What They Don't Tell You About Nursing, Trucking & Food Service Jobs
Welcome back to the Fruitful Three Show! We're continuing our deep dive into career realities that school doesn't prepare you for. In this episode, we're covering three major employment sectors: healthcare, food service, and trucking. Let's get real about what these jobs actually entail.
Healthcare Roles: The Emotional Toll Nobody Mentions
Understanding the Healthcare Ladder
The healthcare field operates on a clear progression system, each level building on the previous one:
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) - This is your entry point into healthcare. CNAs provide fundamental patient care like bathing, dressing, feeding, and monitoring vital signs. The training is relatively short (a few weeks to a few months), making it ideal for those wanting to start quickly. However, the pay is lower and the physical demands are significant.
Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) - A step up from CNA, LPNs handle more complex tasks, including medication administration, wound care, and basic procedures. Training typically takes about a year. You'll earn more than a CNA but still work under the supervision of RNs or physicians.
Registered Nurse (RN) - The broadest scope of practice in nursing. RNs assess patients, plan care, administer complex treatments, and often supervise other nursing staff. This requires an associate's or bachelor's degree plus licensing, but comes with significantly higher pay and more career opportunities.
The Hidden Realities
The COVID Factor - A few years ago, healthcare workers were pushed to their absolute limits. Twenty-four-hour shifts became common in understaffed facilities. This exposed a harsh reality: healthcare isn't just emotionally demanding during crises—it's consistently challenging.
Starting on Night Shift - Here's something they don't tell you: you'll likely start on night shift and work your way to days. It's part of paying your dues in the industry.
The Emotional Burden - This is the big one. You form bonds with patients, sometimes over weeks or months. Then their health takes a turn for the worse, and suddenly that person you've been caring for is gone. You have to tell families their loved one didn't make it, comfort them in their grief, and then turn around and do it all over again the next day.
As one host notes: "You gotta care for the patient, you gotta care for the family, you gotta care for your co-workers. It's an emotional burden."
Nurses Take the Heat - When things go wrong in surgery or treatment, the surgeon delivers the news and leaves. The nurse becomes the messenger who has to explain everything, answer questions, and sometimes face the anger of grieving families. It's emotionally exhausting.
Before You Commit
Our advice: Start with a CNA certification. See if you can handle the physical and emotional demands before investing in LPN or RN education. Many hospitals offer programs to help you continue your education, so ask about these opportunities during interviews.
Also, make sure to ask about continuing education requirements and who pays for them. Some employers cover costs; others expect you to pay out of pocket, which can significantly impact your finances.
Food Service: More Drama Inside Than Out
The Three Main Roles
Line Cook - You're in the trenches, working a specific station (grill, sauté, fry, etc.) in constant heat and noise. It's fast-paced, physically demanding, and often involves repetitive tasks. The pay starts low, but you gain skills quickly.
Chef - The creative leader who designs menus, manages kitchen operations, and oversees staff. You're balancing artistic vision with real-world chaos like staff shortages and budget constraints. Expect to be first in and last out, with your craft consuming much of your personal life.
Manager - The problem solver who handles scheduling, customer complaints, staff conflicts, and everything in between. You're stuck between ownership demands and staff limitations, constantly putting out fires.
The Real Talk
Drama Comes From Inside - Forget difficult customers—the majority of headaches come from staff conflicts, personality clashes, and high turnover. The food industry attracts strong personalities, which creates either incredible teamwork or explosive conflict.
Physical Brutality - Burns, cuts, dehydration, and non-stop heat exposure are normal for line cooks. The oil smell alone can be overwhelming. And if you're a chef, you might wake up at midnight with recipe ideas you can't ignore.
The Ma and Pa Advantage - Unlike big cities, where roles are rigidly defined, working in Ma and Pa’s often means you get to do a bit of everything. Managers aren't just delegating—they're delivering food and having fun with it.
Customer Service Reality - You want good reviews because bad reviews tank your business. Sometimes you have to bite your tongue and smile through difficult interactions. But here's an interesting observation: sometimes the most difficult customers on their first visit become your friendliest regulars once you treat them with consistent respect.
Movies That Get It Right
Want to understand the food industry? Watch "Waiting" with Ryan Reynolds. Despite being a comedy, it's surprisingly accurate about how the industry really works. Also, check out "Health Inspector" with Larry the Cable Guy for insights into that side of things.
Trucking: Local vs. Over the Road
Local Trucking
What it is: You haul freight within a relatively short radius—same city, metro area, or state—and return home each night.
Pros: Home every night, stable routine, predictable schedule, easier to maintain relationships and family life.
Cons: Typically lower pay than over-the-road, more physical work (loading/unloading), can still involve long hours (sometimes 5 AM to 11 PM), early start times.
Over the Road (OTR) Trucking
What it is: Long-haul trucking across states, spending days or weeks living in your truck.
Pros: Higher earning potential (mileage-based pay), opportunity to travel and see the country, often less manual labor if it's "no-touch freight," independence, and solitude.
Cons: Away from home for extended periods, irregular sleep schedules, isolation and loneliness, difficult on relationships and mental health.
The Health Reality
OTR trucking takes a serious toll on your health. You're sitting for 12+ hours, eating fast food on tight deadlines, getting irregular sleep, and consuming energy drinks to stay awake. Our uncle was an OTR driver who eventually passed from pancreatic cancer, possibly related to years of this lifestyle.
Critical Questions to Ask
Before becoming a trucker, ask potential employers:
Am I paid hourly or by the mile?
Do you pay me when I'm running empty, or only when loaded?
Who pays for truck maintenance and fuel?
What are the CDL requirements, and who covers training costs?
What are the alcohol and drug testing policies?
Important: You can no longer just walk into the DMV and get a CDL. You need to take a 2-3 week class. Some companies will pay for it; others make you pay out of pocket.
Also note: If you have a CDL, your legal alcohol limit drops from 0.08 to 0.04, and some companies have zero-tolerance policies.
Special Note: Cattle Haulers
Cattle haulers get special consideration because they're transporting live animals. They can run continuously, and even the DOT has to let them pass with minimal interference.
The Spouse Factor: Unsung Heroes
Here's something we don't talk about enough: if your spouse works in any of these demanding fields, you deserve immense credit.
Our aunt raised two daughters essentially as a single parent while our uncle was on the road. She stayed faithful, managed the household, and raised great kids—all while rarely seeing her husband. That takes incredible strength.
Whether your partner is dealing with difficult patients, angry customers, or long hauls, they need someone at home who understands the emotional toll. Don't nag when they come home drained. Ask about their day. Be sensitive. Some of these fields are brutally demanding, and you don't know what they just went through.
Final Advice: Do Your Research
Before jumping into any of these careers:
Talk to people currently in the field - Get the real story, not just the job description
Try an internship if possible - Get paid to test-drive the career
Ask the tough questions during interviews - Who pays for continuing education? What are the real hours? How do benefits work?
Start at the entry level - For healthcare, start as a CNA before committing to expensive RN programs
Consider your personal life - How will this career impact your relationships and mental health?
We didn't cover every job out there—that would take forever. But if you want us to do a full series going deeper into specific careers, let us know in the comments.
Remember: every job has tradeoffs. There's no perfect option, only the choice that works best for your life circumstances, values, and goals.
