Some professions get way too romanticized by society, but in truth, they’re far from joyful.
Influencer
I'm constantly stuck thinking about the next post; my mind revolves only around "content." It feels like I’m watching my life from the outside—I can’t fully experience moments because I’m always deciding whether to film or photograph something, or if it’s worth posting. I have to meet sponsors’ expectations and please my audience. When something falls flat, likes are low, and mean comments roll in, it’s emotionally draining. This lifestyle is so exhausting that I even dream about algorithms.
Firefighter
There are very few fires or cats stuck in trees. Mostly, we respond to calls involving elderly or sick people who have locked themselves in, fallen, or passed away, and we have to break down doors.
Kneading Dough
I own a small bakery. Everyone imagines me wearing a cute apron, smiling with a charmingly flour-dusted face, happily handing muffins to customers while chatting. The reality? I start work at 3 a.m., lifting 20-kilogram (44-pound) flour bags in the sweltering heat of the ovens. My face is covered in sweat-stuck flour, I barely have time to use the restroom, and by closing time, I’m completely wiped out.
The Sewing Machine
I jokingly call myself this, though officially I’m a tattoo artist. You’d think I spend my days creating amazing, creative art on people, but here’s the truth: I stress about delivering perfect masterpieces on time. Clients can be smelly, whiny, and restless, yet I still have to tattoo their butts. Sometimes they get tattoos of such ridiculous things I want to cry—but I have to do it anyway.
Among the Clouds
Since I was little, I dreamed of being a flight attendant—the smart uniform, the travel, and how flight attendants always seemed so cheerful. The reality? For 15 years, I haven’t had a full night’s sleep, I don’t have a place I call home, and I’m basically a waitress on a plane. But there’s no cleaning crew or bouncers, so I also handle vomit and drunk, aggressive passengers.
Oh, I’m a Designer!
As an engineer, I’m basically an overqualified janitor and maintenance worker.
The Couch
I’m a therapist, but it’s nothing like the movies where the patient lies on a couch and I, dressed sharply, ask about their feelings in a stylish room. Every day I listen to intense traumas that force me to confront my own. Most clients’ struggles stem from capitalism, social issues, and systemic oppression—things I can’t do much about.
The Happy "Yes"
As a wedding planner, I’m not Jennifer Lopez in "The Wedding Planner," but a stressed-out wreck with no nights or weekends off because my phone rings at all hours. (Seriously, what even is a weekend?!) I’m constantly worried about food, decor, dresses, the band, and making sure no one’s late. My days are 12+ hours, and as soon as one project ends, the next one starts—no breaks.
Dreamer of Buildings
I’m an architect. I studied a lot and now work even more, but I’m underpaid and my creativity has drained away after years of being crushed. My job kills the soul, and even if I’m lucky enough to get a fun project, it takes so long to build that I might not even see it finished.
Lara Croft
I’m an archaeologist, and when people hear that, they almost get misty-eyed with envy, thinking, "Wow, what a dream job!" My little niece proudly told her classmates I do what Lara Croft does. The reality is much less glamorous: as an Egyptologist, I’m not uncovering pyramids but mostly cataloging pottery shards at a 45-degree angle.
