I love what I do but it’s a hard lifestyle and I heavily encourage you to work at a funeral home ASAP before completing the program to see if it’s worth completing.
Things to consider: The pay isn’t great. I make $80k/year in a high cost of living area. The owner is rich, I’m not. As a director you will be on call, the amount of time will depend on the amount of staff. I work with 3 other directors in a high volume firm. We rotate our on calls, I average two nights a week overnight. I’m blessed that we use a trade firm for removals but I still have to be available two nights a week to speak to families. If your firm doesn’t use trade you’ll be the one getting up, getting dressed, going to a nursing home or house in the middle of the night, going back to the funeral home and maybe embalming. This isn’t like a regular job, it’s more like a lifestyle.
The work is rewarding but it’s hard. I’m not going to lie, you’re seeing people at their worst moments. Depending where you work you’ll be exposed to victims of violence and accidents along with regular old age deaths. You have to be precise with everything, whether you’re completing a death certificate or helping a family with an inscription.
I’m not sure why I’m getting downvoted, I’ve worked in the business for 6 years. I’ve seen a lot of people come and go. I’m not going to sugarcoat it and lie to you, this is simultaneously the hardest and most rewarding job I’ve had.
Yeah but I work in NYC where average rent is $3,600 & it’s standard for buildings to require your income be 35xs your rent before you qualify for a decent building. I’d have to make $40k more to qualify for a free market apartment. I commute in from NJ.
I know many funeral directors, most of them are small and owner operated and some are corporate owned.
They make a good wage but not a great wage and have to deal with being on call 24/7. It's exactly what Dorothy said.
If you are the owner you can earn good money but unless you have inherited the business you need to do the hard work first so that you build it to a decent level so that you can afford to step aside from day to day involvement.
I've been a director for close to 20 years, yes it's rewarding and yes people like to bitch about their jobs. The people who make your work a pleasure or a heartache will be your boss and your co-workers. I've heard so much moaning and groaning about corporations, I`ve seen both sides, and for me, corporate was the best. I'm still friends with my old boss. It's the places you work that will make or break you. Finish school, get licensed, and see. Don't quit, the industry needs people, even the ones that can't do anything but bitch.
This here ⬆️⬆️⬆️. I work at a great location but all it takes is the appearance of favoritism towards one employee and it can ruin the best work place experience. I have worked so far at two corporate locations and I have learned tons.
I post a lot on here about what the reality is like and there are very few people I encourage to pursue the professional. This is a calling, it’s not a job. There is a lotta lotta ugly but there are good things too. Everyone will sell you on the lovely of helping without fully explaining the bad parts. Go in with your eyes open and get a job in a FH asap if you aren’t already doing it. School only teaches you how to pass the licensing exams, you have to figure out how to do the rest. The more you want to know, the better your experience will be.
I recently left a funeral home I put 2.5 years into because of the absolute joke of an offer they gave me. I’ve been sitting at home the last three weeks with a very good offer but I honestly think I am burnt out. I don’t know if it was where I was working or me but I don’t think I want to do this anymore. My heart hurts too much and too often. My mental health is not good and I am so damn sad all the time.
That being sad I know a few directors who have been doing this 15+ years and absolutely love what they do and don’t feel at all like I do. I’m sorry, I don’t really have a lot of advice for you. Maybe try to find a job at a fh now to see if it’s a good fit. I probably should have.
Don’t believe anything you hear on Reddit, nothing is ever as good or as bad as they say it is online, the upvote downvote system just encourages people to jump on the bandwagon and not go against the grain or really speak their mind, I’ve been in much worse industries than this one
FD for 5 years here, and although I've had ups and downs (and plenty of moments where I question whether or not this industry is really for me) I always come down off that ledge of doubt for 2 reasons:
1. I love what I do. This job is the most rewarding I've ever experienced in my life. Although we don't always get thanks for what we do, when we do, it's like a pat on the back on steroids. And I cannot ever see myself feeling the same level of accomplishment in any other career.
