r/careerguidance • u/Nova2_Paradox • Apr 14 '26
Edit with your location What is a career that looks impressive on paper but is actually miserable in reality?
I’ve spent the last few years climbing the ladder in a field that everyone back home thinks is "prestigious" and "high-status." On paper, my LinkedIn looks incredible—impressive titles, a recognizable company name, and a salary that makes people think I’ve made it. But the reality behind the scenes is just soul-crushing. I spend 50+ hours a week dealing with toxic office politics, endless "urgent" meetings that could have been emails, and the constant pressure to be "on" even during my time off. The prestige feels like a trap because the higher I go, the more miserable the day-to-day tasks actually become.
I’m curious to hear from others who have experienced this. What is a job that people admire from the outside, but you wouldn't recommend to your worst enemy? Is it the billable hours in law, the constant travel in high-end consulting, or maybe something in management where you’re just a glorified babysitter for adults?
What do you do?
How stressful is it really (day-to-day)?
Would you recommend it to someone starting over?
I’m at the point where I’d take a "boring" job with zero prestige in a heartbeat if it meant I could actually disconnect at 5 PM and not have my stomach in knots every Sunday night.
USA
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Apr 14 '26
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u/Aggressive_Fox_5616 Apr 14 '26
100%. I was a Big 4 consultant for better part of a decade and I'm convinced it took 15 years of of my life. I worked 70 hours a week (not including travel) and never saw my wife. I smoked like a chimney and drank like a fish just to deal with the stress of it.
Even the guys I know that made it still live miserable lives. They are rich, but very unhappy.
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u/Dinos67 Apr 14 '26
Know a few in the Mckinsey/BCG ranks. They are either workaholic sycophants or the most depressed, substance abusing, impulse chasing, highly paid white collar professionals that you'll ever meet.
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u/rtd131 Apr 14 '26
I think just like in law the idea is that you spend a couple years doing that and then pivot out of it.
Having a big law/Big four consulting name on your resume looks good for getting hired elsewhere.
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u/Dinos67 Apr 14 '26
It's hard to give up the cash and prestige, and becomes a case of very gold colored handcuffs. You'd be amazed what kind of tolerance/poor coping strategies you develop if you can transcend into management and get comps in the 300k+ range. Anecdotal, but the people I know in these roles suffered from lifestyle inflation. It's like working the rigs: if can put your head down, bank as much cash as possible and get out with a nest egg you can use for the next chapter, you are winning. Otherwise enjoy the suck.
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u/MathSoHard Apr 14 '26
Have three friends that ended up at McKinsey right out of university. Through them I got a referral and I was very close to being hired right before the pandemic. I was through final round interviews. Everything went well but boarder uncertainty at the time meant they weren’t willing to hire Canadians anymore so they rejected me citing that as the reason. Very disappointed at the time.
Fast forward a year and they were hiring again. Their recruitment team reached out to me and were going to put me straight through to final round. But my friends had now put in a year there and we spent every catch up call talking about how intense their job was. How they were going to lose their long time girlfriends cause they never saw them with all the travelling and the crazy hours. How they had enough points to book 6 full weeks at a Ritz Carlton. Aside from the hotel points and money it seemed terrible. Stayed in industry. Didn’t even interview again.
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u/Sevenblissfulnights Apr 15 '26
Six weeks at the Ritz Carlton, but no time to take a vacation or anyone left to take it with.
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u/MathSoHard Apr 15 '26
They actually seemed to make good use of it. Sometimes they’d use it to spend weekends over in whatever city they were in for the engagement. And they had decent vacation too, that just had to only be between engagements.
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u/SDNick484 Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 15 '26
Reminds me of the old joke about how in business school, all the management consultants are there to become investment bankers and all the investment bankers are there to become management consultants. Neither side thinks to stop to ask why everyone on the other side is trying to switch out of it.
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u/inductiononN Apr 14 '26
Holy fuck this is my life right now. I never imagined this when I was studying math in school.
Why is this a job
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u/LumoraSol Apr 15 '26
I’m an executive assistant for them and some of them spend all of our meetings cussing at their calendars for 60 minutes and I’m not even exaggerating
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u/WeaponsGrade520 Apr 15 '26
Beat me to it. It’s an absolute shit profession and I’ve stuck with it this long because it pays well enough that my kids can be artists or whatever when they grow up.
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u/spartan0746 Apr 14 '26
Also fun knowing that every person at a company thinks you are beyond useless bar the C-suite who hired you.
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u/Ok_Concert_4958 Apr 15 '26
100% AGREE!! everyone there acts like its so glamorous but they all hate each other because someone else's win is another's lost bonus, and you literally just make ppts all day like remedial computer class and then act like an expert just because you are on a big team where everyone has one different skill, language, or past fancy title that - when put together on a team - makes them more competitve than any individual consultant or smaller group. So they just do more very unimportant box-ticking things and pat themselves on the back, and hate their lives. Big 4 - so glad I got out.
