Stereotypes and misconceptions associated with your job/career

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Software developer. People think I know everything about computers and that I am a nerd. Oh wait, I am a nerd. I am also female and American which shocks people.

Funny- I'm an IT Project Manager and people also think I know everything about computers.

[Anonymous]

Elementary School Teacher: So many misconceptions...
Work from 9 - 3 (I may spend 10 hours in my building some days and ALWAYS have work to bring home)
Have summers "off" (Must take classes to keep teaching certification & usually have some type of training to attend)

Interesting. I have 4 elem/middle school teachers in my family and your facts don't jibe with their lifestyle at all.

[Anonymous]

Well, used to work for a school district. Stereotypes were that we punch in and out, and don't work overtime. Have summers off. Spend the taxpayer's money without regard.

WRONG.

Lots of (unpaid) overtime and a great deal of sensitivity and desire to do the right thing, especially for the students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Software developer. People think I know everything about computers and that I am a nerd. Oh wait, I am a nerd. I am also female and American which shocks people.

Funny- I'm an IT Project Manager and people also think I know everything about computers.

LOL! They must stop listening after IT. They hear IT blah, blah.

[Anonymous]

Preschool teacher.

Low SAT scores.
Do not work after 3:00.
Such an easy job!
Paid during summer...yes, BUT $ taken out of Sept-June paychecks in order to be paid during summer.

[Anonymous]

Diplomat (aka Foreign Service Officer): stereotype is that we are all really just spies, that we have a lot of dinner parties, cocktail hours drinking champagne with our pinkies lifted and live in beautiful places. The reality is a shitton of overtime, very challenging work which rarely is recognized while living in very crowded, dirty, polluted urban areas, often unaccompanied dangerous posts where you are rarely invited to a dinner party or formal, official cocktail hour unless the Ambassador "invites" you and then it's a command performance where your job is to work your day job and then attend the function (often in dress shoes and suits) which is actually like work because you are either pulling guests away from your principal officers and helping people mingle. Every day we live with the threat of disease or attacks in most assignments around the world.

[Anonymous]

I'm a meeting planner. Everyone thinks I plan events/wedding. In truth I plan those long industry/association educational meetings and tradeshows that everyone hates, but has to go to. People also think it must be great for me to travel so much- in reality when I'm doing a meeting I don't leave the hotel for days. I once spent 9 straight days in a vegas hotel without ever going outside.

[Anonymous]

I'm a prosecutor. I worry that people assume I'm a blowhard like Nancy Grace.

[Anonymous]

I was a meeting planner for a large defense association. Traveled to beautiful parts of the country. Worked my ass off from about 6am every morning while at a conference. But partied hard at night with the attendees and did good sight seeing.

Now I'm a government contractor. Everyone assumes I must make a lot of money. Nope. I make a good living, but I work hard for it. I had a handful of co workers insourced to government jobs the past coupe of years and none went for less than 20% increase. Several for much more than that.

[Anonymous]

I'm a writer for the web. People think that if their kid makes a website, then anyone can do it. And that experienced writers will blog for $5 a post. Oh wait...

[Anonymous]

I'm an ES teacher. If I earned a dollar for every time someone said, "You're sooooo lucky to have summers off!"... If I spread out my paycheck over 12 months, I barely scrape by each month. I once counted how many hours I worked unpaid in a week and it was about 13 hours. I am not a babysitter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

You only work 40 hours a week?? Must be nice. Already tenured?

And here we go . . .

Thanks for showing how ignorant you are on thread about stereotypes.

It's sad that we've become so accustomed to sarcasm that we can't imagine the alternative. I really think that must be nice. I wish my (pre-tenure) husband had a sweet gig like that. But he puts in 40 hours a week with teaching, prep, grading, office hours and service alone. His research is another 20+ hours a week. I can't remember the last time he took an evening off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Preschool teacher.

Low SAT scores.
Do not work after 3:00.
Such an easy job!
Paid during summer...yes, BUT $ taken out of Sept-June paychecks in order to be paid during summer.

I teach Pre-K. Agree with what you posted and also with what the other teacher said. I'm often in my building until 6 pm (school starts at 8 am). Not only did I have high SAT scores, I also have an M.A. Another misconception (on the part of adults, of course) is that I am to be, at all times, a slightly ditsy magical fairy princess who is constantly smiling, akin to Cinderella at Disney World. Sorry, I'm human. When I do have an infrequent mildly grumpy "off" day, the perception is that I'm an evil shrew who needs to change my line of work. Please, parents, align yourself with reality. I love my job and my kids, but like you, I'm not infallible.

[Anonymous]

Well, I'm a SAHM...where should I start ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Elementary School Teacher: So many misconceptions...
Work from 9 - 3 (I may spend 10 hours in my building some days and ALWAYS have work to bring home)
Have summers "off" (Must take classes to keep teaching certification & usually have some type of training to attend)

Interesting. I have 4 elem/middle school teachers in my family and your facts don't jibe with their lifestyle at all.[/quote]


Middle school is completely different. If I taught four math classes a day, I would say my planning and prepping time would be reduced greatly. I'm an upper elementary school teacher. I plan for a writing, reading (4 different groups reading 4 different texts using materials I create myself), math (differentiated of course - remediation, on-grade-level- acceleration), and a science or social studies lesson every day. That's nine different plans (and modified materials) every day. That makes 45 different lessons per week. As for the elementary school teachers in your family, after 18 years of doing this I can say with confidence that teachers who do not put in these hours are not as effective in the classroom.