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“I Wish I Never Knew This”: 41 Workers Share The Creepiest Things About Their Professions

“I Wish I Never Knew This”: 41 Workers Share The Creepiest Things About Their Professions

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Sure, there’s no such thing as a ‘perfect’ job with no stress, but that’s not to say that all of them are equally good. Some professions are far more emotionally exhausting than others. And they aren't always what you think of straight away.
There are lots of hidden aspects and layers to doing any job. But not all of them are pleasant surprises.
Workers took to a thread on AskReddit to spill the tea about the creepiest parts of their professions. It’s the kind of stuff most people don’t talk about, unless they’re anonymous.
Scroll down for their stories and to get a new perspective on the job market. Meanwhile, check out Bored Panda's interview with the author of the thread, u/Raiseyourspoonforwar. Just keep in mind that some of these stories can be triggering.

#1

“I Wish I Never Knew This”: 41 Workers Share The Creepiest Things About Their Professions
I run pools. We make sure our swimming instructors have good training in spotting the signs of child a**se because we see so much more of your kid's body than most other folks in their lives. Bathing suits don't do much to cover up suspicious bruising.
74points

The American Institute of Stress states that at least 2 in 5 workers in the United States see their jobs as “very or extremely stressful.” And at least a quarter of employees say that they are “often or very often” burned out or stressed at work. Meanwhile, over half of American adults report that they feel like they have little control over their stress. They’re also extremely fatigued in their jobs.

High levels of stress can lead to burnout, depression, anxiety, health issues, injuries, and make it difficult to function both professionally and in your personal life.

#2

“I Wish I Never Knew This”: 41 Workers Share The Creepiest Things About Their Professions
Am a nurse. I’d say it’s probably the fact that people know when they’re going to die. They will straight up tell you “today is my last day, thank you for being kind” and you reassure them because their vitals are good, they are taking to treatment well, nothing happening that would indicate a drastic decline. Then, inevitably, you will hear a flatline on the machine and run in and sure enough that patient has passed away.

If it hadn’t happened SO many times, I would chalk it up to a few people who just didn’t have the will to live anymore, but I’ve seen it enough, I know that’s not it. Really creepy when you think about it too hard.
60points

#3

“I Wish I Never Knew This”: 41 Workers Share The Creepiest Things About Their Professions
All of us including the biggest toughest ranchers all have a baby voice they use when talking to livestock Weird but totally adorable!

Dlgredael:

Jesus Christ thank you, this is like a checkpoint in a horror game.
59points

The jobs in the US that require the most stress tolerance, according to The American Institute of Stress, are the following:

  1. Urologists
  2. Film and video editors
  3. Anesthesiologist assistants
  4. Judges, magistrate judges, and magistrates
  5. Telephone operators
  6. Acute care nurses
  7. Obstetricians and gynecologists
  8. Public safety telecommunicators
  9. First-line supervisors of retail sales workers
  10. Nurse anesthetists
  11. Nurse midwives
  12. Transit and railroad police

#4

“I Wish I Never Knew This”: 41 Workers Share The Creepiest Things About Their Professions
How many 911 calls that come in with screaming or other horrid noises on the other line, where we can't make voice contact to confirm the location before they disconnect.

There are a lot of things we can do to find where a call came from, but every now and then there's a perfect mix.of variables where there's nothing we can do. And it's heartbreaking. 😞.
59points

#5

“I Wish I Never Knew This”: 41 Workers Share The Creepiest Things About Their Professions
Hospice nurse here. We can smell death coming. Also we can tell, with eerie accuracy, when. Every now and then we get surprised but ultimately, we're able to tell what's up and arrange things so the family (if any) can be close by them. If they have no family, we stick close to them. Nobody deserves to feel alone at the end, but also.... people tend to die when nobody's looking. We can leave the room for 3 minutes and not be surprised a bit if we find out pt has passed in that short window of time. Happens with family too. My great uncle asked his wife to go get him a cup of coffee. In the 2 minutes it took for her to do so, he passed. Some folks just don't want to be stared at as they die, and I don't blame them.
58points

#6

“I Wish I Never Knew This”: 41 Workers Share The Creepiest Things About Their Professions
I work in an 'eco-friendly' importer who imports, well, eco friendly products that replace disposable or single use products, especially plastics.

The amount of plastic involved in production, shipping, storing, and packing those items is insane. It's just all stripped from the finished product before it lands in the customer's hands. There's also issues with ordering from abroad - everything from factory waste to the fuels to get it here. It's really, really sad, and nobody addresses it. Ever. It's not talked about - we just strip off the plastic and toss it before shipping to the customer.

Not really 'creepy' but sad, and so very obviously ignored.
53points

As per the American Institute of Stress, urologists score 100 out of 100 for the importance of stress tolerance in their profession.