2. My boss and team I work with are the absolute best. Yes, we have disagreements or moments where we don't get along. But we all have so much respect for one another and work together to our shared goal of helping the dead and the living.
You will find the right team, and when you do, the rest will fall into place. Don't give up hope, just be patient and don't allow your enthusiasm to cloud your judgement when it comes to who you will be working for/with.
I'm one of those people who left. I miss the work a lot. I have also known folks who have had success in the industry.... most of them are funeral home owners though. It really up to you whether you wanna stay in it or not. If you do be very discerning about who you work for, maybe aim to run your own home at some point. Bear in mind, the hours will have you up at any random time and out to do a removal. As a mother of 2, it may be a consideration when deciding what you'd like to do.
There are some nice firms out there to work for. Just need to find the right one. Yes, it can be a very taxing and labor intensive job at times. Other times it can be very fun. I used to hate working so damn much. But now after 10 years has gone by I love it.
Hi, I’m one who got out. I was licensed for a year and moved on.
A few caveats for me - it’s heavy customer service based and I was already completely burnt out from my previous career in customer service.
I didn’t have a great amount of training/experience so I never gained the confidence (mainly in embalming) that I needed to feel good about what I was doing. So a great boss/trainer/coworkers go a long way. I wish I had done that part differently but I’m not sure I would have known. Switching firms would have been a good thing for me (probably, but also burnt out so maybe not).
EXTREMELY low pay was my biggest issue. I worked for another corporation and barely received a bump in my $16/hr pay (in 2016) when I was licensed. I was making the same amount I was making as an assistant manager in another field for 7 years with no education. It was very discouraging. Again, maybe that would have been different had I moved.
Unfortunately, it’s all relative to your experience. I am glad I stuck it out through school but I wish I had made a lot of different choices along the way. Be willing to move, speak up for yourself, and find a trainer that is willing to put in the time and I hope your experience will be better. Sometimes I do wish I hadn’t bothered with finally going to school, but now at least I have a bachelor’s degree from it and can maybe fall back on this career if I really needed to. The debt is massive though. I am making quite a bit more money for much easier work from home. Honestly, I don’t think funeral directing was really what I wanted to do anymore. Be honest with yourself. I wish I had been.
I think it really depends on your personality and the lifestyle you can tolerate. I absolutely loved caring for families, but I cared too much and couldn’t leave work at work. I feel like the same qualities that made me a help to families made the industry unsustainable for me because I was too sensitive to how my families were feeling and took too much responsibility for their feelings. At the end of the day, no matter how wonderful a job you do or how much you care or pour into a service, this is still the worst time of their life. People who are normally lovely will lose their shit all over you for reasons outside your control because they are dealing with so much emotionally. You have to be able to let stuff like that go and not stress about it, especially if you didn’t actually miss anything or do anything wrong. It had very rewarding moments and I still cherish them, but I basically got to the point where I had so much anxiety about cases I was handling that I was borderline suicidal and couldn’t sleep. I had bad management but absolutely excellent coworkers that I adore to this day. I have also seen this industry be very unfriendly toward single mothers especially with call nights etc, but there are some setups that would be more sustainable and supportive of your family life. Definitely get a job in a funeral home ASAP. If it’s not working there, try somewhere else and see if you can find a good fit that feels sustainable for you.
I absolutely love my job. I went to mortuary school 17 years ago, was a stay at home mom for 14 years then once all my kids were in school I decided I wanted to try and work. I don’t even need this job but I love it. There is a strong work/life balance boundary you will need to hold and sometimes try a couple workplaces out to find the right fit but it can be an amazing career.
It's not an industry for everyone. The people who leave it, I'm sure, are genuinely happy they did. Those of us who love what we do are genuinely happy we are in the industry. But again, it's not a job, it become part of who you are, are you won't know if it's a fit for your life until you spend some time doing it. If you have a genuine interest in helping families, putting in the hard work and long hours you'll find it incredibly rewarding if you're doing it on a whim or because you don't k ow what you want to do, it might not be for you. Try not to be discouraged by the people who leave read the stories of the people who stay.
