Dead-End Sh*t Jobs ... Yours?

[NaPal]

IT admin. Cushy but still shit.

I work 8 hours a day, make almost 6 figures, and can be on the fast lane forum all day if I choose. Did I mention I’m in front of a computer all day?


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[RobD88]

1. Stock clerk at a local pre-Walmart version of Walmart
2. Burger flipper at Wendy's (lasted two days)
3. Cashier at a convenience store
4. Grocery store clerk
5. Asphalt driveway sealer (brutal job)
6. New car salesman
7. Bedroom furniture salesman
8. Dock hand/truck loader
9. Inventory manager (bored out of my mind because my boss was about to retire and wouldn't train me so I sat in my cubical playing solitaire and bubble breaker on my PDA...pre smart phones)
10. Director of Purchasing for a company that didn't need a director level person in the position...just needed a babysitter.
11. Oh....and husband to my ex-wife. Believe me, it was work!

The only J.O.B. I've had that I was actually proud to do was a Combat Medic in the U.S. Army.

 

[Real Deal Denver]

1. Stock clerk at a local pre-Walmart version of Walmart
2. Burger flipper at Wendy's (lasted two days)
3. Cashier at a convenience store
4. Grocery store clerk
5. Asphalt driveway sealer (brutal job)
6. New car salesman
7. Bedroom furniture salesman
8. Dock hand/truck loader
9. Inventory manager (bored out of my mind because my boss was about to retire and wouldn't train me so I sat in my cubical playing solitaire and bubble breaker on my PDA...pre smart phones)
10. Director of Purchasing for a company that didn't need a director level person in the position...just needed a babysitter.
11. Oh....and husband to my ex-wife. Believe me, it was work!

The only J.O.B. I've had that I was actually proud to do was a Combat Medic in the U.S. Army.

This is going to sound really weird, but I assure you I'm being honest.

I always wanted to be a burger flipper. I love hamburgers. Love to hear them sizzling, love to smell them cooking, love to make them, love to eat them. And Wendy's is one of my favorite places I love to go - I always get a Dave's double.

So what's so bad about being a burger flipper? I could take the mindless work. Relaxing. As you might imagine, I am in charge of the grill in our house. You know guys that love to grill right? See - not so weird after all is it? I could grill steaks all day long.

I have to buy a Wendy's I guess! Never had a chance to ask anyone this, so I thought I'd throw it out there...

 

[RobD88]

So what's so bad about being a burger flipper? I could take the mindless work.

For me...that was exactly the biggest part of it, mindless work. No challenge. Nothing stimulating about it at all. On top of that, I was young and trying to find myself and something meaningful, there was no real future in it, the pay was less than I felt I was worth, it was a dirty/greasy work environment, co-workers were dumb as a box of rocks & generally lazy, mostly I just wanted more. I've always wanted something more meaningful. I think that's one of the biggest reasons I want to be an entrepreneur and am on the fastlane journey.

I don't eat a lot of fast food but I will agree Wendy's is one of the better ones.

 

[OldFaithful]

I've never had a sh!t job...ever!

But I've had several sh!tty bosses.

 

[Joshua Wagoner]

1. Pizza place (worked my way up from salads to subs and slices, then finally became a pizza maker. Oh first I had to tend the ovens, sliding my hand into the furnace to pop bubbles, and rotate them.
2. Bell hop at hotel. I was 18 and realized that I wasn't special to anybody. Wandered the hotel, slept in the bell mans closet, (I had zero work ethic,) tips were sometimes good, was finally let go because I was literally so depressed every time I clocked in. People didn't like seeing me, even though I was trying my best.
3. Honda service lane attendant (porter.) Parking cars, not much to it really, learned to drive stick shift and handle some cool cars. No Lambos though
4. TTY communication agent (basically a typist for the hearing impaireds telephone conversations.) Couldn't pick it up fast enough (ADD?)
5. McDonalds: burger flipper, some cashier and drive thru. Did an okay job there (employee of the month, ooooh!) Eventually quit after 9 months.
6. Host then waiter: Hosted for 1 year, waited tables for 3. Began to see the darker side of customer service. (just felt less than) Was making decent tips (enough to buy a car so Mom could stop driving me) Wasn't enough to live on my own, eventually moved back in with Mom. SMH
7. Online freelancer- Better job as I could work from home. Trouble was finding reliable clients.
8. Brand ambassador work: Best Buy Virtual Reality Headset demonstrator, "virtually" no freedom, LOL just follow the script. Not a fan!
Some of these jobs had their fun spots, but come on there's no way I wanted to do this stuff long term. Slow lane at best.

 

[jmusic]

Funny that you'd think otherwise from watching the commercials huh.

Actresses are the same way I hear; I don't know what your goals or morals were at the time, but that is a cake job for getting a lot of a$$ out of your sh*t job.

