12 Jobs That Used To Exist — But No One Does Anymore
Before automation and technology took over, people held some pretty fascinating (and, let’s be honest, slightly bizarre) jobs.
From switchboard operators plugging in calls to knocker-uppers rapping on windows to wake people up, these obsolete jobs were once essential but have since vanished into history.
1. Switchboard Operator
Nowadays, you pick up your iPhone, click a contact, and connect within seconds. In the early days of phoning, however, switchboard operators piled into a room of buttons to connect calls for folks. “Operator, get me the Five and Dime!”
2. Milkman
Before refrigerators were a household staple, the milkman used to stop by and deliver milk to people — in smaller glass bottles instead of bulky plastic jugs. Daily deliveries helped people avoid spoiled milk.
3. Lamplighter
Before those summer nights when the street lights came on automatically, notifying us to high-tail it home on our bikes before Mom came looking for us, lamplighters manually lit street lanterns with flames.
4. Knocker-upper
“I slept through my alarm” is one of the most widespread excuses for being late to work, but what about the days before your cell phone could wake you up or that nightstand alarm clock could blare incessantly? Knocker-uppers (despite their provocative-sounding name) were tasked with using a long pole to tap on your bedroom window and wake you for work. My, how far we’ve come.
5. Bowling Alley Pinsetter
It’s all automatic now, but in the earlier days of bowling alleys, pinsetters manually reset the pins after each turn.
6. Ice Cutter
If you had told someone 100 years ago that one day there would be a refrigerator with a built-in freezer that churned out either crushed or cubed ice by the push of a button, they would’ve accused you of witchcraft and sent you to trial.
7. Rat Catcher
This might be the profession we’re most glad isn’t in high demand these days. Sure, there are still exterminators, but a rat-specific profession indicates a much more severe and widespread epidemic we’re glad we aren’t a part of.
8. Elevator Operator
Which floor, sir? Now it’s just an ordinary, unfriendly button. Womp womp.
9. Computer (Human)
Today, “human computer” is just a colloquialism, but it used to be an actual profession before computers and calculators could handle the task of complex computations. Imagine the headache after a long day at that job.
10. Lector
Lectors were today’s equivalent of having the radio on or listening to a podcast or audiobook while you work. They would stand in the middle of the warehouse and read while workers did their job, helping cut through the silence and provide a little entertainment during the workday’s monotony.
11. Gandy Dancer
No dancing was involved in this now obsolete job. Instead, gandy dancers were railroad workers who laid and repaired railroad tracks before mechanized equipment took over the task.
12. Soda Jerk
These were not Coca-Cola drinking twits if that’s what you derived from the job title. Instead, soda jerks operated soda fountains and made various drinks with ice cream, flavored syrups, carbonation, and other ingredients. It’s all just a button now, like so many other bygone roles.