to get people who have bought our products in the past to buy them again). Somewhere between office worker and telemarketer? My headset cord wasn’t even long enough to allow me to stand! The days were endless, I kid you not!
Then I went to work at a convenience store for three years. I was never robbed or anything similar, but standing for hours and hours at a time took some getting used to; I worked alone so their wasn’t any “relief” so to speak. And dealing with the public – oy.
Now I’m a nurses aid at a long term care facility – talk about another sweet job! lol Oh man I wish I’d have finished college!!
Again, thanks for the lists jfrater – I’m kind of addicted to this site.
GREAT LIST!
i’m actually an office worker. where do you think i read you from every day?? LOL
Les Brown is a wise man. he says it best. That is EXACTLY the idea!
133. segue: Things probably work differently in the states. If your Mum had a stroke we wouldnt be asking a pathetic question like that calltaker did.
However in saying that we do need to find out what her medical history was, Who her GP is and how to contact him/her so we know what we are dealing with. There may have been something else that caused her to have a stroke, Suspicious circumstances, Stress it can be anything.
All I can say is, Its not always simple to send someone out NOW! Different times and different situations can cause delays. As stated, I dont know how the proceedures work in the States. But I know for a fact that you would have got the urgent attention that was needed immediately.
Hope that helps.
140. Joanie Girl: Thanks for the information. I’ve never gotten over the feeling of complete helplessness, compounded by the guilt of “maybe” if she had gotten help sooner…
Yes, your answer did help. A lot. Thank you.
tallguy has a good point, most restaurant jobs suck a lot worse than being a cop or a fireman. You could also add being a scrapper (collecting metal & pallets) to the list. Working at a recycling or garbage facility also sucks total balls. Historically, one of the worst jobs was gathering dog turds for use by milliners.
“HOW COME SLAUGHTERHOUSE WORKERS ARE NOT ON THE LIST?”
Good point, there is still a lamb slaughterhouse here in Chicago with dozens of meatpacking facilities that don’t look particularly glamorous. I just remembered about tanneries which has to be absolutely the worse. And don’t forget about laundries!
duh and duher.
Ha! drug dealers at 2, if it was Australia they wouldnt even make the list
F*** the police! what about the military. Men get blown to pieces everday and that didnt make the list.
WOW. really…….firefigher at the 9th worst job??WHAT THE hell was running through your small little brians
when you made this list??
here let us help…….
past 10 years only 100 ff died
granted.. big number. we know.
1988-1998 over 600 died. we got so much new equipment,tactics,technoligie,and more.
we have improved so much and when there is riots nobody attacks us, where ever you got your source from is just one minded all the way. what about the military?
farmer?
roofer?
construction worker?
WOW. YOU GUYS ARE THE MOST UN-EDUCATED POEPLE IVE EVER SEEN!!
oho… how about this…
FACT:1 OUT OF 182 calls are fires.
FACT:1 OUT OF 452 calls are house fires.
FACT:1 OUT OF 300,000 FIRE FIGHTERS can say that they been to a riot.
FACT:I have been a firefighter for 7 years now and never had any close calls.
last…..when we save lives like you guys siad. thats considered a hero. so in a way your saying being a hero is one of the worst jobs you can have??
you poor morons with know brians.
you are SICK!!!
How is drug dealer a job?
147. over 500,000 firefighters: With all due respect, you obviously did not read all of the posts.
And thank you, being a fire fighter is one of the most selfless jobs on the planet. I salute you, and all of your brothers and sisters.
.147 over 500,000 firefighters:
And with all due respect to all the other “poor morons with know brians” that contribute lists to this site, I am solely responsible for this one. And judging from your spelling I will definitely include teachers on the next list. Thanks for your comments.
500,000 firefighters: I can see where your coming from. I believe that being a firefighter is not a “bad” job. Just perhaps a dangerous and thankless job. But i thank and salute you for keeping us safe. But read the posts more carefully; people aren’t trying to diss your profession.
I still find it absolutely hilarious that there are 5 jobs considered worse than prostitutes on this list and many of them are quite common =]
I just had to make another comment regarding this list. I did not consider ***** to be a job and thought that most women who entered this profession had to through lack of choice. However, after reading the excellent book by Dolores French called Working: My Life as a Prostitute it totally challenged and changed my somewhat predjudical views.
I guess it isn’t everyone’s idea of a great career choice, but she makes very valid points which certainly changed my mind about the whole issue.
spacechick: I had the same change of views after reading “The Mayflower madam” about Sydney Biddle-Barrows. It is a great book and I recommend it.
Thanks jfrater I will certainly look it up.
I thought door-to-door-salesman might be there for some reason, but I guess that isn’t common anymore.
I’ve worked at a convenience store, in a factory assembling air bags and as a telemarketer. It sucks being an unpublished writer. I’m now a phone ***** operator……and I love it! Best job I’ve ever had.
BTW, I’ve worked as a maid at a hotel……and I consider THAT the worst job I ever held…..and I’ve worked on the kill floor of a slaughter house, road construction in winter and delivered singing telegrams dressed as a baby.