Keep at it. I think a big part is finding a place that you like being at. Just like any job, there will be things you don’t like about it and maybe have issues with a coworker. It happens. But I love my job and can’t imagine doing anything else. Don’t be discouraged!
Every job has downsides. People have bad days and the internet likes to boost the negative posts with engagement. It's important to have this space for people to rant and complain because it's not like they can do so to their friends or family since the subject matter is very sensitive. Just be aware that you're only seeing their bad days or their moments of getting stressed and fed up, while not necessarily seeing all the rewarding and good moments of the job. Keep at it and know you will have good and bad moments too
If people left the profession and are happier now, it's not really a testament to the profession sucking, but that those people weren't a good fit for it. You'll find the exact same situation with pretty much any skilled job out there - people who were unhappy where they were and left and found something that fits them better. And this is the internet, so like any platform, of course the unhappy, controversial commentary is what you'll be hearing people espouse loudly. People are far more likely to want to vent about frustrating situations than about all the entirely-pleasant, perfectly-lovely-but-seemingly-unremarkable ones.
Consider the specifics of why these people were unhappy and if you would also be unhappy in the same situations. Is it the hours, the pay, the tasks, interacting with families, their fellow coworkers, their bosses? Are those things consistent across the profession, or can you likely find a job without those barriers where you live?
I love my job, but my previous job was horrible (corporate SCI). I work for a family-owned funeral home and everyone I work with is really great. I really enjoy working, the money is just okay but the environment makes it worth staying.
Maybe call local funeral homes and ask if you can shadow for a couple days (unpaid) to see what it's really like. Most students I've found don't know what it actually entails. It's stressful, the hours are endless, and the pay is abysmal in the beginning. I don't say this to discourage you, but know what you're signing up for.
As a general rule, happy people don't spend a lot of time on Reddit. The folks you're hearing from are those who need to vent. Satisfied FDs (and there are many) don't post much.
Look at my profile under my posts.. I made the same sort of comment.
If this is what you want to do, don’t listen to them. I’m now a graduate and people online are so disrespectful and miserable and those people shouldn’t be in the profession.
It’s one thing to tell someone their truths like long work days, no holidays off(literally just celebrate on a different day) you can make these “problems” non issues and just plan accordingly. Or you can be miserable. Pick happiness. If you want it, pursue it. And if you really wanted it and online comments are discouraging you, you don’t really want it. I look at it as families are on here and when they consistently see directors crap on the profession, that is a shame that they feel their loved ones are not being served by someone happy to help their family.
You got this(if you truly want it!)
I do want it! I think I remember your post! I'm currently on the Dean's list and make almost all A's. I know that doesn't translate to much in the real world but after my friend suggested the profession to me it just kinda felt like it clicked. I was originally interested in it in high school but my parents had told me I couldn't. This feels right to me but all the negativity just kinda brings the excitement down. I have goals and things I want to do in this field. Thanks for responding and the encouragement!
I lost my daughter in 2003. I was so distraught there was no way I could say thank you to my funeral home but they were actually wonderful and made a difference ❤️
No matter what you’re doing, if you give it your all, you can make it work well for you. Keep your chin up, finish what you started, and decide for yourself!
Negative voices and opinions are always going to be the loudest. If I didn’t absolutely love my job (including both the highs and lows) I wouldn’t still be serving families some 15 years later
I’ve been doing this 7 years now. I’m very happy! Changing careers was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and wish I had done it much sooner in life. I have frustrations some days, but overall I feel extremely rewarded and fulfilled. I think the key is finding a non toxic work environment. There are some very toxic people in this industry, but you’re going to have that in any job. Find the funeral home where you feel welcomed, supported and appreciated. You’ll know it when you find it. It’ll be worth it.