 

[RoyT]

One question for MJ, I read in your book you have a college degree. So why did you still do all these sh*t jobs after college??

P.S.
btw i'm not a new member i just could not use my old account anymore i think it expired. I have been lurking for 6 years on this forum on and off.

 

[Timmy C]

Call centre worker - three years of my life I'll never get back (phone sales).

Door to door salesman - dead end but at least I learnt sales skills was one of the top performers. 2 years.

Labourer - doing this now best slowlane job ive had with highest pay, but dead end 6 days a week are expected. Casual so don't get paid holidays or when ill.

KFC 6 months.

Oh and a job in my chefs apprenticeship 1 st year apprentice 80 hour work weeks treated like dog shit everyday, kept going in not knowing if I'd have a job the next day. 11 months.

I'm sure there's more.

 

[B. Cole]

1. Decoy carver, for competition and money. Also commercial crabbing and fishing, teenage years.
2. Hunting guide - seasonal/occasional
3. Greenhouse/Nursery laborer (still sunburnt 17 years later!)
4. Roofer
5. Construction worker/laborer
6. Newspaper delivery (nights, 365/days/yr) for 2 years as a second job to working construction in the day.
7. Cabinet maker
8. Cabinet Shop owner
9. Carpenter II, City of Virginia Beach (2011, 2 years)
10. Carpenter III, City of Virginia Beach (moving up!)
11. Carpentry Supervisor, City of Virginia Beach (moving up again!)
12. Operations Coordinator, City of Virginia Beach (moving up again! 3 years, current position.)

Some of these jobs overlapped and I worked simultaneously, especially when I had my own Cabinet Shop. There was a point from 2010-2015 when 120 hour weeks were the norm, I used this period to save money toward my house.

 

[Healthfulness]

This is fun. Have pretty long list in just a few years.
Right after high school - 12 hours shifts in glass fiber factory. *flashbacks of melting glass splashing. Had no breaks, job was really dangerous and unhealthy, not mentioning the glass fiber dust all over body.
Did some other crap jobs in home country and then wen't abroad (eastern europe to scandinavia)
Again, good old 12 hour/ 6 days a week construction jobs, while living with coworkers with deep mental, drug and alcohol issues (perfect for aspiring 19 year old).
Switched countries many times, mostly the same construction related jobs.
Tried newspaper delivery at nights, on a scooter, in fu*king winter.
Started university, worked on the side in cold food warehouse. Insanely depressing after reading fastline. Now switched warehouse to dishwasher. Not cool, but the place if fancy af, it's really easy, nice people around and I get cool free stuff (1945 wine tasting was nice).
Still depressed that I have to work such shit job, but I know I will change this soon.

 

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[Knicks]

One question for MJ, I read in your book you have a college degree. So why did you still do all these sh*t jobs after college??

P.S.
btw i'm not a new member i just could not use my old account anymore i think it expired. I have been lurking for 6 years on this forum on and off.

I think the reason why he chose to do these short-term jobs rather than pursue a month-long search after the "perfect slowlane job" is because he value his time so much.

There is no point in finding a "good" slowlane job (like conventional wisdom will tell you to do) if compared to the leverage a fastlane business could bring to your life. The main reason to choose a lower end job with minor responsibilities over a higher end management-like position is that with the former you don't have to work 70 - 80 hours a week.

So in this case you're able to work on your own project without worriying about expenses every second. Altough this can be vital in the beginning to some degree, it can also be crippling.

The purpose of a job is to pay the bills and to take responsibility for your own life.

 

[Roughneck]

Let's see...

1. Paper Delivery Boy (Lasted 1 day!)
2. Newsagent Customer Service (Step up?)
3. Pizza Delivery
4. Plant Nursery Labourer
5. Tyre Factory Worker
6. Magazine Factory Worker
7. Apprentice Panel Beater
8. Dump Truck Driver (Railway)
9. Photographer (Own bus. Made some cash but wasn't dedicated)
10. Pizza kitchen wash up dude
11. Weekend construction labourer
12. Apprentice Plumber (Stayed and got qualified)
13. Leasehand/Floorhand/Motorman...now Assistant Driller on Workover Rig
14. On weekend, Crane Operator or Dogman

Also missed Suit Courier in the city!

That's about it. Some interesting work and good experiences. Has taught me some good life skills - even if it has kept me in the slowlane. Bring on the next 10 years. Gonna kill it!

 

[AdamUK]

A post I can contribute to,

Worst slowlane jobs

Dish washer at a holiday camp, first job after school and lasted about 4 months
Supermarket coop general chores, stocking shelves attending to customers 5 months - I didn't mind this job
Picker in warehouse (Tobar) 1 month - walking 9 hours a day and very sore feet
Factory worker at Sanyo television factory 3 months - brain numbing work.

