What are some "demanding" or intense jobs?
September 22, 2023 8:55 PM Subscribe
I have a hypothesis that I want a demanding, intense job. Can you help me come up with a list of jobs that are demanding or intense in a certain way?
My cousin worked towards her current role because she found other jobs / specializations "boring", and wanted a "challenge". My cousin is a cardiac surgeon. I am not a cardiac surgeon or in the medical field in anyway, but these were the same words I used for years and years (and still do!) to complain about what I didn't like in my jobs.
I think I'm slowly coming around to this idea that I like or need intensity and challenge. Roller coasters, a-bit-more-than-slightly-too-difficult hikes, snowboarding, the last two weeks of my job where we were pushing super hard for a deadline in definitely not enough time, a good portion of my experience in architecture school - these are time periods where I've felt fully and maximally engaged. I would like to see what it would be like to have my job be more like this.
However, I think it needs to kind of fulfill a certain set of conditions -
I think there needs to be some kind of forcing function for the intensity, where there is some immediate-ish external demand that in some way affects me directly. For example, the idea of doing heart surgery is more appealing than doing research into heart diseases; the idea of being the person that is called in to prevent a bridge or building that is very obviously soon about to collapse is more appealing than being the person who is working very hard to prevent the possibility of it collapsing when designing it.
Also, I think it needs to be a majority of me doing the work directly, as opposed to coordinating or facilitating other people to do the work (eg CEO at a startup vs CEO at a large, established company; an example of an exception to this would be something like an air traffic controller).
Nice to haves:
- does good in some way / has a clear purpose
- some physicality involved (working with my hands, or otherwise involves using my body)
- pays well
Some examples I can think of, in no particular order:
- EMT, surgeon, nursing
- firefighter, wildland firefighter
- air traffic controller
- pilot (not sure)
- public defender (I'm not sure if this feels "intense" on a day to day way like the other things I describe, or if it would just feel stressful -- these feel different to me)
If you currently have a job that fits this criteria - please please tell me about it!
If you're just spitballing - please tell me why/which part exactly you think would be demanding!
Thank you so much.
My cousin worked towards her current role because she found other jobs / specializations "boring", and wanted a "challenge". My cousin is a cardiac surgeon. I am not a cardiac surgeon or in the medical field in anyway, but these were the same words I used for years and years (and still do!) to complain about what I didn't like in my jobs.
I think I'm slowly coming around to this idea that I like or need intensity and challenge. Roller coasters, a-bit-more-than-slightly-too-difficult hikes, snowboarding, the last two weeks of my job where we were pushing super hard for a deadline in definitely not enough time, a good portion of my experience in architecture school - these are time periods where I've felt fully and maximally engaged. I would like to see what it would be like to have my job be more like this.
However, I think it needs to kind of fulfill a certain set of conditions -
I think there needs to be some kind of forcing function for the intensity, where there is some immediate-ish external demand that in some way affects me directly. For example, the idea of doing heart surgery is more appealing than doing research into heart diseases; the idea of being the person that is called in to prevent a bridge or building that is very obviously soon about to collapse is more appealing than being the person who is working very hard to prevent the possibility of it collapsing when designing it.
Also, I think it needs to be a majority of me doing the work directly, as opposed to coordinating or facilitating other people to do the work (eg CEO at a startup vs CEO at a large, established company; an example of an exception to this would be something like an air traffic controller).
Nice to haves:
- does good in some way / has a clear purpose
- some physicality involved (working with my hands, or otherwise involves using my body)
- pays well
Some examples I can think of, in no particular order:
- EMT, surgeon, nursing
- firefighter, wildland firefighter
- air traffic controller
- pilot (not sure)
- public defender (I'm not sure if this feels "intense" on a day to day way like the other things I describe, or if it would just feel stressful -- these feel different to me)
If you currently have a job that fits this criteria - please please tell me about it!
If you're just spitballing - please tell me why/which part exactly you think would be demanding!
Thank you so much.
Underwater welding is pretty intense.
posted by OHenryPacey at 9:13 PM on September 22, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by OHenryPacey at 9:13 PM on September 22, 2023 [4 favorites]
B2B tech/software sales. ~50% of your take home is variable comp, and it's up to you to figure out how to blow past your target for the quarter/year, and bring home $$$. If you're in a company that is still innovating or your company is in a competitive environment, get ready to learn how to sell new products, face off against new scrappier competitors. You'll work w/ lots of different people internally at your company -- product sales, sales ops, legal, pricing, execs -- to get a deal approved. You'll work w/ lots of different people at your clients, talk to c-levels to sell in the value, understand requirements. Do you like the idea of cold calling / elevator-pitching / traveling?
This profession really does require significant internal motivation/drive -- will you stay up late trying to get another round of the contract to the customer because you're trying to get the deal signed before the quarter is over? If you are good, you will be well rewarded and can bop around to whatever hot new company that is hiring sales people.
posted by ellerhodes at 9:19 PM on September 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
This profession really does require significant internal motivation/drive -- will you stay up late trying to get another round of the contract to the customer because you're trying to get the deal signed before the quarter is over? If you are good, you will be well rewarded and can bop around to whatever hot new company that is hiring sales people.
posted by ellerhodes at 9:19 PM on September 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Commercial fishing, especially in those fisheries that still run according to time-limited openings (as opposed to a quota share system) has a lot of comparatively slow periods (boat maintenance, trip provisioning, travel to/from fishing grounds) punctuated by periods of intense physical activity where the success or failure of the whole venture hinges on conditions beyond the captain or crew's control and constrained to a very short period of time.
posted by Nerd of the North at 9:26 PM on September 22, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by Nerd of the North at 9:26 PM on September 22, 2023 [6 favorites]
Best answer: Any job in a small, young, rapidly growing organization, honestly. You can get this feeling in any industry, doing any job, if the culture and organization is right. To find an organization in this stage of its development, look for one which has just hit the point that it has become profitable, but which hasn't had time to develop any real systems or processes yet. The sky is the limit, creativity is rewarded, 'just make it happen, even if you have to pull all-nighters' is the watchword.
