Have you ever looked at someone working behind the counter of a bank or a lifeguard and thought, “What strange, splendiferous, and toe-curling secrets are you hiding about your seemingly normal profession?”
Well, I like most normal people have never thought this, but boy do I wish I had! As one Reddit user recently asked, “What is the creepiest thing you don’t talk about in your profession?” and the internet hit back hard! So, here are some of the weirdest secrets that you didn’t know about ordinary professions!
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Organ Deliveries
“The fact that human organs are shipped like regular packages at FedEx. I see them almost every day, it’s mostly a company called Cryolife I think. It’s for organ donation. But we are very professional and careful with these packages in particular for obvious reasons” — tkcool73
People assume that there will be a special service for this sort of thing, but at the end of the day, organs are packages too. However, I can’t imagine the FedEx guy leaving a note saying, “Sorry I couldn’t deliver your heart, there was no one in.”
Lying On Tattoo Forms
“A small percentage of people getting tattooed have HIV, AIDS, Hepatitis, etc. and they are not always honest in their release forms. I was taught to always treat every client as if they have Hepatitis C, so everyone gets the same precautions, safety measures, and equipment sterilization.” — TheApprenticeLife
It’s good that there are professional tattoo artists out there who treat the process with the care and professionalism it deserves. I don’t think my hypochondria would let me get a tattoo done somewhere that I didn’t think was totally clean.
Delivering Stillborn Babies
“Sometimes when we deliver a stillborn baby that passed a while ago the head may come off in delivery. Fortunately, it usually doesn’t.” — TheNightRumbler
Perhaps the most heartbreaking one on the list. I never knew this and could quite happily have lived my life not knowing it. Medical staff so often do not receive the kudos they deserve for the hard and stressful work they do.
Exposure To Dangerous Chemicals
“Honestly, the fact that most stuff we deal with causes cancer. Generally, you can be quite safe as a chemist, but it’s the long term exposure that’s an issue. Being somewhat not safe over time causes lots of issues […] Be smart and be safe: wear gloves, wear a lab coat, don’t breath anything in, and work in a fume hood with everything.” — ChemistOnMath
As someone who leads a largely danger-free life, this kind of thing baffles me to think about, taking this many safety precautions just to go to work.
How “Eco-Friendly” Products Get To Us
“I work in an ‘eco-friendly’ importer who imports, well, eco friendly products that replace disposable or single use products, especially plastics.
“The amount of plastic involved in production, shipping, storing, and packing those items is insane. It’s just all stripped from the finished product before it lands in the customer’s hands. There’s also issues with ordering from abroad – everything from factory waste to the fuels to get it here” — loopsdefruit
The Price Of Limbs
“In the work comp insurance industry, each body part has a predetermined monetary value. So if you lost, say, a thumb or a foot on the job, they just check their price list and cut a check. Sometimes there are different values for the same body part depending on if the part that was lost came from your dominant hand or side.” — leeloo627
Will you be paying with cash, card, or with limbs today sir?
Deaths On The Tracks
“I drive trains. Statistically speaking a driver in my country will drive over two humans during a career. What really haunts you is the sound. It’s a loud thud.” — Silverkedja
It is impossible to imagine how this must impact the drivers, what a horrible thing to have to go through.
Unwanted Smells
“The smell of burning human flesh. I’m an industrial welder and occasionally have a molten blob of steel land on exposed skin. We don’t mention it outside of work because of obvious reasons.” — BushPig00
I hate the smell of burning flesh in the mornings, it smells like injuries.
The Sketchier Side Of Being A Mailman
“I’m a mailman, and sometimes people’s houses just creep me out. Sometimes you walk up to a really run down place with their mailbox hanging sideways and you just get a bad feeling like ‘bad things happen here’ It’s also creepy how bad some people’s houses smell, and I can smell that sh*t from outside. If you’re a hoarder with 20 cats I can smell all the cat piss and sweet rotting smell as soon as I go up your walkway.” — albertagenuinedraft
I’m imagining a house from a Tim Burton film, with the door creaking slowly open to reveal a hand waving you inside. Probably just a good idea to leave the mail on the doorstep in these instances.
The Truth Of Being A Teacher
“As a teacher, we know (but don’t talk about it) how many of our kids have very f*cked up lives. We know which kids have emotionally abusive siblings. We know which kids have no friends. We know which kids’ parents pay no attention to their accomplishments.
