topic Re: tough jobs in SmorgasBoard

tough jobs

haulingthescoreup — Sun, 18 May 2008 16:39:22 GMT

Over the last week or two, I've seen some people in action in jobs that I'm really, really grateful that someone else does, and not me. Although a couple of these could fit on Discovery Channel's "Dirty Jobs", the rest are just plain tough:

- dressing in the cow suit and dancing through the parking lot in Chick-Fil-A in early summer

- cage cleaner for a veterinarian (I used to do that, among other fun tasks! )

- road crew asphalt-spreader in summer

- roofer in summer

- guy who drives the roadside assistance truck for Tennessee interstates, normally topping up gas tanks and jumping off stalled cars, but seen last Wednesday sprinting across two lanes of 80 mph traffic toward a dead deer, already bloating up

- Sallie Mae consumer advocate during their recent fiasco

- myFICO CSR during the ScoreWatch meltdown, plus for the SM people who thought that their score drops were FICO's fault

Anyone got any other thank-God-I-don't-have-to-do-THAT jobs?

Re: tough jobs

marty56 — Sun, 18 May 2008 16:53:22 GMT

You forgot to add being a Mod in this forum. Were animals. I dont know how you put up with us.

Re: tough jobs

Anonymous — Sun, 18 May 2008 17:27:27 GMT

I used to ride on the back of a trashtruck dumping garbage. Summer was the worst, especially when picking up dumpsters at restuarants. Winter wasn't too bad, unless it was icing or snowing, then you had to keep cleaning your beard/mustache out. Or hope that your step didn't ice over while you were on the ground hooking the dumpsters or picking up trash cans.

Re: tough jobs

Trishco — Sun, 18 May 2008 20:17:39 GMT

Working in the laundry at a nursing home....ugh!! Think mattress pads...

I'd go in at 10 p.m. and work until 3-4 a.m. and go home. Then my husband (then) would go to work and my first born would sleep until 7:30 if I was lucky! He was only 18 mos old so then I'd nap when he napped!

Re: tough jobs

marty56 — Sun, 18 May 2008 20:21:15 GMT

DW is a Massage Therapist. Very demanding physically not to mention cheap clients or ones who are looking for something more than a massage..

Re: tough jobs

haulingthescoreup — Sun, 18 May 2008 20:42:26 GMT

@marty56 wrote:

DW is a Massage Therapist. Very demanding physically not to mention cheap clients or ones who are looking for something more than a massage..

A great professional field, and wonderful therapy, but plagued with idiot clients.

@marty56 wrote:

You forgot to add being a Mod in this forum. We're animals. I dont know how you put up with us.

Nah, I always wind up learning a lot, and none of us would do it if we didn't enjoy it. There are times where it does feel a bit like being a playground monitor, though.

Re: tough jobs

llecs — Sun, 18 May 2008 21:44:45 GMT

Worked as a dishwasher at a restuarant once. That's not too bad but the restaurant was built inside an old warehouse. The back area where I worked had no ventilation at all. Seemed like all the heat would migrate to my work area. I would drink a minimum of 1 gallon of water every 4 hours just to stay hydrated and would usually bring a change of clothes because I would be soaked head to toe every 4-6 hours or so.

Though not as bad as roofing during the summer. That was bad. Used to volunteer for Habitat and the only time I had available to work were during the summers.

Re: tough jobs

MattH — Sun, 18 May 2008 22:30:14 GMT

@llecs wrote:
Worked as a dishwasher at a restuarant once. That's not too bad but the restaurant was built inside an old warehouse. The back area where I worked had no ventilation at all. Seemed like all the heat would migrate to my work area. I would drink a minimum of 1 gallon of water every 4 hours just to stay hydrated and would usually bring a change of clothes because I would be soaked head to toe every 4-6 hours or so.
Though not as bad as roofing during the summer. That was bad. Used to volunteer for Habitat and the only time I had available to work were during the summers.

My two worst jobs were both in food service, as I expect is the case for many people.

My first year as an undergraduate I worked in the cafeteria (then I found a better job!). After a shift washing pots and pans removing the layer of combined grease and soap required TWO showers and TWO towels -- after Shower Number One I would wipe off totally dry with Towel Number One, which immediately went into the laundry basket. Towel Number Two was used after Shower Number Two, and would become Towel Number One after my next shift.

Towards the end of graduate school I ran out of fellowship money so I worked for a while as a delivery driver at a Steak Out (see http://www.steakout.com/). Delivery was OK, but when I was on the last shift of the day then after closing time we'd all help wash the vent filters above the grill. Those got coated with a mixture of grease and smoke that was big fun removing. Being on the last shift of the day DID have one big upside, though: we'd usually get to take home some leftovers (since otherwise they'd just get thrown away), and free food was most welcome for starving graduate students. My wife made a really good potato soup from leftover baked potatoes, for instance!

