The tech industry's image can seem as sleek and glossy as the products it sells, but as oh-so-many of us know, geek isn't always synonymous with glamour. In fact, some tech careers are wretched: soul-killing factory work, mind-numbing support gigs, and retail positions ranging from embarrassing to exploitative. And then there are the jobs involving serious, physical peril.
Before you start bemoaning your workplace's lack of casual Fridays, take a gander at this list of the ten worst jobs in tech. You may just realize that an annoying cubicle neighbor isn't such a bad deal.
Google content cop
Image: Screenshot of "Fugitive Girls" on YouTubeThis is just about the tamest image Google content cops see all day.
Imagine gawking at the most horrific images you can find online—the kind of stuff that makes 4chan's /b/ board look tame. Now, imagine doing that all day, every day, and you get an idea of what it's like to be a Google contractor tasked with keeping tabs on YouTube and Blogger for inappropriate content.
One ex-Google contractor wrote a piece for BuzzFeed in August 2012, describing a job where he spent nine months—nine months—weeding out images of child porn, sexual fetishes, bestiality, and other offensive imagery. After spending the better part of a year bathed in all that digital horror, the worker says he received little emotional support from the company and was ultimately let go despite being promised a non-contract job.
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