10 Most Depressing carreers according to CBSnews

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C

Chibibar

10 Most Depressing Careers Pictures - CBS News

1. Nursing Home/Child care worker
2. Food service staff
3. Social Worker
4. Healthcare worker
5. Artist, Entertainer, and Writer
6. Teachers
7. Administrative Support Staff
8. Maintenance and Ground Worker
9. Financial Advisers
10. Salespeople

Wow.. that is pretty much what? 70% of the workforce? (I'm totally guessing here) at least for the U.S.
 
M

makare

Social workers are my heroes. When I was teaching preschool we had to watch this horrible presentation on child abuse. The whole time I thought, the strength of will it must take to walk into those homes and take these poor children out WITHOUT beating the ever loving shit out of the people that hurt them.... that's strength that I just do not have.


There was a woman who put a hot oven rack on her child's back and another who held her kids arm in boiling water. I am not generally an "eye for an eye" person but in that case I would make an exception.
 
C

Chibibar

makare said:
Social workers are my heroes. When I was teaching preschool we had to watch this horrible presentation on child abuse. The whole time I thought, the strength of will it must take to walk into those homes and take these poor children out WITHOUT beating the ever loving shit out of the people that hurt them.... that's strength that I just do not have.


There was a woman who put a hot oven rack on her child's back and another who held her kids arm in boiling water. I am not generally an "eye for an eye" person but in that case I would make an exception.
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My Wife's boss was a social worker. He (my wife's boss work in the same department as I) told me stories..... there are time I just want to go over to X family and beat them with a stick or worst.
 
M

makare

I honestly believe I would hurt those people. It was bad enough seeing the kids on the screen but seeing them in person. I wouldn't be able to control myself.


Sorry if I turned this into a bad things happening to kids thread... that wasn't my intent. my point is simply that I am in awe of social workers and I think they should be paid a lot more.
 
LittleSin

LittleSin

I have a skewed outlook on social workers. I don't doubt that they do good work and their job is very tough...but sometimes they forget kids if that kid happens to be, say, over the age of 12.

I don't mean to sound bitter...but I guess I am. At least a little bit.
 
C

Chibibar

back on topic.

So... with all these "depressing career" what are way to improve it? provide counseling? If you look at the list, there is no way to "rid" of the job. These positions must be filled, but how can we make sure the workers will continue to do the job they are assign without getting depressed?
 
strawman

strawman

Most of those positions can be characterized as "Cleaning up other peoples messes" - where messes might be physical, emotional, relationship, financial, or otherwise.
 
Hailey Knight

Hailey Knight

Chibibar said:
10 Most Depressing Careers*Pictures - CBS News

1. Nursing Home/Child care worker
2. Food service staff
3. Social Worker
4. Healthcare worker
5. Artist, Entertainer, and Writer
6. Teachers
7. Administrative Support Staff
8. Maintenance and Ground Worker
9. Financial Advisers
10. Salespeople

Wow.. that is pretty much what? 70% of the workforce? (I'm totally guessing here) at least for the U.S.
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That's because CNN thus lets those reading it feel like "Yes, I am the victim."
 
Officer_Charon

Officer_Charon

I can totally see most of those.... I hate responding to calls to nursing homes in my precinct. One in particular - it's little more than a hospital wing with a small "recreation area", which is a couple tables, magazine racks, and a TV. I walk into that place, and I can almost literally feel my life being leeched out of me, along with any semblance of joy or belief in love.

I wish I could say that I was exaggerating. I will NEVER put my parents in a facility like that, and I vow that I will never let myself get to that point. I will inhale a .45 before I descend to that level.
 
Tress

Tress

Most of those careers require an additional level of personal commitment in order to succeed. I suspect that's the root of the problem. Putting more of yourself into your job means you take failures harder.
 
North_Ranger

North_Ranger

Staff member
Tress said:
Most of those careers require an additional level of personal commitment in order to succeed. I suspect that's the root of the problem. Putting more of yourself into your job means you take failures harder.
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Well, for teachers the thing is that a lot of the work does happen outside the set hours. For instance, in Finland the wages of a teacher are paid according to how many hours are put into actual teaching - which in turn does not take into account the prep work: preparing classes, teaching materials, planning and correcting exams, keeping records of behaviour and academic achievement... It's still something I, personally, have still to master. One night I didn't go to bed until after midnight because I had to correct a pile of sixty-or-so exams.
 
