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We currently have jobs that didn't exist 30, 20, or even 10 years ago. In fact, by one popular estimate, around 65% of children entering primary school today will ultimately end up working in a career that's not even on our radar yet.

Interested in the changes of the labor market, Redditor u/jaysmith007 asked other platform users last week, "What profession was once highly respected, but is now a complete joke?"

And people gave plenty of examples. From flight attendants to nurses, continue scrolling to check out those that have received the most upvotes.

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#1

“What Profession Was Once Highly Respected, But Is Now A Complete Joke?” (30 Answers) US President

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K Witmer
K Witmer
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Can't believe we had a Russian plant in office and there are brainwashed traitors that want him back in

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#2

“What Profession Was Once Highly Respected, But Is Now A Complete Joke?” (30 Answers) Teaching. They get completely s**t on by the kids and the parents.

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DUN DUN (she/her)
DUN DUN (she/her)
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Absolutely. Sometimes parents meddle too much in their child's school life. It's ok to supervise what your child's been doing and whatnot, but for god's sake let the teachers handle how and what they teach in class. And I get it, there are some wacko teachers and they need a constant reminder of their job, but there are really good ones who have become so frustrated with all the nags! As if the school's pressure and the workload wasn't enough :(

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#3

“What Profession Was Once Highly Respected, But Is Now A Complete Joke?” (30 Answers) Nursing. Long hours, hard work, front line workers for dealing with annoying ass and insane people, the definition of “I don’t get paid enough for this s**t!” Edit: thank you for the awards! My first ones :)

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Caro Caro
Caro Caro
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This thread is about disrespecting professions. I don't know about all the other countries but here in Europe they get our respect. I will punch anyone in the face who disrespects these fantastic people.

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#4

“What Profession Was Once Highly Respected, But Is Now A Complete Joke?” (30 Answers) Farmers. Agriculture used to be something everyone had to do. Now people don't give a second thought about where there food comes from.

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#5

“What Profession Was Once Highly Respected, But Is Now A Complete Joke?” (30 Answers) In these current times, apparently a scientist.

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Hawkmoon
Hawkmoon
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There are too many scientists. On my Facebook wall alone, I have dozens of virologists, who have also just become specialists in wars and geopolitics.

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#6

“What Profession Was Once Highly Respected, But Is Now A Complete Joke?” (30 Answers) Journalist. It used to be a respected and necessary career, now, for more than one reason, it's lost almost all the respect it had.

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Carbonel
Carbonel
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

… which is a shame because we really need proper journalism… the kind that seeks to uncover and lay bare the truth.

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#7

“What Profession Was Once Highly Respected, But Is Now A Complete Joke?” (30 Answers) Philosopher. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle. Now if someone tells you they are a philosopher you probably assume they don’t have a job and do a lot of drugs.

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rspanther
rspanther
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A stand up philosopher is a better career path. I wonder who will get the reference?

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#8

“What Profession Was Once Highly Respected, But Is Now A Complete Joke?” (30 Answers) Police, you would have to be crazy to join the force right now.

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Al Christensen
Al Christensen
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And the crazy people are joining, which is why police are disrespected.

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#9

“What Profession Was Once Highly Respected, But Is Now A Complete Joke?” (30 Answers) Priest for obvious reasons

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Dre Mosley
Dre Mosley
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They(the Catholic Church)did it to themselves by sweeping things under the rug and paying hush money for decades.

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#10

“What Profession Was Once Highly Respected, But Is Now A Complete Joke?” (30 Answers) My aunt crushed it as a travel agent in the '80s/'90s. The internet totally blindsided her

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Janice Hazeldine
Janice Hazeldine
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you can get a really good one that does their research they are worth so much. Sadly most of them just book easy stuff so you might was well do it yourself.

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#11

“What Profession Was Once Highly Respected, But Is Now A Complete Joke?” (30 Answers) Lawyer.

I’m one and I’ve already heard all the jokes, thanks.

In the 19th century it really was a position of prestige. In the mid-20th century it meant Atticus Finch.

Now it’s just the equivalent of ambulance chaser in the minds of most people. And it’s too bad, because when you actually need one, you see what they genuinely do.

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Robin DJW
Robin DJW
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Lawyers are great, but you have to admit the big, blaring "I will sue anyone for you" billboards don't give a very nice look into the profession.

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#12

News media, regardless of their "slant." We've gone from Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite to talking heads and sound bites. Kids today won't believe that back in the day somebody came on TV or the radio and told you the who, what, where, when, why and how- and you were expected to make your own mind about it. Yes, there were editorial/opinion sections, but they were separate from the news reporting. And "journalistic integrity" is filed away somewhere with buggy whips and vacuum tubes.

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#13

Human Resources.

I get it, the protect the company and not the employee, but over the last 20 years that scale has tipped so far that modern HR practices are barely legal and usually unethical.

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jamie1707
jamie1707
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

At work, some of the rudest, nastiest people worked in HR. You never said a word to these people unless you carefully thought it out first. And you never let them know anything about your life out side of work.

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#14

“What Profession Was Once Highly Respected, But Is Now A Complete Joke?” (30 Answers) Critic, for the most part. It used to be that to be taken seriously as a critic, you had to have some accomplishments in the field you were critiquing, to show that your opinion on the subject was worth some value. Somewhere along the way, the position devolved to "any as***le with an opinion is a critic". It has fallen even further in the internet age, with "critics" giving obviously stupid "hot takes" just so their name can be spread out among the media.

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#15

No professions seem to be respected these days. Respect went away roughly 10-15 years ago.