Caveat: the organization won't stay in this stage forever, and if you stick around long enough, you'll need to adapt, or get bored.
posted by agentofselection at 9:39 PM on September 22, 2023 [9 favorites]
Caveat: the organization won't stay in this stage forever, and if you stick around long enough, you'll need to adapt, or get bored.
posted by agentofselection at 9:39 PM on September 22, 2023 [9 favorites]
Best answer: Crane dogman - often a hundred+ metres up, telling the driver (who's usually out of visual) that you want 0.5 cm movement in one or more axis, while aware the street below has people, the weather's shifting...there's also a lot of mind-numbing waiting. Knowing the building and it's locale really really well is part of it too. Very physical. Did that for a few years.
My grandfather was a bomb designer /maker, very much a hands-on occupation. Probably not the light in the world you're seeking but he taught my dad explosives handling and demolition, which is useful. Most mines have an explosives engineer, but they're calm type people, even tho' result are dramatic.
Almost all intense jobs have a big dollop of waiting, training, seeking funding, cleaning, maintenance, admin....
posted by unearthed at 9:48 PM on September 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
My grandfather was a bomb designer /maker, very much a hands-on occupation. Probably not the light in the world you're seeking but he taught my dad explosives handling and demolition, which is useful. Most mines have an explosives engineer, but they're calm type people, even tho' result are dramatic.
Almost all intense jobs have a big dollop of waiting, training, seeking funding, cleaning, maintenance, admin....
posted by unearthed at 9:48 PM on September 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
Infosec.
posted by Special Agent Dale Cooper at 10:16 PM on September 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Special Agent Dale Cooper at 10:16 PM on September 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
Have you ever actually had some such job? Intensity without a sense of intrinsic purpose in your work gets really wearisome really quickly. You generally don't get to pace it yourself, so farewell casual get-togethers with friends, planned vacations, and full nights of sleep.
posted by praemunire at 10:27 PM on September 22, 2023 [25 favorites]
posted by praemunire at 10:27 PM on September 22, 2023 [25 favorites]
Someone who monitors and responds to emergencies in the power infrastructure, such as those who have to fix downed powerlines in storms or maintain the grid?
posted by itsflyable at 10:34 PM on September 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by itsflyable at 10:34 PM on September 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
Event planner would probably fit the bill, lots of hands on until you are rich enough to have staff, plenty of last minute changes and crises, mercurial clients, spectacular payoffs.
posted by Iteki at 10:43 PM on September 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by Iteki at 10:43 PM on September 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
Tech manufacturing, whether in a maintenance or engineering role, is certainly intense.
posted by janell at 11:02 PM on September 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by janell at 11:02 PM on September 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I'm a disputes lawyer working on very very big cases, and think it's the kind of job you're describing. I love it because of the mental challenge, constant need for creative problem solving and being "the main person" for strategy and decision making. I also love the fighting with opposing counsel!
A word of caution: intense jobs are burnout jobs, even if you love them to start. Your cousin may have a great set up because there's a limit on how much surgery time you can do in a period, but there is no limit on how much time I can spend on a big case. Intense work is also often unpredictable, so you can't reliably count on time to decompress.
You might also think about building intensity into your life outside of work, like training for a demanding physical challenge, writing fiction, live music performances. If you have a well paying, stable but boring job, think of it as a time to recover from your hobbies.
posted by Chausette at 11:14 PM on September 22, 2023 [13 favorites]
A word of caution: intense jobs are burnout jobs, even if you love them to start. Your cousin may have a great set up because there's a limit on how much surgery time you can do in a period, but there is no limit on how much time I can spend on a big case. Intense work is also often unpredictable, so you can't reliably count on time to decompress.
You might also think about building intensity into your life outside of work, like training for a demanding physical challenge, writing fiction, live music performances. If you have a well paying, stable but boring job, think of it as a time to recover from your hobbies.
posted by Chausette at 11:14 PM on September 22, 2023 [13 favorites]
Customer service is a fucking nightmare of panicking people, screaming, crying, constant emergencies and lots and lots of helping people. Yay help! Just hop into a call center or a front counter position and your life will not be dull!
I WILL TRADE YOU JOBS, I SHIT YOU NOT. My job fits all of your qualifications (basically it's equivalent to the DMV, a "catchall everything" office where people end up because they can't figure out where else to go and we get EVERY GODDAMNED EMERGENCY THAT HAPPENS FOR THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATION). If you want constant adrenaline and panic and that makes you happy, clerical work in a public service position will fit the bill, except for "uses your body," but define that one as you will.
Especially pick a job where there's constant rotating shifts of who does what, because they will always be short staffed and everything will always be in panic mode. Every time there's a technical failure, a deadline, some kind of payment being due, some kind of ANYTHING being due, we are swamped in panicking, hysterical people. Again, yay help!
(I do not recommend this as an actual job, mind you, but literally everyone else but me here just loooooves it.)