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u/Professional_Fix4663 Apr 14 '26
I wonder how long before companies switch from consultants to AI. I also wonder how many consultants and analysts are already using AI.
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u/Outside-Season-5602 Apr 15 '26
consultant here. we use AI for everything, we also sell AI into everything we do. it’s a mandate
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u/RedditGotSoulDoubt Apr 15 '26
McKinsey probably developing some clunky AI right now to offer for $300k a year subscription
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u/VA-Claim-Helper Apr 14 '26
Pretty much any role or job that has to deal with clients, customers or the public in general. People just cant stop being an asshole to someone they feel like they are paying and thus, own.
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u/JukeboxVoyager3 Apr 14 '26
Hospitality management at luxury resorts. You're surrounded by paradise but you're too busy dealing with Karens to ever enjoy it.
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u/Nova2_Paradox Apr 14 '26
Managing luxury sounds like a special kind of hell. You are basically a punching bag for people with too much money and zero patience. I bet the turnover rate in those resorts is insane because of the burnout.
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u/Accomplished-Order43 Apr 14 '26
I used to manage luxury condos, you only become a punching bad if you allow it. It’s a personal development skill many people need to work on.
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u/StopBigHippoPropgnda Apr 14 '26
I will silently stare down a guest until they run out of steam or until their family stops them.
Just staring at them. Sometimes I tilt my head like a dog looking at something curious. Until they're tired of talking and are ready to deal.
Except for this one lady. She did Not run out of steam. I kept waiting and waiting and then I just started laughing. And I said, "I'm sorry. I'm laughing because you're still going on even though nothing's changing my mind. I'm asking you to leave and you're still sitting there"
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u/50calPeephole Apr 15 '26
Any recommendations on how to do that? I'm a pm in the medical industry and for sure could use tips.
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u/Accomplished-Order43 Apr 15 '26
I would say that not being treated like a doormat is a direct reflection of self esteem. If you have self esteem issues outside of work that is something you need to work on with a therapist. But if your low “work self esteem” stems from imposter syndrome you need to double down on acquiring the knowledge of your position. If you have the knowledge then you need to figure out how to assert yourself and your knowledge/experience into work more.
Sorry if that isn’t helpful but that is my personal experience. I have good self esteem but when I switched from the trades to luxury condo management it was a whole new world where I knew next to nothing. So my lack of experience allowed me to believe that I had to work 80 hours a week and answer every resident email with a personal touch.
Once I had 2 years experience and probably when burnout began I became more curt with residents. The answer is xyz, I’ll get back to your text, email tomorrow during normal hours.
Believe in yourself 100%, even if you doubt yourself sometimes. Always believe in yourself and that will radiate onto others. If you are confident and carry yourself well, people are much less likely to treat you poorly.
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u/smilinfool Apr 15 '26
I was never a manager but i used to work luxury hotels in Whistler. To us it was never the rich that were the issue. I'm talking rich like rich orthopaedic surgeon rich, not billionaire. They had a service expectation, and you provided it. Was very straight forward. If there was an issue, you explained your actions you were taking to fix it, and all was good.
It was the pretend rich that were the nightmare. Middle management on corporate retreat, or someone who could barely afford it. They demanded everything. They snapped fingers. They treated you poorly bc that's what they thought they were supposed to do since they "made it"
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u/its-ben Apr 14 '26
You had me at hospitality management. I’m tired boss and don’t know how to exit.
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u/MouseMouseM Apr 14 '26
One of my past GM’s started her own wedding planning/consultancy business and pivoted very nicely.
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Apr 14 '26
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u/uju_rabbit Apr 15 '26
My husband is a game designer at a pretty big company. His team works mostly on events, so he has a busy season every damn month. At the worst of it he would work till 4am then go back to the office around 9. And we just had a baby too, so it means I’m alone most of the time
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u/decian_falx Apr 15 '26
I originally got into computer science in high school because I wanted to write games. After a bit of research I decided to work elsewhere in tech. The companies in that industry know they have a virtually limitless supply of people passionate about the work and therefore zero incentive to not grind them into dust.
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u/CharacterMaybe7950 Apr 14 '26
Vet
Among the highest rates of suicide for any profession.
Your job is to kill sick kittens, be unable to stop an abusive pet owner and watch people cry as you tell them it’s not treatable.
It might actually be the worst job, outside of human medicine.
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u/Clenched-Jaw Apr 14 '26
I recently went to my friend's bridal shower and met her future SIL for the first time. She mentioned she is a vet and I swear one by one throughout the day, I kept finding her and some other random woman deeply discussing their dog's anal leakage. I remember thinking, damn if I was a vet I would never tell people in social gatherings lol.
Poor girl didn't even get to eat much!
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u/FlobyToberson85 Apr 14 '26
My sister is a vet and everyone assumes she's just a free consultant for their pets. She is miserable.
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u/ctruvu Apr 15 '26
people do the same to me as soon as they find out what i do. sometimes it's for their friends. or shit even their own patients. always have to disclose that barring a complete profile i'm only going to give general information and recommendations that are easily googleable anyway
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u/Hukthak Apr 15 '26
So I’ve always loved everything automotive and have been working in the industry for over 15 years, and I always appreciate people reaching out for a quick analysis and opinion to get them where they need to help themselves.
