Jonathan Groubert at his
"not worst" job as host of The State We're In 
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Here's a brief list:
Foot messenger
Hot, sweaty New York summer work that plunged me for the first time into an all African American co-working environment, which I loved because the guys called me J-Rock.
Stock boy
For a local drug store that ended when I broke my finger.
Mailroom Clerk in a Manhattan office
Actually I did this many times at different companies and never got fired despite doing things like mail important proposals to competitors by mistake.
Leaflet guy
I did get fired from my job distributing leaflets advertising a shoe store. But this is only because I'd give them out for an hour or so, dump the rest in the trash and spend the rest of my shift eating ice cream in the hot summer sun. The boss followed me one day and caught me and that was that.
This was by no means my worst job.
Not the worst
My 3 months serving breakfast at the Holiday Inn in Holland with the psychotic head waiter who hated me was bad, but not the worst. Selling illegal counterfeit T-shirts at rock concerts and playing cat and mouse with the cops for two months in California was awful, hot and dangerous, but not the worst. Getting repeatedly kicked in the crotch while volunteering at a British boarding school for emotionally disturbed children was hard, cold, frustrating, tough and painful, but not the worst.
The Worst: Telemarketer
No, the distinction of WORST would have to go collectively to my many turns as a telemarketer.
I have sold magazines, local newspapers, and collectible coins to people who did not want, need or could afford these things. Most of the day, people reject you. At best, they just hang up, more often they curse you first, and at worst, they threaten you. If you do get someone who wants to talk, it's often someone old, someone lonely, someone sad and desperate for contact.
It is the most polite, those who would never hang up on someone, who are the most victimized. Often they couldn't pay for the magazine but I'd pressure them and they'd buy a year's subscription just to get off the phone. At first I'd feel elated for having made the sale... and then guilty and then depressed.
Rights
And yet, in all of these jobs, even in telemarketing, my most basic human rights were respected. I had lots of breaks, reasonable working hours, even days off. Sometimes I even had bonuses and praise from the bosses.
Now compare that to a serf in Turkey, yes they still have serfdom. Compare that to the 16 hour work day of a Cambodian garment worker. Compare that to an Amsterdam sex worker. In the grand scheme of things, I guess I'd have to say my worst might be someone else's best.
Tags: job, Jonathan Groubert, rights, The State We're In, work, worker, worker's rights, workplace, worst job