Hardest job you've ever done?
- Thread starter mcast
- Start date
Well I've only ever done two jobs and the worst of the two was being a checkout operator at Sainsbury's during my last year of school. It was mind numbingly boring and eight hours felt like they dragged over an eternity.
Since then I've worked in several active war zones, done 98 hour weeks, worked in temperatures below -30C and above 40C and would take it over working on a checkout ever single time
This pretty much sums things up.
However, I found managing pubs more stressful than what I'm doing in the Army lol.
Deleted member 651465
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Deleted member 651465
First job after uni..
Walked in to a workshop for a sound and lighting installers, and saw a pile of audio equipment and around 20 empty 42U racks.
Supervisor says "you have the schematics, and around 6 weeks to pre-wire these for site. You have a break at 10:15 and lunch at 1, any questions?"
Talk about in at the deep end! Did it all comfortably, and to a high standard, but for the first week it felt like solitary confinement. That was until I brought my iPod in and hooked up the system to listen to music while I worked.
So, next time you're in a Liquid / Time / Envy in the UK, spare a nod for me.. the guy that had to stand all day at a bench wiring, testing and fitting the equipment in all those racks.
Walked in to a workshop for a sound and lighting installers, and saw a pile of audio equipment and around 20 empty 42U racks.
Supervisor says "you have the schematics, and around 6 weeks to pre-wire these for site. You have a break at 10:15 and lunch at 1, any questions?"
Talk about in at the deep end! Did it all comfortably, and to a high standard, but for the first week it felt like solitary confinement. That was until I brought my iPod in and hooked up the system to listen to music while I worked.
So, next time you're in a Liquid / Time / Envy in the UK, spare a nod for me.. the guy that had to stand all day at a bench wiring, testing and fitting the equipment in all those racks.
Soldato
Physically? Working on a market. Was only Saturdays, but was 12 hours of constant manual work, lifting heavy boxes of food, stall parts etc. I would just go home and collapse at the end of the day. There were 4 of us, and as I was the newbie, I did all the hard/heavy stuff.
Mentally? Being a Design Engineer designing gradient coils used in MRI. Very interesting though.
Mentally? Being a Design Engineer designing gradient coils used in MRI. Very interesting though.
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Soldato
Assistant chef, 11-12 hour days in a kitchen that would often hit 40c, eating on the go etc.
welcome to 19 years of my life
I actually don't mind it, beats sitting in an office 9-5, there is some job satisfaction, if you enjoy cooking anyway, though, i'm at the peak of my career now, i'm not interested in any accolades (rosettes / stars), i could get them if i wanted, and have worked at that level before, but that means 14 hr days and obsession. i like to cook good food at gastropub level, that's enough for me
Can't say i've ever done a 'hard' job, most demanding was in a 3 rosette restaurant where you'd work 14 hr shifts, eating on the go and no proper break, working 8.30am till 10.30pm, then you'd get the breakfast shift once or twice, 6.30am-10.30pm
I'd take that over being outside collecting trolly's for them for 8 hours like i did over one winter period.
This! Really odd isn't it??
Soldato
- Joined
- 26 Aug 2003
- Posts
- 24,262
Car wash when I was 16. 45 hours a week covered in a thin film of warm sticky chemical crap and your hands permanently prunelike from the water and then dry as a bone when you got home. Wet feet all the time. This one was set up in effectively a tunnel so the spray just hung around everywhere. Only really got to stop when there was no cars which was hardly ever.
I earned something stupid like £112 a week as well.
I earned something stupid like £112 a week as well.
Caporegime
Most physically demanding - washing cars in a forecourt all day, when trying to pay for my driving test.
Lowest pay - summer job as a sales assistant for Game.
Most dull - data entry. Soul-crushingly boring.
Most demoralising - telesales for prontaprint.
Longest hours - trainee accountant for a heating company.
Most mentally challenging - current job as a project accountant for an insurance company.
Lowest pay - summer job as a sales assistant for Game.
Most dull - data entry. Soul-crushingly boring.
Most demoralising - telesales for prontaprint.
Longest hours - trainee accountant for a heating company.
Most mentally challenging - current job as a project accountant for an insurance company.
I'd take that over being outside collecting trolly's for them for 8 hours like i did over one winter period.
Well, they'd sometimes ask me to go out and do trolly collecting and I always welcomed it. It was such a relief to be able to potter about outdoors moving trolleys, even in the winter.
Grass is always greener, I guess...
Soldato
I'm a student.
Saying that I'm studying ~50 hours a week now I'm a Masters student, so thats fairly tough.
Back when I was doing my A-levels I worked in VIP hospitality. Long long hours, illegal break periods, constantly on your feet, low pay (+tips when I was wine waiting).
Best example I can give of it was I went to work Saturday morning, and did a 13 and a half hour shift with only one 15 minute break (always walking too). The next day I went into work and did a similar 12 and a half hour shift. The next day (Monday) I was in school 6 hours, and then did an 8 hour shift in the evening.
When working there I would wear out a pair of in-soles every two weeks
Saying that I'm studying ~50 hours a week now I'm a Masters student, so thats fairly tough.
Back when I was doing my A-levels I worked in VIP hospitality. Long long hours, illegal break periods, constantly on your feet, low pay (+tips when I was wine waiting).
Best example I can give of it was I went to work Saturday morning, and did a 13 and a half hour shift with only one 15 minute break (always walking too). The next day I went into work and did a similar 12 and a half hour shift. The next day (Monday) I was in school 6 hours, and then did an 8 hour shift in the evening.
When working there I would wear out a pair of in-soles every two weeks
Running my own business.
Lost a big contract this year as they have been forced by they're parent company to take it in house (use the parent companies drivers) Had to lay off 18 staff members.
18 hr days are common at the moment have replaced the lost contract with another one which over the next 12-18 months should become larger than the one we lost but still not busy enough yet to take on all my lost guys.
Oh and not been paid a wage since April
Lost a big contract this year as they have been forced by they're parent company to take it in house (use the parent companies drivers) Had to lay off 18 staff members.
18 hr days are common at the moment have replaced the lost contract with another one which over the next 12-18 months should become larger than the one we lost but still not busy enough yet to take on all my lost guys.
Oh and not been paid a wage since April
McDonalds for me, I was on fries pretty much all the time from nov to dec and its actually insane the amount of people coming through drive through and inside, hands were wrecked from the salt as well, also had the heat from the thing that holds fries so dehydration and tiredness kicking in while trying to pump out as many fries as possible a minute.
Was pretty fun though, burnt through the shifts
Was pretty fun though, burnt through the shifts
Soldato
A coalman bagging up the coal and delivering it back in the 70's when i was 17, dirty heavy work
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Lift engineer assistant for my dad's company. Paid lots but damn, I had to work hard for it. Long drives to wherever in the country we had to be, and then heavy lifting all day up many floors in newly built hospitals, etc. Pretty dangerous too.