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MACJOBS
Restaurant & Coffee Chains (Tim Hortons, Macdonald’s, Swiss Chalet, Starbucks, etc.)
Canadian Tire, Home Depot, Lowes, etc.
Bestbuy, Staples, Walmart, etc.
Dollarama, Value Village, etc.
A (Advantages): low qualifications; temporary employment
D (Disadvantages): poorly paid; no future; highly regimented; exploitation
THE MOST COMMON JOBS
Delivering newspapers & flyers
A: active, outdoors; short hours; part time
D: poorly paid; early hours; physically demanding; exploitation
Crossing Guard
A: outdoors; part time; somewhat social
D: poorly paid; boring; bad weather; beneath one
Babysitting & Daycare
A: highly social; part time; important work
D: poorly paid; demanding; irregular hours
Security Guard
A: low qualifications; undemanding
D: poorly paid; boring; solitary; beneath one; exploitation
Cashier
A: low qualifications; undemanding; somewhat social
D: poorly paid; on one’s feet; repetitive; exploitation
Shelf Stocker
A: low qualifications; undemanding; active
D: poorly paid; physically demanding; beneath one; exploitation
Waitress
A: low qualifications; part time; highly social; tips
D: poorly paid without tips; socially demanding; hard-to-please customers; irregular hours
Short Order Cook
A: on the job training; slightly creative; resting periods
D: poorly paid; demanding; stressful; repetitive; beneath one; exploitation
Personal Support Worker
A: highly social; relationships; important work
D: poorly paid; demanding; commuting; sadness when patients die; exploitation
Barber, Hair Dresser, Nails & Tattoos
A: reasonably paid; artistic; highly social; necessary work
D: some qualifications; repetitive; frivolous work
Retail/Sales
A: low qualifications; somewhat social
D: poorly paid; boring; repetitive; a lot of standing and waiting
Receptionist/Clerk/Office Worker
A: low qualifications; somewhat social
D: poorly paid; boring paper work; repetitive; office politics; exploitation
Manager/Administrator/Secretary
A: reasonably paid; challenging; relationships; variety
D: qualifications; demanding; stressful; people problems; office politics; bureaucracy
Handyman
A: challenging; own boss; part time
D: experience; physically demanding; getting started; hard-to-please clients
House Painter
A: reasonably paid; somewhat artistic; necessary work
D: experience; physically demanding; repetitive; fiddly work; paint fumes; changing clothes; clean-up
Factory Worker
A: active; on the job training
D: poorly paid; physically demanding; repetitive; shift work; stupid management; exploitation
Construction Worker/Building Trades
A: reasonably paid; low qualifications; active; variety
D: unsteady work; physically demanding; all-weather work; dirty, disorderly, somewhat dangerous work environment; ubiquitous profanity
Salesman (car, insurance, etc.)
A: well-paid if successful; challenging; social
D: salesman’s personality required; finding customers; stressful; risk of failure
Gardener
A: active; outdoors; creative; close to nature
D: experience; physically demanding; seasonal; hands get dirty
Driver (cab, truck, delivery)
A: well-paid; variety; a sense of power driving big vehicules
D: poorly paid; stressful; heavy traffic; rushing from place to place; exploitation
Chef
A: well-paid; artistic; praise; happy, well-fed clients
D: high qualifications; extremely stressful; terrible hours
Mechanic
A: reasonably paid; challenging; essential work
D: certification; demanding; dirty, noisy environment; hands get dirty; ugly cars poorly made; frivolous electronics expensive to fix
Electrician
A: well-paid; challenging; necessary work
D: certification; demanding; slight danger of electrocution
Plumber
A: well-paid; challenging; necessary work
D: experience; physically demanding; hands get dirty
Carpenter
A: well-paid; creative; challenging; necessary work
D: certification; experience; demanding
Contractor (renovating, landscaping, etc.)
A: potentially well-paid; own boss; very challenging
D: unsteady work; qualifications; very demanding; long hours; stressful; unforeseen situations; dissatified customers; non-payment; lawsuits
Real Estate Agent
A: potentially well-paid; own boss; social; relationships
D: insecurity; becoming known; demanding; stressful; frustrating; market downturns; high risk of failure
Banking & Investing Personnel
A: sometimes highly paid; challenging; relationships
D: qualifications; market uncertainty; paper shuffling; being part of an unjust economic system
GOVERNMENT JOBS (usually secure)
Policeman
A: well-paid; active; companionship; occasionally exciting; variety
D: stressful; all-weather job; having to use force; having to deal with jerks; occasionally dangerous
Fireman
A: well-paid; active; occasionally exciting
D: boring; sedentary; dangerous
Postman
A: reasonably paid; active; outdoors
D: physically demanding; solitary; bad weather; repetitive
Public Works (garbage, water & sewage treatment, roads, hydro, etc.)
