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50 Things That Are Obvious To People In Certain Professions, But The General Public Often Fails To Grasp
Often, people without knowledge of a certain field are the first to talk about it. Their unfounded statements can become a danger to those who fall for them unconditionally. Especially at the time of social media where rumors spread like wildfire. That is how myths are born, and that is why you should take everything with a grain of salt.
These legends range from absurd to pretty believable, so they have to be debunked by a professional. Thankfully, representatives of different careers often share valuable insight into their industries. Here at Bored Panda, we have combed through Reddit and compiled a list of their statements. Scroll through and feel free to disparage any misconceptions about your job in the comments section.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Do Not Resuscitate does not mean I am going to kill MaMaw. It means that if it is her time to die, as evidenced by her lack of a pulse or breathing, I do not break all her ribs in an attempt to keep her alive which will, likely fail because she is 30kg and demented with stage IV lung CA with mets to her bones and brain.
RELATED:
#3
Oceanographer here. Climate change is a thing, and we are causing it. We can see the effects. I have literally gone to coral reefs that have bleached and the reason is because the ocean has become more acidic. We did that.
Respectfully, get your heads out of your asses.
#4
Dogs understand Always and Never. If you have a rule that they can't beg for table scraps, get on the couch or jump on people but you let them do it occasionally, they will never understand why you correct or yell at them. Also, if you hire a dog trainer please remember that about 80% of the training is directed toward the owner and 20% toward the dog. We just tend to say it in a way so as not to offend you. Some people just cannot fathom that THEY need the training and that dogs will simply follow suit.
#5
If the service you're receiving is free, then you are the product.
#6
As a CNA caregiver for the elderly, I'm not just responsible for your loved one, but likely 10 or so others. Im sorry if you or your mom had to wait 15 minutes for me to come, but that doesn't mean I was slacking. I was with another person or maybe 5 that called before you. We are underpaid and under staffed, I'm trying my best to help everyone, -not- just one person. Im not a personal caregiver.
Just wish people knew, they get mad and I understand, but I work my butt off and sometimes don't even take my break to help and then get told why'd it take so long.
2WheelTravlr 1 year ago
Thank you so much for performing a difficult job! My mom had the best CNAs, they really cared and did a great job caring for her. Unfortunately when her short term memory started going, she began complaining about waiting an hour or more after she pushed her button for someone to come help her. At first we thought it was due to the worker shortage, but I made a point of spending full days in her apartment and watching how things worked, and the longest mom waited was 16 minutes. I was sooooo glad I didn't complain to anyone before evaluating the issue.
#7
Turning it off and on again actually does fix a great deal of problems.
#8
I'm in forestry: more trees does not make a healthier forest. Healthy, well spaced trees with inconsistencies make a healthy forest. Yes, it's necessary to remove trees to improve the quality of habitat and lower risk of wildfire. No, we are not all money hungry tree murderers.
#9
Everything is a chemical.
No, natural does not mean it's safe or better
#10
There is absolutely no aspect of shoeing a horse that hurts it. We’ve been shoeing horses for around 2000 years now and providing I do everything correctly (which is why we have a 4 year apprenticeship in Britain) our dear quadrupeds won’t feel a thing.
2WheelTravlr 1 year ago
Horseshoes are also available with corrective fit, just like human orthotics, so many horses actually are able to live longer and much more pain-free lives thanks to the shoer.
#11
It's not always the case, but I have worked long enough in the service industry to know that if you’re somebody that typically gets bad customer service, you're probably a bad customer.
Mason Kronol 1 year ago
My MIL loved going out to eat. For someone who went to weekly lunches with her old school friends you would think she would have learned how to behave in a restaurant. I hated going to restaurants with her. Between giving the look of "I'm so sorry" to the staff and trying to sneak an extra large tip as we left I was always too anxious to enjoy a meal.
#13
Radiographer. People get x-rayed in order of need. Just because you were first in line with your broken pinky doesnt mean that you get served before the skull fracture
#14
Defibrillators don't shock a dead heart back to life like you see in the movies. They shock a irregular BUT STILL BEATING heart into a normal rhythm.
Michael Mckeon 1 year ago
And CPR rarely revives without the defib. You do CPR to pump oxygen around the body until a defibrillator can shock the heart into a normal rhythm.
#15
Museum security. No I don’t have a gun, I’m here to tell you where the bathrooms are not take a bullet for the monet. No, no one tries to steal the artwork I have to be here because you absolutely will try to touch that million dollar painting with your greasy hands.
PattyK 1 year ago
Actually, some people DO try to steal the artwork or artifacts. I used to work in a paleontology museum and all the exhibits were reproductions because people constantly stole things. The real bones were safely locked away. And of course, the Mona Lisa has a long history of people stealing it.
#16
Anesthesiology: if you eat before your surgery, the chances of you dying or getting badly hurt increase exponentially. Anesthesia makes you more likely to vomit and since you're unconscious you can't prevent your acidic throw up from going into your lungs.
#18
Waiter/cashier here. I understand your food is taking a long time, and I genuinely feel bad about it, but theres literally nothing I can do. Sometimes orders get backed up, sometimes we have cooks in training, sometimes managers just leave during a big rush and we have to play shorthanded. Getting pissed off at me cant make the new guy cook any faster
#19
Historian: "Truth" is always relative, dependent of the perspective of the truth-teller and always constructed in some capacity. Every source must be subject to critical assessment.
Kelli Pike 1 year ago
I think I remember hearing once that there are four versions of the truth: 'his/one' side of it; 'her/the other' side of it; what really happened; and the totality of all three comprising a complete truth.
#20
Hospitals are a workplace for some of us. We also need to take lunch breaks and want to leave work on time.
#21
ART IS HARD AND TAKES TIME
AbsintheMinded 1 year ago
This only applies to some art. Have you seen some of that c**p that’s being sold on Etsy? Ridiculous
#22
I got a couple:
As 911 I still do not have your exact location unless you call me from a landline. I have a general area but when I ask you to verify an address just do it. It helps us get to you quicker.
I cannot get an ambulance to you in 2 minutes. Surprisingly there are other people with emergencies as well.
I can not give you medical advice when you call 911. I can help you with certain things like CPR and EPI pen usage but not much else.
You cussing at me and calling me stupid because you’re speaking too fast for me to hear your address is not helping.
I cannot tell my crews to go in without lights and sirens. You called 911 they’re most likely comin in hot.
Con O Cuinn 1 year ago
At the same time, when I was screaming in pain after getting hit by a car, it was not appropriate for an emergency line operative to scold me for saying "s**t, s**t, s**t, my f*****g foot, holy f*****g s**t".
#23
Work at a credit union:
I'm not asking for your ID to personally offend you or imply that I have authority over you. I'm asking for it because *I will get fired if I don't*.
#24
I work at the front desk of a hotel. I don't understand why people get mad a room is not ready at 8am when we were sold out the previous night! I constantly have to explain that check out time is at 11, and that check in time is at 4!! I cannot kick a guest out of a room that they are entitled to for the next 3 hours!
#25
No, I can't diagnose you or tell whether you have naughty thoughts by looking at your brain scan. Also, if you were only using 10% of your brain, you'd be pretty much dead.
Couldnt_find_a_decent_name 1 year ago (edited)
Then theres quite a few people who should be long gone by now
#26
It is not a teacher's job to potty train your child. You need to work on that at home before they're ready to start school. Some classes have 30+ kids, we just can't take the time to work on things like that with your kid when there's 29 other kids who also need attention.
David 1 year ago
So true. Also other stuff like basic hygiene. My best friend was a kindergarten teacher years ago (she's retired). Some kids would come to school filthy, clothes smelling of p**s and they probably slept in them. She did the best she could but she had 30 kids in her room. I think it got so bad with a couple (brother / sister) that she ended up keeping some spare clothes in a backpack and would rotate them out and wash them. It's the parent's job but she loved the kids and tried to do right by them.
#27
Pets need dental care. Also the fact that they are still eating and not making noise does not mean infected teeth don’t hurt.
