According to a 2023 Ipsos survey of 22,816 people from 31 countries, doctors are the top trusted profession (58%), followed by scientists (57%), and teachers (53%).
At the very end of the list, we have journalists (24%), business leaders (24%), advertising executives (18%), government ministers (17%), and general politicians (13%).
Reddit user OnAFalseErrand wanted to know which of the latter were long in the making, so they asked everyone on the platform to share the occupations they once had a lot of respect for but ultimately lost every ounce. Below are the replies that generated the most buzz in the discussion.
#1
Journalists. Many of them have proven themselves to just be duplicitous propagandists.
83points
#2
Politicians who are slowly turning us into a slave state, at over £80k per year top 1% ruled over by what can only be described as an unelected oligarch
and police who are the worst of bullies exposed daily by auditors.
and police who are the worst of bullies exposed daily by auditors.
83points
Whatever grudges people might have about the workforce, one of the biggest things they hate about it is artificial intelligence.
According to a new FlexJobs survey, 34% of respondents believe AI will lead to job displacement in the next five years.
Their 2024 Future of Work Report polled over 3,000 U.S. workers and showed that:
- 21% rely on AI for professional and work-related purposes—up 10% from 2023.
- 48% believe AI is a current or potential threat to their job security.
- 17% describe their AI knowledge and skills as “great” (13%) or “excellent” (4%), versus 46% who rated their abilities as “fair” (25%) or “poor” (21%).
#3
Footballers. I’m not saying they were saints, but money has turned them into entitled c***s from 15 years old.
Kids can earn enough to not give a s**t by the time they turn 20.
Kids can earn enough to not give a s**t by the time they turn 20.
80points
#4
Priests......I know there are rotten apples in every bushel in all fields, but I hit my limit when our priest vanished and was replaced. Seems he was removed due to accusations from years ago. I have never been back to mass again, and my entire view of religion has shifted.
76points
"While job seeker preferences can vary widely, certain factors are more likely to make a job undesirable in the eyes of working professionals," Keith Spencer, career expert at FlexJobs, told Bored Panda. "Inadequate pay and the lack of remote work options are two of the most common reasons someone might turn down a role or seek to leave their current job."
According to Spencer, the rising cost of living is a major concern for most, "which is the likely reason that a majority of respondents in a recent survey cited a pay raise as the top factor that could prevent them from leaving their job."
"Remote work also remains high on the list of job seeker preferences, given the many benefits of flexible work arrangements, like the cost savings associated with working from home," the career expert added.
#5
Maybe I just had a string of bad experiences, but Chiropractors. My ex used to go a lot and loved it, I started going when I got older and found out it's a load of c**p. Get your back cracked, feels a bit better for a few days, go back in a week. Pay them $200-300/mo that's not covered by insurance.
75points
#6
University senior leadership - Deans, Provosts, and VCs. Snouts in the trough with their boots on the backs of lecturers and students. A product of the marketisation of higher education. They disgust me.
70points
Earlier this month, FlexJobs also announced the most in-demand hybrid job titles, which act like an interesting counter to the list we see born in this Reddit discussion. They were:
- Accountant;
- Executive Assistant;
- Financial Analyst;
- Software Engineer;
- Project Manager;
- Account Executive;
- Accounting Manager;
- Sales Development Representative;
- Customer Service Representative;
- Business Development Representative.
#7
Not sure respect is the right word but I always thought HR were “for the workers” I work in Management now and 100% know HR are not your friend, do not go to them thinking they are ever!
Got the HR community after me!! All I said was when I was on the tools I was under the impression that they were there for the workers and were the go to for independent help guys when they are absolutely not and you shouldn’t ever go to them under those pretences!!
Got the HR community after me!! All I said was when I was on the tools I was under the impression that they were there for the workers and were the go to for independent help guys when they are absolutely not and you shouldn’t ever go to them under those pretences!!
59points
#8
Ok this is going to sound weird. I have huge respect for anyone in a caring profession and I totally get that the pressure and difficulty of the job has a negative impact on worker's and their mental health and personalities.
But over and over again, the b***hiest, nastiest environments I encounter are in care working professions. I sort of get it. But also I don't. If you can't even pretend not to be at worst a psychopath and at best not a toxic individual then don't do that job.
