1. Travel Agent
There was a time when becoming a travel agent meant free trips, insider deals, and a stable paycheck from booking flights and hotels. But with Expedia, Google Flights, and AI trip planners at everyone’s fingertips, that world has largely vanished. Today, most travel planning is DIY, and the few travel agents left specialize in luxury or corporate travel. Parents who still see it as a safe 9-to-5 job are living in a pre-internet fantasy.
It’s not that travel agents don’t exist—they do, but in drastically smaller numbers. According to U.S. labor data, the field has been shrinking for years. Automation and direct booking have wiped out most traditional agencies. It’s a niche now, not a career ladder.
2. Print Journalist
Many parents still imagine journalism as a bustling newsroom full of cigarette smoke, shouting editors, and deadlines. The reality today is far more digital and far less stable. Print circulation has plummeted, local newspapers have closed by the thousands, and staff jobs are rare. Those “safe” journalism jobs they remember just don’t exist anymore.
Most journalists now work as freelancers or digital content creators, often juggling multiple gigs. Online outlets pay less, and even major publications are downsizing. The shift to digital has made storytelling more accessible but also more precarious. For anyone chasing a steady paycheck in print, the presses have mostly stopped rolling.
3. Radio DJ
If your parents grew up listening to Casey Kasem or local FM hosts, they might still think being a radio DJ is the dream. But traditional radio has been crushed by streaming, podcasts, and satellite services. The local DJ with personality and a big morning show audience has largely been replaced by pre-recorded playlists and national syndication. The job just doesn’t have the reach—or the pay—it once did.
There are still opportunities, but they’ve shifted online. DJs today are more likely to find success on Twitch, TikTok, or as podcasters. The skillset is similar, but the platform has changed completely. The “radio” part of the radio DJ career is what’s fading fast.
4. Bookstore Owner
For a generation raised on “You’ve Got Mail” and the charm of small bookstores, this still sounds like a dream job. But independent bookstores are constantly battling Amazon, rising rent, and slim margins. While a few indies thrive on community support, most barely survive. Owning one isn’t a career path—it’s a passion project.
E-commerce has turned book retail into a tough, unforgiving industry. Margins are thin, competition is relentless, and even successful stores rely on side revenue like coffee or events. Parents who romanticize it are remembering a different economy. Today, loving books is great—but it won’t pay the bills by itself.
5. Travel Photographer
Once upon a time, getting paid to see the world with a camera sounded like the perfect gig. But the rise of smartphones, stock photo sites, and influencer culture has flooded the market. There’s still demand for great photography, but competition is brutal and rates have tanked. The days of National Geographic-style careers are mostly over.
Many travel photographers now make their income from social media partnerships or workshops, not magazine assignments. It’s a creative life, but not a secure one. The full-time staff jobs in this field have nearly vanished. Parents picturing a jet-setting career are thinking of the 1990s.
6. Postal Worker
Being a mail carrier used to mean job security, benefits, and respect in the community. But USPS has been shrinking its workforce and automating routes for years. Mail volume keeps dropping as people move to digital communication and online billing. It’s not the lifelong government career it used to be.
Postal jobs are now more demanding and less stable than before. The agency has struggled with budget cuts and mounting debt. While the need for package delivery is up, private companies like UPS and Amazon dominate that space. The steady postal career parents remember is fading fast.
7. Legal Secretary
In the 1980s, every law firm had a small army of legal secretaries managing dictations, correspondence, and case files. Now, most of that is handled by software or shared digital systems. Lawyers type their own memos and emails, and automation handles much of the scheduling and document prep. The role has largely merged into “legal assistant” or disappeared entirely.
It’s not that the skills are useless—they’re just absorbed by tech. Clerical jobs across industries have been gutted by digitization. Parents who push this role as a stable office career are out of date. The office itself has gone paperless, and so has this job.
8. Video Store Clerk
Anyone who grew up browsing VHS aisles still feels nostalgic about this one. But as Blockbuster’s lone surviving store in Oregon reminds us, the era is over. Streaming wiped out video rental almost overnight, and there’s no coming back. Suggesting this as a career now sounds like time travel.
It’s a great cultural memory but not an actual job anymore. Those roles evolved into content curation, algorithm design, and digital marketing. The idea of recommending movies for a living has gone virtual. Parents who still mention it are thinking of the good old Friday nights, not a modern paycheck.
9. Factory Line Worker
Manufacturing once symbolized middle-class stability in America. But automation, outsourcing, and global supply chains have cut deep into that workforce. The remaining factory jobs often require technical training and computer literacy, not just physical labor. The “walk-in, work hard, retire with a pension” story rarely happens now.
There’s still manufacturing, but it’s high-tech and lean. Robots handle most repetitive tasks, and human workers oversee machines instead. Parents who remember their own factory jobs may not realize how much it’s changed. The stability they associate with it is largely gone.
10. Data Entry Clerk
Data entry used to be a reliable way to get a foot in the office door. Now, AI and automation handle that work almost instantly and without error. Most companies don’t need humans to type numbers into spreadsheets anymore. It’s a job that’s quietly evaporated under the radar.
The few remaining data entry roles are either short-term or overseas. Software integrations pull information directly from one system to another. It’s faster, cheaper, and more accurate than hiring people to do it manually. Parents still suggesting this are about two tech revolutions behind.
11. Bank Teller
In the past, being a bank teller was a stable, respectable job with benefits and advancement. Now, ATMs, online banking, and mobile apps have replaced much of what tellers used to do. Banks continue to close physical branches or reduce staff to cut costs. The human touch is no longer central to everyday banking.
Those jobs still exist—but there are far fewer of them. Most customer interactions are digital now, and the role has shifted toward sales rather than service. It’s not a path to a long career anymore. Parents who recommend it for “stability” are clinging to a banking model that’s gone virtual.
12. Newspaper Ad Salesperson
Selling ad space in the local paper was once a lucrative gig with commissions and community connections. But print ad revenue has been decimated by Google and Facebook’s digital dominance. Local businesses now spend on social media or search engine ads instead of quarter-page print spots. The sales model just doesn’t scale in today’s economy.
Newspaper ad departments have either gone digital or disappeared entirely. The job title might survive in legacy organizations, but the function has changed beyond recognition. It’s all about analytics now, not handshakes. Parents who remember ad reps as big earners are thinking of a pre-Facebook world.
13. Travel Writer
The romantic image of getting paid to explore exotic destinations and write about them still lingers. But traditional travel journalism has been gutted by budget cuts and free online content. Magazines that once paid $2 a word for travel features have shut down or slashed rates. What’s left is more influencer than journalist.
People can still write about travel, but it’s more about personal branding than staff writing. Sponsored posts and affiliate links have replaced print assignments. It’s creative work, but it’s not the stable career parents imagine. The glossy-magazine era is long gone.
14. Typist
There was a time when entire offices were staffed by professional typists. They handled everything from correspondence to contracts, trained to type fast and accurately on typewriters. With computers and word processors, that need evaporated completely. Everyone now types their own work.
The role is a historical relic more than a modern job. Typing is still a skill, but not a profession. Parents who mention this are usually thinking of the secretarial boom from mid-century America. It’s a reminder of how fast basic skills can outlive their job titles.
This post 14 Career Paths Parents Still Push Even Though They Barely Exist Anymore was first published on American Charm.
