With countless occupations and professions people do in this world, it’s easy not to know much about how a day at work looks for everyone else except you.
In that sense, we know very little about what doctors, journalists, firefighters, truck drivers and all the others really do while on duty.
So Bored Panda created this list of pictures that show the invisible side of different jobs we don’t get to see often, if ever. The photos from on duty speak stories without any words, so pull your seat closer and enjoy the ride!
#1 Sometimes Working Night Shifts Has Rewards
Image credits: seagull_smuggler19
#2 A Dog I Knew In My Last Job. My Job Was To Receive And Redistribute Things Like Food, Medication, Clothing, Blankets And Toys To People Who Need It
Image credits: iizanasshole
#3 To The Karens That Can't Wear Masks. I Have Asthma And Work 13-Hour Shifts In This
Image credits: mitchellkgreen
"The absolute perfect job probably doesn’t exist," Christine Mitterbauer, a licensed and ICF-approved career coach and serial entrepreneur, told Bored Panda in an interview. Having said that, she believes that it’s possible to get a job that is 90% perfect.
"Where most people go wrong however is by thinking they can achieve this in a few months, whereas especially if they’re looking for a career change, you need to think long-term and be willing to work hard to achieve this," Christine explained.
She added that even in a fantastic job, there will be bad days or even weeks. "So you always need to keep the big picture in mind, as well as get clarity on what work values are most important to you."
#4 Firefighter Buddy Saving A Tiny Kitten
Image credits: AptMoniker
#5 Exhausted Firefighters Resting After Fighting Multiple Fires That Are Still Fustigating Central Portugal. They Are Our National Heroes
Image credits: breakkz
#6 I Work At A Cat Shelter. These Are The “Can We Keep Him?” Photos I Sent To My Partner. It Worked
Image credits: parisburnscp
In Western society, it’s common for a career to define who you are. In fact, we put so much emphasis on our careers that for some, their lives are put on hold to accomplish the professional goals, aspirations, and accomplishments that culturally symbolize success.
If there’s anything the worldwide pandemic taught us, it's rethinking our priorities and values in life, including our work and life balance. Many employees switched to partially or fully remote work, while others quit en masse, which caused the Great Resignation.
#7 Dutch Firefighter After Dousing A Fire In Freezing Conditions
Image credits: japie06
#8 I Work In The Film Industry And I'm Usually Too Shy To Ask For A Picture With An Actor, But I Had To Get One With This Little Guy
Image credits: cody_p24
#9 I Work At A Call Center. Whenever I Get A Particularly Rude Caller, I Like To Draw What They Might Look Like. Here’s Lorraine From Today
Image credits: SerAntwon
In a previous interview with Bored Panda, Dr. Gleb Tsipursky, the best-selling author and CEO of Disaster Avoidance Experts, explained that the Great Resignation is a phenomenon that began in 2021, where a large number of people across various industries and countries decided to voluntarily leave their jobs.
“This mass exodus from the workforce was primarily driven by a combination of factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic, changing work-life balance expectations, and increased demand for higher wages and better working conditions.”
#10 I Work At A Funeral Home And During A Service Today, Bumped Into An Old Painter
Image credits: Nerf_AK47
#11 Insanely Jealous Of My Wife's New Working Conditions
Image credits: ClintPickleswood
#12 Found This Little Guy At Work Today
Image credits: Boyinthecorn
The pandemic prompted many workers to reevaluate their priorities, leading them to seek out more fulfilling and flexible work opportunities. Additionally, government stimulus packages and unemployment benefits provided a safety net for some people, enabling them to take time to reconsider their career paths.
