A maintenance job on a foreign space station with questionable technical standards and used as a slave labor camp just a year ago. I think he expected some challenge but more of the technical kind than just straight up torture.
He does actually mention this in an episode. He had basically nothing to do on Enterprise, but DS9 needs him
The engineering problems that pop up on DS9 are actually pretty mundane when you compare it to the crazy shit that happened on the Enterprise.
DS9: Some component broke down and needs to be fixed.
TNG: The Enterprise becomes sentient, uses holodeck characters to represent it's various mental aspects, and gives birth to some doodad that then flys away.
Except that the Enterprise only sometimes went crazy while "every system aboard DS9 broke simultaneously, three ships need urgent repairs, and Quark is yammering about how his illegally modified replicators are acting up" seemed to be a somewhat common occurrence.
So common that other characters were still complaining about it as late as the season 6 episode "Honor Among Thieves," in which O'Brien had an undercover assignment for a few weeks and everything went to shit as soon as he left the station.
So a standard tech support, job you say?
DS9: Some component broke down and needs to be fixed.
Usually, but also two systems trying to gel together Cardassian tech doesn't play well with Federation tech and visa versa. Also, systems designed to stop a slave uprising that people keep accidentally tripping.
Plus some Bajoran tech, and hallways designed to make literally trip
It sucks even more for him that it wasn't even human tech but Cardassian.
"I don't hate you, Cardassian... I just hate the machines made by you and what they have made me do."
Makes me wonder what became of Rugal, the "orphan" left after the occupation of Bajor.
O'BRIEN: How do your parents feel about Cardassians?
RUGAL: They hate them.
O'BRIEN: Why would you want to live with someone who hates you?
RUGAL: They hate other Cardassians, not me. My parents have never done anything wrong to me.
O'BRIEN: Come on, even I got my bottom whacked by my Dad once or twice.
RUGAL: Not me. My parents follow the teachings of the Prophets. What do you think of Cardassians?
O'BRIEN: Me? Well, I can't say, really.
RUGAL: Why not?
O'BRIEN: Well, you can't judge a whole race of people. You can't hate all Cardassians or all Klingons or all humans. I've met some Cardassians I didn't like, and I've met some I did. Like you.
RUGAL: Do you know how many Bajorans the Cardassians murdered during the occupation? Over ten million. We had a test on it in school. I wish I wasn't Cardassian.
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