A: reasonably paid; active; companionship
D: physically demanding; on call for emergencies; ubiquitous profanity
Driver (bus, streetcar, subway, school bus)
A: reasonably paid; travel; the open road; operating big machines; important work
D: traffic; solitary; sedentary; boring
Civil Servant
A: reasonably paid; social
D: boring; having to deal with jerks; red tape; institutional stupidity; demoralizing; being a tool of the deep state
Health care worker (nurse, physiotherapist, radiologist, therapist, etc.)
A: reasonably paid; social; important work
D: certification; demanding; long shifts; protocols decreed by the medical-industrial complex; institutional stupidity; demoralizing
Librarian
A: reasonably paid; social
D: certification; office politics; dealing with oddballs
Teacher/Professor (primary, secondary, university, ESL, etc.)
A: well-paid; social; good students; beneficial influence; essential work
D: certification; bad students; bad parents; marking; failing students; maintaining discipline; administrative duties; administrative interference; government indoctrination; vicious politics; burnout; a system in continual crisis if not collapsing
Armed Forces
A: reasonably paid; weapons training; operating mighty machines: ships, aircraft, tanks, artillery, etc.; travel
D: boring; hazing; occasional wars; institutional stupidity; SNAFUs
THE PROFESSIONS (mostly prestigious)
Clergyman
A: reasonably paid; social; own boss; important work
D: very demanding; solitary (if celibate); small or declining congregations; religious indifference; social hostility; church politics
Doctor (MD, psychiatrist, psychologist, etc.)
A: very well-paid; social, prestigious
D: certification; demanding; stressful; long hours; mandatory protocols; pill-pushing; patients die or can’t be cured; costly insurance; bureaucracy; working in a backward or corrupt medical system; demoralizing
Dentist
A: well-paid; own boss; necessary work
D: certification; demanding; repetitive; costly insurance
Lawyer
A: own boss; social; important work
D: insecurity; demanding; becoming known; competitive; paper shuffling; boring; the law itself
Accountant/Economist
A: well-paid; necessary work
D: certification; demanding; paper shuffling; institutional stupidity; serving the rich and powerful
Architect
A: very well-paid; artistic; social; prestigious; a chance for fame
D: certification; demanding; stressful; long hours; aesthetic contraints (architorture); using non-durable materials (e.g. concrete)
Engineer (civil, mechanical, electrical, chemical, etc.)
A: well-paid; challenging; important work
D: certification; demanding; meetings; deadlines; the possibility of major blunders
Technician
A: reasonably paid; necessary work
D: certification; demanding; maybe repetitive
Pilot
A: well-paid; travel; romantic; prestigious; glamourous
D: certification; expensive to accumulate flying hours; long boring flights; shift work; odd hours; away from home
Journalist
A: reasonably paid; short hours; self-expression; public recognition
D: certification; deadlines; subservience to media owners; restricted freedom of opinion; ephemeral nature of journalism
Photographer
A: own boss; short hours; creativity
D: insecurity; demanding; becoming know; hard-to-please clients
Broadcaster
A: well-paid, prestigious; public recognition
D: competitive; a mouthpiece; office politics; institutional stupidity; ephemeral nature of broadcasting
Information Technology (computer programmer, systems analyst, etc.)
A: well-paid; challenging
D: certification; demanding; stressful; constant upgrading; institutional stupidity
Scientific researcher
A: reasonably paid; intellectually stimulating
D: bureaucracy; uncertain funding; target knowledge
Politician (Leader, Cabinet Minister, MP, MPP)
A: well-paid; exciting for leaders and ministers; fame; fat pension
D: a bruising treacherous insecure profession; competitive; boring for backbenchers; losing elections; heart-breaking
Professional athlete
A: well-paid; short hours; prestigious; chance for fame & fortune
D: highly competitive; injuries; short career
THE ARTS (often poorly paid and no security)
Graphic Arts
A: artistic; rewarding; flexible hours
D: insecurity; demanding
Film & Television
A: creative; exciting; relationships
D: insecurity; incredibly demanding; bad ratings; flops; high risk of failure; drugs & alcohol
Musician
A: artistic; rewarding; chance for fame & fortune
D: insecurity; competitive; crazy life style; drugs & alcohol
Entertainer (actor, singer, dancer, comedian, etc.)
