Jobs Worse Than HR

Because it’s Friday and you don’t want to work, I’m giving you a link to Nine Extremely Odd Jobs via Digg. I think it’s worth a look — and a 30 minute discussion with your colleagues in the break room.

Hey, can you get me a donut while you’re in there?

Just so you know, I think the worst job on the list is Podiatrist for the Indigent.

Podiatrists make good money—averaging $108,220 in 2006 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics—but it is a job few people can stomach: treating toenails gone wrong, banishing plantar warts, cutting off bunions, and dealing with problem feet, all day, every day. There is one population of clientèle who categorically have the most troubled feet of all: the homeless. Substance abuse problems coupled with chronic disease (like diabetes) and lack of proper (or any) footwear can lead to unchecked infections, tinea eating away at the flesh between toes, and other oozing, pussing maladies. The podiatrists treating this population often volunteer their time at free clinics, making their commitment to dealing with troubled tootsies all that more admirable.

Oh my god, right?

6 Responses to “Jobs Worse Than HR”


  1. 1 col May 9, 2008 at 2:28 pm

    that is totes nasty and totes admirable.

  2. 2 Florinda May 9, 2008 at 5:12 pm

    My uncle is a podiatrist. I’ve never had more respect for his work that I do right now.

    I worked at a zoo for four years (in finance/administration). Most of the time, I loved it, but let’s be honest: at a zoo, someone always has a worse job than you do.

  3. 3 Laurie May 9, 2008 at 6:13 pm

    @Cols it might be toesnasty and toes admirable.

    @Florinda I had bunion surgery many years ago and I apologized profusely for my ugly feet. Seriously, those dawgs were malformed. The podiatrist told me that he received lots of satisfaction from his job because he gave people SERIOUS relief from pain. So that’s a good & healthy attitude.

  4. 4 hr wench May 9, 2008 at 8:52 pm

    I met a “foot nurse” once. She was like one of four in the STATE or something crazy like that. She travelled locally from adult foster homes to skilled nursing facilities, etc providing foot care to the elderly. What a woman!

  5. 5 Rachel Robbins May 9, 2008 at 8:55 pm

    I think of this like I do a dentist, who wakes up as a child and decides this is their calling (unless they have a foot fetish).

  6. 6 Laurie May 9, 2008 at 9:31 pm

    @HR Wench Oh boy, the two worst things in the world: feet & nursing. That is one strong woman, yo.

    @Rachel I would also throw proctologists into this category.

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Laurie Ruettimann: Who Cares?


Laurie Ruettimann is a punk rock, Human Resources professional with extensive Fortune 500 experience. She writes and speaks about business trends, employment, Corporate America, and permanently opting-out of the rat race.

She also believes you should spay & neuter your pets.


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