IronBrig4

IronBrig4

At least in the teachers' case, they have to put up with an inordinately high amount of BS. Since many more families are either single-parent or dual-income, a lot of parents don't have the time or the wherewithal to raise their kids. They expect the teacher to instruct their kids about basic social skills on top of all the new state requirements for standardized testing. Then you have the low pay, increased class sizes (almost 40 in California), and the fact that you can't discipline the kids anymore.

Teaching in a US public school SUCKS.
 
North_Ranger

North_Ranger

Staff member
IronBrig4 said:
At least in the teachers' case, they have to put up with an inordinately high amount of BS. Since many more families are either single-parent or dual-income, a lot of parents don't have the time or the wherewithal to raise their kids. They expect the teacher to instruct their kids about basic social skills on top of all the new state requirements for standardized testing. Then you have the low pay, increased class sizes (almost 40 in California), and the fact that you can't discipline the kids anymore.

Teaching in a US public school SUCKS.
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I've noticed some different issues here in my part of the globe. Maybe it's because of better diagnostic capabilities, but there seems to be a lot more "special education" issues than there were in the past. Dyslexia, ADHD, anti-social behaviour, even mild Tourette's and mutism... I can't recall ever even hearing about these things when I was in school. Or maybe it was because "special ed" kids were, in my hometown, transferred to another school. The parents are quick to demand special considerations for their SE children, but there is only a finite amount of resources available. Some of the suggestions I received would have been simply impossible or would have requred the child actually be given preferential treatment.

The teaching part is a-okay, that my training can handle. But I must admit there's woefully little in terms of preparing new teachers to deal with parents, some of whom are showing some helicopter tendencies.

Then there's the issue of some of the students actually trying to turn the class into a personal playground or simply disrupting the class for shits and giggles... you just have to leave those matters at school, you can't bring them home with you.
 
Morphine

Morphine

Call center agent should be no. 2 at least.

Entertainer? How's that depressing?!
I'd guess it's not the job itself maybe having everybody up their noses and the scrutiny and paparazzis and whatnot... but not the actual job.

Teaching? Yes, it wears you out if you're not cut out for it.
 
M

makare

I remember one year at the preschool I had this awful child. I know I've mentioned him before he was the one who bit me and head butted me. He was just such an unholy terror I spent most of my time chasing (literally) after him. The whole situation felt so hopeless and out of control that I would just go home at night and cry. It was terrible because I loved that job. I think the best way to help teachers is for the administrative faculty to be more aware of the issues they face and to take steps to help them. Sometimes it feels as a teacher you are beholden to everyone, the children, the parents, the administration, the state and no one has your well being at heart at all.
 
Morphine

Morphine

North_Ranger;459489][QUOTE=Morphine said:
Teaching? Yes, it wears you out if you're not cut out for it.
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Wow, thanks a lot... :([/QUOTE]

You're cut out for it! You like it, you're tough.

I wasn't cut out for it at all, I remember getting off work everyday feeling like all the children had grabbed me like a piece of cloth and squeezed the energy out of me.
I realized liking children and liking teaching were not the same thing at all. I love children but teaching elementary school children is just not for me.
 
M

makare

You can be an awesome teacher and still have a rough time sometimes. Even the best burn out eventually.
 
strawman

strawman

North_Ranger said:
Maybe it's because of better diagnostic capabilities, but there seems to be a lot more "special education" issues than there were in the past.
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- We can diagnose learning disabilities more accurately, where a learning disability is anything that impedes learning when using "normal" teaching techniques
- We have programs and techniques that enable these children to learn despite their difficulties
- Using these programs educators have shown that these children can keep up with and even learn above their grade level, whereas previously they may have simply been labeled misfits or retarded and allowed to regress

We've taken advantage of the laws and these programs for our own children, two of which have been diagnosed as falling on the autism spectrum (aspergers), and one of which had a speech impediment.

With normal teaching techniques they would be characterized as unruly, lazy, and bothersome to other students. If you know that they interpret the world differently than other kids, and you apply slightly different teaching techniques they turn into model students.

So yes, it's a bother for everyone - to some degree it would be nice if kids were all similar enough that one wouldn't need to take special measures, but given that this is the situation, everyone is better off knowing the issues and having the tools to deal with the outliers.

Morphine said:
Entertainer? How's that depressing?!
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Turns out that, psychologically, entertaining is extraordinarily draining (your entire existence depends on whether other people like you or not), and that's on top of the likelihood of becoming addicted to the emotional rush of applause/etc. The times inbetween the limelight can be very depressing, compared to the highs one gets on stage.
 
