17 Jobs that No Longer Exist – or Are on Their Way Out

They took our jobs!

The South Park quote makes light of a difficult situation. Jobs are disappearing, and people point fingers all over the place, looking for someone to blame. 

But the truth is usually worse. Nobody stole these jobs; they no longer exist. 

Jobs that No Longer Exist

Technology has far more impacts on our careers than we realize. But it’s not a new phenomenon. 

The Industrial Revolution started the trend in the mid 18th century, when factories replaced farming, cars replaced carriages, and steam power replaced manual labor. 

We’re seeing even more impact today, as automation makes more and more jobs obsolete. 

Discover the jobs that no longer exist (or are on their way out!). 

Proofreaders

Proofreaders aren’t gone yet, but they’re a dying profession. With apps like Grammarly available to writers, many no longer use proofreaders and editors (though whether we NEED them or not is up for debate!)

I probably could use a proofreader, but I can’t afford to pay them (especially now that Google is killing blogging!). I tried Grammarly, and while it’s okay, it didn’t catch all my spelling mistakes (especially in headers and headlines – so sorry!). 

But the worst thing about automated proofreaders is that they destroy all evidence of human writing. Grammarly constantly wanted to rewrite my sentences to take away my unique voice and standardize my prose. 

Not that my “unique voice” is very good, but I think it’s better than a robot, don’t you?

Proofreading is one of those obsolete jobs that we still need, but don’t want to pay for. 

Video Store Clerks

Netflix destroyed video stores and took the jobs with them. There’s a sole survivor of the slaughter – the last blockbuster store in Bend, Oregon, is still operating (though they make more money selling nostalgia than renting videos). 

I miss the video store more than anything on this list. I worked at a Hollywood Video while in High School. They let me rent all the free movies I could handle!

As an adult, I would make a night of browsing the new releases. It was almost more fun than watching the movie! 

Browsing on Netflix just isn’t the same, so I rarely even watch movies nowadays. 

Paperboys

Before I worked at Hollywood Video, I helped my parents with their paper routes. They owned a flyer delivery service, and we’d spend our weekends going door-to-door. 

When I was a kid (and in the before times!), a paper route was the quintessential children’s job. Paperboys were so popular that Atari even made a video game celebrating them!

With the rise of digital media, a lot of companies no longer offer paper newspapers, and they definitely aren’t hiring kids to deliver them. 

Secretary

Before the Internet, every manager and case worker had a secretary to help them with their daily tasks. Now that most of those things can be handled in a few seconds on a computer, secretaries see their ranks shrink. 

Some companies still have secretaries and office assistants, but they’re typically called administrative assistants, and they do far more than manage one person’s life. 

You have to be a bigwig to have a personal secretary nowadays. 

Cobbler

When was the last time someone had their shoes repaired? A few decades ago, buying a new pair of shoes was expensive, so everyone took their shoes to a cobbler to fix a broken heel or give them a shine. 

Generic shoes are so inexpensive now that buying a new pair makes more sense than getting an old one repaired. 

I do still see shoe shiners at airports, though – I wonder how long that will last. 

Manual Processor

Many people blame globalization for the loss of manufacturing jobs, but automation is the real culprit. 

Twenty years ago, people needed to stand on conveyor belt lines sorting fruit, flipping metal, and completing various manual labor tasks. 

Now, most of that processing is done by machines. 

Toll Booth Collector

Someone used to sit in a tiny little box on the freeway collecting money from every car that passed. States started implementing “easy pass” systems about thirty years ago, but in the beginning, most people and those passing through still had to go through the manual booth. 

After COVID, toll collectors all but disappeared, and states offer pay-by-mail options to those who don’t have the state’s “easy pass”. 

Photo Booth Operator

At one point, photo booths had operators. 

You’d go in, sit for a picture, have someone physically take it, then wait for them to develop the film. 

Now, we only have to add a few tokens to a machine to get instant photos on demand. 

TV Repair

A television used to be a huge household expense, but now every family has at least one, and they’re easily replaceable should something break. 

It’s easier to buy a new one than to wait for the television repairman to come by and fix whatever’s broken. 

Projectionist

When movies were on film, a real person had to set up the projector and run it, watching for any glitches or mechanical errors. 

As films became digitalized most movie theaters no longer needed projectionists. 

Some folks think firing projectionists was the beginning of the end for movie theaters. 

“Theaters have suffered because of it,” said one internet user.  “Masking is all over the place. No respect for proper brightness. Screens are filthy. These are major reasons people go to the movies less, and it starts with the end of protectionists.” 

Taxi Drivers

When was the last time you saw a taxi outside of a major city or airport?

Though the profession hasn’t disappeared entirely, the rise of ride share apps like Uber and Lyft are edging traditional taxi drivers out of business. Will we see the end of taxis in the near future?

Travel Agent

Before the internet, you needed to hire a travel agent to book a trip overseas. You’d go to their office, tell them where you wanted to go, and they’d do most of the legwork of calling airlines to book flights and finding the best hotel packages. 

We can do that all ourselves with the click of a button. Only the super wealthy hire travel agents nowadays. 

Telephone Operator

In the not so distant past, you’d call a telephone operator for directory assistance or to make long-distance calls. Before that, you needed an operator to manually connect calls via switchboard. 

As technology improved, we no longer needed switchboards to make calls, and found ways to automate directory assistance. 

Gas Station Attendant

Do you remember driving up the gas station and sitting in your car while the attendant filled your tank and washed your windows?

New Jersey remembers, because it’s the only state that still has them, as it’s illegal to pump your own gas in the state. Oregon does too, because state law requires a full service option. 

It’s a job that no longer exists in most other states. 

Milkmen

Before everyone had a refrigerator, milkmen delivered fresh dairy to people’s homes. You’d think that was the far distance past, but your parents probably had a milkman. 

It wasn’t until the 1960s and 70s that cars, supermarkets, and refrigeration became common enough to make milkman obsolete. 

Freelance Writers

Advances in artificial intelligence are putting freelance writers across the natin out of work. Why hire a writer when you can have AI craft an article in seconds?

Of course, the AI isn’t as good as a real writer, but a lot of companies think free AI slop is better than paid content. 

Bloggers

Speaking of writers, tech companies are trying their hardest to push bloggers out of business. As search engines and social media platforms become pay to play, they’re promoting more content from giant corporations, putting the little guy at a massive disadvantage. 

Thousands of small website owners shuttered their doors after the Google Helpful Content Updates of the early 2020s, as they saw their page views and revenue dwindle to nothing.  

Hundreds more are limping along, hoping something changes to make people want content written by real authors again. 

I’m one of the limpers, maintaining Partners in Fire out of sheer will and passion because I don’t believe people actually like the AI slop and terrible content search engines serve. Eventually, they’ll reject it and look for independent publishers again, and I hope I can hold out until that happens. 

What Professions Disappeared in Your Lifetime?

What other jobs no longer exist or are on their way out? What jobs do you think will disappear in your lifetime?

And please don’t say blogger!