Why Do These Jobs Exist? A Look At The Most Pointless Occupations

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We all know those jobs that make us scratch our heads and say, ‘Why is this a thing?’ Or we’ve been in the middle of an office meeting where someone is talking about a task they completed that felt more than a little bit useless.

One person finally dared to ask what useless jobs people do, and people did not disappoint. Today we dive into unproductive jobs, highlighting the ones voted as most useless.

#1. Bathroom Attendants

In some places like clubs, some people stock bathrooms with a host of items and help you out while washing your hands. As a result, you have to tip them. The job isn’t necessary, and you can do all of that on your own. 

One person shared their own experience with this. “I’ve been to a place where the attendant uses a lint roller on you, sprays you with some perfume, and has a little repair kit for clothes, Mother’s Day cards, and all kinds of trinkets. I was not prepared to be there and showed up with a Rolling Stones shirt and dirty jeans. Everyone was dressed nicely. I suspect they let me in because they thought I was one of those rich people so unaware of societal rules that they dress kinda crappy. I was actually just poor.”

#2. Paparazzi

There’s no denying that the only reason paparazzi are still in demand is that magazines will pay for photos of celebrities, especially if they’re scandalous. However, many agree that it’s a relatively useless job where the people taking the photos may engage in morally objectionable behavior to get the shots they’re looking for. 

Most people are not fans of the paparazzi, and they don’t serve a significant role in society. 

#3. Very Specific Psychics

Sometimes, you hear the name of a job, and you can’t believe your ears. For example, how would you react if you heard that someone was a pet psychic? While it sounds ridiculous, it’s a very real thing. 

As one person said, “Pet Psychic. Our Golden Retriever was getting joint therapy. Someone said something about ‘Hudson’ which is our dog’s name only they were talking to another dog. ‘Oh,’ they said, ‘That’s the dog psychic’s dog.’ Apparently, you could find out what your dog was thinking. I know what my dog is thinking. Most of the time he either wants what I’m eating or he wants me to throw the ball.”

Granted, it depends entirely on how people perceive psychics. Some may think psychics are extremely valuable, but even those individuals might still agree that a pet psychic is a somewhat ridiculous professional title!

#4. Shop Security

The last thing you want if you own a business or a franchise is someone stealing your products. But what if you worked in a position where you couldn’t do anything about it? 

In most cases, loss prevention associates and similar shop security positions are incapable of doing anything. Even though there may be legal repercussions later, there’s still nothing you can do immediately to recover the merchandise. As a result, some of these security positions are essentially useless. 

#5. Elevator Attendant

If there’s one thing we’ve learned, attendants aren’t often the most helpful. They do things that you could do without assistance. Another example of this is an elevator attendant. 

As one person said, “An elevator attendant. ‘First floor sir? I’ll press button number 1 for you’.”

Some people have still encountered these professionals, even if they’re not as common as they used to be. 

#6. Health Insurance Employees

Those who work for a health insurance company aren’t exactly useless in the sense that they do nothing all day. But most people aren’t happy with these types of employees or their work, often describing their work as inessential or downright wrong. 

One commenter explained, “While it’s a billion dollar industry, health insurance. Literally they exist to prevent you from cashing out on what you paid into. They have little to no medical knowledge, make everything more expensive, and exist solely as a useless middleman to make themselves rich.”

Related: Here is how to save money on health care costs

#7. Telemarketers

If you’re interested in buying something, you’ll likely approach an actual store or go online to shop for what you need. However, some people will try to come to you first to sell you something you might not have even considered purchasing. That’s the role of a telemarketer. 

Telemarketers are very undesirable in today’s world, and people don’t pick up the phone for these people or will immediately hang up on them when they make their presence known. Some users explain how their friends or family were telemarketers and had very few sales even though they worked in that position for months or years. 

Related: Use these tricks to stop buying things

#8. Middle Managers

When talking about certain positions, it’s important to note that there are exceptions to the rule. Most people consider middle managers entirely useless, even if this isn’t always true. Many middle managers in the modern business landscape are paid to do practically next to nothing. 

They hover as others do their work and engage in a wide range of useless tasks that don’t need to be done. This ends up frustrating employees who make much less and can manage their own work without relying on someone to do it for them.  

This thread inspired this article.