What's Your 1852 Job?

By: Zoe Samuel
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
What's Your 1852 Job?
Image: Shutterstock

About This Quiz

While technically the Industrial Revolution began spinning up its gears in the mid to late 1700's, it was during the reign of Queen Victoria (1937-1901) that it truly hit its stride. The 1850's were a peak period for the age, as new inventions hit the market every day and fortunes were won and lost in mere days on enterprises like railroads, coal mines, oil wells, and the new substance of the age, commercialized steel. 

It was a time of great urbanization when subsistence farmers finally realized they had better options and flocked to the cities to take jobs in factories. Trade flourished, as the British Empire conquered a quarter of the known world.

It was a great time to be alive, and doubly so if you were wealthy, educated, or willing to work very hard (ideally all three). As more and more children enjoyed the opportunity to get at least some schooling, millions began to enter an expanding middle class. As their prosperity rose, they began to demand more luxury and comfort in their lives, offering the possibility for both the ethical and unscrupulous entrepreneur to provide for their needs, whether real or imagined.

Where would you have fit into this exciting time in history? Take this quiz to find out!

How educated are you?
I am illiterate.
A little
I have a degree.
I have a weirdly broad mishmash of knowledge.
Is your family well-connected?
Not at all
We know one person in a good job.
Extremely
I do not know my family.
Do you love to study?
Nope
Somewhat
Yes!
If I like the topic then yes.

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How do you feel about the great outdoors?
I love them!
I viscerally hate and fear them.
They are fine for a break.
They suit me sometimes.
Do you fear failure?
Yes
Mostly
Nope
I enjoy it.
How important is job security?
Very
Extremely
Not at all
A little

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Would you have been part of the great move to the cities?
No
Definitely
Maybe
I would have moved from town to town.
Are you a guy or a gal?
Guy
Gal
Either
Probably a guy but I might also be a gal disguised as a guy.
Do you mind screwing people to get rich?
Yeah, kinda.
Definitely I mind.
I would prefer not to.
Sounds like fun.

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Can you improvise?
No
A little
A lot
I am a world-class improviser.
Do you have showmanship?
None at all
A smidge
No, but my partner does.
Loads of it
Are you fast on your feet, literally?
I am slightly above average.
I am average speed.
I am slow.
I am an Olympic sprinter.

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Do you mind scrubbing hard?
I don't like it but I can do it.
I love it.
I like it OK.
I hate it.
How much weight can you lift?
200lbs
100lbs
50lbs
80lbs
How's your math?
What is math?
Adequate
Superb
Decent

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How important is making money to you?
I don't need a lot but I do need it regularly.
Not at all
It's nice but I don't mind, I have family money.
It's the most important thing.
How ambitious are you?
I'm not.
A little, even if it is a long shot I want to know it is possible.
Extremely
Above average
Do you want to be your own boss?
No
I would like to be senior but not the boss one day.
That is essential to me.
I'd prefer it.

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Do you like a strong sense of community?
Yes, please.
Yes, as long as they are kind.
I'm not really a people person.
I fear community, it's so nosy.
Do you hope to stay in the same job at the same place for a long time?
Yes please, but I'll move around if I must.
I would like to find one good employer then stay there my whole life.
I would hate that.
I don't believe that is a real thing people do.
Do you intend to save for retirement?
A little
If I can, yes.
I have that whole family money thing, so whatever.
I don't expect to live that long.

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Do you want to do something intellectual?
I would hate that.
I want the option of a little culture around me.
Yes, please.
In my own twisted way.
Will you change the world?
I will be a small cog in a big machine that changes the world.
No
Definitely
Probably not
Do you mind taking orders?
I love it!
I like it.
I hate it.
I like pretending to.

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Could you run a business?
No
I could run a household like a business.
If I had good advice.
Yes, but who has the time for that?
Do you enjoy working long hours?
I like it fine.
I love it.
I want to work very long hours for months at a time then hardly at all for a while.
I want to do the minimum necessary.
Do you need time for family life?
No, my family are best appreciated at a distance.
Some, if possible.
Yes please, lots.
No, I don't know them and don't care to.

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How important is respectability to you?
Very
It's essential.
Someone from my background is automatically respectable.
The appearance of it is valuable.
Do you want a career or just a job?
A job
A little of each
A career
I want many jobs.
Do you know anything about patents?
I don't even know what that is.
I have a vague idea.
Yes, my BFF is a patent lawyer.
I know enough to know not to mess with them.

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You Got: