The dull side of these 17 'dream jobs' will erase any doubts about your own work life
Every job has its disappointments. Maybe that's not such a bad thing.
Maybe there is no such thing as a dream job.
Listen, no job is perfect. Even with what most consider to be a dream gig, there’s bound to be some gap between expectations and reality—be it tedious, but necessary admin work, investments costs, day-to-day stresses, being away from family for extended periods of time…the list goes on.
And that was the topic of conversation led by a recent AskReddit thread, when someone asked:
“What type of job seems appealing but ends up being quite disappointing?”
Out of the 4,700 responses the question garnered, we’ve chosen 17 of the most interesting ones.
While it might at first seem like a bit of a downer to pull back the curtain on some of these vocations, it can also instill a little more appreciation for the folks that manage to actually do them day in and day out.
Without further ado…
1. Librarian
"I tell people it's my job and they say, 'That must be chill," or, 'I'd love to read all day.' It's basically just another customer service job where I'm either checking books in/out or showing people how to do basic computer things, but we also attract a lot of folks with mental health problems or substance abuse issues, and that can lead to some tense situations."
"I'm a fellow librarian here, and people are surprised when I tell them this. People idealize libraries as a kind of academic third space, but I always explain it by saying, 'It’s more a community center with a bunch of books than a place to read and do research.'
Like all jobs, it comes down to measuring stats to determine value, even though it's a service. How many computer users did we have? How many people attended our programs? Not so much discussing literature genres and theory. Also, here’s some Narcan, and watch this video on dementia and active shooter situations.
And let’s not get started on the book ban.”
—u/PonyEnglish
2. Florist
"Working at a flower shop is just like any other retail position, but everyone assumes it’s more enjoyable than it really is. Assisting families in selecting flowers for funerals is definitely not the fun part either."
"'I don't care that you're saying you want azaleas, the email specifically said rhododendrons. Yes, I get it's your special day, Janice, but I can't source 34 brand-new centerpieces in the next two hours. Yeah, well, next time communicate with your bridesmaids better. Yes, I was insinuating there will be a next time, because you seem lovely.'"
3. Forensic Scientist
"A friend of mine is a forensic scientist, and whenever he's on dating apps, it's the only thing people want to talk about. His work is actually pretty technical and involves a lot of routine tasks."
"Former forensic scientist here, it sounds glamorous but often you specialize in one thing like drug analysis or fingerprint analysis and it becomes very repetitive. I was fortunate to be a generalist and did a variety of things."
—u/ironmanchris
4. Personal Trainer
“Sounds fun, right? Help people exercise all day. Spend time in your already-happy-place - the gym. In reality it's a constant grind to keep getting new people in to replace the ones who drop out suddenly on a whim, or complain about not having enough time, etc etc. They never really put in the true work and focus and expect their hand to be held the whole time. People who can't learn to appreciate the process of losing weight and getting fit.”
5. Veterinarian
"Expectation: Ooo, lots of animals!
Reality: Death. SO MUCH DEATH."
—u/rekniht01
"There's a reason that field has some of the highest suicide rates. I only worked in a pet store, and the number of insane pet parents, abusive/ignorant owners, and pets that were definitely not living their best lives was heartbreaking. Vets get even more angry customers and heartbreaking cases. I befriended a few vet techs and vets, and their mental health is almost always in the dumps."
6. Security Guard
"I couldn't believe how lucky I was...getting paid to stand there and do nothing.
Until that job, I had not realized how much I would hate being bored."
7. Travel Blogger
"A travel blogger job seems appealing with its promise of adventure and free trips, but it often turns out disappointing due to constant deadlines, unstable income, and the pressure to always 'perform' for social media."
…In that same vein…
8. Influencer
"I know a lot of kids aspire to it, but the idea of having to constantly be on camera and always coming up with new content and always looking and playing the part no matter what seems literally exhausting. Not to mention the fact that you’re an online figure, so you are going to experience abuse and crap from people because that’s what people do online. It’s a hard pass from me."
