Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Secretary here again--this whole thread is very degrading. "I wish I could leave my high-powered, highly-paid, high-responsibility job so I can just sit at the front desk smiling and drooling, and not have a care in the world." Maybe I should become a housekeeper, a nanny or mow lawns--those people seem so happy and carefree!

Ugh.

I'm sorry, I don't think you should feel degraded. I've had jobs that I could "leave" at the end of the day and leaving at 5:00 and I've had jobs like the one I have now that is never done, and where I could always be doing something after the kids go to bed. It's draining to never feel "off" of work. That's what is driving this thread, I think, not the idea that secretaries don't do real work.

Agreed. I have a professional job, and don't want more responsibility, and have no emotional attachment to recognizing that some jobs above me have more responsibility. That's all this is. And you yourself PP then noted other jobs "below" you that have less responsibility than you have, so you recognize that it's true.

Anonymous wrote:I knew it was time to leave my big-time serious job when I was longingly looked at the female janitor cleaning the bathroom one time when I was in there, and thought, "I so wish I could do that job."

STFU you know you would hate her job. You don't even clean your own toilets at home

Anonymous wrote:Secretary here again--this whole thread is very degrading. "I wish I could leave my high-powered, highly-paid, high-responsibility job so I can just sit at the front desk smiling and drooling, and not have a care in the world." Maybe I should become a housekeeper, a nanny or mow lawns--those people seem so happy and carefree!

Ugh.

I guess it depends on the specific job. I worked as a secretary/receptionist for a year or so after college, and truly it was a very low-stress position. And I did sometimes think back on it wistfully when I was in more stressful jobs over the years. Now I've downgeared to a lower-stress, mommy-track job in my field (which has it's own advantages and disadvantages) and I wouldn't want to be a receptionist again (mostly because of the low pay and low respect, frankly).

I know that career-track administrative positions in fast-paced, stressful companies could certainly be stressful too. But I don't think that's what the folks on this thread are thinking of in their "jump-out-of-the-rat-race" fantasies.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Secretary here again--this whole thread is very degrading. "I wish I could leave my high-powered, highly-paid, high-responsibility job so I can just sit at the front desk smiling and drooling, and not have a care in the world." Maybe I should become a housekeeper, a nanny or mow lawns--those people seem so happy and carefree!

Ugh.

I'm with you. The EAs where I work are totally overstressed and overworked. Plus, they have to be really nice all the time. No way!

Note that OP said "receptionist". She wants to greet people and answer the phone. You're talking about people who have to do a lot more than that and work with stress case bosses.

Anonymous wrote:Secretary here again--this whole thread is very degrading. "I wish I could leave my high-powered, highly-paid, high-responsibility job so I can just sit at the front desk smiling and drooling, and not have a care in the world." Maybe I should become a housekeeper, a nanny or mow lawns--those people seem so happy and carefree!

Ugh.

I'm with you. The EAs where I work are totally overstressed and overworked. Plus, they have to be really nice all the time. No way!

Anonymous wrote:Secretary here again--this whole thread is very degrading. "I wish I could leave my high-powered, highly-paid, high-responsibility job so I can just sit at the front desk smiling and drooling, and not have a care in the world." Maybe I should become a housekeeper, a nanny or mow lawns--those people seem so happy and carefree!

Ugh.

I'm sorry, I don't think you should feel degraded. I've had jobs that I could "leave" at the end of the day and leaving at 5:00 and I've had jobs like the one I have now that is never done, and where I could always be doing something after the kids go to bed. It's draining to never feel "off" of work. That's what is driving this thread, I think, not the idea that secretaries don't do real work.

I knew it was time to leave my big-time serious job when I was longingly looked at the female janitor cleaning the bathroom one time when I was in there, and thought, "I so wish I could do that job."

I've worked as a receptionist/secretary and it was stressful. The phone rang constantly, I'd have 2+ people on hold while dealing with another incoming call. Clients would take their anger out on me when their calls weren't returned promptly, even though I passed messages on. While this was going on I had worked piled up on my desk (typing documents, putting together returns, filing etc)

Then there were office politics I had to deal with, rude coworkers etc. It's a low paying job, often without benefits. Consider yourself lucky

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have fantasies of a number of jobs that you stop thinking about the moment you leave and don't think about again until you show up the next day.

Barista
Sales clerk

I used to think Librarian but they are always reading about new books, new tech, etc. I just want to be the person who quietly shelves books.

Yes, I think being a librarian would be cool, too. Probably not in reality, but in my head, yes.

Librarian is a serious job with responsibility. That's precisely not what I want in these fantasies! But to work in a library without needing to make any decisions, just following the decimal system, sounds lovely.

Yes. . .

If my wife got a high-powered private sector job I would retire and make pickles.

Secretary here again--this whole thread is very degrading. "I wish I could leave my high-powered, highly-paid, high-responsibility job so I can just sit at the front desk smiling and drooling, and not have a care in the world." Maybe I should become a housekeeper, a nanny or mow lawns--those people seem so happy and carefree!

Ugh.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have fantasies of a number of jobs that you stop thinking about the moment you leave and don't think about again until you show up the next day.

Barista
Sales clerk

I used to think Librarian but they are always reading about new books, new tech, etc. I just want to be the person who quietly shelves books.

Yes, I think being a librarian would be cool, too. Probably not in reality, but in my head, yes.

Librarian is a serious job with responsibility. That's precisely not what I want in these fantasies! But to work in a library without needing to make any decisions, just following the decimal system, sounds lovely.

Anonymous wrote:I have fantasies of a number of jobs that you stop thinking about the moment you leave and don't think about again until you show up the next day.

Barista
Sales clerk

I used to think Librarian but they are always reading about new books, new tech, etc. I just want to be the person who quietly shelves books.

Yes, I think being a librarian would be cool, too. Probably not in reality, but in my head, yes.

Anonymous wrote:I'd love to work in a thrift store as the sorter- think of all the "treasures" being dropped off...

My great-aunt volunteers in a church thrift shop in Manhattan, Upper East Side, and they get so many "treasures." She is this type who loves to pick through the new stuff and set aside anything she thinks my DD will like, and then she mails off a carton of stuff to us every couple of months. It is amazing. I mean, we get so many books, toys, educational stuff, clothes. She was a special-ed teacher before she retired so she knows exactly which stuff is educational and which is not so all the stuff she sends is really quality. She is such an angel to us. Really.

I am a secretary and I absolutely despise it. I would trade it for any one of your jobs.