What job did you have that is now/nearly obsolete?

starrynitecudsstarrynitecuds
in General

Back in the 90s, I did 1 hour photo developing from REAL camera film. I had to attend a 1-week class to learn the machine, safely remove the film from the canister (all by touch, no dark room), OSHA rules and regs (the fluids were hazardous materials), legal procedures, etc.
It was kind of scary, there was a chance of ruining someone's precious memories forever. Training was taken very seriously by everyone.
(We did have to view the photos for quality and to make sure there wasn't anything illegal. Immoral was MYOB, illegal involved police and legal procedures.)

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Comments

  • [Deleted User]FriendlyFemale (deleted user)

    In 1999, I worked in the Ad Services dept at the local newspaper. That specific paper is nearly all digital now, so my position of "tear sheet clerk" no longer exists there.

  • Mike403Mike403

    I took a photography class when I was in high school. The film cannot be exposed to any type of light so we had to go in a room that was pitch black and insert it into the canister(without being able to see anything) where the chemicals would be dumped in to develop it. The photo paper that it would eventually be transferred to can be exposed to red light without damaging it.

  • FuzzyManPeachFuzzyManPeach

    paperboy

  • CuddleHugs01234CuddleHugs01234

    Southern hostess one summer at Opryland in Nashville, TN. Pretty much walking around sweeping, but Opryland is gone. The job of sweeping is not obsolete though.

  • OhioMikeOhioMike

    My first real (meaning w-2 ) job was parking lot attendant at a Burger Chef Restaurant. I spent most of the day picking up cigarette butts out of the grass and bushes by hand . Dont see too many peeps doing that anymore lol. Burger Chef is gone and it’s pretty much Hardee’s now .

  • FuzzyManPeachFuzzyManPeach

    @CuddleHugs01234 OMG, I thought the word Opryland was obsolete

  • starrynitecudsstarrynitecuds

    @OhioMike I remember Burger Chef! They became Hardee's? Didn't know that.

  • TheFunCartelTheFunCartel

    When I was a little kid in Southern California in the late 1960s there was a Burger Chef right off base. They used to give out high quality thick plastic hand puppets plus other pretty cool toys. Their burgers were crap though.

  • PeopleLikeUsPeopleLikeUs
    edited June 2024

    Multilith operator

  • JohnR1972JohnR1972

    My first job, from age 13-19, was literally digging ditches. My dad owned an excavation company and we installed a lot of field drainage tile for farmers.

    I know that work is still done today but there is more automation (laser controlled ditching) now than when I was doing it.

    It was a huge step up in life when I took my 2nd job as a research lab technician while I was in college before becoming an electrical engineer upon graduation.

  • JubalJubal

    paperboy

    ^^this

  • JohnR1972JohnR1972

    @CuddleHugs01234 - Wow, I had not thought of Opryland since the mid 1980s. I only went there once but it was a very memorable time because of who I went with.

  • TheFunCartelTheFunCartel

    My first job was bag boy at a military commissary. The tips were awesome and I learned quickly who the General wives were because they would pay for you to go to their house and carry up the groceries. Back then bag boys took your groceries out to the car. I could make $80-100 in four hours. That was huge money back in the 1970s.

  • ShaneSchruteShaneSchrute

    Ahh this is a fun question. I used to do graphics for CompuServe’s proprietary software. They are a now defunct internet service provider like AOL. I worked there right out of college in 1997. AOL had just bought them. Then 6 months after I started they fired 2,500 people. I was one of them. They gave us all at least 6 months severance, access to a job search service, & my boss even let us come in after we were fired to secretly use CompuServe’s color copier.

    WOW the internet was a different, quirky thing in 1997. It’s not even the same thing now.

  • IronicMaidenIronicMaiden

    I did tech support for a dialup ISP.

  • pmvinespmvines

    Working since 15 and having more than one job at a time my entire adult life, I did retail , food , management , warehouse work , machine operator , factory, gas stations, animal clinics, pet stores , coffee shops, and dog training. I went to get my masters and licensure as a social worker a little later in life. As a social worker I have done hospice, hospital case management, intensive outpatient therapy, acute psych hospital and therapy, home health, dialysis clinic, assertive community treatment, and adult/child protective services. I would say that might I have done has become obsolete . In fact during the lockdown I was busier than ever.

  • PinkMalloPinkMallo

    My jobs have always been service-based, so they still exist. People will always needs other people- somehow...

  • starrynitecudsstarrynitecuds

    @pmvines and @PinkMallo That's a lots of words for "Not Applicable." LOL

  • LadyVelLadyVel

    I used to work cash office at a retail store... they replaced me and 2 others with a machine.

  • LenaFofennaLenaFofenna

    I used to be a manager/photographer at a JCP Portrait Studio and a PictureMe Studio (the ones that were in Wal-Mart)

  • Carrie_AnneCarrie_Anne

    Doing art that had to be prepared for color print using rubylith/amberlith film overlay. Using an X-Acto knife to cut and peel the overlay for spot color. I don’t know if I’m even explaining that right. I also used to do animation the old way, painting and inking cells.

  • TheMidnightOwlTheMidnightOwl
    edited June 2024

    An international hotel booking call center. Which some sick puppies tried to use as a 1-900 number at worst, and others often complimenting me on having a sexy/beautiful voice at best … I was 16-17.

  • pmvinespmvines

    @starrynitecuds
    Hey I still stayed on topic and didn't mention cheese or politics ...

  • Katelyn_BKatelyn_B
    edited June 2024

    I was a paper girl when I was a teenager. Another little, obsolete business I had going in college was typing things for people, complete with carbons.

  • MorpheusMorpheus

    Space Cowboy

  • WestsideMarcWestsideMarc
    edited June 2024

    .

  • OhioMikeOhioMike

    @TheMidnightOwl I betcha we chatted on the phone then! 🤣

    @HarleyGirlKate that typing term paper thing in college was huge! I could never afford it though. So I banged mine out on the old typewriter myself and / or back then you always asked the Prof if they accepted handwritten papers. Most did back in early 80's for me.

  • Katelyn_BKatelyn_B
    edited June 2024

    @OhioMike: Yes, there were a lot of students back then who couldn't type and business was good. So good I had trouble keeping up with the demand since I wasn't going to let it negatively impact my grades.

    It is good your professors accepted handwritten papers, and I can envision you furiously typing away using a couple of pencils or your index fingers on an old steampunk-looking manual. 🙂

    I took a typing class in 7th grade (manuals of course!) and bought an electric typewriter with some of my paper route & babysitting money.

    I loved that thing and used it a lot until I bought my first computer in college so I could use Wordstar. The old typewriter was pretty high tech in that it had ribbon and correction cartridges rather than ribbons on spools.

  • CuddleHugs01234CuddleHugs01234

    @FuzzyManPeach Yep, I was a member of a facebook group that loved Opryland. I couldn’t stay on it though past a few days, cause they just could get past that it closed.

    @JohnR1972 very cool.

  • achetocuddleachetocuddle

    @HarleyGirlKate You've had such an interesting life and you have worked your tail off too! I do not miss using carbon paper.

    I used to work for the home office of a national chain restaurant in the early 80s. Back then the paychecks were signed by inserting each paper check into the check-signing machine and pressing a button. I helped payroll with that when I was not busy with the accounts payable job I was hired for. I helped them so much they bought me a bracelet for Christmas, lol. Those were the days, especially when the test kitchen cooked and gave us the food. I ate all that food plus my regular 3 meals a day and was skinny as a stick.

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