"Worst" job you've ever had

MotoDC

Certain parts of that minimum wage thread were enlightening, others were entertaining, others were both. Personally I found everyone's account of their prior work-a-day histories both. So let's have it, nice and clean, here in a new thread. What's the "worst" or toughest thing you've ever done for money?

For me, it's probably helping my gf's (at the time) family's construction company dig a pool. I was a teenager and in great shape, but

holy
hell

that's some hard labor. I only helped with a part of (the parts that can't be done other than with a shovel and at the expense of a human's back), but that was enough.

Strangely though (or not, depending on your perspective), I'm particularly proud of that labor in my otherwise fairly white-collar life.

Easiest and least-proud job I ever held was pizza delivery (no offense to any pie drivers here). Easy money, no real physical or mental effort, but man did my car reek of pizza for months afterward. And the hat, oh the hat they made us wear...

Prince Of Dorkness

The only job I ever had that was so horrible that I literally would cry on my way to work was when I was managing a video retail store at a suburban mega mall. I spent more time trying to stop the endless string of theft and I was losing that battle daily.

Unmeetable sales targets, clueless upper management and being a "mom and pop" store that was selling what Walmart was selling for 35% lower than my cost. Pointless.

The one moment that I'm really not very proud of in my entire working career... I saw that a few managers had been let go and given a VERY nice severance package. So I just sat in my office and read Harry Potter books until they came in to fire me. I got three month's full pay and benefits so I got the summer off and was able to set myself up to start my new career... and I did.

pandora

I made roach clips for my sister and brother in laws head shop in Milwaukee.
At the time I thought it awesome, but most everything was awesome 40 years ago
got a buck a clip if I did the soldering too.
Skipped out of class and did the S wire bending in the girls can then home to
the basement with the blow torch Not sure how I didn't set my ass wild hair a blaze.

The repetitive motion messed up my right wrist and the time spent out of class I won't get back.
No do overs in life. But no regrets either.

We live we learn usually from the worst of times ... right?

JimmyV

In college I worked as a Pharmacy Technician for a major drug store chain in a highly impoverished and crime-ridden city in Western Massachusetts. It was awful on a nightly basis. Every shift I would have customers who were blatantly abusing their Mass Health benefits, customers who had no money to pay for their medications, customers who were clearly hooked on pain medication, customers who were terminally ill. It was terrible and infuriating and heartbreaking all at the same time.

The worst, for me, was the young girls who would come in with scripts for the morning after pill...and the doctor had written it with a refill.

By far the worst job experience I have ever had.

Thirty Bills Unpaid

Worked as a cook in a Greek restaurant for the Greeks.

Holy shit. Thank God I played basketball at a high level and had coaches rip my ear off on several occasions: if I made any error at all... Hell broke loose. Overcooking eggplant was akin to stealing from the cash register. Those guys- in unison- would yell shit that I have no idea what they were saying. Being used to being yelled at though was good experience for dealing with these guys. I eventually left that place unscarred- others couldn't take it.

I would just stand there, nod my head like I knew what they were saying, and then get back to my tasks. $3 an hour. Fak. Those were the days alright.

mikepegg44

MotoDC wrote:

Certain parts of that minimum wage thread were enlightening, others were entertaining, others were both. Personally I found everyone's account of their prior work-a-day histories both. So let's have it, nice and clean, here in a new thread. What's the "worst" or toughest thing you've ever done for money?

For me, it's probably helping my gf's (at the time) family's construction company dig a pool. I was a teenager and in great shape, but

holy
hell

that's some hard labor. I only helped with a part of (the parts that can't be done other than with a shovel and at the expense of a human's back), but that was enough.

Strangely though (or not, depending on your perspective), I'm particularly proud of that labor in my otherwise fairly white-collar life.

Easiest and least-proud job I ever held was pizza delivery (no offense to any pie drivers here). Easy money, no real physical or mental effort, but man did my car reek of pizza for months afterward. And the hat, oh the hat they made us wear...