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:16 PM on September 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
I WILL TRADE YOU JOBS, I SHIT YOU NOT. My job fits all of your qualifications (basically it's equivalent to the DMV, a "catchall everything" office where people end up because they can't figure out where else to go and we get EVERY GODDAMNED EMERGENCY THAT HAPPENS FOR THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATION). If you want constant adrenaline and panic and that makes you happy, clerical work in a public service position will fit the bill, except for "uses your body," but define that one as you will.
Especially pick a job where there's constant rotating shifts of who does what, because they will always be short staffed and everything will always be in panic mode. Every time there's a technical failure, a deadline, some kind of payment being due, some kind of ANYTHING being due, we are swamped in panicking, hysterical people. Again, yay help!
(I do not recommend this as an actual job, mind you, but literally everyone else but me here just loooooves it.)
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:16 PM on September 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
Chef
posted by Grandysaur at 11:22 PM on September 22, 2023 [8 favorites]
posted by Grandysaur at 11:22 PM on September 22, 2023 [8 favorites]
If you are interested in the government's take on job attributes try O*NET. (Specifically check out the "Browse O*NET Data" section.)
posted by oceano at 12:13 AM on September 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by oceano at 12:13 AM on September 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I also have found a variety of jobs boring quite quickly, and I have been able to satisfy the need for "interesting" and "challenging" through being a professor.
I wouldn't say the compensation is high (though it depends on the discipline) and the stakes are not as life-or-death as your examples. But I would toss out that one of the biggest features that satisfies the aforementioned criteria for me is that there's constant novelty rather than intensity.
Examples: I teach new students, different classes, take on new research projects - and compared to K-12, there's more autonomy and flexibility in when/how you complete your work.
So I suggest you might want to consider expanding your search to jobs that provide pleasant sources of novelty.
posted by vegartanipla at 12:22 AM on September 23, 2023 [4 favorites]
I wouldn't say the compensation is high (though it depends on the discipline) and the stakes are not as life-or-death as your examples. But I would toss out that one of the biggest features that satisfies the aforementioned criteria for me is that there's constant novelty rather than intensity.
Examples: I teach new students, different classes, take on new research projects - and compared to K-12, there's more autonomy and flexibility in when/how you complete your work.
So I suggest you might want to consider expanding your search to jobs that provide pleasant sources of novelty.
posted by vegartanipla at 12:22 AM on September 23, 2023 [4 favorites]
Best answer: If you do want to look for intensity without all the burnout, I think you go to bigger organizations. It's one thing to do intensity as a day job where you hand off to the next timezone, and another (subtext: shitty) to carry the pager 24/7.
Incident response, speaking broadly, seems like it might work for you. External disasters, system crashes, security failures, compliance violations. Small organizations, because they won't use you 100% in incident response, will look for knowledge of their domain. Large organizations learn that the interpersonal skills and judgement to manage a response are transferrable.
posted by away for regrooving at 12:43 AM on September 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
Incident response, speaking broadly, seems like it might work for you. External disasters, system crashes, security failures, compliance violations. Small organizations, because they won't use you 100% in incident response, will look for knowledge of their domain. Large organizations learn that the interpersonal skills and judgement to manage a response are transferrable.
posted by away for regrooving at 12:43 AM on September 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
Best answer: There are a few seasonally intensive jobs: worth considering if you are concerned about the burnout of a constantly stressful one: event management, often, sales of anything bought chiefly (say) at Christmas time, farming at harvest time.
posted by rongorongo at 12:53 AM on September 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by rongorongo at 12:53 AM on September 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I have a friend who is a field worker in a charitable organisation. Think Red Cross, but it isn't. You go out when there is a war or a natural disaster, and work intensely to create whatever relief is needed. It's always different, the deadline is always now, there is a team spirit, and one gets to travel round the world.
If you have an architecture degree, your contribution might be infrastructure, like building relief camps or structures that can help people get out of a flood, or rehousing folks.
You can cold call the various organisations and offer your services. Obviously tell them straight up that you are looking for a job, not volunteer work. You could also look at the UN organisations, and see if there are jobs that fit you.
posted by mumimor at 2:09 AM on September 23, 2023 [7 favorites]
If you have an architecture degree, your contribution might be infrastructure, like building relief camps or structures that can help people get out of a flood, or rehousing folks.
You can cold call the various organisations and offer your services. Obviously tell them straight up that you are looking for a job, not volunteer work. You could also look at the UN organisations, and see if there are jobs that fit you.
posted by mumimor at 2:09 AM on September 23, 2023 [7 favorites]
Press officer in a newsworthy organisation. Crisis comms specialist. Reorganisation/transformation specialist. Probably broadcast production.
posted by plonkee at 2:53 AM on September 23, 2023
posted by plonkee at 2:53 AM on September 23, 2023
Best answer: I was a structural firefighter/AEMT for 16 years. Please tell me where it pays well so I can move there. I am trying to get back into it after my current break, even with all of the bullshit, but I’m a martyr and a masochist. It’s a lot of Hurry Up and Wait, like the military but with shittier benefits, the same/more harassment, and 30 year retirement instead of 20.
The training/hiring pipeline for large departments can take 2 years or longer. Most metro/large departments only hire once a year. So, application, civil service exam, CPAT or other physical agility test, first interview/background interview, polygraph, potential second interview, medical exam, and then uniform/turnout fitting. The organization can revoke their side of the contract at any time; the municipality might decide they don’t have it in the budget this year to hire more people and fire an entire rookie class (see: Baltimore about 12-13 years ago) and then you apply again. Smaller departments expect you to have 3-6 months of rookie school with fire/rescue certs already, in addition to 4 months for EMT, 6 for AEMT, or about a year or so for Paramedic. DOD wants all of that upfront also.