#13 My Uncle, Who Works On An Arctic Research Vessel, Got An Unexpected Visitor Today
Image credits: johnny_love
#14 I’m Working At A Pop-Up Animal Shelter At A Local High School For Hurricane Ian
Image credits: EmilyKauai
#15 While North America Freezes, These Guys Are Fighting Bushfires In Tasmania, Australia As The Mainland Bakes At 116F
Image credits: x__________________-
#16 Found This Little Trash Heart In My Work Dumpster This Morning
Image credits: Colinmandogg
#17 Exhausted Firefighters In Australia
Image credits: Sumit316
#18 Every Thursday Morning My Little Nephew Waits For The Garbage Man To Arrive So He Can Help. Today They Brought Him A WM Hat To Wear
Image credits: Benzona
#19 A Firefighter From Washington State After Battling The Wildfire
Image credits: Go_Habs_Go31
#20 We Use Hulk Hands To Move Cacti At My Work
Image credits: catnip4sale
#21 Photos I've Taken While Working As A Flight Paramedic In The Canadian Arctic
Image credits: TheNewNorth
#22 My Mum Is A Florist Who Occasionally Sends Me Pictures Of What She's Working On
Image credits: BudgetYam5
#23 I Work In A Bar Owned By A Lord And Lady Who Live In A Castle On An Island You Can Only Walk To At Low Tide
Image credits: Colenso
#24 This Is The Hand Of A Doctor After Removing His Medical Precautionary Suit And Gloves After 10 Hours Of Duty
Image credits: AwanishSharan
#25 One Of My Favorite Things About Working In The Ski Fields
Image credits: Obi_Wans_Canopy
#26 My Mom Works At Amazon And She Sent Me A Photo Of One Of The Trucks She Loaded
Image credits: MDMAbleToShine
#27 I Am A Remote Worker. I Chose This Desk To Work From Today
Image credits: MAC-n-CHZ
#28 Northern Lights This Morning At Work
Image credits: Service-Apart
#29 My Sister Caught Her Husband Sleeping On The Job. He’s A Very Hard-Working Dairy Farmer In Wisconsin
Image credits: SendMeASelfie
#30 Part Of My Night Shift Tasks At My Job Is To Feed The Outside Cats That Come Every Night
Image credits: RuGaard98
#31 My Friend Sent Me A Before/After Photo Of Him Cable Managing The Servers At Work
Image credits: RepChar
#32 My Arm After Grinding Fiberglass All Day
Image credits: P3nguLGOG
#33 My Friend Mike Is A Veterinary Dentist. Sometimes His Job Takes Place Inside A Lion's Mouth
Image credits: Yugom5966
#34 Took This Photo Yesterday At Work. Thought I'd Share It With You Guys
Image credits: Cheesedude666
#35 Being A Pilot In Northern Canada Has Its Perks
Image credits: paquette977
#36 This Is My Husband After Working All Day In -57F
Image credits: SharonTate69
#37 Got My First Job In An Observatory
Image credits: Soliastro
#38 We Have A Cutout Of Our Boss At The Office For When He Works Abroad
Image credits: NoAnybody
#39 My Work Buddies Sometimes Take Pics Of Me On The Job. My Mom Is Not A Fan
Image credits: DrBreveStule
#40 We Got These Giant Screws In At Work Today For Mounting Solar Panels
Image credits: smokeymctokerson
#41 These Carrots That Grew Around Each Other At The Farm I Work At
Image credits: Effective-Ad-3897
#42 Album From My Work As A Field Geologist On The Remote East Coast Of Greenland With Mountains, Ice, And Polar Bears
Image credits: CPHMermaid
#43 I Work At A Hotel, A Guest Left This When They Checked Out
Image credits: ShinobiHolmes
#44 My Sister Works In The Photo Department And That's Who She Was Asked To Photograph For Documents
Image credits: annkass
#45 It Is -45°F (-43°C) Where I’m Working Today (South Dakota)
Image credits: SoDakZak
#46 Be Nice To Your Trash Man When It's Raining And It's 30 Degrees Outside. We Are Not Invincible. This Is My Hand After Working 4 Hours In That Weather
We had to stop for new gloves otherwise I probably woulda got frostbite.
Image credits: SubzeroMK
#47 It’s Someone’s Job To Hoover The Whale At The American Museum Of Natural History (NYC)
Image credits: Fellatijo
#48 Mineral Named Turgite - Found This Today While Working In An Iron Ore Mine, Remote Western Australia
Image credits: tony_the_greatest
#49 My Dad Worked At A Place That Makes Car Windshields. Here Is The Excess That Gets Blown Out The Side. Person For Scale
Image credits: Tezza_TC
#50 Life Of A Sailor
We live in cabins, each one by one. Depending on the position, the cabins can be better and larger. There is also a separate bathroom, shower, toilet, and wash basin.
Image credits: volk646