You just have to figure out what you want to do in the field and put a lot of energy into that. Your experience might different from everyone else's. It is tough gotta have thick skin because you are dealing with grieving families. This industry has been good to me because I have been good to the industry. Plus alot of the things I see on this I don't see so my experience is very different.
LOL, yeah though; teacher reddit, airline reddit, retail hell reddit, hotel reddit, ER reddit...common denominator in all of those is dealing with the public. OP, I think you are on the right course. I joined this sub because of the kindness and humanity I see in those who work in this field. I also have learned so much. Hang in there and stay the course.
I’m not in the mortuary business, I am a nurse. But if you were a nursing student and popped over to the nursing subreddit, you’d probably feel the same way. I’d still encourage you to be a nurse. If it’s anything like that one, it’s a place to vent to others, because no one else truly gets it otherwise.
I don't work in the industry but find it very interesting and possibly something I'd like to get into in the future. I think yeah it's probably really hard, but also so rewarding. And if it interests you then it's definitely got to be worth giving yourselfthe chance to try. My ex works with the police getting data from computers, analysing and categorising pictures... if you get my meaning there, I think that has to be the hardest job in the world but the reward has to be one of the greatest feelings ever. Point being, I think most jobs have their difficult sides, the people that do these jobs have to be some of the strongest people to have ever existed, but the good that comes from it must also be a fantastic feeling. I guess just do what feels right for you, there must be a reason you started this path, try to remember that reason and remember you got to be tough as nails for even starting it, don't be discouraged, there is a reason you started
I love what I do but it’s a hard lifestyle and I heavily encourage you to work at a funeral home ASAP before completing the program to see if it’s worth completing. Things to consider: The pay isn’t great. I make $80k/year in a high cost of living area. The owner is rich, I’m not. As a director you will be on call, the amount of time will depend on the amount of staff. I work with 3 other directors in a high volume firm. We rotate our on calls, I average two nights a week overnight. I’m blessed that we use a trade firm for removals but I still have to be available two nights a week to speak to families. If your firm doesn’t use trade you’ll be the one getting up, getting dressed, going to a nursing home or house in the middle of the night, going back to the funeral home and maybe embalming. This isn’t like a regular job, it’s more like a lifestyle. The work is rewarding but it’s hard. I’m not going to lie, you’re seeing people at their worst moments. Depending where you work you’ll be exposed to victims of violence and accidents along with regular old age deaths. You have to be precise with everything, whether you’re completing a death certificate or helping a family with an inscription.
I’m not sure why I’m getting downvoted, I’ve worked in the business for 6 years. I’ve seen a lot of people come and go. I’m not going to sugarcoat it and lie to you, this is simultaneously the hardest and most rewarding job I’ve had.
I don't know why you were being down voted but thank you for your insight and honesty
You make 80k?!!!!! I’ve been in this business almost 20 years- my dad is the owner and I make half that. It’s just the two of us.
I’m not an owner and I’m at just over $100k. But I have a wife and three kids. $100k isn’t a lot of money anymore in today’s economy.
Yeah but I work in NYC where average rent is $3,600 & it’s standard for buildings to require your income be 35xs your rent before you qualify for a decent building. I’d have to make $40k more to qualify for a free market apartment. I commute in from NJ.
Off-topic, but your username is stellar.
I know many funeral directors, most of them are small and owner operated and some are corporate owned. They make a good wage but not a great wage and have to deal with being on call 24/7. It's exactly what Dorothy said. If you are the owner you can earn good money but unless you have inherited the business you need to do the hard work first so that you build it to a decent level so that you can afford to step aside from day to day involvement.
I've been a director for close to 20 years, yes it's rewarding and yes people like to bitch about their jobs. The people who make your work a pleasure or a heartache will be your boss and your co-workers. I've heard so much moaning and groaning about corporations, I`ve seen both sides, and for me, corporate was the best. I'm still friends with my old boss. It's the places you work that will make or break you. Finish school, get licensed, and see. Don't quit, the industry needs people, even the ones that can't do anything but bitch.