I worked in a bending area of a windshield manufacturer. For those that don't know...the windshield on your car is actually 2 pieces of glass held together by a type of vinyl that is then bent and curved to specifications. The ovens were around 900 degrees and on for 4 days straight. The amount of heat from those ovens coupled with the extreme heat generated by the Kevlar suits we had to wear made for a very uncomfortable work environment. And to make matters worse the workers had banded together to vote on how to do breaks...we had one 20 minute break and two 5 minute piss breaks. Truly awful. Since I was low man on the totem pole I had to work the RV line...I think sometimes the glass weighed more than I did at the time...horrible...I think the hottest temp we recorded was 127 and very humid because of the amount of water. If it hits 125 they let us go early after giving us icey's...Wouldn't do that again for any amount of money.

Thanks for the memory walk Moto...

81

forum admin

Leezestarr313

Shortly after finishing school, I worked as a cleaning woman.
Well, the worst was when they sent me to this construction worker motel. A team of three women cleaned there usually and I was the vacation replacement for one of them. I had to get up at 4 am which I hated. It was in the summer and we had to clean the rooms of the construction workers, including changing the bed stuff. It was stinky, the towels were sometimes crusty and hidden under the bed. The other two told me that the building is often used by people to end their lives by jumping out of the windows. Then the cleaning ladies would have to clean the walls. It was just too much for me. Too much of everything. I felt like I was experiencing a penalty or a sentence, not a job. It didn't last too long though.

JimmyV

81 wrote:

forum admin

MotoDC

mikepegg wrote:

Thanks for the memory walk Moto...

Firm believer that if you've never tasted spoiled milk, you can't really appreciate that new york strip.

g under p

My worst job was after HS graduation I worked as a dishwasher for a neighborhood nursing home. The dish washing wasn't the worst it was watching and hearing the suffering those patients were going through. Many suffered from constant bedsores while trying to eat in the cafeteria. I can still hear the moaning, screaming, smells and general unhappiness of the patients.

I left half way through that summer more than 30 years ago. I did have two other kook jobs that summer....I cleaned and detailed cars one of them a Benz covert able belonging to Alderman who I believe was connected to Watergate. I also worked as a cook/waiter at a wealthy retirement home in Bethesda MD. there I got to meet the wife of Mr McCormick...the guy who made and makes McCormick spices.

Peace

josevolution

Construction job here in NY good pay but man was the job supervisor a prick totally abusive of the workers yelling at them making sure you worked from 1mnt to the last mnt hard hard labor , jack hammers all day moving rocks & dirt , carrying cement in buckets up flights of stairs .....I'm tired just thinking about it

rival.

overnight front desk shift in a hotel.

fights, drunks, prostitutes, drug deals, fire alarms, evacuations, stalkers, people sneaking into the closed pool to have sex. :fp:

i can write a book based on what i've seen working that shift for 11 months.

81

rival. wrote:

people sneaking into the closed pool to have sex.

so......what you sayin is......you'll loan me your keys so i don't have to sneak

thanks buddy.

Jason P

[quote="rival." people sneaking into the closed pool to have sex. :fp:

[/quote]
Sounds like a job perk to me!

rival.

81 wrote:

rival. wrote:

people sneaking into the closed pool to have sex.

so......what you sayin is......you'll loan me your keys so i don't have to sneak

thanks buddy.

i'll just give you the room with the hot tub.

Jason P wrote:

Sounds like a job perk to me!

when it was the sorority/frat yearly gala, maybe.
when it was the 60 year old drunk mom from the wedding party, not so much.

81

rival. wrote:

81 wrote:

rival. wrote:

people sneaking into the closed pool to have sex.

so......what you sayin is......you'll loan me your keys so i don't have to sneak

thanks buddy.

i'll just give you the room with the hot tub.

F Me In The Brain

worked construction as the 'rat' one summer during college. The owner of the company was my dad's best friend and he told his buddy that I needed to have every shit job they had to make sure I understood the value of my studies come September and my return to college. I went to work at 6:30 and got back at 5:30. Was in bed around 7 PM Sun-Thurs. Worst job ever. I didnt know my dad set me up like that until I went to him at the end of the summer and thanked him for getting me the gig. He laughed until he cried when he saw my reaction.

I got every crap job on that crew and there were a lot of them. I know for a few days all I did was carry forms from one spot to another. About 135 pounds each, which was more than I weighed at that date.

Probably the best shape I was ever in and not bad money -- but damn I never want to work that hard again!