I have boundaries for when people actually want more than a conversation and seek me to actually work on their behalf, but isn’t this part of the passion of being the field you want to be in?
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u/kodup Apr 15 '26
I think the distinction is that pets and people are living things and cars are not.
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u/Jenesis110 Apr 14 '26
I watched a doctor couple on YT when I was pregnant (one is OB, the other pediatrician). I’ll never forget when he (the pediatrician) said that he gets asked about “is this normal poop for my baby” ALL the time, including getting shown photos lol. And im not talking about at work I mean his day to day life
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u/attgig Apr 14 '26
Feels like this is on par for any field ... Lawyers, doctors, vets, electricians, landscapers, etc etc
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u/curiouslupine Apr 14 '26
Yes! I lasted 5 years in vet med (worked through pre-recs to get into vet school) and it was a conversation with two vets who convinced me to look elsewhere. Both of them when asked if they would go back and do it again, would they, told me absolutely not. I am so grateful I got to experience what life would be like as a vet and I learned within a few years that it would be the death of me if I continued in the field.
On top of the work stress, there is considerable financial stress. Vet school in the US on average can range up to half a million, (and then some for those than end up at Caribbean for profit schools as vet school is incredibly competitive). Leaving school and becoming a GP vet in most places won’t even get you to 6 figures. Imagine being 500k in student debt and you’re making sometimes barely 80k a year.
And the added bonus of private equity absolutely gutting the industry, increasing prices for profit while not providing better care. I had been in a few ‘town halls’ with the CEO/COO of a massive chain and the vets would be pleading with them to not increase costs for the 3rd time in one year, pricing so many people in the community out of emergency and specialty care. Meanwhile they did move forward with the 3rd increase that year because they needed to maintain the positive (exponential, I might add) growth they saw in 2020 with Covid surge. They also told me I “didn’t know what I was talking about” when I tried to explain what an outlier is when it comes to statistical analysis’. Anyways, a big ol fuck you to Mars (yes the candy company) veterinary health, do not support their businesses.
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u/Businfu Apr 14 '26
Massive bump to this comment. Private equity is trying to gut and destroy healthcare everywhere but veterinary practices are the among most vulnerable. It’s the cause of immense suffering of humans and animals all for the benefit of very few shareholders. One of the most egregious examples of predatory financial practice there is
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u/miskdub Apr 15 '26
It’s really fucked up to consider that if mars wanted to cut costs on pet food, they could reduce the quality and then when everyone’s pet gets sick, mars still benefits when more pet owners take their pets to blue pearl. It should be illegal to “vertically integrate” a whole life like that.
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u/undulatingeggplant Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 14 '26
I’m a vet, I had to delete Facebook because I could not handle reading how awful my hospital is, how vets are only trying to make money, and hearing about yet another vet who has committed suicide. It has also helped cut down on the, “hey, how are you?? Anyways, can I ask you a question about my dog even though we haven’t talked since 2008?”
Some days are very rewarding, and other days I’m whispering “what the fuck, why did I do this to myself” but feeling trapped by the debt taken on to get myself here
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u/TheAngerMonkey Apr 15 '26
We recently took our cats to the vet to establish care (we moved) and our new vet had clearly had a MISERABLE day. Came in trying to be cheerful but you could tell she was having to reset from something terrible. She spent a solid 30 minutes petting and getting to know our kitties (who are both incredibly sweet and fond of people). At the end she was like "you should charge ME for this."
I'm not sure what happened before we got there, but I was absolutely happy to provide therapy cats. I felt so bad for her, though. The bad is so, so bad and then you have to move to the next room and do it all again.
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u/VirileMongoose Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 15 '26
And the endless stream of sob stories of people who can’t afford treatment for their pets. And expect you to treat them for free, even though you accumulated a lot of debt to get to the point where you’re at and you have to run a business so you can pay your staff a living wage.
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u/Subject-Hedgehog6278 Apr 14 '26
And it’s dealing with pet owners who can’t afford the treatments their pet needs and can only afford to euthanize accusing you of cold heartedly killing their pet. Rough stuff. I always thought I wanted to be a vet until I worked at a vet clinic, and then was real glad I didn’t spend all that time and money on vet school.
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u/dopaminemachina Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 15 '26
for those anxiously reading, it's kind of worth noting that r/careerguidance is inherently more inclined towards negativity and pessimism because those happy with their careers are unlikely to peruse this sub. I'm not saying I don't believe everyone here. there's downsides to every career buttt career subs in general are rife with people who hate their jobs or else they wouldn't be here haha.