 

[jmusic]

One I just tried, very briefly:

Uber driver. Basically working for less than minimum wage while slowly extracting the equity out of your vehicle. And that's even with the absolute perfect vehicle for the job (6+ year old Prius).

 

[minivanman]

I don't know if I commented or not but my worst job was working on an oil rig. I was in the best shape of my life. I was a runner and over-all athlete. I had just won a gold metal for the decathlon in my city a couple of years before.... I was in tip top shape. So I went to work on an oil rig, came home, asked my wife at the time to run me a hot bath, went to bed and when I woke up the next morning I was more sore than I had ever been and never went back to that job! It kicked my @ss!

I also worked 1 day as a brick layer helper and a few days doing different things with concrete. I washed dishes for a few different places and while it sucked, it wasn't hard. I quickly figured out I was not meant to work for someone else.

 

[Bhanu]

Not a Dead end but a hopeless job . I am getting good salary but am really unhappy . I followed all the rules society taught. I studied hard ,got good grades and got selected in a job, a job for which people will do anything . Job is paying me well but there is feeling of suffocation and worry . 9 long years of night shift(6PM to 3 AM-4AM), On call 15-20 Days a month (means you have to attend any urgent issue no matter what, you can't travel ,have to keep your phone with you all the time and cant sleep comfortably lest you miss any urgent issue and next day having call with clients blasting you left and right) . So yes my Job pays well but at the cost of my health and mental peace . I would have lived this life forever if not for incredible books by MJ , Blog called Bold and Determined and this lovely forum . I am now working side by side on my business and will leave this job as soon as I start making enough money.
I cant leave job now as I have a family to feed .

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Bump.

 

[458]

Winn Dixie bag boy, 6am Sunday morning shift.. pretty sure I met Ted Bundy once or twice working that shift..

 

[MattR82]

12 hour night shifts looking at a conveyor full of cotton seed being loaded on a ship. Pretty sure I had cotton growing in my lungs after that..

 

[Siddhartha]

Currently a cross between low-level IT gopher and bureaucratic punching bag, paid better and less stress than my old gig at least.
I do nothing that contributes to anything meaningful almost everyday and have to leave 90 minutes before my shift in the mornings to get to work and avoid bumper to bumper traffic lest I pay another 220 dollars for another month of tolls going just 8 miles one way.
I'm spectacularly blessed compared to most, but where I'm at now and what it's trying to stop me from doing and being seems to be eating me and leaves me raw and hungering for a better life.

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[Matt Hunt]

My job is consistently ranked as one of the top jobs in the country by Forbes or CNN Money, or whoever... Physician Assistant. But it IS a dead-end job. There is no advancement. Just a 3-5% raise per year to adjust for inflation, that's it. And the debt is astronomical. I still owe $99k, but I've already paid off half of what I started with.

When I pursued this career, the financial details weren't on my mind. It was what I wanted to do. Four years into it, and there's just a lot of things about the medical field that I don't like. When it comes to the Slowlane, it could certainly be worse, as I could easily take what I'm now putting toward loans ($4,500/mo) into real estate investments. And this was my initial plan. Pour money into real estate until I have enough cash flow to live off of.

But now I see that even that will take another 10-15 years, and at my current position I work M-F, plus two Saturdays a month for half a day. I see my life passing me by while I sit here in my office of my clinic alllll the time!

Even one of the "best jobs" in the country is still a job. And ALL jobs suck!

 

[ryanbleau]

My day job has changed a bit from my last post. Got a promotion and managed to get paid to relocate to Scottsdale. I'm now a field engineer for the company while working on my own product ideas.

 

[andviv]

Currently a cross between low-level IT gopher and bureaucratic punching bag, paid better and less stress than my old gig at least.
I do nothing that contributes to anything meaningful almost everyday and have to leave 90 minutes before my shift in the mornings to get to work and avoid bumper to bumper traffic lest I pay another 220 dollars for another month of tolls going just 8 miles one way.
I'm spectacularly blessed compared to most, but where I'm at now and what it's trying to stop me from doing and being seems to be eating me and leaves me raw and hungering for a better life.

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Government employee loving in northern Virginia???

 

[Siddhartha]

Government employee loving in northern Virginia???

Good try lol but no; Texas based.

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[Runum]

I am running into quite a few wantrepreneurs lately that don't want to put in the work. The reality is they want to hit the lottery and sit on their asses. This thread is 13 years old and has all kinds of jobs listed. If you want the success it will only come from work, serving your customers' needs.

Good luck to all.

