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?

Nightmare on paper: Binman - I know a few guys who have done this and, despite the early mornings, really enjoyed it.

Great on paper: I'd agree teaching - so, so, so much work and stress for my teaching work, though most of them have stuck it out despite it all.

Florist. People think it's wafting around with a trug of lavender over your arm. " oh I'll just open a little florist shop..."

Reality: back breaking, relentless work lifting and carrying. On your feet for upwards of 12 hours at a time. Stupidly early starts. Cold, wet. Your hands always look like you spend your life wanking off tramps.

And there's all the brides to deal with on top of just the average customer. If I had my time again I would never, never actively choose to have to work with women about to get married. 95% of them are fucking deranged.

I think it's really wonderful you feel that way. I used to work (in HR) in the care sector, and would've given my right arm for staff with your attitude.

Financial services. And yes it's great!

Dog walking. It's a dream job for a lot of people, but can be pretty gruelling for very little pay. The media likes to write articles like "dog walkers make £40k working a few hours a day", but it's not the reality 😂 I make around £10k per year part time - £10-£12 per hour realistically.

You can only really make good money walking dogs in groups of four, but it can be more stress than it's worth to actually do that. And can be downright dangerous if you're on your own.

The actual dogs are always lovely - but you have to know how to deal with fights, seizures, injuries, etc.; then you have dogs that constantly pick up chicken bones / trash from the street; and you're often dealing with reactivity, humping, recall issues, pulling, refusing to walk in the rain (yet the client expects a full hour walk), etc.

Clients who expect you to be some kind of miracle worker, or who constantly "forget" to pay, or who constantly ask for things your contract says you don't offer, or who expect their dog to be left 100% sparkly clean like they've been to the groomer instead of on a walk. And clients who fail to let you know they're moving house / going on holiday / don't need you, until literally the last minute / you've already turned up (happens all the time).

Also hard to take time off, unless you work for a bigger company or hire employees.

Also, you get attached to the dogs, then they leave and break your heart. Agh!

Agree with this, especially now, and especially tax.

Tax doesn't attract many trainees initially and then very few transition over, which means the market has a massive shortage of tax specialists so the ones that there are can command massive salaries.

The work is interesting too - especially the higher up you go when you start getting involved in tax planning and advising clients. It's not just number crunching, though enjoying maths is definitely beneficial!

I know someone who has become a funeral director in their late 50’s and they love it!

I only ever hear people planning/ dreaming on buying a nice sprawling property somewhere picturesque and semi-rural and running it as a BnB. Obviously issue number 1 is that the purchase cost / mortgage would be insane and 2 that you’re probably just going to end up working as a cleaner / cook for very low pay.

I wonder what running / working in a bridal shop is like …

The only one near me is permanently shut (I think you have to book your visit so it’s never “open” as such.. that or it’s a money laundering business of course as I’ve never actually seen anyone open the door). I bet lots of crying brides gets tiring.

Seconding this (and speaking from long experience).

The things which inspired me to get into journalism in the first place (investigative work and good writing) are virtually impossible for most journalists today due to cost pressures and relentless need to appeal to the lowest common denominator.

Poorly paid (unless you're a star), horrendous hours, bosses with less emotional intelligence than the average pig, dysfunctional management, back-stabbing colleagues and an uncertain future.

It's sad because I come from a journalism family but I would never recommend it to a young person today.

Oh yep lol ..Lemme think oh yes, back to back consults with no time to write up notes, regular late finishes with no extra pay for it, , people complaining about the fees, or turning up with no money and expecting us to do the work cheaply or for free, animals in awful, disturbing conditions, poor creatures that should have been humanely pts weeks before it happens, vicious animals that want to bite your head off, managers complaining you don't bring in enough income, grumpy colleagues who wish they were anywhere but in work that day, ( oh I understand totally, but please try smile) , the lack of staff ( a huge issue), suicides in the profession, really tough to watch a fellow colleague get lower and lower during a day's cons cos they struggle to keep up with a difficult case or 5. The emergencies when you have to walk into the room and say their lovely pet didn't live. That sadness is overwhelming at times.

Euthansias, followed by a new puppy consult and even though you want to cry, esp if it's a long-term client's pet, you stiffen your shoulders and go smile for the new puppy and the excited owners.

Minding new grads or baby vets and praying they don't quit because of the pressure. Trying to juggle all the jobs that the public have no idea that go on back of house. It's not an easy job at all, but I adore the job and wouldn't ever leave or do anything else, but the pay rate doesn't reflect the work we do or the skills we need to have, or the late shifts till 3 am sometimes after a late surgery.

