Vanishing Careers

Finding a new career today may be a challenge for some. For others, it may prove downright overwhelming. As demographics and technology continue to change, so do the working industries. Many of the jobs that were common 10 or 20 years ago have disappeared or simply no longer exist. Some companies have gone as far to combine several different job areas into one responsibility as it is considered to be more efficient.

The following is a list of jobs that, for the most part, no longer exist. They may take you down memory lane, or may act as a guide in the event you are seeking a new career. Either way, these once sought-after jobs are either completely abolished or on their way out.

Door-to-door salesmen were once in high demand. They sold everything from frozen food to household products, knives and vacuum cleaners...even encyclopaedia sets. Since most households now have two working adults, there's no longer anyone to sell to.

The milkman. Remembering the days when ice, milk and other dairy products were delivered straight to your door. With the vast array of products to choose from combined with high rates of theft, this service is no longer in high enough demand.

For the most part, secretaries have been replaced by technology. The once highly sought after secretary who was responsible for their boss's correspondence, via steno pad and shorthand, is no longer found in an office. Instead, most bosses do their own communicating through email and cell phones and have assistants who co-ordinate schedules and keep things organized.

Gas jockeys can still be found but in diminished numbers. The once very popular after-school job has been replaced by, well, us, as auto drivers tend to pump their own fuel now. Combined with self-serve lanes and the convenient pay-at-the-pump machines, it's only a matter of time before gas jockeys are a missed service. Especially when it's minus thirty.

Used to buy candy or put towards a new toy, money from a paper route was not bad coin for many kids. The day of the paperboy (or girl) has gone. Newspapers have not disappeared even with many readers switching over to online versions of their morning news, but subscribers now find their newspapers have been delivered in the wee hours via adults with cars.

Placing a phone call once required a switchboard operator. The friendly human voice that would ask for the name and number of the person you would like to call has since been replaced with the self-serve system. Customers are now prompted to 'Press 1 for...' or just speak into the phone to access the service or person you are looking for via voice recognition.

So many of the jobs we once relied on for both work and for the service, have slowly died out for various reasons. Technology has come a long way in replacing many of these human-placed positions. It can prove intimidating to others who feel left behind by the technological advances.