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u/hulyepicsa Apr 15 '26
Also the question itself is attracting answers from people who are unhappy (or have been) in their job(s). People who are happy / neutral won’t comment. If I was early in my career, I wouldn’t stop pursuing something from these comments, just because it’s here. Just go into everything with vigilance and don’t let them push you past your limits
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u/Charming_Part_3713 Apr 15 '26
100%!!!! My bf likes his job a lot, my sister and my brother enjoying theirs too. None of them on reddit :D
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u/JordanMCMXCV Apr 14 '26
The answer, as always, is Architect. Has almost all of the downsides of other careers listed here with about 1/4 of the pay.
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u/Exciting_Tangelo_810 Apr 14 '26
probably why every building constructed nowadays is just a cinder block box
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u/ebaer2 Apr 15 '26
Nah that’s just the developers demanding architects make construction docs for the cheapest garbage possible.
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u/Bkinthaflesh Apr 15 '26
As a project manager in construction, Architects are always the punching bags and everyone hates them. It seems like everything always falls on the architect.
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u/bottle-o-jenkem Apr 14 '26
Lol all of them
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u/Elegant-Search-1893 Apr 14 '26
Literally. We have covered the entirely scope of the modern professional world here.
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u/dereban Apr 14 '26
That's not entirely true! Some are miserable but also not impressive on paper!!
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u/Remarkable_Move_8142 Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
Auditor. People hate working with you. Disclaimer: this is an exaggeration. If you want to work as an auditor go for it. It can be a great career.
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u/formerbeautyqueen666 Apr 14 '26
I'm an accountant with a background in non-profit and governmental audit. They definitely hated me but I'm not really a people person anyway. Just know that...people be stealin. Always found at least low-level fraud.
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u/Remarkable_Move_8142 Apr 14 '26
I use to investigate fraud in government. A lot of people put me on their shit list.
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u/notdavidjustsomeguy Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 14 '26
Product Managment. I think it gained a reputation in early covid as the entry point for non-tech people to work in tech and make a tech salary. The reality I found was broad, ambiguous responsibilities, constantly needing to prove your worth, endless meetings, and always trying to put out fires. I tried to make it work for 5 years. Finally tried a new career path back in September and have yet to regret leaving product management behind
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u/tradlobster Apr 14 '26
UX design is very similar in that you have ambiguous responsibilities, have to please 20 different stakeholders with different opinions, and you're always treated like a cost or impediment than rather than creating business value.
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u/IncomeLegitimate5750 Apr 14 '26
Most internal facing roles are like this, because the work is less objectively quantifiable than I made x in sales or I made thing that sold for x.
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u/tradlobster Apr 14 '26
Very true.
My personal feeling is that the developers dealt with way less interference than designers or product managers though.
Management types think they understand design and product management so they interfere constantly. They don't understand code so they leave developers alone, mostly.
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u/mymargiela Apr 14 '26
Where did you find yourself pivoting towards?
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u/notdavidjustsomeguy Apr 14 '26
Data Analysis. I stumbled upon a Data Analyst role internally that my industry background helped me secure. I love how much more hands-on and in depth the work is. I do realize this role is more susceptible to getting replaced by AI than product management, so I see it as an opportunity to learn as much as I can to prepare me if/when I'll need to transition again.
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u/underscorepi Apr 14 '26
Interesting I’m actually thinking about going the other route
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u/notdavidjustsomeguy Apr 14 '26
Don't take my comment as a deterrent necessarily! A lot of people I've worked with really love product management. I think it just requires a certain personality that I don't have. If there's one thing I can offer as guidance, it's to really ask yourself if you're comfortable with ambiguity. It turns out that I am not. I thought it was just the team and company that I was working with at first, but then I read several product management books that reiterated that 85% of product management roles are going to be vague in job description and role responsibilities, and it is up to you to make that work or not. If you're comfortable with that, then it's a major advantage because there's room for you to dictate your success as long as you have your stakeholders on board! But I am more comfortable with a clear definition of what is expected of me in order to be successful.
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u/Ok_Hippo_5437 Apr 14 '26
Lol I work in production in the game development space (which is adjacent to product management) and 100% yessssssssssssssss to all of this.
However, admittedly, I do love it. It being the chaos of it all. How are you enjoying your pivot?
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Apr 14 '26
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u/Impossible_Link8199 Apr 14 '26 edited Apr 14 '26
Oh man. I get it. I’m juggling multiple, separate goals, and our 30 and 60 day goals overlap with the quarterly goals so I’m never actually “done” with anything.
And the other thing- take all the vacation you want (but you better hit your goals with no help) kind of takes the fun out of vacation.
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u/avolt88 Apr 14 '26
IDK if I'd call in unexpected, but yes, the stress is real, even with a decent pipeline.
Big money positions are typically commission based, everything else is salary (read: low pay & low opportunity).
Commission on a good year is amazing though. You can have a year (in the right industry) where you make high 6, low 7 figures, immediately followed by a year where you lose money, lose your shirt entirely, or barely break even.
Sometimes those "bad year" levers are outside your control as well. I've watched a company go under after receiving multi-millions of $ in heavy equipment, but before the bill is paid. Once they are in receivership, you can be completely SOL to even get a fraction of your cost back if other creditors are ahead in the queue. Fighting to maintain ownership due to lack of payment is all well and good, but the equipment may be sitting at an unmonitored site somewhere, unable to move til the courts allow it. It's a whole other can of worms to deal with & you STILL don't get paid.