“When it’s something that crosses the line (sexual abuse, unsafe living conditions, etc), we will report it to CPS […] But, there are so many horrible, horrifying, things that kids have to go through that don’t cross the line into reportable territory.” — pupHD
TV News Anchors And Their Creepy Fans
“People subconsciously feel like they know us because they see us every day, in their homes. Some of the mail my coworkers receive is so questionable. Like one guy (a well known and beloved weatherman) regularly gets postcards from the same dude that hates him and berates him.
“Another guy acts as if he actually knows one of our weekend anchors, in his letters talking about how they used to go to various concerts together (nope). Once I opened a package with all these random objects (bandaids, leis, a pair of socks, conversation hearts) and five valentines each detailing how the person would storm the building.” — jadecourt
See, being on TV isn’t all it’s cracked up to be! That’s what I tell myself anyway as I cry into my pillow every night.
Suicide Rates Amongst Doctors
“Physicians have among the highest rates of suicide worldwide, but I didn’t understand how significant it was until I was in the field. I assumed it wasn’t a big issue – the career seemed great with prestige, high job security, and income.
“And it is great, but I didn’t know about working 60 days in a row, operating after being awake for 72 hours on call, cutthroat competition in training bottlenecks, the constant expectation, and pressure to be the best and know it all from seniors and patients alike, the harassment and bullying from colleges”. — manlikerealities
Nobody should have to struggle through something like this alone. Regardless of who you are, there will be someone out there willing to listen and help, whether that be friends and family or helplines. Never struggle alone.
Being A Nurse And Seeing People Who Know When They’re Going To Die
“I’d say it’s probably the fact that people know when they’re going to die. They will straight up tell you ‘today is my last day, thank you for being kind’ and you reassure them because their vitals are good, they are taking to treatment well, nothing happening that would indicate a drastic decline. Then, inevitably, you will hear a flatline on the machine and run in and sure enough that patient has passed away.
“If it hadn’t happened SO many times, I would chalk it up to a few people who just didn’t have the will to live anymore, but I’ve seen it enough”. — 100percent_thatwitch
Rancher’s Real Voices
“All of us including the biggest toughest ranchers all have a baby voice they use when talking to livestock Weird but totally adorable!” — Ranchergirl89
Thought you could probably do with a bit of a wholesome one in amongst the more serious ones!
Drinking On The Job
“Idk if it’s really creepy but drug and alcohol use on the job in construction is a big issue that’s almost never explicitly addressed in the industry. To keep up or relax a little during the day some guys will use stimulants or drink on their breaks and lunch, and because max production is the goal on most jobs it tends to be left alone until it causes problems” — chabalajaw
Construction as a job naturally takes it out of you. However, this kind of thing is very unsettling given the size of the machinery people are operating.
Injury Rates On Holiday
“This isn’t necessarily creepy, but unsettling. I used to work in the travel industry. You’d be surprised at how many people seriously injure themselves or even die while on vacation. People tend to think they’re invincible when they’re abroad. Spoiler alert: You are not. Buy travel insurance.” — showmeyournachos
There are few things more irritating than getting sick or injured on holiday! (Actually, I don’t really like going on holiday but admitting that normally leads people to think I’m weird).
School Teachers
“The amount of teachers who sleep with students. Every school I’ve been at there has been a story of ‘Mr. so-and-so got fired for having sex with one of the students a few years back.’
“I’ve talked to teachers who make remarks about 15-year-old girls’ bodies that would be embarrassing to retell. I’ve heard rumors of students who get a little unwanted attention from some teachers.” — duck_duck_grey_duck
This is one of the most unsetting on the list for me. If you ever feel like your teacher is acting inappropriately, there are people you can talk to.
The Truth About IT
“IT security at a lot of places is a joke. You’d be horrified how at some high profile/hold a lot of your personal data there isn’t really an emphasis on security. Sure they do just enough but it’s more aimed at protecting their image and whatnot tha[n] your data” — Revolutionary_Dingo
Well, I can’t say I’m surprised, but to have it confirmed is a truly terrifying thought!
Stress Vets.
“The amount of suicide rates in the veterinary profession. Eight years after graduation and 2 of my classmates have committed suicide.