My mother worked n an office her whole life, being shipped from job to job to job to. And what she did was pathetic: She was a mortage Processer. weeeeeeee
158. Steph:…And what she did was pathetic:…
****
Oh, Steph, I’m sorry for both her and you. As I raised my kids, I repeated over and over, “I don’t care what you do for a living as long as you can wake up every day and say ‘Thank God I get to go do X!’”.
I was doing a job I loved (even though the hours could be excessive, and the conditions punishing), so I was a good role model for that. All three have ended up doing jobs they really love.
I believe you add untold amounts of joy, and possibly years, to your life if you are genuinely happy in your career.
way to go jfrater. i think wherever you will outsource the telemarketing job, all people from all races would hate it.
How about a list of the best jobs? Not just high paying but satisfying.
Worst job for me: Telemarketing….lost 20% of my hearing in my left ear when someone used an air horn on me.
Best job for me: Waldameer Park and Waterworld. Worked there for 7 summers and I would go back … if I could afford it!
I used to work as a telemarketer for a month, till I decided to tell my ex boss “screw you I quit”
BTW, you also forgot to mention that telemarking has the most ridiclous rules ever. For example, you have to dress work casual or be sent home without pay or risk getting fired.
162. telemarketing sucks:…For example, you have to dress work casual or be sent home without pay or risk getting fired.
****
Oh! You have no idea how important that rule is. I have a secret advanced video cam phone, and I can see everyone who calls me. Imagine if you went to work wearing shorts and no shirt! AaaarrrggG!
No! It doesn’t bear think imagining.
20 years ago we used a diaper service for our baby. They provided everything–diapers, diaper pail, plastic bags, deodorizer, etc. Didn’t even need to rinse/dump out the used diapers–just toss into the pail and they’d pick it up each week. Always thought the worst job would be the guy who had to get those soiled diapers, poop and all, to get ready for laundering. Ick. . .
I identify a lot with #4. Good thing I haven’t stooped to #6 yet!
bicycle courier? they are not only a target of every car on the road (and have to deal with pedestrians talking on their cell phones and poor road conditions and weather), but they have to deal with number 3!
4 – “Most people spend a lot of time surfing the net (READING LISTVERSE.. LOL) , exchanging humorous emails or updating their resume”
I definitely belong to number 4.
To be picky the picture you posted on #5 is highly inaccurate. That is a picture of a warehouse or distribution center with what appears to soft drinks. Technology dosen’t change much on the factory floor so here is a more acurate representation.
http://gorton-machine.org:8080/family/images/chas_dor/batch4/shop2_large.jpg
3 years i’m still a telemarketer . . .
we are abused and treated like you’d imagine in your nightmares.
and i still wonder, Why?
Drug dealers make alot of money, the source that says otherwise is wrong.
I don’t know why office jobs and telemarking are considered worse than being a prostitute but that’s just me….
You forgot to include the fact that most telemarketers have a quota to meet or get fired.
Thus you shoudlnt’ feel guilty hanging up on them at all, you’re helping them meet the quota after all.
PARAMEDIC
think about it
im a fireman / emt in north carolina. i love doing what i do, but there is a very high stress level that comes with the job, so i can see how it could be on this list, but on the other hand i could never be a cop….i hate thoes bastards….
Paramedic is a tuff job too….try having a firefighter runing towards you with a 5 year old child telling you to fix it…..thats tuff
all i can say is in todays market anyones blessed to have a job…..
You would not believe how long ive been searching for something like this. Scrolled through 8 pages of Yahoo results couldn’t find diddly squat. Quick search on Bing. There this is… Really gotta start using that more often
i dunno if i already replied to this list but i lol when i saw telemarketer as no. 1 with ***** and firefighters at less. because telemearketing is the one thing i will not do. being stuck to a phone having people cuss you out and being rude, that is like hell for me. lol. that, and waitressing should've been here, along with customer service rep. these are equal with prostiutie on the willing to do scale for me
I can't beleive Paramedic wasn't on this list! They have to see such gruesome things everyday, risk getting sick from their patients, and at times get assaulted by hurt and confused people. Not to mention cleaning up after their patients while waiting to get into the hospital and all the stress associated with having someones life in your hands. If police officer and fire fighter are on here then paramedic should be too.
i agree telemarketers can be okay however indian telemarketers is a different story. try having a conversation with one thats all i'm saying if anyone can pull this off please post a transcript. and if they don't hang up on you thats a bonus.
Well, I love love this site!
I need to add Nurse to this list. Bedside nurses are kicked, hit, pinched, bitten and scratched daily. Exposed to all manner of infectious material. Subject to tempers of those who want to believe we can heal everything. And all this handled with nurturing and compassion!
And that’s only inside the hospitals!
Outside E.R.’s are some of the most dangerous places in America. Robberies, rapes, etc.
i like all the links! its interesting list, but it might be wise for spouses of people who do many of these not read this- it would probably add to their already considerable stress!