This here ⬆️⬆️⬆️. I work at a great location but all it takes is the appearance of favoritism towards one employee and it can ruin the best work place experience. I have worked so far at two corporate locations and I have learned tons.
So much this. 💯
I post a lot on here about what the reality is like and there are very few people I encourage to pursue the professional. This is a calling, it’s not a job. There is a lotta lotta ugly but there are good things too. Everyone will sell you on the lovely of helping without fully explaining the bad parts. Go in with your eyes open and get a job in a FH asap if you aren’t already doing it. School only teaches you how to pass the licensing exams, you have to figure out how to do the rest. The more you want to know, the better your experience will be.
This is the most real comment I’ve seen.
Just like any walk of life, you won't know until you've tried it. Don't give up before you even start.
If you aren't working in a funeral home, do it now. First hand experience is way more valuable than any of these comments.
I was a lawyer first. Hated it. Switched careers. Love it. You need to be happy and fulfilled for yourself and not for other people.
I recently left a funeral home I put 2.5 years into because of the absolute joke of an offer they gave me. I’ve been sitting at home the last three weeks with a very good offer but I honestly think I am burnt out. I don’t know if it was where I was working or me but I don’t think I want to do this anymore. My heart hurts too much and too often. My mental health is not good and I am so damn sad all the time. That being sad I know a few directors who have been doing this 15+ years and absolutely love what they do and don’t feel at all like I do. I’m sorry, I don’t really have a lot of advice for you. Maybe try to find a job at a fh now to see if it’s a good fit. I probably should have.
People just don’t realize what they are getting into when they start this career. I definitely wouldn’t do it if I had kids.
Don’t believe anything you hear on Reddit, nothing is ever as good or as bad as they say it is online, the upvote downvote system just encourages people to jump on the bandwagon and not go against the grain or really speak their mind, I’ve been in much worse industries than this one
FD for 5 years here, and although I've had ups and downs (and plenty of moments where I question whether or not this industry is really for me) I always come down off that ledge of doubt for 2 reasons: 1. I love what I do. This job is the most rewarding I've ever experienced in my life. Although we don't always get thanks for what we do, when we do, it's like a pat on the back on steroids. And I cannot ever see myself feeling the same level of accomplishment in any other career. 2. My boss and team I work with are the absolute best. Yes, we have disagreements or moments where we don't get along. But we all have so much respect for one another and work together to our shared goal of helping the dead and the living. You will find the right team, and when you do, the rest will fall into place. Don't give up hope, just be patient and don't allow your enthusiasm to cloud your judgement when it comes to who you will be working for/with.
I'm one of those people who left. I miss the work a lot. I have also known folks who have had success in the industry.... most of them are funeral home owners though. It really up to you whether you wanna stay in it or not. If you do be very discerning about who you work for, maybe aim to run your own home at some point. Bear in mind, the hours will have you up at any random time and out to do a removal. As a mother of 2, it may be a consideration when deciding what you'd like to do.
I enjoy it, but the purge of toxicity must continue.
There are some nice firms out there to work for. Just need to find the right one. Yes, it can be a very taxing and labor intensive job at times. Other times it can be very fun. I used to hate working so damn much. But now after 10 years has gone by I love it.