Schedules vary from the traditional 24/48 to Kelly 24/24/24/24/24/96, out west a lot of departments went to 48/96 because firemen can’t afford to live in the areas in which they work (most of SoCal). Your first year to year and a half you will be a probie. You will scrub toilets, mop floors, fix coffee (hot coffee shall be available at all times; keep the coffee maker clean, rook, or they will be on your ass). You are the last person to eat, and you better be the first one to finish because it’s time for you to clean again. You will be catching hydrants at your first x number of fires because you haven’t earned your slot to go first in yet. You will be out there scrubbing bay floors and washing the truck while the captain and maybe engineer will be inside in the heat/AC. You will get bled on, puked on, pissed on, shit on, and see a lot of sick and dead people. You will have a significantly greater risk of developing cancer than the general public. Fires cause cancer. Foam causes cancer. Hell, they found out our gear is giving us cancer. You will not sleep; I still have segmented sleep and wake up to phantom alarms in the middle of the night all of the time. Until you put your time in, you will not be able to schedule holidays as time off. That is reserved for people with multiple horns and then it trickles down; probies can usually get some time off in the late winter or early summer. You can always work timeswaps, but you have to make sure the guy you’re trading with will show up to your shift. I got to a point in my career where I didn’t work timeswaps unless someone was having a family emergency. Oh and we’re not *all* divorced, but most of us are, at least once. Substance abuse also used to be rampant, but I think they’ve been working on that the past few years. Statistically, you will have at least one coworker/friend who commits suicide during your career. You will go to a lot of funerals from cancer and heart disease.
Wildland is a different ballgame, and if you’re interested in that, I would suggest working for a private company rather than federal/state. The pay is better and you usually work x number of months on, x or y number of months off. You’re just gone often and it can be difficult to maintain relationships and a home base. But if you like intensity and like to travel, wildland is a good place to start. There’s no shortage of experience available, as well. Personally, I think being a baked potato is stupid when I could just jump out a window of a house on fire, but the people I have met who work wildland love it, and they, in turn, think structural firefighters are dumb. Mutual respect all around though. Wildland is also a viable path to an emergency management position, but that’s not very hands-on, it’s brains-on.
EMS is also a viable path. It pays the best out of all of the public safety designations and probably offers the most pathways forward. You can ride a bus, you can become a flight medic, you can become a traveling medic (with National Registry), you can get Critical Care cert, you can do long-distance patient transport, and it’s a surefire springboard to nursing or PA school. In many systems, you can pick up overtime in the ER or get hired with the hospital in addition to the service/municipality you work for. EMS also probably has the highest average number of reasonably intelligent (for values of intelligence) people in public safety. Medic shifts are usually 12-24 hours, and you can work days, nights, or whatever 12s the system offers. In our local system with the hospital, nights and the 3-3 trucks get shift differential pay, so they make more than the day walkers. You get to see some shit at night, too.
I’m not trying to dissuade you by any means, but I think a lot of people have this idea that public safety is going to be like Backdraft or Chicago Fire or something, when it’s really a lot more Emergency! and Barney Miller. Cleaning, cooking, sitting at a desk doing paperwork, fucking hydrant testing in August or hose testing all day. Pull all the hose off the truck! Test it! Empty it! Roll it up! Unroll it! Put it back on the truck! Oh, the LDH looks like shit because Bshift sucks and they can’t make a hose load look presentable if their lives depended on it? Pull it off and put it back on. Got a probie on your crew? Now we’re going to go in the yard and have them catch hydrants for the next 3 hours. Over and over and over. “Other duties as assigned.” Do you know how much painting I’ve done? Lawn maintenance? Stupid shit that the police department doesn’t want to do so it gets passed to fire?
But yeah, I miss it. Any specific questions? Memail me.
posted by sara is disenchanted at 2:54 AM on September 23, 2023 [21 favorites]
The training/hiring pipeline for large departments can take 2 years or longer. Most metro/large departments only hire once a year. So, application, civil service exam, CPAT or other physical agility test, first interview/background interview, polygraph, potential second interview, medical exam, and then uniform/turnout fitting. The organization can revoke their side of the contract at any time; the municipality might decide they don’t have it in the budget this year to hire more people and fire an entire rookie class (see: Baltimore about 12-13 years ago) and then you apply again. Smaller departments expect you to have 3-6 months of rookie school with fire/rescue certs already, in addition to 4 months for EMT, 6 for AEMT, or about a year or so for Paramedic. DOD wants all of that upfront also.
Schedules vary from the traditional 24/48 to Kelly 24/24/24/24/24/96, out west a lot of departments went to 48/96 because firemen can’t afford to live in the areas in which they work (most of SoCal). Your first year to year and a half you will be a probie. You will scrub toilets, mop floors, fix coffee (hot coffee shall be available at all times; keep the coffee maker clean, rook, or they will be on your ass). You are the last person to eat, and you better be the first one to finish because it’s time for you to clean again. You will be catching hydrants at your first x number of fires because you haven’t earned your slot to go first in yet. You will be out there scrubbing bay floors and washing the truck while the captain and maybe engineer will be inside in the heat/AC. You will get bled on, puked on, pissed on, shit on, and see a lot of sick and dead people. You will have a significantly greater risk of developing cancer than the general public. Fires cause cancer. Foam causes cancer. Hell, they found out our gear is giving us cancer. You will not sleep; I still have segmented sleep and wake up to phantom alarms in the middle of the night all of the time. Until you put your time in, you will not be able to schedule holidays as time off. That is reserved for people with multiple horns and then it trickles down; probies can usually get some time off in the late winter or early summer. You can always work timeswaps, but you have to make sure the guy you’re trading with will show up to your shift. I got to a point in my career where I didn’t work timeswaps unless someone was having a family emergency. Oh and we’re not *all* divorced, but most of us are, at least once. Substance abuse also used to be rampant, but I think they’ve been working on that the past few years. Statistically, you will have at least one coworker/friend who commits suicide during your career. You will go to a lot of funerals from cancer and heart disease.
Wildland is a different ballgame, and if you’re interested in that, I would suggest working for a private company rather than federal/state. The pay is better and you usually work x number of months on, x or y number of months off. You’re just gone often and it can be difficult to maintain relationships and a home base. But if you like intensity and like to travel, wildland is a good place to start. There’s no shortage of experience available, as well. Personally, I think being a baked potato is stupid when I could just jump out a window of a house on fire, but the people I have met who work wildland love it, and they, in turn, think structural firefighters are dumb. Mutual respect all around though. Wildland is also a viable path to an emergency management position, but that’s not very hands-on, it’s brains-on.
EMS is also a viable path. It pays the best out of all of the public safety designations and probably offers the most pathways forward. You can ride a bus, you can become a flight medic, you can become a traveling medic (with National Registry), you can get Critical Care cert, you can do long-distance patient transport, and it’s a surefire springboard to nursing or PA school. In many systems, you can pick up overtime in the ER or get hired with the hospital in addition to the service/municipality you work for. EMS also probably has the highest average number of reasonably intelligent (for values of intelligence) people in public safety. Medic shifts are usually 12-24 hours, and you can work days, nights, or whatever 12s the system offers. In our local system with the hospital, nights and the 3-3 trucks get shift differential pay, so they make more than the day walkers. You get to see some shit at night, too.
I’m not trying to dissuade you by any means, but I think a lot of people have this idea that public safety is going to be like Backdraft or Chicago Fire or something, when it’s really a lot more Emergency! and Barney Miller. Cleaning, cooking, sitting at a desk doing paperwork, fucking hydrant testing in August or hose testing all day. Pull all the hose off the truck! Test it! Empty it! Roll it up! Unroll it! Put it back on the truck! Oh, the LDH looks like shit because Bshift sucks and they can’t make a hose load look presentable if their lives depended on it? Pull it off and put it back on. Got a probie on your crew? Now we’re going to go in the yard and have them catch hydrants for the next 3 hours. Over and over and over. “Other duties as assigned.” Do you know how much painting I’ve done? Lawn maintenance? Stupid shit that the police department doesn’t want to do so it gets passed to fire?
But yeah, I miss it. Any specific questions? Memail me.
posted by sara is disenchanted at 2:54 AM on September 23, 2023 [21 favorites]
I had the same question a long time ago, and came up with classroom teacher. I taught for nearly 30 years, and though it was wearing and stressful it was always a lot of fun. I have taught elementary, middle, and college, various different subjects, and it was constantly challenging and absorbing, with a lot of physical movement and prep. It also has a chance of making a difference to your students if you're really interested.
posted by Peach at 5:24 AM on September 23, 2023 [8 favorites]
posted by Peach at 5:24 AM on September 23, 2023 [8 favorites]
Worker in a large, busy animal shelter. There's always some kind of craziness going on.
posted by alex1965 at 5:49 AM on September 23, 2023
posted by alex1965 at 5:49 AM on September 23, 2023
* Construction or welding at heights
* Explosive ordnance disposal
* FEMA work, or work for FEMA contractors
* Law enforcement, to some degree
* Mariner?
* Military or Coast Guard (certain positions)
* Oil rig work?
* Performer
* Rescue Swimmer
* Rodeo rider
* Search and rescue (usually volunteer)
* Window washer for skyscrapers?
* Wind tower repair?
posted by NotLost at 5:52 AM on September 23, 2023
* Explosive ordnance disposal
* FEMA work, or work for FEMA contractors
* Law enforcement, to some degree
* Mariner?
* Military or Coast Guard (certain positions)
* Oil rig work?
* Performer
* Rescue Swimmer
* Rodeo rider
* Search and rescue (usually volunteer)
* Window washer for skyscrapers?
* Wind tower repair?
posted by NotLost at 5:52 AM on September 23, 2023
Lineman for a power company is pretty demanding and intense. The joke among other electricians is that lineman don't have erasers on their pencils (because if they make a mistake they could easily end up dead).
posted by drezdn at 6:47 AM on September 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by drezdn at 6:47 AM on September 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
Youth work is this involving. Add grant management to this mix and you'll get burned out pretty quick.
Also, safeguarding lead.
posted by parmanparman at 7:35 AM on September 23, 2023
Also, safeguarding lead.
posted by parmanparman at 7:35 AM on September 23, 2023
For more sedentary work, jobs at startups can certainly be this way.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 8:02 AM on September 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 8:02 AM on September 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
You might be interested in this previous Ask about time-critical jobs.
posted by hovey at 8:06 AM on September 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by hovey at 8:06 AM on September 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
Transportation logistics can be high pressure. A product shipment is moving/needs to move right now and you need to coordinate the details. Finding a carrier, optimizing the product load for the most efficient use of space on the truck and an optimal delivery route, coordinating with the end user who will receive the load (which is often urgent if they in turn are trying to coordinate handing it off to another carrier for the next leg of the journey); all the while handling any issues that come up along the way (the planned driver calls in sick, so you need to find another driver and re-coordinate the delivery with the end user based on the new ETA, etc.)
It's not life-or-death intense like EMT or air traffic control, but everything is important-to-urgent, other people are depending on you and you generally have many such shipments happening in the same time frame and in different stages.
Logistics is important so that individuals and businesses are able to obtain the goods they need to live and work. It's been a big factor in many of the frustrating shortages that we've seen in the past few years. A breakdown in the process at any point along the way contributes to shortages of products for the consumer on one end, and a backlog on the other (stacks of shipping containers of product sitting in shipyards unable to move because the carriers can't pick them up fast enough.)
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 8:41 AM on September 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
It's not life-or-death intense like EMT or air traffic control, but everything is important-to-urgent, other people are depending on you and you generally have many such shipments happening in the same time frame and in different stages.
Logistics is important so that individuals and businesses are able to obtain the goods they need to live and work. It's been a big factor in many of the frustrating shortages that we've seen in the past few years. A breakdown in the process at any point along the way contributes to shortages of products for the consumer on one end, and a backlog on the other (stacks of shipping containers of product sitting in shipyards unable to move because the carriers can't pick them up fast enough.)
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 8:41 AM on September 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I would say pilot, especially one working for a private jet company. Piloting a plane is physically and mentally demanding, and you have to sustain that attention for the length of the flight. The reason I suggest private over commercial is that there is way more variability in scheduling, flight paths, even planes, which can be exciting for the right person. This really goes for any of the flight crew, so if you want to up the ante by adding customer service to the mix, flight attendant is probably as intense as it gets.
posted by ailouros08 at 9:19 AM on September 23, 2023
posted by ailouros08 at 9:19 AM on September 23, 2023
Best answer: Electrical system operator scheduler. Your job is not merely to “keep the lights on”, but also to ensure that just enough power is scheduled to do so (such that prices don't go too high), but also enough is able to come online instantly that the loss of your largest generation unit won't cause disruption. You're dealing with inputs from generators who may have been bidding on 5 or 15 minute ahead firm contracts. A major transmission line can go from normal operation to tripped out in about a tenth of a second.
If you're doing this in a country that's not an island, you also have to work with what neighbouring operators are doing too. So a large outage somewhere else could cause a frequency dip that you have to compensate for to prevent current surges that will cause your transmission to fail. Not every grid operator maintains the same standards, or even always operates in good faith (see: former Yugoslavian grids dicking with frequency to make their neighbours' grid fail).
posted by scruss at 9:42 AM on September 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
If you're doing this in a country that's not an island, you also have to work with what neighbouring operators are doing too. So a large outage somewhere else could cause a frequency dip that you have to compensate for to prevent current surges that will cause your transmission to fail. Not every grid operator maintains the same standards, or even always operates in good faith (see: former Yugoslavian grids dicking with frequency to make their neighbours' grid fail).
posted by scruss at 9:42 AM on September 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
I used to do a little bit of crisis communication/PR and you are basically paid on retainer to respond to crisis situations at all times. Very high pressure, time sensitive, and because it’s public facing you really don’t know what’s going to happen when.
If the idea of emergency phone calls at 10:00 pm and staying up to draft/strategize a response to be sent out by 6:00 am with the potential for very public embarrassment if you mess up sounds like an exciting job, this is it.
posted by forkisbetter at 9:50 AM on September 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
If the idea of emergency phone calls at 10:00 pm and staying up to draft/strategize a response to be sent out by 6:00 am with the potential for very public embarrassment if you mess up sounds like an exciting job, this is it.
posted by forkisbetter at 9:50 AM on September 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I also have found a variety of jobs boring quite quickly, and I have been able to satisfy the need for "interesting" and "challenging" through being a professor.
Same for me. There is that time crunch intensity external deadline - especially at the start of term, around exam time, final exams. I also like the waxing and waning nature of it. Like I have the really intense times where it's push push push then things settle down.
The novelty factor is also really important to me. I also enjoy having a fair degree of autonomy. Plus working with students always keeps things interesting - even the same lesson is always different b/c you're working with students.
Plus getting to be in the classroom is fairly hands on. I also like the intellectual stimulation.
posted by litera scripta manet at 9:50 AM on September 23, 2023
Same for me. There is that time crunch intensity external deadline - especially at the start of term, around exam time, final exams. I also like the waxing and waning nature of it. Like I have the really intense times where it's push push push then things settle down.
The novelty factor is also really important to me. I also enjoy having a fair degree of autonomy. Plus working with students always keeps things interesting - even the same lesson is always different b/c you're working with students.
Plus getting to be in the classroom is fairly hands on. I also like the intellectual stimulation.
posted by litera scripta manet at 9:50 AM on September 23, 2023
Best answer: I have had a varied set of jobs over the past sixty years.
The job I held that seems to fit your list is Farrier.
I was formally trained for a year before I apprenticed for six months to a master of the trade. I learned technical skills for forging metals, such as using different metals for different tools. I learned to make punches, chisels, tongs, hammers, and other tools and learned the finer points of creating horseshoes out of bar stock. This last is an intricate process; a good farrier can see adjustments as small as a hundredth inch.
I learned more about the internal workings of a hoof than most veterinarians know, how to read X-rays, and how to build corrective shoes or prosthetics. Tacking a shoe on a normal foot is a precise task, where a millimeter's change in the path of a nail can cripple a horse.