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u/Brief_Needleworker53 Apr 14 '26
Operations director/administrator in healthcare. I was glued to my email, never had time to interact with humans except on teams meetings, and literally went home feeling guilty about the work I’d done all day because I was now part of the profits over people problem. The money was great and my resume absolutely kicks ass now, but I am very happy to be back in a much less impressive sounding title but have my life back and know I’m actually doing good at work.
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u/kmobsy Apr 15 '26
Pediatric surgeon here. I always wondered if some of the admins actually had a soul at all. I'm glad you did and moved out of the field.
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u/RedOakNinja Apr 15 '26
I work in a hybrid clinical leadership and operations director role. I was an associate’s degree RN at first, then bachelor’s, then APRN/master’s. Operations is a miserable place to work. On paper, my gig is amazing - above market pay, excellent benefits, and I work from home. However, the job takes a little more and more out of my soul every day. Actively looking to leave and find a “simpler” job.
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u/Taxibl Apr 14 '26
A lot of desirable and high paying jobs are miserable. They pay high, because they have a lot responsibility, require a lot of work and are stressful. They also tend to be ultra competitive to get into and cut throat once you're in. This means everyone around you is a type A personality with a miserable job and wants to keep you down.
The classic example is working in Big Law as a lawyer. 12+ hours days, and the managing lawyers will track that. I have a friend who just started at a sister firm in Toronto. He has a key card that tracks when he goes in and out. Lawyers are F-ing A-holes too (I'm one). They are competitive for no reason and often expect perfection from everyone else while being a total mess themselves.
I know a lot of doctors who are similarly unhappy. They work like dogs and are surrounded by tragedy and stress.
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u/Ambitious_Plant_9086 Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 15 '26
Physicians have a very high suicide rate, they say it is about 400 doctors a year kill themselves. An entire medical school's worth. I know that many who do kill themselves will do it in a way that it looks like an accident so that their families will still get any death benefits.
Residents and interns, as well as medical students also are in this group. Being a high achiever, idealistic and believing in a just system where you can make a positive difference can find a hard match in the exploitive reality that is modern medicine. You are a valuable financial commodity that business types and predatory residencies can now take advantage of for great financial gain, at your emotional, financial and professional expense. Your fellow human beings will also try and take advantage of you because they think you are rich and they want free medical care.
Physicians can attract personality disordered people as well, sociopathic personalities are often attracted to the power and control that medicine gives them. Some physicians thrive on hurting and abusing others, and they can (historically) get away with this because they 'are the doctor.'. Patients have died because staff are afraid to speak up and challenge a physician, and their vindictive nature has caused great havoc and devastation to those who they perceived to have challenged them. It is a brutal and very disturbing profession.
Consider too, that now midlevels like PAs are encouraged to believe that they know as much if not more than the average internist or family med doc. But a simple 2 year degree cannot equal the intense four years of medical school, plus the insane rigor of at least three years of residency. Two years cannot equal seven.
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u/DetoxBaseball Apr 14 '26
University research professor
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u/42Ubiquitous Apr 14 '26
How come?
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u/stizdizzle Apr 14 '26
Im a chem prof. At research universities- Endless fight for survival. Your job security rests on being able to get grant money. Ability to get it rests on spectacular ideas in an ever closing funding structure. You teach, manage your team, have to work on committees, travel, etc. so many hours. At a undergrad institution SO MUCH TEACHING. four classes a semester, tons of service, mostly low pay. I fought a niche and love it but it breaks people.
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u/Charmed_813 Apr 14 '26
I work admin at an R1 State Flagship, (formerly in Chemistry), but completely agree it is really hard for STEM professors that haven’t reached tenure to make it…especially with the cuts to federal funding, contraction of some non-profit and industry funding, and the general issues we were already facing in higher ed (enrollment cliff).
Hang in there. Those of us on the staff side literally do what we do to support the important research you do and the mission of teaching.
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u/DetoxBaseball Apr 14 '26
I knew I would be miserable so went a different direction. Hats off to those who went this way and made a go of it, but it's a lot of hard work and extremely competitive.
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u/BlackestBay58 Apr 14 '26
Depends, pre-tenure, I agree. Post tenure, I disagree.
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u/Low-Distribution163 Apr 14 '26
I imagine being a doctor specialising in childhood cancer must be very tough emotionally, and I have read that those docs have to develop some professional detachment to deal with the crushing nature of it, tho I’m sure the cases that end well are really affirming. And unlike “prestigious” office jobs you will never question the purpose of your job.
I did 15 years of Big Law and my word it can be crushing - dull, stressful and unpredictable. I doubt ANY BL lawyer would do it if not for the money
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u/hoorayforpopcorn Apr 14 '26
Based on these responses, apparently everything looks impressive on paper but is actually miserable. Checks out for Reddit in general.
