Retro Jobs That Millennials Don’t Even Know Existed

Are you sick of the 9 to 5 routine? Do you want to try something different? If there are no job ads in the classifieds for the roles you seek, your occupation may become obsolete. However, don’t despair! Many people have gone through the same thing, and in the following pages, we’ll introduce you to the jobs they once performed. 

Before the advent of desktop publishing, page layouts had to be created by hand and loaded into a printing machine. To print the daily newspaper in the late 19th century, every letter and space had to be meticulously selected by hand and put on a metal typesetting machine.

Today, we can learn about the latest news headlines immediately thanks to the media, radio, and social media available to us. Before the advent of the internet and its ability to deliver global news at the touch of a button, headlines were disseminated in a rather quirky manner. 

Video cassette recorders are likely recognizable to anyone at least 30 years old. Before the advent of Blu-ray discs and streaming services like Netflix, movies and boxed sets were only available for purchase or rental on videotape. 

The position of video shop clerk disappeared around the same time VCR repairers became obsolete. When it first opened, Blockbuster functioned like a lending library for VHS tapes and, eventually, DVDs. The employees there had film expertise on par with the literary knowledge of librarians. 

Nowadays, when we dial someone’s number, we connect to them directly. However, this wasn’t always the case. A switchboard operator once had to connect calls manually before automated exchange became the standard. Before the 1960s, a light on the operators’ switchboard would go on whenever the receiver’s cradle was raised.

Gathering and packaging film canisters in preparation for either storage or shipment was part of the duties of a film boxer, which was an entry-level position. In today’s world, someone performing the job might submit compressed files over email rather than manually packaging them 

There was a time when book peddlers would knock on your door. This was, of course, before mail order and courier services made it possible to get books delivered straight to your door. Instead of opening a storefront and paying for staff, the merchants would bring free samples of their goods (usually books and pictures) directly to the doorsteps of potential customers. 

Despite having a catchy name, this role was rather boring. Eggs used to be sold directly from farms by people known as “Egglers” until it became possible to purchase eggs in the convenience of a grocery store carton. 

The first rule of hush shopkeeping was that you weren’t allowed to speak about hush shopkeeping. These employees were given their moniker because, during the time of prohibition, they were responsible for selling alcoholic beverages and were required to keep their illegal operations secret.

Daguerreotypes were the first cameras made widely available to the public during the middle of the 1800s. They gained notoriety for their use in portrait photography of public officials and other famous people. However, it took a lot of work to create the images. 

Imagine living in a world where you never had to set your alarm. Sounds perfect, right? Well, the reality wasn’t quite so idyllic. People still had to get up on time, even before the widespread use of mechanical alarm clocks. That’s where the knocker-upper came into the equation. 

Compared to what we know about medicine now, medicine in the 19th century was shockingly different. For example, “bloodletting” was once used extensively, allowing physicians to “suck” impurities out of the blood and sicknesses out of the body.

Candles and oil lamps were the sources of light that powered street lights in the past. It was, therefore, someone’s obligation to switch the lights on as the sun began to set, and it was also someone’s responsibility to turn them off the following morning. 

Extraction of coal requires a large number of human resources, and until the latter half of the 1800s, the task was done entirely by hand. Impurities in the coal had to be removed, but the use of breaker boys for this task was met with widespread opposition. It turns out that the boys, who ranged in age from eight to twelve, were working in violation of rules prohibiting the employment of minors. 

These days, you can find an app on your smartphone to do just about anything you want. Come up with an app idea, and it probably already exists! For example, plenty of apps make it easy to capture voice notes.

Before the development of modern refrigeration, people had to go to incredible lengths to keep food cold during the warmer months. For example, in the early 19th century, people were recruited to serve as ice cutters. These workers would go into frozen lakes and rivers and harvest blocks of ice using hand tools or saws. 

When the timber business was in its infancy, the river provided the simplest and most cost-effective method for moving logs from one location to another. Downed trees were tied together to form a makeshift raft, and a log driver was entrusted with the task of navigating the raft to the mill farther down the river. 

