Forgotten Jobs That Time Passed By
Jobs today are under the threat of AI, as more and more companies look to replace workers with automatized processes that are way cheaper, even when they are not as good as the real thing. However, this isn't news, as it has happened many times before.
The Industrial Revolution is probably the first thing that comes to mind, especially because AI-enablers use it as an example of progress and a reason to trust AI with pretty much everything. But in history, there were many more times were jobs people couldn't live without were quickly replaced with a better and faster alternative overnight.
Most of these have to do with the fast evolution of technology over the years, but others are simply not around anymore because they're not needed. Those jobs were created to help people with needs that don't exist anymore, thanks to modern medicine, revolutionary technology, and a lot of common sense.
So, here are some forgotten jobs that time passed by.
Milkman
Plenty of songs were written about milkmen, believe it or not.
Knocker Upper
During the Industrial Revolution, these guys were in charge of knocking on people's windows to wake them up. Decades later, wake-up calls would suffer the same fate.
Coal Stokers
We don't use that much coal anymore, thank god.
Human Computer
That's what these ladies were called. They were in charge of manually translating documents from one early computer to another, doing complex math before calculators, and more.
Leech Collector
Leeches were used to cure all kinds of illness back in the day, and some men went to pond to get bitten to collect them.
Typesetters
Anything that needed to be printed needed to be designed manually by a person arranging each and every character used, can you believe it?
Lamplighter
Thanks, Thomas Edison.
Resurrectionists
Medical schools were short on bodies to disect, so resurrectionists would snatch bodies out of their graves for research purposes.
Factory Lector
Workers used to spend every waking moment in the factory, so the Lector was their only form of entertainment. It was someone who'd read the newspaper or a book out loud.
Projectionist
There are still some of them around, but even lots of them think the digital format is much better to work with. Is there anyone studying to be a projectionist today?
Firemen
Like coal stokers, firemen were in charge of stoking the machinery fires and checking their temperature in factories.
Switchboard Operator
The early years of the telephone needed operators connecting the calls while speaking with callers and handling many things at once.
Switchboard Operator
Of course, for every room full of switchboard operators, there needed to be a manager making sure nobody was messing up.
Pin Setter
A human used to do this.
Ice Cutters
Before fridges were even a thing, Ice Cutters were in charge of cutting ice from frozen lakes and rivers, store them in a facility, and sell them.
Typist Pool Worker
There used to be a person in charge of typing documents, creating reports, and similar tasks. With computers and automated systems, all those tasks are now part of pretty much any job position.
Powder Monkey
The military used to hire kids to transport gunpowder from storage areas to the cannons during battle.
Log Driver
These muscular men were in charge of taking logs along the river and into the mills for processing.
Elevator Operator
Some places still have these to look classy, but the buttons are right there, thank you very much.
Telegraph Operator
Before Switchboard Operators, Telegraph Operators were the kings and queens of telecommunications.