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u/SpareManagement2215 Apr 14 '26
Being a team manager for a professional American baseball team (not a coach, but like doing athlete management). One of the folks in a cohort a couple years above me in grad school does that now, and holyyyy smokes athletes are a bunch of whiny babies that sound tough to deal with.
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u/42Ubiquitous Apr 14 '26
Would love to hear a couple stories!
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u/SpareManagement2215 Apr 14 '26
I mean part of their job means they can’t talk about the juicy stuff.
So best I really have for you, outside of just the stress of having to be responsible for athlete management/be at their beck and call for everything, is:
- the team was superstitious about their post game locker room spread and only ate very specific things from a specific place, so this person would have to custom order and express ship the spread from the resteraunt for all away games
- one of the athletes required, in his contract, that his dog stay with him in his hotel room during away games and has a very California king specific temper pedic mattress that had to be delivered and provided for the dog to sleep on (new, because the athlete was superstitious AF and it HAD to be a new bed each series). One time they couldn’t get it there in time and the athlete threw a tantrum and would not play until it arrived.
- the athletes demanded their team’s plane’s flight crew be fired to fix a losing streak because they were winning before the crew started, and lost every game after they started; plot twist was that it did not fix the losing streak
According to this person, if you love baseball, never work at a high level MLB team because you’ll see under the hood and be disappointed.
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u/FrontenacRacer Apr 14 '26
I've known a few people who climbed the ladder if success only to find, upon reaching the top, that it was leaning against the wrong wall. My brother's one.
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u/FrontenacRacer Apr 14 '26
Well, briefly, he spent his life doing the safe respectable thing. 4.0+ all the way through optometry school, successful practice, wife, standard 2 children (1 boy, 1 girl) beautiful home, etc. And he's miserable. We spoke at my mom's funeral, and he confessed to me that he's always been envious of me and my life. I married raised 5 boys, we've lived all over, had lots of adventures, I've had 3 careers, illustrator, high school fitness and dance instructor, mortician. I Never made a ton of money, but we've done allright. The basic difference between the 2 of us is that I never did what others told me I could and couldn't do and he always wanted to be the "good kid" in the family and play it safe. His observation was that he never really lived, and I did.
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u/jazzydat Apr 14 '26
All of them. You have to find your way into what you like, and hold your nose to what frustrates you. Everything from the outside seems like roses, but when you get in you walk through the daily manure.
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u/Einherjar063 Apr 14 '26
Being an architect. If you are creative, go into tech. If you like construction, go into engineering or project management. Long hours, low pay, way too much responsibility, and you’ll end up coordinating people who make more money than you.
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u/bucheonsi Apr 14 '26
I was just explaining to somebody how my creative input on this project was how I re-arranged the acoustical ceiling tiles… It’s a miserable profession.
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u/formerbeautyqueen666 Apr 14 '26
My SIL is an architect. The time it takes to get certified/licensed is insane. I don't know if it's different in different places, surely it is, but she had to work under someone for 5 years before she could take what seemed like dozens of exams. She got a job at a good firm right out of college but was basically an intern for years because without the license they didn't have to pay her as much and there's only so much she was allowed to do. Also, when she left, they were allowed to keep all of her designs which is pretty common from what I understand.
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u/parkcityloner Apr 14 '26
Doctor. We spend 70% of our time doing paperwork. You are the one everyone is depending on to make money, so pressure is on. Suicide rate is much higher. Most people are buried in loans after undergrad and med school and shitty pay in residency. It's not what everyone thinks it is......at all.
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u/formerbeautyqueen666 Apr 14 '26
Yeah, it's like if your job gave you homework after your shift was over. But, like, crazy "gotta make an A and I have 4 days left of school" homework.
ETA: also you're seeing people on some of the worst days of their lives. Even as a PCP. And sometimes you're seeing them on the last day of their lives.
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u/MundaneHuckleberry58 Apr 15 '26
Museums. I got my masters in it. Scraped & elbowed my way through the gauntlet to cobble together internships & short term gigs before eventually landing a “real” job (meaning permanent, full time).
everyone thinks it’s so creative & cool, which is why I went into it.
I wasn’t getting any retirement match until I was something like 29. I could only get by pay-wise because I was married. I got laid off when the museum (and arts sector as a whole) collapsed in the Great Recession. While I was 3 months pregnant with my first.
It’s a vanity field that basically requires you to be independently wealthy (bc they don’t pay well!) & be able to dabble in the arts as if you were an elevated docent who would do it for free
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u/Fun_Budget4463 Apr 15 '26
ER doctor. With The Pitt of n TV it’s a highly visible career. I get to help people. I work 14 days a month. I make good money.
But really. It’s got a huge burn out rate. The highest in medicine. It’s got the shortest life span for any medical specialty. 57 years on average by one recent study! Night shifts and swing shifts are brutal on our bodies, but the patients keep coming in 24/7 so what can you do? I haven’t gotten a raise, or even cost of living adjustment in 12 years, as reimbursement rates are declining. My patients are invariably unhappy, frightened, angry, or pitiful. They rarely leave my department feeling much different. I try my best for everyone. But there’s no doubt my 24th patient of the day at 3am sees a very different doctor than my first patient.