 

[EmotionEngine]

1. Sears Home Central (Call center trying to get people to renew maintenance agreements on their appliances)
2. Customer Service Call Center work for Airtouch (which is now T-Mobile)
3. Fast Food. (Older man grabs my a$$..., two women employees grab my butt as I worked. All at Wendys. Wheres the #METOO for men? I was 16. lol)
4. Late night product stocking at Target.
5. Funcoland (now known as Gamestop)

 

[LordGanon]

Hmm. Not all of them were _that_ bad.

The worst was...

1) Gas station attendant. I even got robbed once. Honestly, it was sooo mindless. And night shift was horrible.

2) Mover. I'm still doing that from time to time. Strength and cardio training and getting paid for it. Also, you sometimes find great stuff you can take home and flip.

3) Bouncer. Did that during university. Has its ups (women), has its downs (can get very dangerous).

4) Barkeeper. Has its ups (women), has its downs (you get to drink a lot, late hours suck, as a man, you get a lot less tips).

5) Promotion. Now that actually just sucked as much as gas station attendant. Handing out flyers to people on political issues does not only strain your legs, but also gets you in a lot of non-physical fights you didn't even pick.


But...there was also a golden one!

$$$) I was hired by Hitachi to become a living model at a fair for medical equipment. Pay was good for a menial job, and all I had to do was lie down and get my heart checked out by doctors who wanted to try the machines. After that, I didn't only have some cash, but after 40+ cardiologists checked out my heart, I could rest assured everything was fine.

 

[Thurlam]

this is prolly a big part of my problem honestly, I haven't had much in the way of shit jobs since I haven't worked much at all. seems like I missed out on building a lot of character.

the only jobs I ever actually had to work at (I don't count my college 'work-study' things since they were extremely part-time and so incredibly low-key I quickly learned I didn't even have to show up to collect my paycheck):

- IT helpdesk support guy at a college. did some daily task that took 15 min, spent an hour answering tickets, spent the rest of the day with absolutely nothing to do so I just tried to make it productive by spending that time coding a personal project. despite the incredibly low workload I still hated this job, turns out being forced to commute 45 min every day on public transit (one way) only to sit in front of a computer screen with coworkers looking over your shoulder for the next 8 hours is not something that I want to be doing 5 days a week. a walk in the part compared to the shittier jobs, but soul-destroying all the same, it seems.

- Lenscrafters...lenscrafter. I was getting a new pair of glasses when I mentioned to the staff in conversation (about my post-graduation activities) that I was headed out to visit my friend in Japan for like 6 weeks and I'd only start looking for jobs after that. to my surprise I was offered a job in 'the lab' in the back on the spot, which I didn't really understand the details of but I agreed to assuming they were down to hire me once I got back, which they were. turns out the job is just to take orders, find the appropriate raw material, and do a series of like 8 steps to turn it into a pair of glasses. Despite this being my only manual-labor job, this one was actually my favorite; it was part-time so not nearly as soul-crushing as usual, and the vibe was a lot more low-key as well. You kind of just did the motions while shooting the breeze with your coworkers (who were thankfully rather likeable). Unfortunately this job hit the '3 strikes' threshold for me, though; didn't pay well enough, required me to stand all the time (for whatever reason, probably my lifetime spent almost entirely in a sitting position, if I have to stand for more than an hour at a time my legs start getting extremely uncomfortable), and occasionally I'd get a cut on one of my fingers from handling the lenses. I left once I got a job offer for what felt to me like a 'real' job on my assumed career path.

- SQL Analyst at some medical research info company (Infinata). Paid better than any of my other jobs (which were all <$15/hr) at $25/hr, in a legit company in the city! wow, my first real job! unfortunately I absolutely hated this as well. had to take a 1hr commuter rail train into and out of work, which was a massive waste of time and money, and once I was there it just felt like a nightmare. every morning we had a 'standup' where we'd all go one by one talking about what we did the last day, where we were, and if we had any outstanding issues, and any time I took on a new ticket I had to wait for 'check-in' where 2 people came over and I'd have to discuss with them just to make it clear I actually understood the ticket. this would often just not happen for a while and I'd have to twiddle my thumbs. They were very deep into Agile workflow methodology; due to inexperience I don't know if their behavior is common in the industry, but it was very unpleasant to have to participate in. and turns out the actual work you do as a 'SQL Analyst' is basically the digital equivalent of being the janitor. I wanted to write some code with object-oriented programming, which there was none of in this job, so when my 6-week contact expired and they offered to take me on as a salaried worker, I decided to decline and look for different jobs.

...5 years later and that somehow morphed into not looking for a job at all and just procrastinating on life as my mother allows me to live cost-free at her home. Oof. That's gotta change.

 

[CruxisKnight]

I worked cleaning sh!t from toilets at walmart before. Then i upgraded to working as a nurse cleaning sh!t straight from the humans.

I make money online now though so its cool.