What careers sound good on paper nightmare in reality and what sounds nightmare on paper good in reality.

[Cupcakeicecream]

On paper teaching sounds great, all those weeks off. Weekends off working in primary schools sounds fun secondary schools you can specialise in a subject you prefer. Reality grading lesson plans admin alot of work not enough pay.
Firefighters and police sounds fun reality dangerous.
In paper admin or reception jobs sounds boring and tedious paper work. But some have great hours and good work life balance.
In your opinion what jobs aren't worth the hype?

Pharmacy dispenser minimum wage all the stress people say good clean job, it's stressful.

Modelling- not me but a friend did this for a few years. Schlepping about on the tube, getting changed in the loo, people being openly critical of your body and treating you like an idiot, huge pressure to stay very slim. Probably fun if you’re Kate Moss but for the average jobbing model (even one making a reasonable living as my friend did) it’s completely unglamorous.

Dentist

Very good pay, well respected, smart and academic job, self-employed so can set your own annual leave.

The flip side
A very high risk of complaints from unhappy patients, even when you haven't done anything wrong. A lot of chancers who try to get money from you by complaining.

Very stressful, see above and below

Extremely hectic working days that extend into the evening when you do patient charting for all the 30+ patients you've seen that day, plus referrals and emails etc

Ungrateful patients who don't look after their oral health at all after all the work you've done for them

You have to work hard to keep up with new techniques and guidance, you're basically retraining constantly

@Choppies are you in the NHS? Go private!

I’ve been a vet for 33 years, and while I completely agree with most of the other negative comments about the unremitting workload, unreasonable owner expectations, etc, I have never worked anywhere anything like this description. Of course there’s plenty of death and sadness in the job, but this is an account of bad practices, not the norm!

@BuckarooBanzai - that's lovely to hear. My mum had some wonderful carers before she died and I valued them more than I can say. It's fundamental. Care is the absolute basis of humanity - we all need care sometimes - and if I find myself needing longer term professional care I hope it's from someone like you.

Working for a Church.

Church members think it’s a nice job, good recognition, must be very fulfilling spirituality etc.in reality it’s every hour under the sun for minimum wage with no work life balance and no separation from personal and professional life. Then everyone in the congregation has an opinion on what you should do and how.

Being a pastor is not for the faint hearted.

Architect

Yeats of expensive study.

Average pay.

High redundancy levels.

CPD and constant changes in legislation to keep up with to stay accredited by RIBA.

Too many products to familiarise with.

Dealing with Main Contractors and awkward clients.

Complete side note, but I find it so so hard to find a good dentist in the UK that I go to Germany for anything above a filling. I had so many bad experiences in the UK for very simple things. One accidentally injected anaesthetic into a nerve during a routine procedure that meant half my mouth was frozen for several months (thankfully no lasting damage); fillings put in kept falling out continuously; daughter had a milk tooth removed as it wouldn't fall out and the dentist left half of her tooth in requiring another dentist to remove the other half etc etc etc. I have never tried to get money from a dentist but there are so many terrible dentists around that I'm not surprised about the high level of complaints.

@LadyOfTheCanyon 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Surprised by this. It sounds like such an "easy" pleasant job on paper.

BIL was so sick of teaching after about 10/15 years. Sick of young people who didn't work, the stress of being accountable, acting as quasi social worker, marking, ten hour days and little appreciation.

He jacked it in to become his own master and opened a toy shop where he could provide educational toys and never worry about work at home. And then he realised that he needed to be open six days a week, if he shut the shop for a two week holiday it meant no takings for a week, lost custom or paying someone he didn't entirely trust to keep the shop open.

Then there were the difficult customers, over whom he had no authority, the orders to be made, the stock-taking, the VAT returns, the accounts, PAYE for part-time staff, difficult staff. It was hard work, stressful, turnover really mattered if there was to be any money left over, complaining customers, no sick pay, no generous pension, H&S regs, the council, etc, etc.

He packed it in after three years ........and returned to teaching. He is quite tight lipped about how hard it was and how teaching is easier. His wife spilt the beans.

Nod and smile.