But over and over again, the b***hiest, nastiest environments I encounter are in care working professions. I sort of get it. But also I don't. If you can't even pretend not to be at worst a psychopath and at best not a toxic individual then don't do that job.
51points
Spencer said that while remote work and salary are the top factors that a majority of workers are looking for in a job, there are a few other important considerations that job seekers take into account.
"Having a flexible schedule, a good relationship with one's boss, the ability to set clear work-life boundaries, and engaging in meaningful work within a healthy company culture are also qualities that many professionals seek in their next role," he explained.
#9
Doormen/bouncers/private security.
In seven years working alongside them I have met one that was in it for the right reasons.
They are narcissistic, predatory and power mad, some of whom use it as an excuse to express sanctioned violence.
In seven years working alongside them I have met one that was in it for the right reasons.
They are narcissistic, predatory and power mad, some of whom use it as an excuse to express sanctioned violence.
49points
#10
The BBC management. They've fought a mate of mine over ten years after a severe accident at work. They basically bankrupted him, destroyed his life, and hired experts to discredit him in court. After a decade, he won the case, but those who dragged him over the coals for years continue to have successful careers and just saw him as a game, a toy to be played with, with hundreds of millions available to outspend his lawyers. The BBC top brass are pretty sick in the head - they could have just admitted liability and paid up years ago, but no one would.
46points
#11
Lawyers. I studied law and did so many work experiences to see what area of law I wanted to get into. Every single lawyer I met (save for a few posh white men) was a glorified administrator. 99% of the job is soooooo menial. It’s really a profession where success is determined by your socio-economic profile and connections, not actual talent. Boring.
43points
#12
Car mechanics.
I worked in the field for 40 years, and there were always bad actors, but the norm was that something would be diagnosed and repaired as needed, and you tried to keep the bill down and respect the customer and the car. The normal markup on parts was 40% for ages. Now it's fairly normal for shops to just replace everything that might cause a problem (instead of diagnosing it), and markups are almost always over 100%. Customers get a $2,000 estimate for a small issue, with a shrug, "take it somewhere else if you want".
The number of guys on the job who don't know or care to know how to actually service things rather than just swapping new parts in is appalling.
I worked in the field for 40 years, and there were always bad actors, but the norm was that something would be diagnosed and repaired as needed, and you tried to keep the bill down and respect the customer and the car. The normal markup on parts was 40% for ages. Now it's fairly normal for shops to just replace everything that might cause a problem (instead of diagnosing it), and markups are almost always over 100%. Customers get a $2,000 estimate for a small issue, with a shrug, "take it somewhere else if you want".
The number of guys on the job who don't know or care to know how to actually service things rather than just swapping new parts in is appalling.
43points
#13
Academia and anything based in universities. Since starting a PhD and being considered a staff member instead of student, the corruption and egos involved from a Dr to senior management makes a struggling industry toxic to work in. Can't wait to finish and move on.
40points
#14
Not going to shock anyone as I don't know if they ever had it, but Estate Agents. They straight up lie, they make negotiation more complex between seller/landlord and buyer/renter. They make an already stressful situation worse to deal with. I actually believe their jobs are now redundant in the modern age where the internet can do a better job of advertising and owners/landlords do a better job of showing you around.
Politicians have become (even more) spineless and all they're doing is saving their jobs and securing income for themselves and family.
Journalists because they've stopped explaining who has expertise and a decade in the job and who has just done a google search. But they don't they give equal importance under the guise of fairness. But that's not fairness, that's spreading misinformation.
Politicians have become (even more) spineless and all they're doing is saving their jobs and securing income for themselves and family.
Journalists because they've stopped explaining who has expertise and a decade in the job and who has just done a google search. But they don't they give equal importance under the guise of fairness. But that's not fairness, that's spreading misinformation.
38points
#15
Vets. I used to buy into the whole "we're just covering our costs" with insane prices but since working alongside them a lot, they mark up emergencies surgeries based on availability of vets, not a percentage, to the point where when there aren't alternatives, owners just have to go into crazy debt or put thier animals down. They also try and talk you into treatment and tests that aren't necessary.
Disclaimer: not all are bad, like any profession.
Disclaimer: not all are bad, like any profession.
37points
#16
Having worked in a prison - prison officers and governors. Some of them are the most crooked, racist, sexist, homophobic people I've ever met, who continuously cover up each other's mistakes and drive out anyone who is any way a threat / has any morals.
