The Idler Book of Crap Jobs: 100 Tales of Workplace Hell

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The Idler Book of Crap Jobs: 100 Tales of Workplace Hell

by Dan Kieran

2.93 · rating details · 15 ratings · 6 reviews

Quick -- what's the worst, most mind-numbing, humiliating, horrendous, horrific job you can think of?

They're all here. The worst jobs in the world. Firsthand accounts of one hundred horrible jobs guaranteed to make you groan, laugh, and maybe, just maybe help you feel a teensy bit better about your own place in the rat race. Painstakingly assembled by the geniuses behind

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Paperback, 157 pages

Published December 27th 2005 by HarperCollins Publishers

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Dec 03, 2009

ModCloth rated it

It was a not-so-glorious Saturday morning at the DMV. So what better time to crack open Crap Jobs: 100 Tales of Workplace Hell? (Civil Servant, in case you were wondering, is ranked #9 on the list).

Remember that summer you spent as a dog walker, candy striper, groundskeeper? Well, multiply it by nine hundred and you are getting close to the hell experienced by the contributors to this book. Crap Jobs collects one hundred tales from survivors of some of the most deplorable jobs around...moreIt was a not-so-glorious Saturday morning at the DMV. So what better time to crack open Crap Jobs: 100 Tales of Workplace Hell? (Civil Servant, in case you were wondering, is ranked #9 on the list).

Remember that summer you spent as a dog walker, candy striper, groundskeeper? Well, multiply it by nine hundred and you are getting close to the hell experienced by the contributors to this book. Crap Jobs collects one hundred tales from survivors of some of the most deplorable jobs around. From the maggot farmer who needed to wear waders into the ‘worm pit’, to the rodent exterminator who had no tools to work with but a hammer, the stories collected in Crap Jobs are often gag-worthy, begging the question:

why would anyone ever want to read this book?

While not a book for the faint of heart (or probably kids under the age of 18), Crap Jobs does provide a rather unique look into workers’ battles against soul-crushing tasks, with doses of humor and unpredictability thrown in. The tales of woe are written by everyday Joes and Jills, so while the narrative is at times jolting, (and cursing is a device too often relied on), the tales are regaled in a way reminiscent of your friends’ funny party anecdotes. Intermixed with the tales of the telemarketer and tampon factory cleaner, facts are provided about how the United States is one of the worst countries to work in when it comes to vacation time, overtime, sick leave, and income. This gives the book, whose tales all occur in Britain, an odd balance (not to mention a depressing note for its American readers).

At times, it isn’t the job per se that’s the problem, more so it’s the people with whom you’re stuck working. Some of the jobs listed – Freelance Magazine Editor, Broadcast Executive, Model – are not ones you’d immediately classify as crappy. But then the sexual harassment or regular intervals of humiliation are revealed, showing that those dreams jobs often held in high esteem are not always as glamorous as they seem. Then there are just the oddities, like the factory worker whose colleagues robbed stores on the side and proposed holding up the place where she held a second job as a cashier. “But we might have to rough you up a bit to make it look believable,” they explain.

Yes, Crap Jobs has some of the worse stories you will likely ever hear. There’s no sugarcoating it, (except maybe in the tale of the Pie Hole Maker). Whatever you do, don’t read it before you go to sleep, because you will likely be haunted long into the morning and not get out of bed for work. “Your job could kill you,” one of the trivia tidbits notes, and once again, depresses you. Neither should the book be read straight through. It’s meant to live on your coffee table, to be delved into in doses. One can only take so many cringe-worthy moments at a time.

Despite these conditions, Crap Jobs might just be the perfect gift for your unemployed friend who’s down on his luck, or for that friend who is constantly complaining about the littlest things at her job. Let her see what it’s like for the Phone Sex Operators of the world (Crap Job #1).(less)

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Dec 11, 2010

Maria (Ri) rated it

Shelves: nonfiction, read-in-2010, registered-by-another-bookcrosser, released-in-a-book-box

There are certainly many jobs in here that truly make me very grateful for my own jobs (mom, wife and naturopathic doctor) which I love! Also, I realize that this book is 5 years old, but still, the wages listed for many of these jobs are appalling!! How could someone have to do such sucky work and get paid such a pittance?!?

· see review

Jul 13, 2009

Jeannie rated it

Boring!! I've had enough crap jobs in my life I have no idea why I even wanted to read this one. Nothing in here held my interest at all.

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Oct 09, 2009

Karen rated it

Crap Jobs: 100 Tales of Workplace Hell by Dan Kieran (2006)

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Sep 22, 2008

Amy rated it

Hilarious but very inappropriate!!!

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Jul 10, 2007

Misa rated it

Shelves: truestory, funny

haha!! i worked some of these jobs...

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Feb 09, 2012

Sibil rated it

· review of another edition

Jan 25, 2012

Sergio Frosini added it · review of another edition

Jan 12, 2012

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Dec 15, 2011

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Dec 14, 2011

Tracy marked it as to-read

Dec 07, 2011

Chiara rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2007

Aug 03, 2011

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Apr 29, 2011

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Sep 15, 2010

Lucy marked it as to-read

Aug 17, 2010

Kimberly rated it

Shelves: non-fiction

Aug 02, 2010

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May 27, 2009

Bryan Zorko marked it as to-read

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Nov 25, 2008

Alice rated it

Shelves: nonfiction

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Shelves: age30-35

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