High stress, not fantastic pay, poor coping mechanism, bad clients, etc will wear anyone down after a time.” —theunraveler1
Not Very Convenient At All
“Worked 10pm to 8am shift at a gas station. The number of construction guys, factory workers, big truck drivers, basically “heavy machinery” guys who buy two pints of vodka (one for each pocket) every morning at 6am in their way to work is quite scary.” —BlurryRod
Not Everyone Becomes A Success Story
“I’m a homeless outreach worker. You’d be surprised how many of your friends from high school end up homeless.” — stephanieeeeh
Unfortunately, I think we all know one or two (or more) kids we went to high school with who haven’t gone on to do great things. Not everyone has the same opportunities you have. And not everyone is on the same path.
Unlawful
“Here’s a small sampling of what I can say about the legal profession:
Personal injury attorneys who advertise are typically good businessmen and terrible attorneys. They will do a great job negotiating with the insurance company, but can’t litigate a case to save their life.” — crimsonlaw
Not So Nice Off The Internet
“I work for a social media “influencer” who everyone praises for “keeping it real” and being such a nice and lovely person.
Reddit, she’s a huge bully and a total psycho. What you see in her posts is so fake. It’s scary to me that so many people look up to her and even say she has cured their depression or made them feel happy again. I’m glad that those people feel better about themselves but this girl is not a good person and has contributed to the mental breakdown of more than one person IRL. I wish people wouldn’t believe everything they see on social media. It freaks me out how she’s able to make herself look like such a saint when she’s so nasty.” —Eva_Luna
Sixth Sense
“Hospice nurse here. We can smell death coming. Also we can tell, with eerie accuracy, when. Every now and then we get surprised but ultimately, we’re able to tell what’s up and arrange things so the family (if any) can be close by them. If they have no family, we stick close to them.
Nobody deserves to feel alone at the end, but also… people tend to die when nobody’s looking. We can leave the room for 3 minutes and not be surprised a bit if we find out pt has passed in that short window of time. Happens with family too. My great uncle asked his wife to go get him a cup of coffee. In the 2 minutes it took for her to do so, he passed. Some folks just don’t want to be stared at as they die, and I don’t blame them.” —FunkinFRANCHtoast
Don’t Stray From The Trail
“Some of the people who go missing in the woods just aren’t found. We don’t know what happens to them. Forest rangers are always wary about missing persons in the woods.” —roguewolf
Working in such a massive office where people can easily get lost must put a terrifying amount of responsibility on a ranger.
The Worst Phone Calls Ever
“How many 911 calls that come in with screaming or other horrid noises on the other line, where we can’t make voice contact to confirm the location before they disconnect.
There are a lot of things we can do to find where a call came from, but every now and then there’s a perfect mix.of variables where there’s nothing we can do. And it’s heartbreaking.” — Sarothazrom
It’s A Dirty Job, But Someone Has To Do It
“I work for a company that (amongst other services) provides carpet cleaning. Vacuuming is one of the easiest corners for janitorial providers to cut so it rarely ever gets done to adequate levels. This means that office carpeting is absolutely FILLED with dirt, skin flakes, and literally any other nasty tiny thing you can picture.
Also, people in general are nasty too. In one night, in one facility, my team cleaned up piss, vomit, and blood stains on the carpet (wearing PPE of course.). The amount of skid marks we clean off office chairs is bonkers too.” — Gjiofnwek
Lifeguards Are Trained To Look Out For Signs Of Abuse
“I run pools. We make sure our swimming instructors have good training in spotting the signs of child abuse because we see so much more of your kid’s body than most other folks in their lives. Bathing suits don’t do much to cover up suspicious bruising.” — go_Raptors
It’s good to know that these people are trained for this sort of thing, even if it is quite unsettling for those in such positions.
What Lurks Behind Closed Doors
“The amount of dead bodies you have to deal with/walk in on. Property management for 5 communities with 2400 people. 95% college students, 60% of those in high stress, high octane majors. I’ve walked into 4 suicides in 5 months, and these have been people I’ve gotten to know, toured, worked with to cater to interests. I couldn’t imagine it was going to be like this, but I probably should’ve.” — Defiantly_Unsure
Property management isn’t the sort of profession you associate with the dead really, is it? Although, a lot of people do die in their homes — a cheerful thought for you there!
