Think your job is tough? It could always be worse. A look at Lapham’s Quarterly’s matrix of the worst jobs in the history of man will make you happy to return to your 9-to-5.
(Photo Credit: UbeIT/Flickr)
Sadly, not every job on the list is as ancient (and, from our perspective in the present, unbelievable) as the 1827 Edinburgh gig of resurrection man — otherwise known as body thief, and the chief supplier of corpses for Scottish medical schools at the time.
These jobs are contemporary, and they’re being done by real people today:
1. Subway Pusher: Tokyo, 2010. The person with the unenviable job of pushing commuters onto trains like sardines into a can.
2. Factory Worker: China (among other places), 2010. These workers toil long hours in factories making everything from garments to electronics, and earn 76 cents an hour for their labor — 30 percent of which goes to the factory for room and board.
3. World of Warcraft Gold Farmer: China, 2007. What’s more futile than gathering imaginary gold for use by gamers with (presumably) more satisfying jobs? Earning 30 cents an hour to do it.
Lapham‘s helpfully arranges these and other bad jobs throughout the ages on a matrix that shows which jobs are the most disgusting, difficult, treacherous, and tedious:
(Infographic Credit: Lapham’s Quarterly)
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What’s the worst job you’ve ever heard of — or had? We want to hear from you! Leave a comment or join the conversation on Twitter.
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