The task of a lift operator was difficult because they were responsible for much more than simply pressing a few buttons on a control panel. The manual elevators were controlled by a large lever that not only started and stopped the car but also adjusted the rate at which it moved.

When bowling first rose to popularity, there were no machines available to remove and replace the pins after they were knocked over. So, humans had to do the job. 

If you’re fortunate, your employer will allow you to listen to an audiobook or podcast through your headphones while you work. If not, you’ll have to find another way to pass the time.

It was the responsibility of a clock winder, as the name suggests, to manually wind up clocks. These people played a significant part in the first industrial revolution. Although it was inevitable that the job would become irrelevant, there is one notable exception to the rule. In 2013, the Queen of England was interested in hiring a clock winder for approximately $50,000 per year.

At the beginning of the 1800s, early signalmen were also known as Railway Police. This name stuck with them for the rest of their careers. They would communicate with each other and the train drivers to use a flag system to convey their instructions.

Our computers and smartphones can alleviate much of the mental strain that otherwise comes with cognitive processes. However, it took computers several decades to become more intelligent than people. 

Between the 1300s and the 1500s, alchemical businesses had employees whom they termed “lungs.” During the process of melting metals, it was their responsibility to fan the flames.

A mudlark was a specific kind of scavenger that traveled from place to place in quest of abandoned items in order to resell them. Those living in abject poverty were the ones who typically took on this role, and the workers who did it had few discernible talents.

Pre-colonization, many homes could not function without the presence of household workers. Usually women, these workers were hired for the purpose of cleaning out chamber pots each day.

Certain jobs are tied inextricably to particular eras and decades, to the point that it would be absurd to try to do them in any other context. For example, during the Age of Sail (the middle of the 16th century to the middle of the 19th century), it was the responsibility of a “powder monkey” to ensure that the cannons were always loaded with gunpowder.

A “vivandière” was essentially a maid, although a very high-status one. The first people to fill this function served during the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars; the term was also used during the American Civil War.

During the 14th century in Europe, rat trapping was a beneficial activity, but now we have pest management to deal with rodent problems. The work of rat catchers continued at a frenetic pace during the Great Plague, which lasted from 1347 to 1351.

In the 18th century, the modern sewerage system began to gain widespread acceptance. You may be wondering what happened to the human waste collected from people’s houses prior to that time. That is where gong farmers come into the equation. 

It was inevitable that privies and cesspits would leave behind an absolutely repulsive odor. The more affluent residents of the city could not stand the putrid smell, and they were in a better position than most others to do anything about it. So, they used their financial resources to hire herb strewers.

The material that these people worked with gave rise to the term “redsmith.” They mostly worked with copper, which, when polished, takes on the appearance of a brilliant bronze hue – hence the “redsmith” moniker. 

While motorcycle couriers are still in existence today, during World Wars I and II, these individuals were known as dispatch riders, and they had a particular responsibility. It was up to them to ensure important signals were sent between the various armed forces.

The use of radar is essential in modern military air defense. However, before the development of such technology, people relied on more basic approaches.

In the twentieth century, the soda jerk was a viable career option for young people just out of school, much as the modern barista is for young adults today. It was a similar position, only in this case, the beverages supplied were sodas rather than coffees, and the pastries were replaced with ice cream. Servants wore crepe hats and bow ties as part of their costumes.

To exhume human remains in today’s world, you must first get authorization from the relevant authorities. However, just a few hundred years ago, medicine students were compelled to practice their skills on the remains of deceased patients.

Tuberculosis was once a threat to humans across the globe. It was thought that a patient’s condition would improve if a muslin bag with a toad in it was slung around the neck. If you’ve never heard of toad doctors before, you’re in for a treat – they are the pinnacle of quackery. 

It is a commonly held belief that certain regions of the brain are responsible for particular activities. Phrenology took things a step further, suggesting that the shape and characteristics of the skull were somehow involved. By mapping and palpating someone’s skull, they believed they could diagnose anything. 

The Groom of the Stool was esteemed despite his dubious duties. He was in charge of helping English kings use the restroom. The assistant was the monarch’s confidant because of their close relationship.