#28
A good bakery will have fresh products every day. If you come in the late afternoon, they will probably be sold out of many of your favorites. Also, if you come early and buy all of the chocolate chip cookies no one else will get any that day. The remedy to both of these problems is ordering in advance.
Katrina Marie 1 year ago
You are thoughtful. Smart thinking. Not sure why I ever thought of this. But it's simple planning.
#29
Don't try and guess the letters on the eye test chart.
The whole point of the exam is for us to give you the best vision possible, surprisingly enough that relies on us knowing what you can't see.
#30
A scientific paper/journal article does not necessarily prove anything, especially on its own. Lots of poor quality science gets published, and even good experiments are part of the wider research and don't mean the clickbaity headline is true. Journalists and people who argue on the internet take note.
Purple Bayes 1 year ago
And even then, we usually use phrases like “these results support our hypothesis”, we almost never say the word “prove” because everything in research is probability based.
#31
The positive effect of environmental regulation on the air quality in the US over the last 30 years is so great and has so much data to support it that it should be impossible to argue against these same environmental regulations in a political arena.
#32
Never write an email you don’t want read back to you in a deposition.
Never say anything bad in writing. I’m a lawyer who does primarily white collar and commercial/securities litigation.
Even if your email is not relevant or admitting wrongdoing, someone somewhere is eventually going to read it. For example, the other day I read 5 Valentine’s Day emails from the same guy to 5 different coworkers... c’mon man.
Jilltdcatlady 1 year ago
Never write anything that can be used as exhibit "A". Advice to live by.
#33
Lawyer. The biggest issue I see with the general public, and within my client company, is that just because you're mad, doesn't mean you're right. More specifically, just because you're mad, doesn't mean you have a legal basis to take action. Telling me your feelings about fairness, inequality, etc. isn't the same thing as actually stating a claim.
#34
The horrific amount of plastic we go through in science. Also not all research is about curing cancer or other diseases (which contributes regularly to my existential crisis but I digress)
#35
Call center employees really do not have the option to transfer you to the President/Owner/CEO of the company, no matter how hard you complain. You're lucky if you even manage to get transferred out of the room they are in.
Stephanie Did It 1 year ago
As a former Executive Complaints rep, I can assure you this is true.
#36
Esthetician here.
Biggest misconception I'm facing right now is the need for exfoliation. Y'all exfoliate way too much. Most people only will need to exfoliate once a week, twice ONLY if you have an extreme sebaceous output and even then it's a big maybe.
I get so many clients with a ton of constant breakouts saying, "But I wash and exfoliate every day!"
Well, there's your problem. Your skin thinks it's not producing enough oil because you keep removing it, so it over-produces. That's why you're breaking out.
Also I want to add, there's a big difference between dry skin and dehydrated skin. Dry skin is usually genetic, and has to do with your sebaceous glands not being able to produce enough oil so that oil needs to be supplemented. You can be a dry skin type and still be oily.
Dehydration is just that there's not enough water content in your skin, and really you just need to be drinking more water.
A lot of people get some dehydration like in the winter and start treating their skin as "dry skin" and end up with more problems when really they just need more water.
Stephen Musial 1 year ago
Ii read that as "Electrician here" and thought dammmmmn, apprenticeships cover a LOT of ground now. (So be positive)
#37
The strength of alcohol when measured Alcohol by Volume (ABV %).
You switched from a 4% beer to a 5% beer?
"It's only 1% increase, *right*?"
**Wrong.**
4% -> 5% = a 25% increase in strength. You're getting 25% more pissed.
#38
Just because I'm an engineer doesn't mean I can fix and understand everything.
There are 40+ different types of engineering degrees.
A chemical engineer may not know how a bridge works. A mechanical engineer cannot clone you. A biological engineer cannot tell you how many cats you can fit in your house without the floor collapsing.
#39
Work in a hospital. There will ALWAYS be a wait time to be seen in the ER. A three hour wait is typical. There are always going to be patients who need to be seen before you because their needs are more urgent. Also, EMS is most likely bringing patients in that you can’t see while you’re sitting in the lobby, so those people will also be ahead of you.
