As everyone here seems to recall their blue-collar jobs, let me list some of the difficult or bizarre jobs I worked:<p>* Aluminum factory. Lots of acidic vapor from the bath where aluminum pieces are washed before painted. Large heaps of aluminum pieces are carried by hand between stations. Your back is breaking by the end of the day so much so it's hard to lie down straight in bed.<p>* Roofing materials factory. I worked in the section that made and portioned sealant. The day consists of eight hours of putting a ten liter bucket on the scales, opening the faucet, waiting for the bucket to fill, and then putting it on a pallet. Add to the whole experience the fact that the factory is in the desert where heat reaches 40 degrees Celsius most days during summer. Your clothes are permanently wet and display large sediment of salt. Rephrasing WH4K, your clothes break <i>way before</i> than you do. Any shirt, boots, pants will disintegrate in a matter of weeks.<p>* Bakery. I was hired to help baking doughnuts for Hanuka. 16 hour shifts. Start 5 in the morning and 9 in the evening you crawl home to try to get some sleep. If it wasn't so cold, I'd probably just sleep on the bench in front of the factory.<p>* Walking a bear cub (it was in a circus). Not physically difficult but scary as hell. Also the smell...<p>* Coca-Cola delivery. Hell on Earth. Worst job I ever worked. Stuff you need to haul, a lot of it by hand because the cart won't fit, or because of stairs etc. Nobody works this job for more than ten years, and you have to be exceptionally strong and healthy to get to that point. Most people start having back problems after a year or so.<p>* Picking. Picking avocado was a fun one though. I got to climb the trees, which was fun. Most picking is miserable though.