Dead-end jobs are typically in industries with little to no middle management in their hierarchies, in which work environments often go from the bottom worker directly to the owner or proprietor. (Photo: Shutterstock)

What makes a dead-end job? Little to no monetary progression. Lack of opportunity to learn new skills. Lack of opportunity for promotion. High turnover rate. "It's alright to not make as much money early in your career if you're constantly learning new skills -- that's what entry-level work is meant to be," says McLeod Brown, marketing assistant at Zippia.com. "But if you're not making any money and you aren't using your brain at work, it's best for you to try and find an alternative." Related: 4 signs you have a dead-end job Dead-end jobs are typically in industries with little to no middle management in their hierarchies, in which work environments often go from the bottom worker directly to the owner or proprietor, Brown says. "This means that the only way to 'advance' in a field is essentially to start your own business in that industry," he says. "This takes money and education, which a lot of workers in these industries do not have because of the lack of opportunity to advance in their own companies." Still, workers in these industries who take the initiative and push for more responsibilities, take advantage of opportunities to educate themselves and gain new skills to make them more valuable in the field, do have greater chances of advancing within their careers, Brown says. Here are Zippia.com's five dead-end careers, using data from data from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey.