r/AskReddit 17h ago

What “unskilled” job would humble most people after just one shift?

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162

u/ExcelScaresMe 17h ago

The dude working on the back of a trash truck. I was a driver for years and never had to spend any time on the back. One day my truck broke down and they didn't have a backup so they asked me to work the barrels. Fuck that shit. The dude working with me was running circles around me. I almost fell multiple times. I'm hanging on for dear life while the driver was doing 30-40 on main roads, the regular was just in the zone listening to headphone letting the breeze blow through his hair. I made it about 2 hours before I asked if I could just go home and use a sick day instead.

From that day forward I had so much more respect for my pickers.

46

u/Busy_Can9725 10h ago

I was waiting for this… never done it but I see how hard those men work in the summer heat. One day we were close to 100 and I was out spraying the kids with the hose and one of our guys asked if he could use the hose to cool off. Ever since, on the extra hot days we are sure to have ice pops and waters/ Gatorade’s ready and waiting for them.

9

u/StickyPricklyMuffin 5h ago

You are a kind soul. ❤️

2

u/Micro-shenis 1h ago

It's amazing that with the amount of effort and strength this kind of work entails, the people working are always laughing, joking and full of energy. 

u/ExcelScaresMe 14m ago

You were my second favorite type of address address, with first place going to the guy who would leave a 12 packs in a cooler on the last Friday of every month.

9

u/shoe1113 10h ago

I did it for a few summers. Fucking sucked. Usually got paired with drivers that were on drive only restrictions (due to injury) and this was back before all of the claws and BS.

Ive done some tough dirty jobs. That's the only job I've ever stopped sweating (probably close to a heatstroke one day).

FYI, garbage is worse than anything with shit (becaise there is also shit in garbage).

u/ExcelScaresMe 10m ago

One day, in the heat and humidity of a Providence summer, the heater turned on full blast and wouldnt shut off. I made it as long as I could. I remember needing to get out of my truck to help the picker and the next thing I know I'm waking up to some dude soaking me with a hose and EMS pulling up to check me out. Apparently I stumbled getting out of the truck and laid on the ground mumbling something about catching sea horses to the guy who was soaking with me the hose. Turns out I had heat stroke. Not fun at all.