In a recent post shared to r/AskReddit, site user u/Wholesomeville asked, "Which profession is far more enjoyable than most people realise?" Here are some of the most-upvoted responses:
1. "Janitor. I am incapable of taking my work home with me, and there’s absolutely no way any job can have more instant gratification than cleaning. 10/10 recommend all of you with diminished ability to wait for results to go clean for a living. You make the world better every day you show up to work because a world with less filth is just plain better. The floor Zambonis are really fun, too."
"Oh, and as a university janitor, I’ll be getting free college. Anything I want to study is paid for as part of my benefits. Instead of taking out student loans to get a job, I’m getting a job to pay for school. Love that."
2. "Locksmith. Best career ever. Eight years in and I love it."
"I get to help people with the special skill set I’ve developed. I face different and challenging physical puzzles all day every day. The pay is pretty good. I’ve had jobs I made more at, but they were not as emotionally rewarding. Customers are 99% of the time super chill/happy to see you."
3. "Sanitation worker. Every day is different. Working outdoors is great (except on rainy days). It keeps you active and helps you stay fit without trying. Depending on where you work, there can also be good pay, a strong union, a pension, etc."
4. "Night shifts as a hotel receptionist. I read a lot of books or play games on my Switch."
5. "Not my profession, but I had a long talk with the funeral director who handled my dad's about why he decided to do it, and what he said stuck with me. He gets to work with people who are having a hard time and tell them yes, like, he can basically get you everything you want. I can vibe with that."
6. "Farming. I feel strong after I come home even though everything hurts."
7. "Vessel planner. It's basically a video game. I coordinate the load/discharge of cargo ships and create stow plans. I get to work with a puzzle and bullsh*t with managers at terminals. Some days I'm busy with work and other days I just browse the Internet. It's got the perfect work/life balance."
8. "Being a mailman, you quickly sort your mail and parcels, then you head out to deliver. Once you are outside you are in control, you deliver the mail and parcels, then you go home. It might be an early start, but the early finish gives you more time to do whatever you want while it's still daylight. I can't stand sitting at a desk or being inside all day, so it's a perfect job for me."
9. "This is probably going to sound crazy to people, but I love working in customer service. Seeing different people every day, dealing with different sorts of challenges. I specifically loved selling shoes. So many people do not understand how important it is to take care of their feet and to put them in a good comfortable shoe, and a lot of people don't understand that a comfortable shoe can also be a really nice-looking shoe."
"I have had retired dancers in my chair crying because I have made them feel comfortable for the first time in years. I felt like I was really helping people and I loved it."
10. "I liked driving a bus for seniors. Some of them sucked, but most of my passengers were total sweethearts! I liked how friendly and kind they could be."
11. "I work in data analysis/risk management/compliance for a very small regional bank. The money isn't great, but my coworkers are good, the atmosphere is chill, and I mostly automated my reporting/data analysis duties, so I work three hours a day most months (except during the months after the end of quarter when I have to work like six hours a day for two to three weeks to keep up with everything.)"
"Highly recommend it for a chill, no-stress job. Also, I'm honing my Excel/VBA skills in my free time. I'm planning to learn SQL after I get decent at VBA and try to jump for a data analysis job in a bigger bank, hopefully. That's the most enjoyable part of the job for me so far."
12. "Gardener. Cultivating happiness, one plant at a time."
"High five, I'm a gardener too. I hate being inside. I like the beautification of a space. I love trees and plants but summers here in Kyoto are insanely humid and hot."
13. "Library technician here! It's honestly the hidden gem of peaceful careers. You're surrounded by knowledge and the thirst for it, helping people discover new worlds and ideas daily. There's something about the quiet hum of book lovers delving into pages that's incredibly soothing."
"Plus, if you're a bookworm, getting first dibs on new releases is a sweet perk. And the best part? Watching kids get excited about reading – it feels like you're really making a difference in fostering the love for books in the next generation. It's more than just stamping due dates; it's about being a steward of a treasure trove of literature and information."
14. "Barista. Don’t get me wrong, it’s low-paying and the customers can be hellish at times, but if you’re at the right shop in the right part of town catering to a more coffee enthusiast /community-oriented clientele instead of a corporate office clientele, it’s a fun job. You basically get paid to socialise with nice people and give them things that make them happy, which in turn makes me happy."
15. "Pizza delivery guy. It’s fun and fast-paced, and you get to drive around all night (hopefully in a good neighbourhood), listen to music, get good tips, eat extra breadsticks, and drink free soda. It's a great job if you are in college and your parents pay for your car maintenance. You can really rake in the tips on a good night."
16. "Small local restaurant dishwasher. I did my job, got a shift meal, and went home! The key to enjoyment is that the restaurant was small, so the dishes were manageable. One of the best jobs I had!"
17. "I work as a data engineer at a huge bank and the work-life balance is ridiculously good with great pay. I have never worked in such a chill environment before."
18. "Nursing home aide. Obviously, there were less fun parts. But overall it was eye-opening to an early 20-something me. I had the opportunity to talk to residents who had the most incredible stories to share, some from WWII and Great Depression. I loved seeing photographs of them at my age, learning about the active lives they lived, and hearing their advice, even if some of it was outdated. None of them are alive anymore, but I still think of them from time to time."
19. "School-based child therapist. Got here by accident, stayed for the Uno and Connect 4."
20. "I loved being a home theatre installer. It bums me out big time I can't do it anymore."
21. "Manufacturing sales rep. Not high-stress cold calling, just relationship building."
22. "Tour guide. You get to talk about the city you live in and you love. You meet people who are on vacation so they are relaxed and fun. If only I could do it full-time during the whole year."
23. "I'm not sure if it was just my experience there, at a specific location, but working at Chipotle was a pretty fantastic job! It was managed super well, jobs were specific tasks that were quite manageable, and you got free Chipotle! It was one of the only jobs I had that I genuinely considered fun, most of the time."
Thanks so much to r/AskReddit and u/Wholesomeville for having this discussion.
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.