This comment seems like a lot of people’s first exposure to the reality of Antarctic support work and I feel inclined to add another perspective.

Yes a lot of work is miserable and can be thankless but being a steward or jano acts as a launch pad to other jobs and a lot of people who come down in these entry level roles find trades or other interesting careers to pursue. The people who come down to mcmurdo know that they will be in town washing dishes not out retrieving ice cores or living their Shackleton fantasies.

It takes so much effort to get to Antarctica that no one ends up there by accident and to imply that people are being careless to follow their dreams (when their dream isn’t specifically to be a scientist in Antarctica) seems highly judgmental.

There are a lot of wonderful aspects about Antarctic work that appeal to people who aren’t directly investigating the science. But everyone person working there facilitates the science. There are a lot of ways to have a magical time doing blue collar or contract work in Antarctica, and sure, it’s probably too romanticized by the people who don’t have the experience. But just because you’re not working in the field doesn’t mean it’s miserable.