During this process, I learned to read a horse's attitude and handle the animal and myself accordingly. Some horses (or mules) can kill you if you are unaware of what's happening with them. The last thing you want to do when you are bent over with your back against a mule's belly with its foot between your legs is for that critter to be pissed off at you. So you learn to communicate with them.
This is an ongoing process. I was lucky to have good human and equine teachers and eventually specialized in handling rough stock. Most equines are not vicious, but all of them can be dangerous.
You probably won't make enough money as a farrier to keep gas in your Maserati, but you will accrue a well-spent life.
posted by mule98J at 10:59 AM on September 23, 2023 [8 favorites]
The job I held that seems to fit your list is Farrier.
I was formally trained for a year before I apprenticed for six months to a master of the trade. I learned technical skills for forging metals, such as using different metals for different tools. I learned to make punches, chisels, tongs, hammers, and other tools and learned the finer points of creating horseshoes out of bar stock. This last is an intricate process; a good farrier can see adjustments as small as a hundredth inch.
I learned more about the internal workings of a hoof than most veterinarians know, how to read X-rays, and how to build corrective shoes or prosthetics. Tacking a shoe on a normal foot is a precise task, where a millimeter's change in the path of a nail can cripple a horse.
During this process, I learned to read a horse's attitude and handle the animal and myself accordingly. Some horses (or mules) can kill you if you are unaware of what's happening with them. The last thing you want to do when you are bent over with your back against a mule's belly with its foot between your legs is for that critter to be pissed off at you. So you learn to communicate with them.
This is an ongoing process. I was lucky to have good human and equine teachers and eventually specialized in handling rough stock. Most equines are not vicious, but all of them can be dangerous.
You probably won't make enough money as a farrier to keep gas in your Maserati, but you will accrue a well-spent life.
posted by mule98J at 10:59 AM on September 23, 2023 [8 favorites]
Government relations/lobbying, during a time-limited legislative window. Similarly, electoral organizing, labor organizing, anything that can be described as a 'campaign' (rather than a 'mobilization'). This is basically event planning with a side of persuasion, hostage negotiation, systems management, rapid analysis, and schmooze.
I hate that I love it so much, but I love it for exactly the reasons you're talking about wanting.
posted by byzantienne at 1:42 PM on September 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
I hate that I love it so much, but I love it for exactly the reasons you're talking about wanting.
posted by byzantienne at 1:42 PM on September 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
Work at UPS, either in a facility or on a package truck. Either one is non-stop, physical work that has to go at pace. And the pace isn't set by you, nor is it open for discussion. You just go. All the time.
posted by pdb at 5:37 PM on September 23, 2023
posted by pdb at 5:37 PM on September 23, 2023
Everything you mention except physicality would fit meteorologist. (Hey I get to move a mouse around) Specifically ones who put out warnings for severe thunderstorms, flooding, winter weather, etc. Usually a time crunch in those situations, although you have a lot of quiet weather days too.
posted by weathergal at 5:51 PM on September 23, 2023
posted by weathergal at 5:51 PM on September 23, 2023
I was one of the Dandy Minions for a production of Taylor Mac's 24 Decade History of Popular Music. It was a 24 hour show (split over 4 6-hour sessions) that was highly immersive and super maximalist. Us Dandy Minions were actively performing for almost all 24 hours of it, plus an extra 24 hours (or more) of full-on rehearsal. Taylor had the hardest job out of all of us, being the only person that actually had to be present for all 24 hours (save for the occasional guest artist takeover) but it was still extremely intense and demanding and a hell of a ride. One of the best experiences of my life.
A lot of shows are pretty demanding and intense (mainstage Broadway comes to mind), but immersive productions (think Sleep No More) where you've having to manage audiences and move through venues and do both improv and scripted work at the same time seem like they'd up the ante on intensity.
posted by creatrixtiara at 10:17 PM on September 23, 2023
A lot of shows are pretty demanding and intense (mainstage Broadway comes to mind), but immersive productions (think Sleep No More) where you've having to manage audiences and move through venues and do both improv and scripted work at the same time seem like they'd up the ante on intensity.
posted by creatrixtiara at 10:17 PM on September 23, 2023
Phone tech support is in the sweet spot of "when you're in the call center it feels like everything is on fire all the time, you never know what's coming when you pick up the phone, and every day there's a chance you help a person in a way that changes their life" and "you clock out at the end of your shift and forget all about your job till you come in the next day."
posted by potrzebie at 8:37 AM on September 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by potrzebie at 8:37 AM on September 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
Title IX Coordinator for a college campus
posted by childofTethys at 9:03 AM on September 24, 2023
posted by childofTethys at 9:03 AM on September 24, 2023
Based on The Bear, and my own short stint as a line cook at a somewhat fancy restaurant: line cook or sous chef at a fancy restaurant. When the rush is on, it can be an incredibly intense experience getting the food out, both technically demanding (preparing the same dish, with consistent flavor and appearance, while the expeditor is yelling out new orders) and physically challenging (on your feet all day, great deal of hand / eye coordination required; my job also entailed hauling tubs of food from a basement prep kitchen upstairs to the line).
