Would you work dead end low paid jobs all your life?

[SouthMan28]

Would you do this in life?

Or do you think it's something people who are stupid do?

All jobs are dead end jobs. You don’t win the job when you’ve finished.

You retire and then you die.

It’s not Mario Cart. You don’t get a trophy and infinite lives.

No I don’t think it’s something people who are stupid do.

it could be because the hours suit so they can care for disabled dependants, life circumstances, health issue of their own…

Uh? Would I? Yes, if that’s all I could get.

What do you mean by stupid?
Do you mean they’re stupid (foolish) to make that choice or stupid (academically less able) to only have that choice?

These are the reasons I know for people working NMW jobs with no progression opportunity, or they’re not actively seeking progression:

• early retirement from well paid job does it to top up pension and because she enjoys it


• academically not very able at all and couldn’t do anything more challenging


• mental health issues and the slightest stress makes her very anxious


• just absolutely loves his job


• has to fit around school hours and hasn’t found anything else

I’m sure there are 100 more reasons.

I work in a DEJ and I love it, I have a university degree and I went here a a part time job to supplement my student grant. It’s a small family firm , and they are great, the people that I work with are all happy in their positions, we have a real laugh some days at work. I can honestly say I will never leave. By contrast 3 people who graduated from uni the same year have committed suicide, another at least 2 are semi functioning alcohol/ drug dependent all blaming the stress of trying to have it all. Life is not all about what material things you have or how big your house is. I think that to refer to people as stupid is very insulting and I can only presume that you look down your nose at such people, but we’re probably a lot happier than you will ever be.

Not the life for me. I prefer a more intellectual challenging job.

I earn well and love my job but could see myself working for minimum wage under the circumstances described above such as fitting in with childcare, topping up
pension etc.
no I don’t think only ‘stupid’ people do them?

I will more than likely reside in a dead end job for my whole working life.

I have no desire to have any great responsibilities.
I have no desire to manage or train people.
I have no desire to try and prove myself and get promotions etc.

I just want to bring home some money every month to allow us to have the life that we want to have.

not all dead end jobs are low paid and not all low paid jobs are dead end

I will. I'm a cleaner. I like it because the hours fit around my daughter (I have no family here to help), I have no interest in managing anyone (done it, don't like it) and I don't want any extra responsibility. I want to do my bit and go home.
I have a degree, I used to run nightclubs and pubs. I had some years of homelessness and abuse and having got through that, I'm not inclined to give myself anything stressful if I can help it.

I mean I'm a creative so jobs are very different for me... (self employed)

But my dad is a fairly intellectual man who works in a factory and has done all his life. He has no desire and never has to build a career as such. He brings home more than enough money to pay his bills and have the luxuries that he wants. He enjoys clocking out at the end of the shift-and not stressing about his job.

I don't think that makes a person stupid.

I'm in a well paid dead end job. I'm disabled and it fits around my disability, I'd be mad to give it up so I'll stay, even though I'm bored. It pays the bills and makes me feel like in still part of society even though my world is shrinking yearly.

I work a DEJ. I don’t love it but it suits me. I work fifteen hours a week, I only work during school mornings, I work from home. I bring my children to school and pick them up and have the rest of the day to bring them to their activities which they get to do because I am available to ferry them around.
I gave up a ‘corporate’ full time job of many years which paid well but I didn’t enjoy.
I prefer my current set up although preferred my previous salary.

In answer to your question I would not judge at all. I would assume you have other more important commitments and your DEJ fits around them.

i would not think you were doing DEJs because you are not academic.

I would never assume somebody is ‘not academic’ . If somebody described themselves as non academic to me, I would assume they weren’t given the opportunities and support other people had in order to gain their full potential.

I like this

What do you mean by dead end job op?

It could mean many things to different people.

Your question doesn't make sense. Would I want to do it? No. But I had the means and opportunity not to.

Do I think people who do are stupid? Also no. They may not have the same means, opportunity, inclination or a million other things I have. Why would they make the same decision? Also one of my best mates is in this situation. She's great and not stupid at all.

If I didn’t have a mortgage to pay I would probably enjoy a DEJ. I love my job but it’s often long hours and quite stressful, I rarely properly switch off from it. I can see something simpler appealing later in life when we don’t need high salaries.

Not everybody gets a choice. Working in a fulfilling, stimulating job doesn't make someone a better person, it makes them a luckier person

I worked dead end jobs when my kids were young. I had a sense of freedom as if things didn't suit me or conditions changed I knew I could move to another job and be no worse off financially. There were always jobs available and I liked the option to change
Now my kids are adults I have a decent paid job with lots of career opportunities but at times i feel a little trapped as it would be hard to move jobs and get the same wage/conditions that I have now. Sometimes my earlier working life was much better.
Definitely not just for 'stupid' people.

This.

I'd love to see some people do caring for a day on MW and see how easy they think it is.

What's your definition of a dead end job?

A job where there is no progression

I have the up most respect for someone who goes out every day to work.

I have no respect for people who look down their noses at other people.

My DH gets looked down on for his job. Sworn at, spat at and threatened daily. Yet when the pandemic hit, his job was essential and he had to keep working during the entire pandemic. While all the people who looked down their noses at him 'weren't needed'.

I’m in a ‘dead end job’. I’ll never manage the team or head off to, ahem, ‘important meetings’ or be part of the group that know about pay rises before us minions do etc.
Do I care? Not really.
I switch off my laptop at 4pm (3pm today as I started earlier) and don’t think about work until tomorrow at 8am etc. No Sunday afternoon fear.
The complaining customers can get escalated, the HR/performance issues fall to someone else, the having to do extra hours to get things done doesn’t sit at my door.
I work bloody hard, enjoy my work, am very fond of a lot of my colleagues and although it’s not MW, it’s not much more.
That said, we survive pretty well and that suits me.

I suppose it’s what works and fits well into your life, contemplating stepping down from my busy nursing role to a less demanding role with lesser salary.

What really is a dead end job? My job is skilled and well paid but it is still dead end because it doesn’t bring me any great joy, won’t allow me to retire particularly early, it’s working for someone else (alright public sector but still) and I have the same 9-5 drudge as anyone else.