2WheelTravlr 1 year ago (edited)
My nurse friends always say "You really don't want to be the patient that gets put at the front of that line" since that means you've won the current poll on who is the closest to death. Also, here in the US, we need to figure out a better way to deal with chronic emergency room users (edited to change this from incorrect term "abusers"). So many use the hospital rather than an immediate care facility because the emergency room won't ask for an up-front copay.
#40
Safari Guide - dangerous animals can literally be anywhere, including right next to the vehicle and you may not be able to see them. Don't think that you can walk around unsupervised because you can honestly be attacked if you don't know what to do.
#41
When arc welding, you must protect all your skin from the light, not just your eyes. The light is the real danger, not the heat. Welding unprotected is like putting your face right in front of a tanning bed of steroids
Con O Cuinn 1 year ago
This goes for mig and tig welding too. On a related note, if you're welding galvanised steel and you start feeling dizzy and nauseous, you have zinc fever. Drink milk. No idea why this works but it does.
#42
I'm a translator. Sure, maybe you don't like my rates, but I assure you that your relative who spent a semester as an exchange student in Spain will not deliver quality work. Maybe you know a second language, but translation involves techniques more complex than knowing how to order a beer in Spanish.
#43
If you leave any door open or don't clean you will eventually get pests. I regularly go to factories that have every garage door open and they wonder why they have mice. I also go to bars that have inches of syrupy goodness underneath all the appliances and they can't understand why they keep getting fruit flies. Exclusion and sanitation is the main form of pest control.
#44
All that white "smoke" you're seeing from the local industrial plant is water vapour.
#45
That therapist have their s**t figured out and don't need therapy (we don't and we do and most of us have our own therapists and would be lost without them)
#46
Graphic Designer here: We need a **vector** version of your logo, or at the very least a **large** image of it. No, we can't "blow up" that tiny pixalated one you use in your email.
#47
Patient Transporter for a hospital here. If you have any kind of fall risk like possible stroke or whatever, we have to put a gait belt on you and make you use bed/chair alarms unless you sign a waiver. Otherwise, if you fall, and that gait belt isn't on, we are instantly very fired. Quit making my life miserable and let me just put the damn belt on. Providing for my fam overshadows your stubbornness. Where I work, if you are wearing a yellow armband, you will be wearing a gait belt. Men are the worst when it comes to this.
Heather W 1 year ago
The 1 time I had to have a gait belt I had the guy cracking up taking about how I must have Karate Kid skills because he gave me the belt. I crack jokes when under stress and a lot of medical people seem to appreciate it. Like the guy trying to put the ECG stickers on me and my boob was in the way. I told him he could just toss it back over my shoulder and he lost it.
#48
Just because you signed up on the organ donor registry does not mean a team will run in when you die and take your organs. In fact, there is only a remote chance that you will die in the rare criteria necessary for donation to take place.
Michael Mckeon 1 year ago
Then even if you do die in the right circumstances your organs are likely rubbish and can't be used
#49
I am a grave digger. No, I don't dig the grave with a shovel.
What do you think ?
chrysanthemum 1 year ago
Zookeeper. It's a lot of cleaning, patience, and physical effort. Not cuddling animals all day.
K- THULU 1 year ago
Yes, worked at a small fauna park in Australia, and it's mainly cleaning up dung..... And the unholy truth of it, all those cute lambs and goats in the petting zoos?... They don't retire to a farm when they grow up, they usually become food for the carnivores... My rude awakening to that fact was when I cleared the remains of my favorite goat out of the eagles cage!!
Load More Replies...
kitten levels tokyo 1 year ago
Human Stool Technician here. So you flush a gajillion tampons and condoms down your toilet and then call me out to snake your sewer? Guess what. It’s going to take a lot more than talk to bring about world peace. “Plumbers: we’re deeper than you think.”
Chucky Cheezburger 1 year ago
And grease, "flushable" wipes, cleaning pads, maxi- pads, money, credit/debit cards, drivers licenses, toy cars, bouncy balls...the list goes on and.on and on.
Load More Replies...