Forensic scientist - in the mid 80s there was a series called Indelible Evidence featuring some really amazing stories. One where they caught someone from the bite of an apple comes to mind.
But I hear that about 1% is amazing apple stories (or that only the top 1% get to work on amazing apples) and the rest is wading around in blood, semen and other bodily fluids.

I'm being facetious obviously, but (like most jobs I suppose), much is routine and not particularly worthy of TV dramas or documentaries!

I really enjoyed my last job, which is why I stayed there for 9 years! I was a trainer for a large charity in London. The course participants were volunteers, which meant they really wanted to be there and were eager to learn. The courses were interesting to teach and I felt that at the end of the courses the volunteers were well equipped with the skills and knowledge to go out and do their job well and help people. I always got great feedback at the end of the courses which was very gratifying and motivating and I felt I was really doing something worthwhile.

However, as with most things, to save money, these courses will now have moved online to save money. Such a loss and a shame. I wouldn't want to do it now in its current format. Hey ho.

Lol at those mentioning auditing positively as it’s straightforward, I mean who doesn’t want to work 80+ hour weeks agonising over financial statements no one will read? 9 times out of 10 they get signed off even if you do find any differences.

Fantasy academic: swooshing around in a gown, students all rapt with attention when you speak, bit like Hogwarts, don't work school holidays

Reality 1: work school holidays (have standard ones like everyone else), lots of form filling, students often disinterested and on phones, huge pressure to achieve, get money, be corporate without corporate pay

Reality 2: get to be called Dr or even Professor, can research anything you like (if you can get someone to pay for it), fascinating colleagues

I know quite a few current and ex teachers. Never having had a different job seems to be a common characteristic of those who find it hard. Often goes hand in hand with never having wanted to be a teacher in the first place but drifting into straight after Uni because it seemed like the path of least resistance.

My son is desperate to do medicine. I keep asking him why? It’s terrible hours, terrible pay, a lot of stress and takes years to earn decent money. But it’s all he has ever wanted to do. He has a degree in bio medical science, a distinction in a masters degree in clinical neuroscience, despite having to change his path of study after 3 months in, because they decided to shut down the labs due to Covid and he has applied every year for 5 years but due to Covid has been really disadvantaged because he is a graduate entry. We have a shortage of doctors here is someone who is clearly academically proven, has worked in Covid and histology labs during Covid, is mature and motivated and can’t get a foot in the door. What the hell is going on?

GP (partner)
on paper...very high earner , 9 to 5, no nights or weekends, don't actually ever really see patients, easy, all you do is refer on to specialists
Reality .... Real income dropped more than 20% in 10 years while workload has rocketed, very long hours, "part time" as only way to survive often more than 50 hrs, high risk complaints, risk sink and dumping ground for ever service, beyond stressful, seem to be hated by all
(Shame really as I used to really love and be proud of my job now have steered both my DC away and would never advice someone to go into medicine)

I’m going to sound like a CF but genuine question: income down 20% but workload rocketed. Is this changing GP contracts, changing patient demands, a combination, something else? Just curious not trying to make any kind of point. My own work has pitfalls where badly framed contracts and the required workloads don’t match.

What a lovely post.

Charity. Plenty of incompetent colleagues that have done the same job for years and won't ever move on because they'd probably get sacked. They don't make any changes that would permanently resolve problems for beneficiaries let alone work to eliminate the need for the charity's existence, because they'd be out of a job.
Senior managers aren't managed so bad behaviour isn't dealt with. On paper they are supervised by trustees, but the trustees meet 2-4 times a year, talk and decide fuck all, get their travel expenses paid and fuck off for another few months.

Fashion -

fashion design = debilitatingly exhausting

modelling = horrific

HMUA = soul destroying

the other job which seems somewhat rewarding is photography

Consulting at a big firm. Long long hours, rampant egos and office politics, realising your services have been sold for an impossible time frame which you have to deliver in.

@DarkShade ooops definitely guilty of saying this! Not that I really think it would be easier just that I’ve consumed far too many fluffy novels and Hallmark movies where the ideal life is achieved by opening a small florist/bookshop/cafe in a small town (often near Christmas) and meeting a hot, but surly local man who turns out to be my soulmate. That’s what I mean when I say “I’d love to quit and open a bookshop cafe!” 😂