Biggest pro's of the job, the colleagues and how we all rally around to make sure we are all ok after a difficult case, the hugs, the - you can do this vibe, the support, the love of the staff. The disfunctional family we are.

The gratitude of a pet or an owner when we do make a difference. All of it the highs and lows make this a job that is very challenging and rewarding at the same time. It's like a bittersweet pill. Love to all my vet colleagues, nurses and support staff, you all do an amazing job everyday

Ladyofthecanyon. Yes! I second that! I was an Event Manager for 10 years, thought I’d become a wedding planner, a sideways step and weddings must be lovely to work on. OMG! no they’re not! Entitled, demanding, deluded brides and far too many brides wanting to be a ‘Princess’ for the day! I met with brides who had been planning their wedding since they were a little girl! They would turn up with a stack of hardback folders because their wedding was their main focus and they expected ‘their’ wedding to be your main focus too! Emails at 11pm and a chaser at 8am the next morning because you hadn’t replied yet! I’ll never forget the bride who arrived at the venue late on a Friday evening after her wedding breakfast room had been set up, she had changed her mind about her table clothes and dropped new ones off! The tables had already been laid and had to be stripped and relaid by staff that were meant to be going home!!

Architect. Sounds good on paper, artistic, mathematical, varied. In reality, you train for ages, pay is poor considering how much you’ve spent on your degree and your responsibilities, and you can lumbered doing bog standard crap. Or you can be highly sought after, design amazing buildings and rewarded. The latter only happens to about 5%!!

On the flip side, plenty of fresh air and exercise (who needs the gym!)
Rain doesn’t even bother me, wear the correct waterproofs and it doesn’t have to be a misery. Not so keen on wind though.
I enjoy lambing time & calving time, I genuinely feel privileged to look after our pregnant ladies and their offspring.
Downsides are when you have sick or injured animals. Or worrying about input costs at the moment, farming is like professional gambling. Massive highs & lows. Causes my husband and I many sleepless nights.
On reflection, will never be rich but feel very happy and content with my lot.

Accountancy (esp. auditing) sounds really boring but it is actually interesting, relatively straightforward and pays very well.

Insurance is almost a byword for a tedious job but the reality, in the London Market at least, is plenty of 1st class international travel, swank hotels and fat expense accounts. Decent hours too

I’m a tax inspector which sounds boring to some people but I love it.

Minus side is 3-4 years training and numerous exams but once you get through you a grade 7 which pays £50k + which is reasonable and also flexi time and an understanding employer.

Really interesting work doing investigations and I have great colleagues.

You are so right 95% of brides are definitely deranged! "wanking off tramp hands" 😂😂😂

Actuary

Underwriter or broker

I'm a counsellor wanting to get into academia/teaching/lecturing and currently not knowing where to start! This thread is very interesting!

Pros of my job-WFH (especially since the pandemic, It's the norm and a lot of clients seem to prefer video call than having to venture out to an office that's cost the counsellor almost as much as they earn )!

Helping people, fulfilling, quite interesting.

Cons-sometimes It's very difficult to know if you're actually helping!

The pay is crap much of the time. Private clients is reasonable pay on the surface but then the paperwork, supervision costs, professional body membership costs etc....Agencies can take almost half your wage. I have a private practice and work almost fulltime for a helpline. Helpline is low pay and doesn't leave much energy for private and I'd not take on more than I can handle.. Having said that, It does make one quite employable.

My first and only proper 'employed' job was at a vets... I loved animals and had visions of saving them all, in reality being a vet is mostly killing things (either leaving them to die in the death room, PTS, abortions or animals dying on the table from surgeries they shouldnt have been put through) mixed in with lots gross body fluids.

My job was infection control so I got to clean and sterilse all those lovely bodily leakages and cart all the bodies out to the incineration pick up point during lunch break.

I left because I got sick of the death, when they where putting down newborn puppies I had just had enough but if someone was paying they didn't care (and if someone wasn't paying the also didn't care hense the 'death room').

Agreeing with all the people who say financial services/ insurance. I worked in pensions for many years and it was well paid, varied, less pressure than lots of other financial services jobs most of the time. Sounds dull but if you have the right skills it's enjoyable and lucrative.

Sounds bad on paper: IT for financial services. It’s not just for people who can code, there are lots of non-technical jobs that pay very well (6 figures) and the hours are decent and low stress.

Agreed many have the idea that it is sharpening pencils cutting pieces of paper and sticking things on the display board! In reality they have similar responsibility as teachers and are paid just above minimum wage term time only part time!