Sonja 1 year ago
Callcenter agents don't sit around and wait for calls. It's one of the most active professions in the world. You have calls back on back, as soon as you end one call, the next comes in. There's rarely ever any downtime. If you work in a callcenter you'll have 100% work. The only time you're not working is when you're going to the toilet or on a break. That's one of the reasons why it's such hard work and people are burning out so often. It's very straining and grossly underpaid. Also when you work in customer service most other departments will think you're less important than them. My boss once gave the whole CS department three days off and made the other departments do our job besides their own to teach them more respect. After that they begrudgingly admitted that our department was just as important as theirs because no one would get any work done if we wouldn't be there to shield them from the customers constant demands while getting them the information they need to do their job.
ADB 1 year ago (edited)
Then they implemented that virtual hold c**p, where the customer could hang-up, but keep their place in the queue - basically the system would automatically call them back and "push" them to an available agent when they answered. Then there were callbacks for various other issues too. So no real downtime at all. Yeah, was a call center sup for over 14 years - the job is no joke.
Load More Replies...
T'Mar of Vulcan 1 year ago
Teacher from South Africa (government school). Screaming at the teacher because your child failed is not going to do anything. There are specific procedures that teachers have to follow when your child isn't passing. The department has to approve the retention and they will take everything into account. No, your child didn't fall because "the teacher hates him".
Leo Domitrix 1 year ago
MD here. That one about exercise needs its own caveat: One program does not fit all, and physiotherapists (physical therapists in the US) have told me outright they LLOVE that myth. It keeps them in business. In fact. Crossfit is their favorite ever exercise program, and they'll promote it knowing people will end up coming back in need of therapy. Much as we hate it, old injuries and DNA do affect how we can/should exercise, as does age. So... If it hurts, you're doing it wrong. No pain does not equal no gain. No pain equals... no pain. You *can* go gentle.
Mani Lacao 1 year ago (edited)
I don't work in Air transport but I would assume If the pilots do not receive clearance from ATC, they cannot do much about it. It's not always the airline's fault either, and particularly it's not the pilot nor flight attendants' fault. I believe it bugs them just as much as the passengers. You shouting at them won't make the plane take off. (had terrible experiences with obnoxious passengers going crazy after the crew).
Edwin van Stenis 1 year ago
Broadcast Camera-operator here, Yes I need to stand precisely here and no, I don't know when the game/ concert/ show will air ;-)
VickyG 1 year ago
Surgeons don't put their arms up all the time and they don't drop metallic objects with a clink onto a metal basin, like in the movies.
Becky Samuel 1 year ago
If a surgeon drops their hands below their waist then they have broken sterile procedures and have to go repeat the process from the beginning. A metal basin is not considered sterile, so again, if the surgeon touches it they have broken sterile protocols. If you work with surgeons that are ignoring these protocols then you are killing patients.
Load More Replies...
A P 1 year ago
One thing I always wish people knew is that you can flush a toilet if it won't fill with water. If you have a bucket and a water source, you can make it flush, but you do have to pour a bunch in at once. Just good to know. Just don't waste your potable water if you need it for drinking
brukernavn340 1 year ago
I think most of these things are obvious to the rest of us too. Also, there's a difference between not caring and not knowing (though they often coincide).
TMoxraaaar 1 year ago
Interpreter - your communication will take more time than if you were communicating in only one language. I cannot change that. "Going faster" will take up more time because everything will be incorrect and need to be cleared up. Also please realize when working with signed language interpreters: The Deaf person is deaf. They cannot look at paperwork and watch the interpreter (i.e. "listen" to you) at the same time. Also sometimes the communication problem is not the language barrier - it's the people involved. If you can't/won't communicate then I can't fix that.
chrysanthemum 1 year ago
Zookeeper. It's a lot of cleaning, patience, and physical effort. Not cuddling animals all day.
K- THULU 1 year ago
Yes, worked at a small fauna park in Australia, and it's mainly cleaning up dung..... And the unholy truth of it, all those cute lambs and goats in the petting zoos?... They don't retire to a farm when they grow up, they usually become food for the carnivores... My rude awakening to that fact was when I cleared the remains of my favorite goat out of the eagles cage!!