Jason P

I've had hard labor jobs but the tough work didn't bother me ... unless it was hot and humid. Working as a day laborer working 80 hours a week near the Gulf Coast .... hell. Getting sunburned your first day and having to wear a long sleeve shirt for the next week until your lilly white northern skin heals didn't help either.

It did motivate me to study me butt off when I went to college. I had zero studying ethics since high school was so simple. Whenever I felt like slacking my freshmen year, I just thought about the days of ripping insulation off some tower in 105 degree heat ... :?

Cosmo

Worst paid job...
Bus boy at a Rib House. I lasted only one lunch shift. I hated it so much, i told the manager to give my paycheck to the waitresses... they were the only one that were nice to me. Everyone yelled at me, the manager, the cooks, the bartender even the fucking dish washer. But, the worst... by light years... the customers. No wonder restaurant workers spit in people's food... some of them fucking deserve to eat spit... some even deserve to eat shit... literally.
I was paid out by the waitresses tips and was able to eat a ton of ribs and took home a plate full of ribs, potatoes and baked beans... which was good enough for me. I was supposed to go back for the dinner shift, but blew it off. The mangercalled me to yell at me for not being there and I told him i quit. He was shocked and told be i had to come down to get my pay... i told him to give it to the waitresses.
...
Needless to say... I am very pleasant to restaurant workers... all of them, from bus boys to waiters/waitresses and i tip them well, even if the service is marginal. I know I wouldn't do their job and i know what kind of mega-assholes they have to deal with.

Abuskedti

as a poor college student, I took a job at a nearby McDonalds.. a very busy McDonalds.. I was a "cook". It wasn't bad until they told me to go out into the restaurant area and sweep. It was crowded and I was supposed to sweep around all those people.. :( that was not in my job description. So I quit. At the time I did not appreciate the fact that I did not depend on that job for survival, and had the option of quitting over being a man and just doing my job.

STAYSEA

I lasted 15 minutes at papa john's pizza. I said I had to get something out of my car. And I just drove off.
I had a moment of clarity.

chadwick

nice stories everyone. nice.

some of you reminded me i had a couple differrent tasks i forgot to mention in the closed thread.

1. dishwasher... a few times over
2. automobile detailer @ a car dealership
both shit jobs but probably not the worst jobs i've ever had either.

i cannot think of the worst job i've ever had because i've had at least 24 worst jobs

working hard in the sun or snow?...X
working hard under a tin roof?...X
working hard in a kitchen?...X
working hard on a boat?...X

i've had so many terrible jobs i actually forget about some of them kinda like a memory loss deal to save myself i guess

detasseling corn is no frickin joke. it sucks. mud, rain, heat & scratched up arms & face. you walk down corn rows & pull the tassle at the top of the corn stalk. do that for 9 miles down & back stomping through knee high mud. it might be over 100 degrees. anything above 80 sucks anyways when you're out in it doing manual labor.

wheel barrel around cement & gravel sun up to sun down aint no fucking ball of joy either.

used to stack lumber 10 hours a day. that wasn't much fun either. i was a sweaty chapped unhappy bastard. but i started my first day on my 18th birthday.

turned the very first day of 22 years old loading trailers @ walmart & knew it wasn't gonna last when i was trying to piss & on the restroom wall was a giant poster of sam walton telling me i am one of his happy ass family members. i said, "you're out of your god damn mind you goofy old prick" "i aint your fucking family member & your brainwashing tactics are not for me either" "and neither is your dude foreman whom just yelled at me for sealing a trailer before putting the none conveyerable shit on it"

g under p

g under p wrote:

My worst job was after HS graduation I worked as a dishwasher for a neighborhood nursing home. The dish washing wasn't the worst it was watching and hearing the suffering those patients were going through. Many suffered from constant bedsores while trying to eat in the cafeteria. I can still hear the moaning, screaming, smells and general unhappiness of the patients.

I left half way through that summer more than 30 years ago. I did have two other kook jobs that summer....I cleaned and detailed cars one of them a Benz covert able belonging to Alderman who I believe was connected to Watergate. I also worked as a cook/waiter at a wealthy retirement home in Bethesda MD. there I got to meet the wife of Mr McCormick...the guy who made and makes McCormick spices.

Peace

Check that I wasn't sure so I looked him up it was G Gordon Liddy the guy with the mustache not Alderman.