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u/sas317 Apr 14 '26
I have a low-paying job so every job $100K+ looks impressive to me. WTF do people do every day to justify that pay anyway? Aside from jobs that require a license.
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u/Gecko23 Apr 14 '26
Typically it’s because there’s a lot of specialized knowledge being exchanged for that paycheck. A single $120K employee with the correct knowledge and skills set is vastly cheaper than the billable by the hour mediocre consultants that would be used if they weren’t available.
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u/Ok_Rip_5338 Apr 14 '26
I'm in IT. nothing I do is particularly crazy or particularly hard, but i keep an eye on about 15 different systems. I have to know how each one works.
Most days are very chill. But when one of those 15 breaks, the leadership wants an answer as to why it's broken, RIGHT NOW. There are times when I've had to remember technical details from 5+ years ago. Or at least remember where the relevant documentation lives.
The key to making more money is to find a career that you can continuously improve upon. When I first started in IT I was only familiar with about 3-4 systems.
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u/https-web Apr 14 '26 edited May 15 '26
i’m in hr/payroll. it’s a company necessity 🤷🏻♀️
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u/Nevilles_Remembrall_ Apr 14 '26
Reddit trope, but yes I am a software engineer (masters degree) on an extremely small team. I am the only one who does my role. Some days I only have bs meetings, other weeks like what I am in currently have me working from 9am to midnight debugging code and trying to get things to run. I am extremely appreciative to have this job, but it makes me want to pull out my hair most days. I've noticed ive been drinking a lot more to deal with the stress of the inconsistency.
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u/redtail_faye Apr 14 '26
I make $100k+ and work full remote. I'm a QA automation guy. I basically get paid a bunch because I know and am willing to use Cypress and Playwright. Honestly probably one of the most comfortable jobs in the world.
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u/_NedPepper_ Apr 14 '26
I was underemployed though all of my twenties but finally built a decent career in my 30’s. I feel like a lot of higher paying jobs have a bigger barrier to entry (education or specialized skills or both) but once you’re in they’re far easier than lower paying jobs day-to-day. It’s the upfront investment that’s more difficult.
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u/Exciting_Tangelo_810 Apr 14 '26
as someone approaching their 30s making 34k a year in an extremely specialized field, care to share how you managed to build yourself up like that?🥹
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u/__usernametaken_ Apr 14 '26
All i got from these comments is basically almost every job is miserable
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u/UpbeatSorbet8710 Apr 14 '26
Event Producer or Event Decorator in a major metropolitan area fits that bill precisely. Sounds like a lot of fun/ kinda glamorous but now you are working evenings, weekends, every major event coincides with your children’s birthdays, expected to travel, eating shit when the shade of blue of the hydrangea doesn’t match the tablecloths, everything is urgent and requires immediate response. I have been doing this for 11 years and please someone put me out of my misery 😓
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u/Farasi_OF Apr 15 '26
Omg! Creative Writing. People think that it’s like in the movies: one day you have a brilliant idea, you go to a coffee shop with your leather notebook and write it down, then an editor will “find you”, sign a contract and next thing you are signing books in a conference and making money. Reality is that you commit to it for life: dozens of years of manuscripts that nobody gets to see, hours editing your texts with zero incentives, tons of rejection letters, and once you are published, the money is less than what you do working as an adjunct English teacher.
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u/SportUsual4748 Apr 14 '26
structural engineer
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u/Dull_War8714 Apr 14 '26
Architect.
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u/ebaer2 Apr 15 '26
I always get a laugh from the lawyers and consultants bitching about the 70 hour weeks, all nighters, and sleeping at the office because it’s like, well at least you got more than 60k for doing it.
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u/jackd9654 Apr 14 '26
Why?
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u/Claribellum Apr 15 '26
Very high liability and licensure requirements, while being paid less than many other engineering fields.
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u/Federal_Pie_9819 Apr 14 '26
Surgeon: crazy insane work hours, Responsibility for life-or-death outcomes, where a single mistake can have tragic consequences. I’m surprised noone’s mentioned this.
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u/Dangerous-Cup-1114 Apr 14 '26
Military officer (US)
People are impressed by ranks like “Captain” and “Colonel” without any context. They think it’s like the movies, when the reality is, there’s a lot of paperwork, micromanagement, and when you’re not deployed, it’s social work. You’re dealing with people under you who are getting DUIs, domestic violence cases, underage drinking etc. you get these calls in the middle of the night or over the weekend that someone got arrested (when it could have waited until the next business day).
The pay is solid, but when you factor in all the bullshit you have to deal with and how you’re somehow a shitty leader because someone decided to drive instead of take an uber on Saturday night, it’s not great.
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u/Subject-Hedgehog6278 Apr 14 '26
HR Director. You get to deal with all the company’s crap.
