h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

My mate Jim worked in a banana factory last year for the summer.

If they found a spider they had to "coax" it into a plastic bag. They couldn't squash it incase it had babies which would go everywhere. Then they had to take it to the office where there was a wall chart with pictures so they could decide how poisonous the spider was.

Luckily he never found one - but that would be my worst job, seeing as I'm afraid of spiders.

SallyM

good point rainbow. i think lots of jobs are like that. not particularly pleasent but rewarding. at least i know i've cleaned up the beach for surfers and swimmers, even if no one else realises it.

I would have to say that the worst job to have isthe person who has to dis-impact old men's bowels at the nursing home. this is performed by sticking ones index finger up the offending anal tube and pulling out poop that has been stuck there since washington crossed the delaware. Releasing a oder so foul that cockroaches have been known to commit suicide. bad, bad,job

thanks for that revolting description. i think you definitly win the prize for the worst job. a chocolate fish is on it's way

The interesting thing is that most of these jobs are ones that HAVE to be done by someone to keep us all going in some way or another (except maybe "moderator" ) I remember seeing a show on TV about The Worst Job and they interviewed sewer workers, abbatoir workers, morticians etc - each one said "My job is ok - it suits me - what I REALLY wouldn't like to do is .... " and then they would pick one of the OTHER jobs.

Oh no, Starbirth, I feel deistinctly unwell now - I would argue the point that 'it's' been there for so long already, surely it can stay there a bit longer - (like forever)!!

Yeah, the worst jobs are also some we really need. But I don´t know how rewarding it would be for me to know I had cleaned up the beach for surfers and bathers. Especially not since the beach is usually littered with garbage after they´ve been there.

I remember seeing a Miss Universe once. The Miss Spain was studying to be a pathologist. That gave me some respect for her, usually they say travel leader or secretary or something like that.

But can being a pathologist be so much worse than being a doctor and having to eat lunch right after a hemmoroid operation. I think they are both just a matter of getting used to.

doesn't everyone like to think they've done something worthwhile though. i think the reason lots of these jobs get done is because people get a sense of satisfaction out of it. although i bet the pay cheques for doctor and pathologists helps quite abit.

drainage work is actually mostly surprisingly clean - my dad used to do it - although what was very not-nice was the yearly health tests he had to have, including barium enemas yuck!

we have CSI here too (nz) - it rocks! i always wanted to do forensic science but then discovered i sucked at chemistry so that wasn't really an option - and come to think of it dead bodies would be pretty gross, so i think i'll stick to just watching it on telly

retail and service jobs are often a lot worse than you would think - badly paid (at least they are here), bad working conditions (eg standing up for eight hours on concrete floors) and nasty horrible customers who you have to pretend to be nice to

I remember reading somewhere that garbage collectors are actually more resistant to disease because with their exposure to all those bacteria in the rubbish they build up immunity - but I wonder whether they are also healthier because of all the running they do on the job etc. I know that on the council here they are very sought after jobs - but the one that is prized the most is DRIVING the garbage truck - boys and their toys??
Maybe the resistance thing also works for drainage/sewer works.

the resistance thing is very true with sewage workers. it's amazing new people get abit sick, but once they've been here awhile we never get sick (just pull sickies instead).

what part of NZ are you from span. i'm in wellington.

robin - auckland (darhling) - i was just talking to someone in wellington who said you had earthquakes and storms last night!!! hope everything is ok

a friend of mine used to work in a rest home and she once was trying to help an old man with constipation issues and he...er..."dumped" on her head

hope that wasn't too graphic!

i wouldn't have called it a storm, a little light rain maybe. the sun is out now though. so fingers crossed for the weekend.

luckily i work in the lab, not on site, but a couple of people here have had to have 3 - 4 showers a day to try and remove the smell. how many showers did your friend have

wow, that's rather nasty........

i really think Sally M's spider story has to take the cake - that would be my worst nightmare - how do you "coax" a spider??! offer it your finger to chew on?

not sure how many showers she had to take, i think it only happened once, but she was only working there part time (studying full time) - although it can't have been all bad because she decided to ditch her BA and switch to nursing

glad to hear welly hasn't been hit as hard as i'd heard don't tell me you work for the ... government!!