Jobs you thought would be fabulous but actually weren't?

[GardenDreams]

I was a full time fine artist for 30 years (traditional painting, mixed media and pattern design) worked with book publishing, freelance, galleries, online print sales, various large companies and a few partnerships with celebs. Not as exciting as it sounds though, lol.

Throughout this period, many people looked at me with awe after asking what I did, mostly in surprise that I could earn enough to live on (it came close, at times). I do get the impression that many people think that this is a very thrilling and freeing way to live, but the reality was quite stressful and scary, at least financially, at times. It was a good long slog, with some tricky customers and another full time job dealing with social media. And the work never, ever stopped - there was no clocking off or guilt free holidays. Aside from the online glamour of how it looks, it eventually becomes less about self expression and more like a production line. At times I was completely, visually exhausted.

There are tons of newly proclaimed artists of a certain age on insta, and now more than ever before are offering art courses (after only 6 months in to being self taught), so it's very much a competitive kind of 'grind' culture which has multiplied in the past 6 years.. It is 'sold' as an alternative, lucrative side hustle, but is actually far from the oh so relaxing vibe these insta accounts make out in their posts.

I am still creating but have moved over into a new field that I love, and only now can I see how utterly draining and hard it was when I look back on it. But I am sure so many people still think the idea is quite romantic and liberating.

Anyone else with a similar story? I am cure there are tons of careers that sound wonderful to me, that might be really soul destroying or at least stressful in reality. My fantasy job would have been an archivist, but I took such a different path at ui that I dare say that boat sailed a long time ago!

Teaching!

Being a stage actor. People think if you are constantly in work as an actor then life is good. But you can be on tour for over a year - at best a week in each new town, at worst one and two night stands. You never see friends and loved ones. The cheap digs can be dire - I remember one with nylon sheets that stank of male sweat and had dubious dark curly hairs clinging to their static charge. Breakfasts in stuffy rooms that stink of stale fat so straight after you shower your hair reeks of fried food which you don't eat, but all they have instead is flabby cold white bread toast or out of date long life yoghurts.

At night, after the show you are shattered but spend a good hour at the stage door signing autographs for weirdos who didn't even see the show, they just like collecting a 'full set' of autographs on a theatre programme and get very angry indeed if they miss you. I once had a man turn up in Aberdeen for a show he'd not seen two years earlier in Billingham, foaming that I had made him go out of his way to get his 'full set.'

And then, if you are young and half way pretty, there are the producers, directors and actors who share digs with you and just come into your bedroom when you are asleep and tap you on the shoulder expecting you to be thrilled at the prospect of servicing their lust. Happened far more than once, let's just say that.

I love my WFH job.

Think we need a thread of positive jobs to advise our children into!

@localnotail My post grad had one module which involved web. I really enjoyed that and then after graduating found a job which was mostly what I had studied for but had a bit of web work too. So that got me started. There’s not really any maths in what I do, but certainly problem solving getting the cms (content management system) working, there are lots of different components that interact.

Excellent thread! Taking a moment to salute all the energy and high hopes and good intentions poured into these jobs and the sheer graft and misery required to get through them - especially when we were very young and dealing with bullying bosses and clients.
I love that Generation Z seem to be taking a more realistic view of workplace politics including better work/life balance - so much other grief they're facing around housing etc - but I hope we can support them to achieve that element.

Yes, there is a huge difference between a commercial florist and a lifestyle florist. I remember reading a Sunday supplement piece about a florist who worked from a studio in her garden - the article was from an interior design perspective because she lived in an amazing, huge, centuries old house somewhere in the SE that was beautifully decorated and furnished. I wondered how on earth she afforded it but it transpired her husband 'worked in the city' and her parents lived in a Manor House! In fairness, her floral creations were lovely.

Trouble is, these women portray themselves as successful florists but in reality they craft with flowers as a hobby. When you're being bank rolled, it doesn't matter if you're making any money.

I saw a new one in the last week. Completely unrelated uncreative career, has done a few workshops with big name florist and has announced she is launching her 'floral atelier' in the autumn. Errr okay.....

Maybe I will do a first aid course, get myself some scrubs and start a new career as a surgeon. You'll find me on Instagram as @drpinkfluffymonkey. I reckon I'll be able to fake it until I make it....

This is like reverse survivorship bias

Are you talking about the big W by any chance? I worked for them for about 15 years it was an absolute grind and very cliquey if you weren't bro's with one manager then you wouldn't get promoted essentially.

Yep, the big W. I don't think I have bought a book there since. A bruising experience, inhumane and incompetent management, and the expectation that I wouldn't mind staying on, unpaid, after hours to do the cashing up when I had a train to catch.

Well I’m sure you can be cutting to her about it, like you were to my post!

What kind of law was it? I suppose in criminal/ family/ employment or other areas where you deal with members of the public, there’s more action and unique problems.