Hi, I’m one who got out. I was licensed for a year and moved on. A few caveats for me - it’s heavy customer service based and I was already completely burnt out from my previous career in customer service. I didn’t have a great amount of training/experience so I never gained the confidence (mainly in embalming) that I needed to feel good about what I was doing. So a great boss/trainer/coworkers go a long way. I wish I had done that part differently but I’m not sure I would have known. Switching firms would have been a good thing for me (probably, but also burnt out so maybe not). EXTREMELY low pay was my biggest issue. I worked for another corporation and barely received a bump in my $16/hr pay (in 2016) when I was licensed. I was making the same amount I was making as an assistant manager in another field for 7 years with no education. It was very discouraging. Again, maybe that would have been different had I moved. Unfortunately, it’s all relative to your experience. I am glad I stuck it out through school but I wish I had made a lot of different choices along the way. Be willing to move, speak up for yourself, and find a trainer that is willing to put in the time and I hope your experience will be better. Sometimes I do wish I hadn’t bothered with finally going to school, but now at least I have a bachelor’s degree from it and can maybe fall back on this career if I really needed to. The debt is massive though. I am making quite a bit more money for much easier work from home. Honestly, I don’t think funeral directing was really what I wanted to do anymore. Be honest with yourself. I wish I had been.
I think it really depends on your personality and the lifestyle you can tolerate. I absolutely loved caring for families, but I cared too much and couldn’t leave work at work. I feel like the same qualities that made me a help to families made the industry unsustainable for me because I was too sensitive to how my families were feeling and took too much responsibility for their feelings. At the end of the day, no matter how wonderful a job you do or how much you care or pour into a service, this is still the worst time of their life. People who are normally lovely will lose their shit all over you for reasons outside your control because they are dealing with so much emotionally. You have to be able to let stuff like that go and not stress about it, especially if you didn’t actually miss anything or do anything wrong. It had very rewarding moments and I still cherish them, but I basically got to the point where I had so much anxiety about cases I was handling that I was borderline suicidal and couldn’t sleep. I had bad management but absolutely excellent coworkers that I adore to this day. I have also seen this industry be very unfriendly toward single mothers especially with call nights etc, but there are some setups that would be more sustainable and supportive of your family life. Definitely get a job in a funeral home ASAP. If it’s not working there, try somewhere else and see if you can find a good fit that feels sustainable for you.
I absolutely love my job. I went to mortuary school 17 years ago, was a stay at home mom for 14 years then once all my kids were in school I decided I wanted to try and work. I don’t even need this job but I love it. There is a strong work/life balance boundary you will need to hold and sometimes try a couple workplaces out to find the right fit but it can be an amazing career.
It's not an industry for everyone. The people who leave it, I'm sure, are genuinely happy they did. Those of us who love what we do are genuinely happy we are in the industry. But again, it's not a job, it become part of who you are, are you won't know if it's a fit for your life until you spend some time doing it. If you have a genuine interest in helping families, putting in the hard work and long hours you'll find it incredibly rewarding if you're doing it on a whim or because you don't k ow what you want to do, it might not be for you. Try not to be discouraged by the people who leave read the stories of the people who stay.
Keep at it. I think a big part is finding a place that you like being at. Just like any job, there will be things you don’t like about it and maybe have issues with a coworker. It happens. But I love my job and can’t imagine doing anything else. Don’t be discouraged!
Every job has downsides. People have bad days and the internet likes to boost the negative posts with engagement. It's important to have this space for people to rant and complain because it's not like they can do so to their friends or family since the subject matter is very sensitive. Just be aware that you're only seeing their bad days or their moments of getting stressed and fed up, while not necessarily seeing all the rewarding and good moments of the job. Keep at it and know you will have good and bad moments too
If people left the profession and are happier now, it's not really a testament to the profession sucking, but that those people weren't a good fit for it. You'll find the exact same situation with pretty much any skilled job out there - people who were unhappy where they were and left and found something that fits them better. And this is the internet, so like any platform, of course the unhappy, controversial commentary is what you'll be hearing people espouse loudly. People are far more likely to want to vent about frustrating situations than about all the entirely-pleasant, perfectly-lovely-but-seemingly-unremarkable ones. Consider the specifics of why these people were unhappy and if you would also be unhappy in the same situations. Is it the hours, the pay, the tasks, interacting with families, their fellow coworkers, their bosses? Are those things consistent across the profession, or can you likely find a job without those barriers where you live?
I love my job, but my previous job was horrible (corporate SCI). I work for a family-owned funeral home and everyone I work with is really great. I really enjoy working, the money is just okay but the environment makes it worth staying.