“Urologists are medical doctors specialized in treating health disorders in the urinary system and men’s genitourinary tracts. They diagnose and treat the kidneys, bladder, urethra, prostate, and reproductive organs. Illnesses involving these organs are typically painful, debilitating, and psychologically exhausting.”

The Institute notes that urologists must treat their patients with compassion and empathy. At the same time, they have to inflict the least amount of pain on them as possible.

#7

“I Wish I Never Knew This”: 41 Workers Share The Creepiest Things About Their Professions
The amount of s*****e rates in the veterinary profession. Eight years after graduation and 2 of my classmates have committed s*****e.

High stress, not fantastic pay, poor coping mechanism, bad clients, etc will wear anyone down after a time.
50points

#8

“I Wish I Never Knew This”: 41 Workers Share The Creepiest Things About Their Professions
I drive trains. Statistically speaking a driver in my country will drive over two humans during a career. What really haunts you is the sound. It's a loud thud.

andyjim17:
In Britain I think the train company will retire you after you run over 3 ( could be 2. 3s the max) due to the emotional stress.
48points

#9

“I Wish I Never Knew This”: 41 Workers Share The Creepiest Things About Their Professions
Sometimes when we deliver a stillborn baby that passed a while ago the head may come off in delivery.

Fortunately it usually doesn’t.
45points

The American Psychological Association notes that the most common sources of work stress are excessive workloads, a lack of social support, and having few opportunities for career growth or advancement.

Other major stress-inducing factors include work that isn’t engaging or challenging, not having enough control over job-related decisions, and getting conflicting demands or unclear performance expectations.

#10

“I Wish I Never Knew This”: 41 Workers Share The Creepiest Things About Their Professions
Worked 10pm to 8am shift at a gas station. The number of construction guys, factory workers, big truck drivers, basically “heavy machinery” guys who buy two pints of vodka (one for each pocket) every morning at 6am in their way to work is quite scary.
45points

#11

“I Wish I Never Knew This”: 41 Workers Share The Creepiest Things About Their Professions
Probably too late for anyone to read this but I work for a social media “influencer” who everyone praises for “keeping it real” and being such a nice and lovely person.

Reddit, she’s a huge bully and a total psycho. What you see in her posts is so fake. It’s scary to me that so many people look up to her and even say she has cured their depression or made them feel happy again. I’m glad that those people feel better about themselves but this girl is not a good person and has contributed to the mental breakdown of more than one person IRl. I wish people wouldn’t believe everything they see on social media. It freaks me out how she’s able to make herself look like such a saint when she’s so nasty.
44points

#12

“I Wish I Never Knew This”: 41 Workers Share The Creepiest Things About Their Professions
I’m a dog groomer and I can’t tell you how many men ask “how much to wash me?@ that s**t isn’t funny.
44points

Redditor u/Raiseyourspoonforwar said that they were happy to share their thoughts on the topic, including dealing with workplace stress.

"Firstly, you need to identify what aspect of the job is causing you the stress and then look at pathways to resolving it. For example, if it's because you aren't getting paid enough to have a life outside of work, then you either ask for a raise, look at moving up the ladder in your current company, or look for better-paid employment," they shared their perspective with Bored Panda.

"Secondly, understand that if you were to die today, your employer would be advertising your job within a week. If you're not married to your work, then consider taking your foot off the gas a little. Make yourself look busy whenever you're outside of your office. If you have a job that will take you 10 minutes to complete and your manager doesn't know how long it should take, then it should take at least an hour instead. Also, take little 10-minute breaks at random points through the day, provided your job role doesn't require you to be mentally switched on all day," they suggested.

#13

“I Wish I Never Knew This”: 41 Workers Share The Creepiest Things About Their Professions
The amount of teachers who sleep with students. Every school I’ve been at there has been a story of “Mr. so-and-so got fired for having s*x with one of the students a few years back.”

I’ve talked to teachers who make remarks about 15 year old girls’ bodies that would be embarrassing to retell. I’ve heard rumors of students who get a little unwanted attention from some teachers.

Improper stuff happens far more than you hear about on the news.
41points

#14

“I Wish I Never Knew This”: 41 Workers Share The Creepiest Things About Their Professions
I work in college admissions. We are forced to admit kids who pay full price over more qualified kids. Talking about kids as “full pay” or “need” as they’re trying to better their lives is horrible.
40points

#15

“I Wish I Never Knew This”: 41 Workers Share The Creepiest Things About Their Professions
As a teacher, we know (but don't talk about it) how many of our kids have very f****d up lives. We know which kids have emotionally a*****e siblings. We know which kids have no friends. We know which kids' parents pay no attention to their accomplishments.

When it's something that crosses the line (sexual a**se, unsafe living conditions, etc), we will report it to CPS. Hell, as far as I am aware, we are required to in every state (certainly are in mine). But, there are so many horrible, horrifying, things that kids have to go through that don't cross the line in to reportable territory.