I’m in corporate law (never in a million years did I think I’d make a career change into that) with other elements to my role also, and I love it. For the same elements that you are listing, I love the routine and procedural slog, office life and camaraderie with my team.

Got no billable hours though - if I had that and the client schmoozing element, I likely wouldn’t enjoy it.

People here seem to say they are happy in professions that are seen as a bit boring, like accounting, IT, finance etc. IME they are indeed usually really nice places to work and well paid. Normal corporate jobs are vastly underrated.

I was lucky to do my dream job in my 20s and be successful in it, but it made me miserable and I’m glad I made the change.

Being a landscape architect - spending lots of time outdoors and making beautiful, meaningful spaces. In reality, you work the clock round as there is immense competition between firms for projects (and colleagues) and the work you do, aside from site visits, is on a computer, in an (urban) office. Anything planned at the design table is so watered down that on execution, it's a bland shadow of the space you had imagined - this is for a number of reasons... the landscape budget is often the first cut by stakeholders so what little money there is is extremely stretched and that affects material options. There are usually also so many competing stakeholders involved that all decisions become compromises that no one would choose on their own but collectively the least offensive for all parties. It can be rewarding of course, and the design aspect is always fun and exciting

I think with "dream" jobs you either have to be independently wealthy (so it's basically a hobby) or extremely successful - otherwise you still spend a lot of time trying to get the cash in and keep other people happy, which are the 2 things which make jobs stressful. With slightly boring jobs you kind of accept that it won't be thrilling all the time, so you're grateful for nice colleagues, moderately interesting work and a nice cup of tea.

And sadly it's easier to become very successful if you start off very wealthy as you can pursue the really interesting stuff and don't have to consider boring things like paying the bills

Well this morning I have been offered my dream job. I posted up thread about my decades in beauty and the toxic male colleagues I've had to work for. Everyone thought my job was glamorous, it could be if you ignored the misogyny.
I have the backing for my own beauty company. I don't want to be super wealthy or on insta but I am going to be stocked in a famous department store.
I am so pigging happy 😊 I wish my mum was alive to see it.

That's fantastic @Mrsredlipstick well done x

Many years ago I was a staff nurse. The job was interesting, but many of my colleagues were awful and don't get me started on the sick people 😂

TBF everything is easier if you're wealthy because it's one less thing to worry about.

Congratulations! That's amazing news

Funeral director I did it for 17 years a very special job .I loved the families and helping at one of their worst times imaginable. But sometimes the stress was unbelievable getting everything done and organised in a relatively short time frame . Chasing Dr's for paperwork, fitting in church services on the same day the Vicar is free and the council can do the burial etc. Not to mention all the out of hours and on call work and heavy lifting.
Having said that very rewarding.

My friend who does the same shocked me with this info, no pension, no holiday pay, having to basically re-interview for every event despite being a member of the orchestra. They teach kids music as a second job, also a nightmare.

I went into HR because I am genuinely passionate about great places to work.

Sadly the role invariably involves being the face of some absolute bunch of dicks at group who want to impose something either immoral or unlawful and then you have to roll their turd of an idea in glitter and push it out to a highly unimpressed bunch of militant staff.

I spent way too much of my time trying to unravel shit shows with lawyers, and ultimately most of the employees thought I was a dick anyway. I lose count of the number of people I fought tooth and nail for in the board room, only for them to think I was the real cunt in the situation.

One guy raised a grievance against me to the CEO once, not realising that the CEO had been trying to do him dirty for 2 years and I had been standing firm with all the reasons why the guy should not be let go... and what a great chap he was! Cheers pal. Karma will come for you one day you bellend.

Now I work as a consultant. I actually earn a lot less, but life is so much better. My time is my own, I've been able to make the kind of impact I originally hoped for at firms that really care, I nolonger spend half the month writing reports for committees and boards rather than actually helping people, and if a client seems like a bit of a nob I just sack them off.

Today I did some work for one client in the morning, had a three hour lunch at a garden centre with my parents, did a bit of work for another client in the afternoon and clocked off early to have dinner and chill out with the husband.

I'll never go back.

Me too… so disillusioned! Don’t get me wrong, it was an absolute privilege to be present for any new life, but the politics, stress and bitching was too much for me.

Have always worked in the creative industry till I became my DH’s PA. Always loved it, didn’t mind the hours and the low pay, felt elevated by proximity to such creativity. My last creative position was assistant to a once great interior designer. She was effing bonkers. The insanity day to day was depressing and breathtaking. Dragged myself home one night and my DH said, (jokingly) it’s either her or me! He and my DC were sick of the fact I was getting increasingly depressed and disillusioned. My parting shot to her was till i came here the worst job I ever has was helping in a sausage factory one summer aged 17. Since meeting you I’ve missed that job every single day! Will never forget her face as I took my leave of her! She actually had the balls to ask me to come back six months after I left her, you can imagine what I replied!