What careers did the shittiest people you know personally get into?

I mean shitty as in immoral, unempathetic, pathological liars, untrustworthy, selfish

52 comments

He became a cop.
- Positions of power attract the corrupted
  
  The worst part is that it's not just that it's a position of power, it's that there's also very little else about it that's desirable. Your entire job is to show up places and tell people to stop doing things they want or feel that they need to be doing, and often that they're willing to physically attack you for interfering with. The pay is also pretty mediocre overall. So if you want overall pleasant interpersonal interactions or a decent wage, you'd have to go elsewhere. If all you want is power over other human beings, that job will be a great fit for you.

I'm an attorney and I've met more than a few with "Dark Triad" (narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy) personality traits.

One started as a cop but got fired after allegedly assaulting a suspect. He fell back on being a prison guard, but didn't last long there, either. Now he has a job with a freight railroad.
Another was lined up to inherit his dad's business, but instead got into drug dealing and eventually murdered someone. Now he's in prison for life.

Local politician ... a member of town council but also a character that just hung onto any and all political positions related to local politics. He never did much expect make money for himself. If he didn't get on council, he would try for mayor, and if he got neither, Financial Controller, Administrator, Manager, whatever, as long as it was with the town. He was in essence a salesman because he could talk circles around most people with political language and a bit of education, especially when he dealt with the uneducated or gullible people. It was basically his entire career and he's well on his way to retiring after having done nothing for anyone else or the town.

Cops. Without a doubt. Its the career path for highschool bullies who want authority and respect, but are too stupid to become doctors or lawyers, so they pick up a badge and a gun as a shortcut to "respect by implied threat"

My high school bully graduated second in our class and clearly thought he was destined to great things. Ran into him four years later, he was attending grad school a few states over. Confirmed he was still an asshole.
Looked him up a decade later. He's a grade school teacher. Teaching is an incredibly noble pursuit and a miserably thankless job. I hope he's enjoying it.
- Pretty sure his students aren't.
- This is kind of amusing, because I know at least one engineer from college who got a big exit from his first startup and become a math teacher because he wanted to do something more noble than the startup grind.

Seen lots of psychos in upper management. Lots of two faced weasling, lying, backstabbing, torching relationships, stepping over people in their thirst for power over others.

One of my schoolmate was a serious asshole. Our guesses for his future were either he'd be a lawyer, or he'll make a career in the FDP (a more money for the rich kind of political party here, with a "liberal" label).
I was not surprised to learn that he is lawyer, working for exactly that party.
- Grüezi ;)

finance, but then I went to the University of Chicago
- Just popped up in my rss feed about the Gracias donation. $20 million from Musk's buddy and DOGE douche. Keepin' it classy, UofC.

Biggest douche asshole I remember from HS wanted to be a politician. I hope he failed and burns in Hell.

Roles where the company matters more than the people to accomplish strategic business goals and initiatives. Where public relations matters and they are politically nice to your face but not behind closed doors.
Roles where to get ahead, you need to be better than someone else so putting people down (gossip, bashing, other stupid games) is normal. Encourages office politics and power is important.
Where being caring and compassionate doesn't get you ahead.
Human Resources. It's almost like all the pretty, cool girls from highschool- the bullies, the mean girls- went into HR.
Not targeting anyone in particular. There are lots of kind people in HR.

Elderly care. If I had to guess it's not because they're good at it, but more because you don't really need to be smart to get into it. Reputation-wise it's a step above working at McDonald's in this country (which is a shame).