RED's Top 20 Worst Jobs Ever
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20. Retail Sales
Sales Ditch: What sucks about this job are merchandise returns that cut into your paycheck, high-maintenance customers and slim discounts.
Retail may sound like the key to your fashion dreams, but anyone who's done it knows that retail sales typically involves tough customers with picky tastes and high-maintenance 'tudes.More for Fashionistas:
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19. Dog Walker
What Bites: Getting up close with other people's unpredictable animals, cleaning up dog poop. Oh, and cleaning up dog poop.
You get a nice walk with some nice puppies... except that you have to stop every five feet to let them do their, um, business. Plus, otherwise cuddly doggies can get cranky when their owners are gone. -
18. Fashion Mag Assistant
What's Hell: An assistant's work is never done -- and that work is typically tedious and stressful, down to the littlest half-caf skim latte you have to order for the big boss.
Just think of Anne Hathaway's character in 'The Devil Wears Prada.' Need we say more?More for the Fashion-Obsessed:
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17. Electronics Sales
Short Circuit: When you're selling computers and electronics, your clients know much, much less than you. Keeping it simple, with patience, is tough.
You thought it would be fun to be surrounded by the stuff you dig, but you didn't realize that the average consumer has a lot of questions -- ones that you never could've imagined needed answering. -
16. Lifeguarding
The Deep End: Guarding lives is less hanging with tan, scantily clad colleagues and more sitting. Alone. For hours.
It may seem kickass, but not all gigs are created equal. This made our "worst jobs" list because of all the kiddie pools that need guards. With toddlers, you never know when that pool's gonna need an emergency evac.More for Beach Bums:
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15. Enviro Org Crusader
Toxic Waste: Going door-to-door to raise money for your local enviro org involves asking lots of strangers for money and long hot days on your feet for dubious gain.
We all love supporting a good cause, but it made our worst jobs list because pounding pavement is not only old-school, potentially dangerous and tiring, but it also seems like a very slow way to raise money.More on Going Green:
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14. Hay Stacker
Lost in a Haystack: Stacking hay can cause injuries via splinters, machinery and even heat exhaustion.
Monet's famous haystack paintings make the pastoral setting seem romantic in their rural stillness. But the famous painter didn't have to haul those suckers into trucks under the hot sun. -
13. Hair Washer
Burst Those Bubbles: Touching other people's dirty hair? Not so sexy.
Being an assistant at a salon may sound glam, but the reality of washing hair for everyone from men like your dad to women with blue, smelly hair pretty much washes out that dream.More Beauty Tips:
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12. Nanny
Sitting Hell: Crying babies and whiny spoiled children who will NOT go to bed.
Think there's no where you'd rather be than at a cute, sleeping child's side, after singing him to sleep? Sorry, nanny-wannabes, this is a crappy job. You're lucky if that kid EVER goes to bed -- much less sits still long enough to hear a story.More on RED:
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11. Film P.A.
Cut!! High-stress film shoots, working with big egos, and the production assistant (that's you) is the go-to for every last detail.
Working on sets can be exciting, but it also means long hours (we mean LONG), low to no pay and years of dues-paying duties. We hope you like doing errands under pressure!More Movies on RED:
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10. Grocery Bagger
Not Stocked Up: Bagging groceries means long hours on your feet for typically low hourly wages, plus possible paper cuts. Few kudos when you arrange peoples' bags really ingeniously.
Consider the close interaction with everyone in your town -- and with their food. -
9. Theme Park Jobs
What's Not So Amusing: Operating rides and serving theme park customers means you face hundreds of rambunctious kids each day. In the heat. Oh, and listen to that annoying ride music... nonstop.
Plus, just because you work at a theme park doesn't mean you get to try the rides every day. Sorry we had to be the ones to break it to you. -
8. Help Desk Attendant
Computer Virus: As a computer help desk attendant or IT worker, you field complaints, and more complaints... and then some more.
You are insanely knowledgeable about everything computatorial. But is anything worth the kind of irate customers you'll have to calm down every day? We didn't think so... which is why this made our worst jobs list. -
7. Pool Cleaner
Jaws? Early mornings and late nights are when the pool cleaners work. Usually it involves chemical tests, skimming & hauling a special vacuum -- and avoiding electrocution in the process.
You'll encounter a host of undesirable things in the water, from clumps of dead leaves to human hair. There's a reason why pools always look so crystal-clear.More Ways to Get in the Water:
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6. Equipment Rental
Renting Out Your Soul: Jobs at snowboard and other outdoor shops suck because they mean lots of time with your face near people's feet, adjusting and readjusting the same gear dozens of times daily... and lots of smelly socks.
You're constantly reminded that you've got trails nearby, but you don't see the light of day.More Extreme Sports:
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5. Pig Farmer
Pig Sty: You're up close with pigs, all day: feeding, cleaning, catching and re-cleaning, and maybe -- we hate to say it -- ushering them to their deaths.
A wise rapper once said, "I don't eat the pig because a pig is a cop." (What's wrong with cops?) But after working closely with them on a farm, we might not want to eat them anymore anyway.More on RED:
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Paul Natkin, WireImage
4. Concessions Seller
Getting Grilled: You have to wear those hats that signal to everyone you see -- including that hot girl over there -- that you are the go-to guy for hot dogs and other assorted concessions at your local ballpark. You must handle lots of fried food. Did we mention the hat?
You might be hungry, too... but that's just too bad, since your wares are for selling, not eating.More Baseball on RED:
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Getty Images
3. Cotton Candy Maker
Not So Sweet: Cotton candy makers made our 'worst' list because they toil in dignity-suppressing ponchos (i.e., a garbage bag with holes for head and arms) to protect them from flying specks of sugar.
We never said the good things in life are easy to make. -
2. Housekeeper
The Mess: You're the unseen hired help doing a job that's thankless. You usually get some tips, but they're rarely big. Oh, and don't forget about those little outfits you have to wear.
Small perks can include items hotel patrons leave behind -- but good luck getting it out of the hotel without getting caught. -
1. Butcher's Assistant
Blood Bath: Blood-stained cutting blocks, blood-stained hands, animal carcasses hanging around -- being a butcher's assistant is pretty rough no matter what. But it's even worse when you're a vegetarian (just ask Cari) -- which landed it as our number one worst job, ever.
Assisting butchers is probably not the most common job around -- and now you know why. -
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