—u/wellyboot97
9. Rancher/Farmer
"I cringe every time I see someone say they want to live on a farm or ranch. It's hard, brutal work. Most people that say it will not last."
—u/peezle69
"Every time somebody romanticizes farm life, I think of the time my entire family went on vacation in the middle of winter and left me to take care of the herd. Massive ice storm hit while they were gone. Picture me, a 5'4" woman, alone out in the middle of the prairie in my dad’s overalls and coat, trying to bust ice in the cattle troughs with an ax. Ballerina Farm could never."
—u/jellyrat24
10. Music Store Employee
"I thought it was going to be listening to awesome music all day. It was just putting stickers on everything, trying to sell an absolute rip-off of a store card, and listening to the same four basic-ass albums over and over and over until you understand why war crimes are a thing."
—u/Comics4Cooks
11. Event Planner
"Seems exciting until you’re stuck with last-minute changes, unresponsive vendors, and managing everyone’s stress."
"I studied event management and I couldn't believe how much red tape and risk management there is. It's like the whole job."
12. Chef
"I wanted to be a chef when I was a kid. Now I work in a kitchen and I hate it. The work is harder than you think, a lot of your time is spent doing mundane tasks, and you practically live there so no work-life balance.
Although all the chefs I know that 'made it' make quite a bit of money, they were so hard on their bodies from lack of sleep and drinking that they can’t enjoy their life after they retire. Their friends were reduced to their drinking buddies because they were the only ones who were available after closing.
Those who had families had strained relationships with their children and wives. Super sad."
13. Film Crew
"Don't get me wrong, I love it, but after five years I can already tell my body will not be able to keep up with it till retirement."
—u/Flanman1337
"The hours that people in this industry work are completely insane. I'm talking everything from set building to cameras to makeup to the damn accountants. Our hotels offered free breakfast and even light dinners, and we almost never saw them."
14. Video Game Developer
"Video games are great. Creating them is hell with long work hours and minimum pay."
—u/The1joriss
15. College Professor
"Much less lecturing on profound topics of importance, much more trying to keep your course running properly on Canvas than expected..."
16. Archeologist
"When I was an undergrad, it was so exciting. A different dig every summer… different eras, different cultures, different countries, different crews, so much to learn! But I figured out in grad school pretty quickly that it was 90% begging for money for your project while having to juggle teaching first-year yokels at some school in a part of the country you never wanted to visit — let alone live — and 10% using a toothbrush on the same patch of dirt that no one was ever going to be interested in for the rest of your life."
17. Social Media Manager
"Thought it’d be memes and chill, turns out it’s dealing with 2 a.m. crises over emojis."
—u/SunbeamHeart
"Even if I'm at home and on my social media privately, I can't not see what people are trying to sell, product or way of life, or what trend they are hopping on. It's handy since I can spot a scam but also a balls because I don't really enjoy social media like normal."
And as a positive bonus, we’ve added in a few jobs people said might seem UNappealing but are actually not half bad!
1. Data analyst
“Definitely not exciting to talk about and I live in spreadsheets but it's honestly a lot like doing puzzles, lots of problem solving.”
2. Financial analyst
"This is the best job I've ever had. I'm always looking for more projects, because I love that initial rush of looking at all the angles, and trying new things to figure out this particular issue. And then when you create something really cool that makes people's lives easier, amazing. A very satisfying job with lots of appreciation."
3. Urban Forester
“I’m a forester who got into that line because I liked physical outdoor labor, but moved into the more technical side of urban forestry because I don’t want to be doing physical labor when I’m 50.
Don’t tell my forester friends this but I’ve fallen hard for spreadsheets. I just set up a 5 tab sheet that’s all interlinked and I feel like I just created a miniature universe. It’s fascinating.
And I have a MiFi so I can work spreadsheets outside under trees. Life is good!” —u/TheMonkus
Let's face it—humans need novelty, relaxation, creative expression, stimulation, opportunities to learn. No job can fulfill all these needs. Maybe we're better off accepting that as long as we're getting these needs met in other ways, then maybe we're not doing so bad after all.