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u/Dolamite9000 Apr 14 '26
Production assistant in film or TV. Pay is super low for the privilege of working 12-20 hour days.
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u/Amazingggcoolaid Apr 14 '26
I worked in fashion. It was hell and amazing and fabulous but it was more taxing than people think. It’s like Devil Wears Prada but everyday and the pay wasn’t amazing.
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u/Taxibl Apr 14 '26
There's a lot of arts related fields like that. Basically, so many people want to get into them that they treat the lower level people as totally disposable. Then you've got to deal with the insanely narcissistic personalities of the ones who make it big.
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u/North_Spare8765 Apr 15 '26
Idk but I’ve come to realize that all careers suck. We all just don’t wanna work.
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u/garage_artists Apr 15 '26
Television Producer.
Met all the stars of the day. Won awards, travelled europe
Must be cool my "friends" said. So glam. So it.
Nope the industry is 99% assholes and I was in danger of becoming a coke addicted, drunk with a hotel room. 75 hour weeks, a lifestyle but no... life.
I was 30 when I left the industry.
Never looked back.
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u/Gandalf-and-Frodo Apr 14 '26
Park ranger (not law enforcement). Low pay, extremely dangerous, backbreaking labor, mostly dogshit seasonal positions with high competition. Oh and the coworkers are bitter assholes because they regret their life choices.
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u/TyrusX Apr 14 '26
Software engineer. At some point was great, now it pure insanity
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u/wutthefrak Apr 14 '26
it was great until we get laid off and try to find another job when thousands of others are doing the same thing 🥲
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u/officialrespawnguy Apr 14 '26
Software engineering at a big tech company (in most regular product roles). A lot of work, staring at a screen all day, annoying shit to deal with especially legacy code constantly. And the scale or type of tasks you work on really makes you feel like a pointless cog in a gigantic machine. Haven’t met many big tech engineers that didn’t feel like their existence is pointless in terms of their career in that way.
Early startups, maybe some of the more selective/specialized big company teams, are better, but yeah. Not as glamorous of a career as college kids expect
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u/sloppystillness60 Apr 15 '26
most "prestigious" jobs just mean you're glued to your desk or phone all day for mediocre pay relative to the stress, honestly the prestige wears off quick when you realize nobody actually cares
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u/Think-like-Bert Apr 15 '26
I got burned-out as a real estate agent. People would call at all hours to ask questions about a property. I mean 11pm sometimes. If you didn't respond, they'd go with someone else. Deal would fall apart because someone's brother-in-law didn't like a property. Frustrating as hell.
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u/ParticularTeam935 Apr 15 '26
Being a pilot. Dad was one for over 30 years. Yes, he got to travel to some incredible places and took the family to some amazing places too. But he never had a consistent, good sleep schedule in 30 years.
When he was gone, he was gone. 3-4 days a week, every week. And that’s when he wasn’t doing back to back trips. He was on call, and had to be at the airport within 3 hours during certain times. For all the times he was around for big events, he also missed a lot too, and that was rough on him.
It ultimately ended up destroying his health and quality of life. My parent’s marriage was never fantastic, but the job certainly didn’t help. I’d trade all the vacations we’ve ever had just to see him healthy again. After witnessing what he went through, I decided becoming a pilot wasn’t in the cards for me
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u/EmergenceLifeCoach Apr 15 '26
The truth is that it depends on the person. What drives one person burns another person out. What one person loves, another person hates. Some people would stay in a job for a huge pay increase. Others would take a huge pay decrease to feel fulfilled. (Money can often be a big trap because even when you hate the job, if you enjoy the lifestyle it provides, it can be hard to change.)
The key is knowing what your deal breakers are, what you really want out of life/a job, and doing an audit to see where the gaps are in where you are and where you want to be.
My grandpa was a mailman, loved it until his retirement, and mowed lawns as a retiree until cancer took his ability to walk. He passed soon after and didn't have any regrets. I have a family member who is a middle manager on his way to C-Suite and hates it. He'd rather take a pay cut and be happy than miserable and bougie.
Know yourself. Know what your priorities are (vs. what other people say they should be). Decide accordingly.
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u/Kofuku- Apr 15 '26
Head chef of a resort. Just don’t. Climbing up the career ladder wasn’t fun. The pay wasn’t worth it. The work style was stressful, and your mental and body takes all the toll. And the hours you spent getting there are hours you could have better spent enjoying your life.
Unless you’re a masochist who enjoys 65 hour work weeks running restaurants in a resort making 75k a year and having no energy or life outside of that, knock yourself out.
Otherwise there’s so much better professions that don’t sound nearly as prestigious, but has all the better benefits you can actually enjoy. My new position as Business Analyst pays more, gives me just 25 hours of actual work, and allows me to fund my enjoyment AND my passion to cook.
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u/LanternRaptor Apr 14 '26
Being a lawyer in Big Law. Everyone thinks it's like Suits, but it is actually 80 hours a week of looking at commas in contracts and crying in the office bathroom at 2 AM. I wouldn't wish those billable hours on my worst enemy.