A: creative, prestigious; chance for fame & fortune
D: insecurity; competitive, crazy life style; drugs & alcohol; high risk of failure
Writer
A: creative; cultural; own boss; tiny chance for fame & fortune
D: insecurity; requires discipline; hard work; solitary; deadlines; writer’s block; bad reviews; high risk of failure
Poet
A: creative; cultural; own boss
D: insecurity; requires discipline; barely recognized profession; not taken seriously
RISKY OR ETHICALLY PROBLEMATIC
Farmer
A: active; outdoors; important work
D: insecurity; extremely demanding; solitary; bad weather; price fluctuations; exploitation
Small businessman
A: creative; own boss; relationships
D: insecurity; very demanding; hiring staff; long hours; very high risk of failure
Stockbroker
A: well-paid; relationships
D: gambling on the market; emotional roller coaster; aiding and abetting an unjust economic system
Investor
A: challenging; chance of windfalls (big money)
D: gambling on the market; easy to lose money; aiding and abetting an unjust economic system
Entrepreneur
A: creative; extremely challenging; prestigious; chance for fame & fortune
D: stressful; long hours; deceitful; high risk of failure; aiding and abetting an unjust economic system
Inventor
A: creative; challenging; own boss; following a dream
D: insecurity; long hours; difficulty marketing; high risk of failure
Advertiser
A: creative; well-paid; challenging; somewhat glamourous
D: stressful; long hours; high risk of failure; aiding and abetting an unjust economic system
Lobbyist
A: very well-paid; expense account: expensive meals, lavish entertainment; relationships
D: serves the rich and powerful; morally reprehensible; political corruption; detrimental to society
Developer/Builder
A: sometimes extremely well-paid; very challenging
D: stressful; frustrating; delays; poor quality buildings; detrimental to society; risk of failure
Social Reformer/Agitator/Revolutionary
A: exciting conflict; stimulating opposition; supportive allies; noble crusades; deep relationships
D: insecurity; fierce opposition; persecution; must toe party line; wrong-headed aims; false ideologies detrimental to society (eg. Marxism);
Philosopher/Thinker/Social Critic
A: creative; cultural; independently-minded; intellectually stimulating; prestigious; important work
D: powerful enemies; intellectual fashions and conformism; terrible ideas and disastrous social experiments (eg. Postmodernism); detrimental to society
So, then, why is it so hard for many young people to choose one of these jobs? Here’s an analysis that may shed some light on this puzzling question. Counting all Macjobs as one job, and all “public works” jobs as another, the seventy-odd jobs listed above account for the majority of people who are employed. If we call a job “inherently virtuous” because it answers an essential ever-present need, or because it resolves a serious problem that needs to be resolved quickly, then about twenty of the jobs on our list are inherently virtuous.
The jobs that fall most clearly into this category would be policeman, fireman, ambulance personnel, public transport personnel, plumber, auto mechanic, handyman, waitress, cashier, shelf stocker, retailer, public works (garbage, roads, hydro, etc), barber, dentist, surgeon, personal support worker, babysitter, gardener and small farmer. Although not completely immune from the “evils” to which the rest of the workforce is subject, the people doing these jobs at least have the satisfaction of knowing that their work is essential for society to function and therefore inherently valuable.
The major evils that affect (to varying degrees) most other jobs, evils that are obvious to some and that others only vaguely perceive, are as follows:
1) Straight exploitation
Subject to straight exploitation are those in Macjobs; those delivering newspapers and flyers; crossing guards; security guards; short order cooks; personal support workers; nurses, office workers; factory workers; some drivers; many small farmers & small businessmen; the vast majority of artists such as actors and musicians.
2) Bureaucratic despotism, often combined with institutional stupidity
Subject to bureaucratic despotism and/or institutional stupidity are managers & administrators; health care workers; doctors; teachers, professors & their assistants; armed service personnel; even some clergy.
3) Slogans, propaganda, intolerance and persecution that stem from the state trying to impose secular values, or trying to coerce behaviour that serves the interests of corporations
Subject to slogans, propaganda, intolerance and even persecution are those in almost all government jobs, especially those in health care, education and the civil service; those in the public and private mainstream media.
4) The tyranny of a technology that doesn’t know where it’s going except to produce more technology and obey technology’s first law, ‘If something can be done it must be done,’ whether it makes sense or not, whether it’s wanted or not
Subject to a system that imposes its own logic as the symbiotic relationship between capitalism and advanced technology evolves is every job that involves advanced technology. This would include those in the IT (information technology) sector; construction; urban development; engineering; architecture; the automotive industry; aviation; the field of high-tech machines.
5) A fundamentally unjust economic system that forces people in certain jobs to aid and abet this system, thereby making them complicit
Subject to having to acquiesce in an absurdly unjust economic system are politicians; senior civil servants; banking and investing personnel; stockbrokers; real estate agents; insurance agents; lawyers; accountants & economists; developers & builders; entrepreneurs; lobbyists.
Some people don’t particularly mind these “evils,” or are not consciously aware of them; but for those who are—and their numbers are increasing as the workplace becomes more specialized, more regimented, more stressful, more inhuman—there are fewer and fewer jobs that look appealing. Indeed, quite a few people have stopped looking for work or have simply opted out of the workforce, even highly trained people such as nurses and doctors and academics.
And then there’s the problem of finding a job.
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