Thankless/underrated jobs
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Anonymous
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When I was a kid, I wanted to be a teacher. It didn't turn out that way, but I've also wondered if I would be happier if it did. I have recently become "friends" (we're not really close, but then again I am not close to anybody) with a teacher and it gave me new appreciation for all they do.
She spends hours every evening working on lesson plans, grading tests, checking homework, etc. It seems exhausting! And now during the summer she is still working on material for the new school year. So this got me thinking, how many other underrated professions or thankless jobs there are out there. Nominate one. PS: I am speaking of professional jobs. I know being a mom, a single parent, a teen parent, a caregiver for an elderly parent can all be thankless and tasking jobs, but that's not really what I am referring to here. |
Anonymous
| I am a nurse. It is intense and more challenging than most people realize. |
Anonymous
| That's so funny. I teach Pre-Kindergarten and (excuse my language) bust my ass every day. You'd have no idea all that I do in and out of the classroom. It drains me and my personal life and home environment definitely take a back seat. Now I'm working camp and sweating buckets outside. Sometimes I think it's not worth it. But most of the time I do . I don't know how long I can continue to do this. I'm on the far side of 40 and I'M JUST SO TIRED. Praise is rare. When something goes wrong, though, believe me, there's hell to pay. |
Anonymous
How well do physicians respect your work? |
Anonymous
OP here: I am a nurse too and I agree with you. However, I appreciate more now the fact that once I leave work, I leave work at work. |
Anonymous
| When I was a nanny I felt respected by the family I worked for but often not taken very seriously by others. |
Anonymous
| I don't understand why paid caregiving jobs are so undervalued and often disrespected. This is IMPORTANT work and it needs to be done well. But when it's done well, no recognition is given. When it's done poorly, people are horrified. Maybe they are undervalued b/c so called "women's work" has always been? |
Anonymous
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Being an architect is a truly thankless (but often glamorized) job. Most of the work is not creative. Instead it's fighting with the city or drafting. The pay is teacher-like but the hours are lawyer-like.
Ask any architect. They'll tell you it's a thankless job ... Bordering on a scam because architecture schools portray the career very differently. |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
| Trash collectors. They show up and take away the mess. To me they are some of the most important people around. |
Anonymous
+1 |
Anonymous
I am a social worker, and the nurse on my unit generally works for many hours past her end time writing med notes, behavior notes, doctor orders... She is so kind/ generous/ outgoing to every patient on the unit. She knows their habits (food and behavior), daily ins and outs re: behaviors/ meds, preferences.. I am always in awe of her and how much she sees/ knows/ does. Thanks, nurses! |
Anonymous
I did this one summer while in college. It was hard work but predictable. Everyday started at 6:00 AM, but we spent the first hour, until 7:00 when we actually started work, at local diner having breakfast, which was just a cup of coffee and cereal. One of the customs for this job back then. Manager teamed the college kids with the trucks that did not have felons. The ex-felons where on a bunch of trucks but we never interacted with them other than driving past each other in morning and at dumps. Did not really understand the reason for the grouping until later in life. Owner eventually retired to florida. But for short term, it was fun hanging on the back of a truck and going through neighborhoods. I learned the distinctive smell of maggots. Usually from business trash sites. Also there was one customer that would let the garbage collectors use his home pool during the rounds. We would stop for about 30 minutes. He told stories about labor union leaders from the 30's. This was in the 70's when I did this. Very kind old man back then. I could not do it forever, it is very physically exhausting work to do every day. |
Anonymous
| Step parenting is the most thankless job in the world. |
Anonymous
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I just got my letter from DCPS telling me that I got fired despite the high praise I received from my principal this year. It came as a complete shock. It was my first year, and though I didn't perform as well as I'd hoped, I can't say that I've ever given more of my time and energy to any job. We've been out for almost a month. I've spent all that time reading and preparing for this upcoming school year. It hurts a lot.
I thank you for posting about the teacher that you know. |