Message Edited by MattH on 05-18-2008 03:30 PM

Re: tough jobs

wmarat — Mon, 19 May 2008 00:16:23 GMT

Registered Nurse.

People forgot that hospitals are not hotels for not so good feeling people.

Re: tough jobs

Anonymous — Mon, 19 May 2008 06:54:40 GMT

I live in Tokyo, and there are little old men here who use these things that look like long salad tongs to clean out the grates that cover the sewers. They pull out old cigarette butts and things. The grates are just at the edge of the crosswalks, so they either get run over by people crossing, or by cars. There's never really a good time for them to do it. They usually scurry over there as soon as the light turns red, and reach from the sidewalk, and hope the cars don't come too close to the curb.

Re: tough jobs

Anonymous — Mon, 19 May 2008 14:19:02 GMT

Teacher.

Re: tough jobs

Anonymous — Mon, 19 May 2008 14:19:25 GMT

marty56 wrote:

You forgot to add being a Mod in this forum. Were animals. I dont know how you put up with us.

Yeah, and the pay really stinks.

Re: tough jobs

Anonymous — Mon, 19 May 2008 14:32:34 GMT

@Trishco wrote:
Working in the laundry at a nursing home....ugh!! Think mattress pads...
I'd go in at 10 p.m. and work until 3-4 a.m. and go home. Then my husband (then) would go to work and my first born would sleep until 7:30 if I was lucky! He was only 18 mos old so then I'd nap when he napped!

I am LPN in a nursing home and I feel your pain....I have been puked on, peed on and had a ladies uterus fall out all in the same day! I feel sorry for the laundry people because sometimes the wrong things get thrown into the laundry ! LOL!

Message Edited by wildcat on 05-19-2008 07:32 AM

Re: tough jobs

Anonymous — Mon, 19 May 2008 17:22:16 GMT

Fiber optic technician. I'm not one myself, but I work with them.

To be fair, it wouldn't be nearly as bad a job if we weren't so understaffed... Two people cover long-haul and some metro fiber from West Virginia to DC to Norfolk, VA, to Richmond, to Roanoke. There was a pole fire on New Year's Eve in one of the ghetto areas of Norfolk that melted part of the backbone- they had to go there in the middle of the night and splice it back (once Virginia Power got the fire out). There were shots being fired nearby.

I'm so glad I don't have that job... and I like doing what I can to make their lives easier.

-MsMS

Re: tough jobs

Anonymous — Mon, 19 May 2008 19:22:34 GMT

Being a military wife! Raising the kids on my own.. playing "Daddy" to the ex-wife and her issues, when he's not around... having to make TONS of decisions while your other half is away, and then having him come home and hoping he likes it (new cars, new carpet, different bedtime routines, etc). Having to be well-versed in all the pay issues & how to get things done on base, since he's not around to use his chevrons as "persuasion"

Oh, and trying to manage the budget with him on the opposite side of the world! He would use the bankcard for online purchases, but with the 11-hr time difference, he would often be too hurried to ask my permission..

Re: tough jobs

Anonymous — Mon, 19 May 2008 20:35:12 GMT

ditto to ivy (minus the ex wife dealings)

Re: tough jobs

fused — Mon, 19 May 2008 20:50:29 GMT

Your Job!

Message Edited by fused on 05-19-2008 10:50 AM

Re: tough jobs

haulingthescoreup — Mon, 19 May 2008 20:51:18 GMT

@fused wrote:

Your Job!

Toughest job in the world, especially if you're going to do it right, but remember, the deal is "jobs that you're grateful that someone else has to do, instead of you!"

Message Edited by fused on 05-19-2008 10:51 AM

Re: tough jobs

fused — Mon, 19 May 2008 21:02:31 GMT

That's a strange post!

edit: gosh, it sure is! It's as if little gremlins went it and changed something... --hauling

Message Edited by haulingthescoreup on 05-19-2008 02:02 PM

Re: tough jobs

Junejer — Tue, 20 May 2008 16:49:14 GMT

Worked at Briggs & Stratton right after I got out of the USMC. I drove the forklift and would have to make deliveries to the foundry. My goodness, it would be 140-150 degrees in there in the summer. Plus, they would have to wear big heavy coveralls and steel-toed boots in case some molten iron would fall on them.

Also, worked as a delivery driver/fix-it guy/repo guy for Rent-A-Center during college. The first two parts of the job description were cool, b/c you were either bringing something that they wanted or fixing something that they had. But, when I put the repo-guy hat on, look out! I have been told to "come on over, I have a nice big pot of water boiling for you." Another customer told me the same thing except she substituted the water with grease. I saw a co-worker get thrown through a screen door. LOL. He deserved it. I told that guy that he couldn't talk crazy to that man's momma when he is standing right there (grabbed him by the back of his collar and belt and through the door he went). I laughed at that guy for months about that. Same guy caught a major beatdown for the same actions a few months later. That was in the early '90s. I can't imagine what it's like to do a job like that these days.