Peace

hedonist

g under p wrote:

Check that I wasn't sure so I looked him up it was G Gordon Liddy the guy with the mustache not Alderman.

Peace

It's not "the" moustache...it's THE moustache! Dude gave Groucho a run for his money :P

I guess I'm fortunate to have had decent jobs - not to mention bosses, save one bitch of a boss - over the course of my life. Retail (which I did for my first few years of working) sucked after awhile, but I see that was nothing compared to what some of you have experienced.

unsung

Most mentally draining job was working for the John Kerry 2004 Presidential campaign. That woke me up.

Most physical was either detasselling corn or pouring/breaking up concrete. That also woke me up.

Last-12-Exit

The worst job I ever had was at a chicken farm in 1994. I got paid well for a 16 yr old. $10/hr. I worked there for 3 weeks. It smelled so bad that I wanted to throw up every 10 minutes. I had to fit 8 birds in a cage a foot and half deep by one foot wide by 10 inches high. I'm not a animal rights activist, so even I thought it was cruel. Not to mention the assholes that would snap a bird's neck in a heartbeat because the bird would resist being handled like a Sunday newspaper.

g under p

Last-12-Exit wrote:

The worst job I ever had was at a chicken farm in 1994. I got paid well for a 16 yr old. $10/hr. I worked there for 3 weeks. It smelled so bad that I wanted to throw up every 10 minutes. I had to fit 8 birds in a cage a foot and half deep by one foot wide by 10 inches high. I'm not a animal rights activist, so even I thought it was cruel. Not to mention the assholes that would snap a bird's neck in a heartbeat because the bird would resist being handled like a Sunday newspaper.

That right there is ONE of the reasons I don't eat meat....thanks for sharing that job.

Peace

PJ_Soul

First job out of high school. A discount designer fashions store called "Fashion Warehouse 2000". It was owned by this awful, smarmy Iranian guy, and he brought some pretty fucking old school ideas about being male with him from Iran apparently. He was THE MAN and let us all know it. Also, he would get all the young girls working for him to model skimpy outfits for him after hours, under the guise of wanting to know his product. He was incredibly manipulative - he probably would have been a good cult leader - and most of the girls ended up doing it for him (and I suspect worse), and he made them feel guilty if they disobeyed him. I refused to do it, so he made me do all the worst work for a couple of weeks, like unpacking boxes and shit, and then fired me. In retrospect, I wish I'd gone ape shit on that asshole - told his wife what he was doing, report him to the labour board, etc. But I was so young, and intimidating young girls was his specialty. He scared me. I thought he was capable of doing something bad to me. I was even scared to quit. So good thing he fired me for not being his after hours "model". :fp:

Last-12-Exit

g under p wrote:

Last-12-Exit wrote:

The worst job I ever had was at a chicken farm in 1994. I got paid well for a 16 yr old. $10/hr. I worked there for 3 weeks. It smelled so bad that I wanted to throw up every 10 minutes. I had to fit 8 birds in a cage a foot and half deep by one foot wide by 10 inches high. I'm not a animal rights activist, so even I thought it was cruel. Not to mention the assholes that would snap a bird's neck in a heartbeat because the bird would resist being handled like a Sunday newspaper.

That right there is ONE of the reasons I don't eat meat....thanks for sharing that job.

Peace

I do eat eat. Just not chicken! I'm glad I didn't work for a slaughter house. I love a good steak.

PJ_Soul

Last-12-Exit wrote:

g under p wrote:

Last-12-Exit wrote:

The worst job I ever had was at a chicken farm in 1994. I got paid well for a 16 yr old. $10/hr. I worked there for 3 weeks. It smelled so bad that I wanted to throw up every 10 minutes. I had to fit 8 birds in a cage a foot and half deep by one foot wide by 10 inches high. I'm not a animal rights activist, so even I thought it was cruel. Not to mention the assholes that would snap a bird's neck in a heartbeat because the bird would resist being handled like a Sunday newspaper.

That right there is ONE of the reasons I don't eat meat....thanks for sharing that job.

Peace

I do eat eat. Just not chicken! I'm glad I didn't work for a slaughter house. I love a good steak.

I've started eating only free range eggs and chicken when I have a choice. I just couldn't stop thinking about the kind of scenario you described, and was feeling guilty every time I made eggs for breakfast! Free range is of course much tastier too... and twice as expensive.