(AOLJOBS) Clinical depression is not just a disease of the unemployed or an uninvited visitor around the holiday season. No, clinical depression tends to afflict the employed and can hover over them every minute of their working day, no matter the season of the year.
Psychology Today lists 10 career paths which have been found through research, observation, or just working in them to be associated with the blues or even more serious mood swings down the rabbit hole. Here they are. Just reading about them might bring you down.
1. Nursing home/home care.
You slave on behalf of those whose care depends on you, but your job is low on the totem pole and you receive little positive feedback. Unless you’re the Mother Teresa type, this can be a rough way to earn what is probably just above minimum wage.
2. Health care.
With all the changes in billing in health care, the malpractice lawsuits, and the emergence of the consumer who researches everything, even if you’re higher up the totem pole in the health care system, you’re probably not smiling much. And everyone is telling you that you should be grateful that you at least have a job.
3. Creative professions.
The nature of the creative process puts profound demands on writers, actors, and painters, but so few barely eke out a living. Forget making it big. Because of irregular assignments you tend to be isolated, which can force you inward — and into a black hole of existential despair.
4. Teachers.
Gone is the ‘Mr. Chips’ world in which a teacher could make a difference and be remembered by generations of students. That has been replaced with hostility and lawsuits by parents, students, and administrators. Also, in these budget-challenged days, forget job security. You do have it rough.
5. Food service.
It’s one thing to labor as a young waitress or waiter with a dream. It’s another to do this as your profession. Rude customers, stressed-out employers, and low wages make the work a daily ordeal. Sometimes, the place doesn’t even provide you with a meal any more.
6. Social Work.
This is a story with many grim episodes and few happy endings. Abused and molested children, successful people who become mentally ill and lose everything including a roof over their heads, and battered spouses are the daily realities. Yet, that’s your job, at least for now.
7. Administrative support staff.
In downsized organizations, you are responsible for more and more, but have little authority. If things go well, you are rarely recognized or rewarded. If things go badly, you are often targeted for blame.
8. Sales.
This is a line of work with much more rejection than acceptance. Yet, selling or trying to, is the job description. If you don’t make your numbers or quotas, you could be out on the street. That might force you to look into other lines of work. No newsflash, sales has high turnover.
Money is no joke. Those who put theirs in your hands expect you to do well by them. Yet, there are so many uncertainties in the business of creating wealth. You rarely have much control over what determines gains and losses. No one likes you when you aren’t making a lot of money for them.
10. Maintenance.
When things break down, don’t look perfect, or don’t operate as expected, you are called in. That means you encounter your employers, clients, and customers under lousy conditions. Will they thank you when you fix the mess? Don’t expect it.
To this list of 10, you might want to add your own profession. Is your job making you low in spirits?
