Would You Clean Out Septic Tanks If The Pay Was Good? People Share The Jobs They Would Never Do Regardless Of Salary
Can money actually buy happiness?
Ollyy / Shutterstock With the cost of living increasing while wages remain stagnant, many have found themselves unable to be choosey with job opportunities. Many people are taking jobs that have nothing to do with their educational background or work experience just to be able to afford basic necessities.
The current state of the economy makes things look bleak enough for people to make decisions solely on money, even if it doesn’t make them happy, but there are still people who have stated that there are certain jobs that they would never do, not even for a hefty paycheck.
Despite the current job market and economy, some people are still picky about the jobs they are willing to do.
The pandemic has changed the way we work. During the height of lockdowns, many people were laid off and offices had to go remote for safety. Now, as things have settled, people are still opting to work remotely due to the flexibility that it brings. But some are struggling with finding a job despite things going back to "normal."
According to Alana Semuels in a piece for TIME, “Candidates frustrated with the rigamarole are applying to more positions, creating a vicious cycle in which the job market is even more saturated with applications and employers turn to software to sort through these applications that lengthens the process even more.”
Take it from someone with firsthand knowledge: I have done the job search, and it's brutal. I have over 50 pages of all the links to the jobs that I have applied for, and this was only over 8 months. It was exhausting having to write cover letters and tailor my resume to the job posting, which takes a significant amount of time. I've even watched videos from recruiters on what to look out for and how to find jobs.
I’ve done it all and it was very discouraging to not get a lot of responses back. And I was applying for jobs that had nothing to do with my degree or my future career aspirations! But despite this, if I was offered a job that had a high salary but was doing something that I wouldn’t like doing, I would say no.
Are there limits to what you would do for money?
User Sea_Swordfish_8420 posted a question on Reddit about what job people would never do, no matter how much they would get paid for it, and the responses were interesting.
Do you remember that meme that has been circulating about a job where you get paid $80 per hour to clean the graveyard? Many people in the comments were up for the task, finding the amount of money alluring.
So it's interesting to see the responses in the Reddit thread, some that are expected, and some that are surprising. Popular comments included working with children, working in the medical field as a doctor or a nurse, working in sanitation, and telemarketing. The responses also included working in the government and being a bus driver.
There was an interesting comment from Reddit user who said, "I'll do anything if I'm paid enough. Septic tank cleaning? 100k per tank. Climb the TV towers and fix the lights on them? 30k a climb seems good to me. Truck across the country 24/7 and barely ever see my friends and family? Sounds good to me! 120k a year and I'm good to go. There's really nothing i wouldn't do for the right price."
It's clear that this user did their research as they provided the salary for each role they mentioned and said they would do it for that amount.
Is money more important than happiness?
The Reddit post produced a variety of answers, some from people who have worked in the field and said they wouldn’t do it again, even for a higher salary. The saying, "money doesn’t buy happiness" is often debated by people who have varying opinions on it. Some believe that money can bring happiness while others think the opposite.
In a study by the University of Pennsylvania’s The Wharton School on people who use an app to evaluate their emotional well-being, it was revealed that “all forms of well-being continued to rise with income, across a wide range of income levels, and it didn’t plateau at $75,000 a year.”
It can be nice to have a sizeable bank account that can pay all of your bills and meet your needs in order to survive without stressing over making ends meet. But based on the responses to the Reddit post, it’s clear that happiness matters more. It isn’t surprising due to jobs, like being a teacher or a nurse, having a low satisfaction rate and not much support for their mental and emotional well-being.
At the beginning of the pandemic and through 2027, it is predicted that “nearly 1 in 5 of the nation's 4.5 million registered nurses plan to leave.”
It is more than simply stating that you wouldn’t do a certain job, even for a higher salary. It’s dependent on emotional well-being, and if a higher salary can’t offer proper support for mental health, is it even worth it? You can’t enjoy the influx of money if you aren’t happy.
There are a variety of jobs that I am personally willing to do, but like everyone else, there are jobs that I would never do, not even for $100 per hour. Every person is different and it depends on their preferences, after all.
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Amani Semper is a writer for YourTango's entertainment and news team.