Retro Jobs That Millennials Won't Have Even Heard Of
Bored of the humdrum of your 9 to 5? Want to try something new? Well, unfortunately, you won't find any of these jobs in the classifieds anymore. It might be a good thing that some of these more bizarre roles have been taken over by automation and computers — leech collecting, anyone? In some cases, it’s amazing they ever existed at all. Toad doctors and gong farmers, we're looking at you! Read on for the ultimate list of jobs from the past. Just be advised that your careers advisor probably won't be able to help you bag a spot in any of these retro professions.
1. Typesetter
Before desktop publishing, page layouts had to be rendered by hand before being loaded onto a printing press. In the late 19th century, each letter and space was painstakingly hand-selected and laid out on a metal typesetting machine to print the daily newspaper. But then, in the 1960s, along came phototypesetting. Naturally, the simplified process took off, making the role redundant.
2. Town crier
Today we get to hear about all breaking news as it happens via TV, radio, or social media. But before the convenience of having the whole world's headlines at just the press of a button, important news was shared in a much different way. From the 1700s right up until the early 20th century, town criers would wander the streets ringing a bell and bellowing urgent news to their communities.
3. VCR repairman
Anyone in their 30s or older will likely remember video cassette recorders. Before Blu-rays and Netflix, movies and TV box sets were sold or rented on videotape. Now, those tapes sometimes got stuck and the slot on the VCR was often an invitation for kids to post sandwiches. The VCR repairman, then, was your only option if you wanted to continue to binge your favorite shows.
4. Video store clerk
Just as the VCR repairman became extinct, so did the role of the video store clerk. Blockbuster was like a lending library for video tapes, and later, DVDs. Its staff was as knowledgeable about movies as librarians are about books. In its heyday in the mid-’00s, the chain employed almost 60,000 staff in the U.S. However, streaming services made Blockbuster and its employees unnecessary.