Load More Replies... kitten levels tokyo 1 year ago
Human Stool Technician here. So you flush a gajillion tampons and condoms down your toilet and then call me out to snake your sewer? Guess what. It’s going to take a lot more than talk to bring about world peace. “Plumbers: we’re deeper than you think.”
Chucky Cheezburger 1 year ago
And grease, "flushable" wipes, cleaning pads, maxi- pads, money, credit/debit cards, drivers licenses, toy cars, bouncy balls...the list goes on and.on and on.
Load More Replies... Sonja 1 year ago
Callcenter agents don't sit around and wait for calls. It's one of the most active professions in the world. You have calls back on back, as soon as you end one call, the next comes in. There's rarely ever any downtime. If you work in a callcenter you'll have 100% work. The only time you're not working is when you're going to the toilet or on a break. That's one of the reasons why it's such hard work and people are burning out so often. It's very straining and grossly underpaid. Also when you work in customer service most other departments will think you're less important than them. My boss once gave the whole CS department three days off and made the other departments do our job besides their own to teach them more respect. After that they begrudgingly admitted that our department was just as important as theirs because no one would get any work done if we wouldn't be there to shield them from the customers constant demands while getting them the information they need to do their job.
ADB 1 year ago (edited)
Then they implemented that virtual hold c**p, where the customer could hang-up, but keep their place in the queue - basically the system would automatically call them back and "push" them to an available agent when they answered. Then there were callbacks for various other issues too. So no real downtime at all. Yeah, was a call center sup for over 14 years - the job is no joke.
Load More Replies... T'Mar of Vulcan 1 year ago
Teacher from South Africa (government school). Screaming at the teacher because your child failed is not going to do anything. There are specific procedures that teachers have to follow when your child isn't passing. The department has to approve the retention and they will take everything into account. No, your child didn't fall because "the teacher hates him".
Leo Domitrix 1 year ago
MD here. That one about exercise needs its own caveat: One program does not fit all, and physiotherapists (physical therapists in the US) have told me outright they LLOVE that myth. It keeps them in business. In fact. Crossfit is their favorite ever exercise program, and they'll promote it knowing people will end up coming back in need of therapy. Much as we hate it, old injuries and DNA do affect how we can/should exercise, as does age. So... If it hurts, you're doing it wrong. No pain does not equal no gain. No pain equals... no pain. You *can* go gentle.
Mani Lacao 1 year ago (edited)
I don't work in Air transport but I would assume If the pilots do not receive clearance from ATC, they cannot do much about it. It's not always the airline's fault either, and particularly it's not the pilot nor flight attendants' fault. I believe it bugs them just as much as the passengers. You shouting at them won't make the plane take off. (had terrible experiences with obnoxious passengers going crazy after the crew).
Edwin van Stenis 1 year ago
Broadcast Camera-operator here, Yes I need to stand precisely here and no, I don't know when the game/ concert/ show will air ;-)
VickyG 1 year ago
Surgeons don't put their arms up all the time and they don't drop metallic objects with a clink onto a metal basin, like in the movies.
Becky Samuel 1 year ago
If a surgeon drops their hands below their waist then they have broken sterile procedures and have to go repeat the process from the beginning. A metal basin is not considered sterile, so again, if the surgeon touches it they have broken sterile protocols. If you work with surgeons that are ignoring these protocols then you are killing patients.
Load More Replies... A P 1 year ago
One thing I always wish people knew is that you can flush a toilet if it won't fill with water. If you have a bucket and a water source, you can make it flush, but you do have to pour a bunch in at once. Just good to know. Just don't waste your potable water if you need it for drinking
brukernavn340 1 year ago
I think most of these things are obvious to the rest of us too. Also, there's a difference between not caring and not knowing (though they often coincide).
TMoxraaaar 1 year ago
Interpreter - your communication will take more time than if you were communicating in only one language. I cannot change that. "Going faster" will take up more time because everything will be incorrect and need to be cleared up. Also please realize when working with signed language interpreters: The Deaf person is deaf. They cannot look at paperwork and watch the interpreter (i.e. "listen" to you) at the same time. Also sometimes the communication problem is not the language barrier - it's the people involved. If you can't/won't communicate then I can't fix that.
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