a series on obsolete jobs

I can count one of my daily worries as one that focuses on the future of my profession
and my place in it.

I often catch myself thinking backwards,

wondering how it was for people in my same place of worry and anxiety 

about making a living and living well, in a different generation, a different era.

This week is spring break for me, and it is the first time in a long time that I have had a few free days,
as you can tell by my recent hiatus here.
I do love my work (both professionally and as a student) and do not know who I would be without it.
However, that work-life balance is a tricky negotiation,
especially as I am in such an extended transitional status, not really working full-time,
yet feeling the effects of many long days in a row and increasingly shorter months.

The next few days will be a series of posts on obsolete jobs

a window to and in honor of times past, and how that existence still relates to us today.

The first one:

I found Dad's and my oldest brother's ideal profession had they lived a century earlier,
a knocker-upper.

"Plenty of jobs exist today that didn’t exist 10, 20 or 30 years ago – social media analyst, app developer, etc. – but we’re not exactly awash in jobs, either. So what happened to all of those old jobs? This list of pictures will go over a few jobs that have gone the way of the dinosaur.

The disappearance of the majority of these jobs can simply be attributed to technological advances. Modern bowling alleys have elaborate systems that collect balls and pins, so pinsetters are no longer necessary. With the spread of proper refrigeration, ice cutters became a thing of the past.

While the world’s hordes of unemployed students may disagree, it’s probably a good thing that most of these jobs are gone. Some of these jobs were very dangerous, and some even employed children. (historical child labor in the U.S).

Knocker-uppers were essentially alarm clocks – they were hired to ensure that people would wake up on time for their own jobs. They would use sticks, clubs or pebbles to knock on clients’ windows and doors. 

 

via {bored panda}