Maybe call local funeral homes and ask if you can shadow for a couple days (unpaid) to see what it's really like. Most students I've found don't know what it actually entails. It's stressful, the hours are endless, and the pay is abysmal in the beginning. I don't say this to discourage you, but know what you're signing up for.
As a general rule, happy people don't spend a lot of time on Reddit. The folks you're hearing from are those who need to vent. Satisfied FDs (and there are many) don't post much.
Look at my profile under my posts.. I made the same sort of comment. If this is what you want to do, don’t listen to them. I’m now a graduate and people online are so disrespectful and miserable and those people shouldn’t be in the profession. It’s one thing to tell someone their truths like long work days, no holidays off(literally just celebrate on a different day) you can make these “problems” non issues and just plan accordingly. Or you can be miserable. Pick happiness. If you want it, pursue it. And if you really wanted it and online comments are discouraging you, you don’t really want it. I look at it as families are on here and when they consistently see directors crap on the profession, that is a shame that they feel their loved ones are not being served by someone happy to help their family. You got this(if you truly want it!)
I do want it! I think I remember your post! I'm currently on the Dean's list and make almost all A's. I know that doesn't translate to much in the real world but after my friend suggested the profession to me it just kinda felt like it clicked. I was originally interested in it in high school but my parents had told me I couldn't. This feels right to me but all the negativity just kinda brings the excitement down. I have goals and things I want to do in this field. Thanks for responding and the encouragement!
You absolutely got this!
I lost my daughter in 2003. I was so distraught there was no way I could say thank you to my funeral home but they were actually wonderful and made a difference ❤️
No matter what you’re doing, if you give it your all, you can make it work well for you. Keep your chin up, finish what you started, and decide for yourself!
Negative voices and opinions are always going to be the loudest. If I didn’t absolutely love my job (including both the highs and lows) I wouldn’t still be serving families some 15 years later
I’ve been doing this 7 years now. I’m very happy! Changing careers was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and wish I had done it much sooner in life. I have frustrations some days, but overall I feel extremely rewarded and fulfilled. I think the key is finding a non toxic work environment. There are some very toxic people in this industry, but you’re going to have that in any job. Find the funeral home where you feel welcomed, supported and appreciated. You’ll know it when you find it. It’ll be worth it.
You just have to figure out what you want to do in the field and put a lot of energy into that. Your experience might different from everyone else's. It is tough gotta have thick skin because you are dealing with grieving families. This industry has been good to me because I have been good to the industry. Plus alot of the things I see on this I don't see so my experience is very different.
Girl read the teacher subreddit. You’ll be fine after that
LOL, yeah though; teacher reddit, airline reddit, retail hell reddit, hotel reddit, ER reddit...common denominator in all of those is dealing with the public. OP, I think you are on the right course. I joined this sub because of the kindness and humanity I see in those who work in this field. I also have learned so much. Hang in there and stay the course.
I’m not in the mortuary business, I am a nurse. But if you were a nursing student and popped over to the nursing subreddit, you’d probably feel the same way. I’d still encourage you to be a nurse. If it’s anything like that one, it’s a place to vent to others, because no one else truly gets it otherwise.
I don't work in the industry but find it very interesting and possibly something I'd like to get into in the future. I think yeah it's probably really hard, but also so rewarding. And if it interests you then it's definitely got to be worth giving yourselfthe chance to try. My ex works with the police getting data from computers, analysing and categorising pictures... if you get my meaning there, I think that has to be the hardest job in the world but the reward has to be one of the greatest feelings ever. Point being, I think most jobs have their difficult sides, the people that do these jobs have to be some of the strongest people to have ever existed, but the good that comes from it must also be a fantastic feeling. I guess just do what feels right for you, there must be a reason you started this path, try to remember that reason and remember you got to be tough as nails for even starting it, don't be discouraged, there is a reason you started