The people who are the worst get promoted. There's a crazy amount of officers who go to court for assaulting inmates in "self defence", come back and get promoted. Lots of people get "investigated" for misdeeds and the person in charge of the investigation are their uncles / parents / inlaws. Unsurprisingly, they're found innocent. These people earn £50-80k a year for doing nothing, and are on the world's largest power trip. Getthe job through nepotism then never leave. Basically a bunch of thuggish bullies.
Had one senior manager brag about how when he started in the 90s, him and his coworker stripped a prisoner down naked and used as a staple gun on his ballsack. I was talking about the standford prison experiment (he'd never heard of it). He asked, "oh, dyou think yhat counts as brutality?" Have a ton more stories like this. I was there less than a year.
Worse than the police.
The people who are the worst get promoted. There's a crazy amount of officers who go to court for assaulting inmates in "self defence", come back and get promoted. Lots of people get "investigated" for misdeeds and the person in charge of the investigation are their uncles / parents / inlaws. Unsurprisingly, they're found innocent. These people earn £50-80k a year for doing nothing, and are on the world's largest power trip. Getthe job through nepotism then never leave. Basically a bunch of thuggish bullies.
Had one senior manager brag about how when he started in the 90s, him and his coworker stripped a prisoner down naked and used as a staple gun on his ballsack. I was talking about the standford prison experiment (he'd never heard of it). He asked, "oh, dyou think yhat counts as brutality?" Have a ton more stories like this. I was there less than a year.
Worse than the police.
36points
#17
Physio's. I used to think they played a key role in injury recovery and were very knowledgeable about the human body but over time, and several sport related injuries, its become clear to me that a lot (not all) of them dont actually know a great deal and its not much more than i have learned through life experiences and reading up on injuries online.
I had one who was giving me exercises so light i dont think they took in to account i was a regular exerciser and gym goer before the injury and the exercises were far far too simple. I had another who regularly pulled out a little book that looked like it was £5.99 from Amazon on leg exercises and another who i told repeatedly i had a back problem and they just focused on my knees for weeks and weeks (it was later proven to be a back problem).
Im sure theres some very good ones out there but im yet to encounter them.
I had one who was giving me exercises so light i dont think they took in to account i was a regular exerciser and gym goer before the injury and the exercises were far far too simple. I had another who regularly pulled out a little book that looked like it was £5.99 from Amazon on leg exercises and another who i told repeatedly i had a back problem and they just focused on my knees for weeks and weeks (it was later proven to be a back problem).
Im sure theres some very good ones out there but im yet to encounter them.
33points
#18
Senior leadership in NHS hospitals. Not Drs or Nurses or support staff, who do great jobs. The nepotism starts at the top and its deep.
32points
#19
Midwives. I work in a hospital and I’ve been unfortunate to work at a very high level for a while a few years back. The midwives were the most vile, abusive and toxic cohort. Totally delusional. Thinking they’re better, more important and special. I copped more abuse off them than the rest of the hospital put together. Recently (in a different role) I had the misfortune to have to go to their ward to review a patient. I got interrogated about who I am and why I’m there 7 times on my first visit and 11 times on my second visit. Yes I kept a tally. They were aggressive, argumentative and generally bullies.
I got a very irate phone call from their discharge planner about my patient demanding I create the patients discharge plan then getting angry when I didn’t know what she was on about. The discharge planner had not spoken to the patient about what and how they wanted to discharge. I suggested the midwife have a discussion with the patient rather than me and reminded her of putting the patient at the centre of her care.
I’m torn about writing this as I am friends with a couple of midwives and they’re great. But they seem to be the few and far between.
I got a very irate phone call from their discharge planner about my patient demanding I create the patients discharge plan then getting angry when I didn’t know what she was on about. The discharge planner had not spoken to the patient about what and how they wanted to discharge. I suggested the midwife have a discussion with the patient rather than me and reminded her of putting the patient at the centre of her care.
I’m torn about writing this as I am friends with a couple of midwives and they’re great. But they seem to be the few and far between.
32points
#20
Independent Financial Advisors are an absolute joke. I work in pensions and some of the questions they ask me are shocking, some even ask me to explain basic maths to them. They shouldn’t be giving financial advice to anyone, and the advice they end up giving to their clients is always “we’ve evaluated your portfolio and recommend you invest your funds with us”.
28points