For example, one of my students two years ago was the only boy out of five children. His mother, her husband having walked out after baby #5 was born, took all of her aggression out on my student. It was never a*****e, to our knowledge. But, he confided in me that his mother just didn't care about him. Any accomplishment of his sisters' was praised and celebrated. His accomplishments? Ignored.

The kid was one of the sweetest boys I have ever taught. All he wanted was to make his mother proud of him. She couldn't have cared less though, because to her he was just a reminder of the man who left her. The kid was emotionally neglected and starved for positive attention.

We also know about the kids who have had seriously f****d up s**t happen to them (r**e, molestation, severe physical a**se, even t*****e). One girl I taught was r***d by her father and her uncle for years. Her uncle moved out of the country and her father is in prison. The situation has been "resolved" legally, but she is still facing years and years of psychological problems.

So, to end my rambling...the creepiest thing about my profession that we don't talk about is how many of our students are messed up and facing years of therapy because of things beyond their control.
38points

"Third, get professional help. It's like a personal trainer for your mental health. Talking to someone is a great way to process your emotions, but with the added bonus of getting legitimate advice," u/Raiseyourspoonforwar urged workers.

"Lastly, and more importantly to me as I have ADHD, if you are neurodivergent, look at what reasonable adjustments your place of work can make for you. I have successfully been able to reduce my work days. My management knows to give me regular breaks, and I have been given a quiet area to work in due to my audio sensitivity."

#16

“I Wish I Never Knew This”: 41 Workers Share The Creepiest Things About Their Professions
The amount of dead bodies you have to deal with/walk in on. Property management for 5 communities with 2400 people. 95% college students, 60% of those in high stress, high octane majors. I've walked into 4 s**cides in 5 months, and these have been people I've gotten to know, toured, worked with to cater to interests. I couldn't imagine it was going to be like this, but I probably should've.

Idk how to fix any of it, but it makes for a hard time now and again.
37points

#17

“I Wish I Never Knew This”: 41 Workers Share The Creepiest Things About Their Professions
The smell of burning Human flesh. I'm an industrial welder and occasionally have a molten blob of steel land on exposed skin. We don't mention it outside of work because of obvious reasons.
34points

#18

“I Wish I Never Knew This”: 41 Workers Share The Creepiest Things About Their Professions
Honestly, the fact that most stuff we deal with causes cancer. Generally, you can be quite safe as a chemist, but it's the long term exposure that's an issue. Being somewhat not safe over time causes lots of issues. Sure, you always hear of someone who got a litre of solvent to the face, or got a toxic powder on their arm and was fine, but it's the sum of all your exposures, not the day to day stuff that k**ls you. Be smart and be safe: wear gloves, wear a lab coat, don't breath anything in, and work in a fume hood with everything.
34points

The author said that, initially, the reason they asked the question was to actually find out about any paranormal or supernatural experiences that people had at work. It's something the author said they've been interested in since childhood.

According to u/Raiseyourspoonforwar, they've personally experienced creepy behavior at work before. Namely, when they were in their early 20s, a coworker in their 40s made increasingly uncomfortable comments about "what she wished to do to me and what she wanted me to do to her."

"At the time I was engaged and, whenever I brought this up, she would say something like, 'What she doesn't know won't hurt her.' She would only make these comments when no other coworkers were around. In the end, I had to complain to management, and as far as I'm aware, she was only moved to a different department."

#19

“I Wish I Never Knew This”: 41 Workers Share The Creepiest Things About Their Professions
This isn't necessarily creepy, but unsettling. I used to work in the travel industry. You'd be surprised at how many people seriously injure themselves or even die while on vacation. People tend to think they're invincible when they're abroad. Spoiler alert: You are not. Buy travel insurance.
33points

#20

“I Wish I Never Knew This”: 41 Workers Share The Creepiest Things About Their Professions
I worked as a Marine electrician for a while (fishing boats mostly) and no one said anything weird for 3 months. Then one day my coworker told me about how he had been on a job where a boat crew member fell into a machine that was on and it crushed the guys hand, the captain came around to see what the commotion was about and told the guy to get back to work.

The whole crew said they would walk off the boat if the captain didn’t get the man medical attention.

I heard stories of people flipping breakers while people were still working inside switch boards, which makes the switchboard effectively explode with lightning and fire k**ling people.

Stories about people throwing themselves down flights of stairs to collect unemployment or LNI.

Or people jumping into the ocean because of depression.

Those boats were nightmare inducing. Rusty and disgusting.

Theres no OSHA if OSHA isn’t physically there with their eyes on something. Captain would get tipped off OSHA was coming out or the fire chief and they would cease dangerous activities. Captain would order a welder to weld up a guard rail on a set of steep stairs for when OSHA would show up. As soon as OSHA would leave the captain would tell someone else to cut the guard rail off with a grinder. It was never there for safety, but for the illusion that safety protocols were being followed.
32points
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