The sous chef would, generally, help run the kitchen & be able to jump in and help in basically any capacity. They'd also help develop new dishes w/ the chef, so there would be some creativity there as well. No idea what the pay is these days... I'd imagine high-end restaurant work to be exceedingly competitive, but rewarding for top performers.
posted by Bron at 10:58 AM on September 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
The sous chef would, generally, help run the kitchen & be able to jump in and help in basically any capacity. They'd also help develop new dishes w/ the chef, so there would be some creativity there as well. No idea what the pay is these days... I'd imagine high-end restaurant work to be exceedingly competitive, but rewarding for top performers.
posted by Bron at 10:58 AM on September 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
Many jobs in TV & Film have intensity (especially unscripted TV). Depending on the content of the show, it can feel altruistic, too.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 8:32 PM on September 24, 2023
posted by nouvelle-personne at 8:32 PM on September 24, 2023
Demanding or intense jobs require individuals to possess exceptional skills, knowledge, and mental and physical stamina. These jobs often involve high levels of responsibility, long hours, and the ability to perform under pressure. Here are some examples of demanding or intense jobs:
1. Surgeon: Surgeons are responsible for performing intricate and life-saving procedures on patients. They must have steady hands, excellent hand-eye coordination, and the ability to make critical decisions quickly in high-stress situations.
2. Air Traffic Controller: Air traffic controllers are responsible for safely guiding airplanes in and out of airports. They need to have exceptional concentration, quick thinking, and the ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously, as any mistake could have catastrophic consequences.
3. Firefighter: Firefighters put their lives on the line to save others and extinguish fires. They must possess physical strength, endurance, and the ability to think and act quickly in dangerous and unpredictable situations.
4. Police Officer: Police officers enforce laws, protect the public, and maintain order. They face challenging and potentially dangerous situations on a daily basis, requiring them to possess exceptional judgment, communication skills, and physical fitness.
5. Military Personnel: Serving in the military, whether on the frontlines or in a support role, requires individuals to endure physically and mentally demanding training. Military personnel must be disciplined, adaptable, and capable of making split-second decisions in life-threatening situations.
6. Airline Pilot: Airline pilots are responsible for the safe operation of aircraft and the well-being of passengers. They need to have excellent technical skills, situational awareness, and the ability to remain calm and composed in critical situations.
7. Emergency Room Physician: Emergency room physicians work in fast-paced, high-pressure environments, where they must quickly diagnose and treat patients who require immediate medical attention. They need to be able to handle a wide range of medical emergencies with precision and efficiency.
8. Construction Worker: Construction workers engage in physically demanding tasks, often working in challenging environments and adverse weather conditions. They must possess strength, endurance, and the ability to handle heavy machinery and equipment safely.
9. Professional Athlete: Professional athletes train rigorously and compete at the highest level in their respective sports. They must possess exceptional physical abilities, mental resilience, and the determination to push their bodies to the limit.
10. Stockbroker: Stockbrokers work in a fast-paced and competitive environment, where they buy and sell securities on behalf of clients. They need to possess strong analytical skills, the ability to make quick decisions, and the capacity to handle the pressure of fluctuating markets.
These jobs require individuals to consistently perform at a high level and face challenges that demand unwavering dedication, skill, and resilience.
posted by Motivationvibes at 7:15 AM on September 26, 2023
1. Surgeon: Surgeons are responsible for performing intricate and life-saving procedures on patients. They must have steady hands, excellent hand-eye coordination, and the ability to make critical decisions quickly in high-stress situations.
2. Air Traffic Controller: Air traffic controllers are responsible for safely guiding airplanes in and out of airports. They need to have exceptional concentration, quick thinking, and the ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously, as any mistake could have catastrophic consequences.
3. Firefighter: Firefighters put their lives on the line to save others and extinguish fires. They must possess physical strength, endurance, and the ability to think and act quickly in dangerous and unpredictable situations.
4. Police Officer: Police officers enforce laws, protect the public, and maintain order. They face challenging and potentially dangerous situations on a daily basis, requiring them to possess exceptional judgment, communication skills, and physical fitness.
5. Military Personnel: Serving in the military, whether on the frontlines or in a support role, requires individuals to endure physically and mentally demanding training. Military personnel must be disciplined, adaptable, and capable of making split-second decisions in life-threatening situations.
6. Airline Pilot: Airline pilots are responsible for the safe operation of aircraft and the well-being of passengers. They need to have excellent technical skills, situational awareness, and the ability to remain calm and composed in critical situations.
7. Emergency Room Physician: Emergency room physicians work in fast-paced, high-pressure environments, where they must quickly diagnose and treat patients who require immediate medical attention. They need to be able to handle a wide range of medical emergencies with precision and efficiency.
8. Construction Worker: Construction workers engage in physically demanding tasks, often working in challenging environments and adverse weather conditions. They must possess strength, endurance, and the ability to handle heavy machinery and equipment safely.
9. Professional Athlete: Professional athletes train rigorously and compete at the highest level in their respective sports. They must possess exceptional physical abilities, mental resilience, and the determination to push their bodies to the limit.
10. Stockbroker: Stockbrokers work in a fast-paced and competitive environment, where they buy and sell securities on behalf of clients. They need to possess strong analytical skills, the ability to make quick decisions, and the capacity to handle the pressure of fluctuating markets.
These jobs require individuals to consistently perform at a high level and face challenges that demand unwavering dedication, skill, and resilience.
posted by Motivationvibes at 7:15 AM on September 26, 2023
Response by poster: Thank you for all the great responses! This has been a fascinating read. I marked the ones that I personally resonated with or found interesting, and I'm certain I'll be chewing on some of these for a while.
posted by wym at 11:31 PM on September 28, 2023
posted by wym at 11:31 PM on September 28, 2023
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posted by wym at 9:06 PM on September 22, 2023