M

makare

My point was you can be very much cut out for it and still have trouble at times.
 
Tress

Tress

I would lose my mind if I had to teach little kids. I can be with high school kids all day long, but anyone under the age of 13 drives me nuts. Middle school was too much for me, I don't know how elementary school teachers do it.
 
M

makare

Im the exact opposite. Once they turn 12 I want to send them to school.. on another planet.
 
North_Ranger

North_Ranger

Staff member
I admit, I was worried like hell when I landed that three-month gig as an elementary school English teacher. I always thought I'd get along better with middle and high school kids, but with a couple of exceptions I think I did quite well. Granted, I had to use pretty different styles when teaching the lower and upper ends of the spectrum. For third-graders it was more about making them learn through play, while with sixth-graders you could demand some more of them.

I don't know if I actually like kids, however... I guess I'm pretty neutral when it comes to them. I'd still like to teach high school or IB English at some point, though...
 
Terrik

Terrik

I tend not to blame the kids as much as I blame their parents. I didn't act like an asshole in school because I knew my parents would come down on me if i did. Instead I get Korean co-workers or their parents taking the word of an 8 year old over mine. The frustration is unbelievable. I remember in a 1st grade class, one of the kids got out of his seat and started to kick a soccer ball around. I walked over and picked it up and the kids went ballistic. The one kid was crying and since it was the end of class, I decided to try and take it to the office with me. The kids were clawing and pushing and doing everything they can to get the ball out of my hands. Finally, I get away, find the 1st grade homeroom teacher and bring her back to explain why I took the ball. She asked the kid in Korean if he was kicking the ball in class. He said no. She looks me at and says "Well HE said he wasn't kicking the ball.". I looked at her as if she had gone mad. Was she questioning my word over a little kid in front of an entire class of little kids? REALLY? I insisted he kicked the ball, made him promise me himself never to do it again, gave him the ball back and walked out. Days like that stress the shit out of me, and I *like* teaching, but MAN.
 
Zappit

Zappit

Staff member
I've...worked a couple of those jobs on that list - went to school for two of those careers. Disagree with the teacher one, though. Even on my toughest days - and there have been tough ones, I don't feel broken or overly frustrated - just pretty tired. For all the bad experiences, I've found there are more good ones, which, unfortunately, get forgotten much more quickly . Keeping those in mind can make the hard days better.
 
North_Ranger

North_Ranger

Staff member
Zappit said:
I've...worked a couple of those jobs on that list - went to school for two of those careers. Disagree with the teacher one, though. Even on my toughest days - and there have been tough ones, I don't feel broken or overly frustrated - just pretty tired. For all the bad experiences, I've found there are more good ones, which, unfortunately, get forgotten much more quickly . Keeping those in mind can make the hard days better.
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Pretty much this in regards to teaching. There were days when I was coming home dead tired, thinking "Oh my fucking GOD these kids are gonna make my brain hemorrhage", but those I just had to zone out. And it helped having some absolutely great, even brilliant classes and people to teach. The non-disruptive class clowns, the surprising students with brilliant examples, the Twilight fan with whom I had a mock fight about the series, the kids who could take a joke...

Man, I hope tomorrow's interview goes well...
 
Azurephoenix

Azurephoenix

My wife is a social worker and she has worked a few different jobs in that field including child protective services. Nothing made her more depressed than child protective services... she had to quit after working there for a few months because of the horrible things she saw happening to kids and there was often very little she could do about it.
 
Officer_Charon

Officer_Charon

Azurephoenix said:
My wife is a social worker and she has worked a few different jobs in that field including child protective services. Nothing made her more depressed than child protective services... she had to quit after working there for a few months because of the horrible things she saw happening to kids and there was often very little she could do about it.
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It's not so much the terrible things happening to the kids, although that can be gut-wrenching (my first crime scene investigation class included a segment on kids. Horrific.) Instead, it's when the parents completely fail to see that there's a problem in the situation. I had one of these last night... the poor caseworker was fighting a valiant battle trying to interview this dumb heifer, who said that "I know how to raise my churrins [sic], you don' need to be comin' up in MAH house, tellin' me that I'M wrong. I'm grown, you ain't gotta be talkin' to me jus' any old way."

She didn't like it when I told her to stop acting like a juvenile, cooperate with the investigation, or she was going to get put under arrest for obstruction by hindering, and face-planted when she'd resist arrest. But at least the heat was off the social worker, who was, admittedly, holding her own quite well.
 
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