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#16

“What Profession Was Once Highly Respected, But Is Now A Complete Joke?” (30 Answers) School principal. Teachers who fail in the classroom flee to administration because they're too heavily invested to quit and start a new career. Of those, the ones with high ambition, low self-awareness, and weak personal character tend to fail upwards by parroting trendy buzzwords and supporting failed pedagogy. You'll meet the odd unicorn, but most principals are incompetent at everything except camouflaging their incompetence behind buzzwords and task-offloading.

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#17

“What Profession Was Once Highly Respected, But Is Now A Complete Joke?” (30 Answers) Chef. My dad was a chef and in his day you could have your pick of jobs. Literally walk out of a restaurant and into another by the end of the day. People respected them and allowed creative and financial freedom. Now I work as a chef and I constantly have to answer to people ( managers, waitresses etc ) who have absolutely 0 culinary experience. The pay is sh**ty, the hours are ridiculous it's about 3 decades behind in terms of workers rights. This goes double for smaller places like non-chain bars and restaurants. They know that theirs always another chef looking for a new gig and often have no problems treating chefs like absolute dogs**t.

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Mitchell
Mitchell
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That sounds awful. Not helped by a*****e celebrity chefs that give the impression that all chefs are entitled, arrogant dickheads allowed to throw tantrums and abuse people.

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#18

“What Profession Was Once Highly Respected, But Is Now A Complete Joke?” (30 Answers) Air hostess- Once the symbol of glamor now its like a joke

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Kai David
Kai David
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My husband is an airline steward for one of the major airlines. People that fly have become rude, abusive, confrontational, physically attack staff, defy and ignore rules

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#19

Spinster. In the middle ages, it was a respected career which could keep a woman financially independent and secure. She worked damn hard and had to be physically strong and good with money. And a spinster could choose to be in a relationship, but it wasn't imperative for her survival. Nowadays it's just become a term for middle aged or older single women and the fact it used to be a respected job title has been all but forgotten.

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Katie Lutesinger
Katie Lutesinger
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They were called spinsters because they worked spinning wool, if anyone's confused.

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#20

“What Profession Was Once Highly Respected, But Is Now A Complete Joke?” (30 Answers) Milkman, now they are just everyones secret father.

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Robert T
Robert T
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is BS. My MILs milkman turned out to be an excellent plumber. Radiator burst and what we thought was a little drip was pouring water into the outside porch. He managed to get it isolated before I managed to get there! He is an absolute star in my book!

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#21

I wanted to say politician but they have always been hated the more I think about it

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Droopsnoot
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Do royals count? They were once honorable leaders, now either dictators or useless fools

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#22

“What Profession Was Once Highly Respected, But Is Now A Complete Joke?” (30 Answers) President of russia

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Raven Sheridan
Raven Sheridan
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There's a difference between being respected and towing the company line, for fear of being shot. 🤔

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#23

For me personally, doctor. I used to hold them in high regard until I started working with them. Most are lazy, greedy and do not know a single thing outside of medicine. Some don't even know medicine!

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ChimeraBubbles
ChimeraBubbles
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I only respect a doctor if they show respect for me. I'll acknowledge their expertise, I'm not questioning that. As soon as they try to tell me what I'm able to sense in my body or what my life is like with a disability they can piss off. I don't know what life is like in their body why assume they know what it's like in mine? Keeping me as healthy as possible is a mutual endeavour. Respect goes both ways.

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#24

Musicians that played dynamite saxophone solos in rock and roll songs.

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#25

“What Profession Was Once Highly Respected, But Is Now A Complete Joke?” (30 Answers) Elevator attendants. Once revered engineers capable of lifting humans hundreds of feet in the air. Now a comedic relic of a by gone era.

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Janice Hazeldine
Janice Hazeldine
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is the only one on the list that actually fits the descriptoin of this list.

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#26

“What Profession Was Once Highly Respected, But Is Now A Complete Joke?” (30 Answers) Human Computers' to do mathematical calculations.

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#27

“What Profession Was Once Highly Respected, But Is Now A Complete Joke?” (30 Answers) Optician. Back in the day, if you were an old-school Optician you knew absolutely everything about complicated prescription issues, making glasses, grinding lenses, manufacturing a complete set of glasses yourself from your own lab in the back of the store. Nowadays it’s mostly 20 yr old idiots who take a cr**py little express program to certify themselves as ‘Opticians’ , but all orders are sent to an outside lab to be made. If you have a problem with your glasses, 90% of these ‘opticians’ have no idea how to solve your problem. It’s also now essentially just a glorified salesperson job.

Source: Im an ex-optician who’s biggest mistake in life so far was wasting years on that sh**ty low-paying “career”

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Mitchell
Mitchell
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Always struggled with the fact that 90% of the script I end up with is dependent on my own unqualified interpretation of “which is clearer, this one…or this one”

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#28

Translators used to be members of royal courts, but are now full-on taken advantage of by agencies who know nothing about the industry, but hold all the clients. They often expect people with B.A.s, M.A.s, multiple certifications, and decades of experience to work for very low pay

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Samantha Lomb
Samantha Lomb
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Or people who think google is a capable translator and just want you to tweak what google shat out a little for pennies.

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#29

“What Profession Was Once Highly Respected, But Is Now A Complete Joke?” (30 Answers) My friends Dad was a pretty successful ad salesman for yellowpages. After no one needed phone books anymore and he cheated on his wife and had 2 divorces, and bought a purple harley with a dragon on it, he then became a seller of funeral packages...

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Mitchell
Mitchell
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This sounds like it should be a 13 part series in Humans of New York

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#30

“What Profession Was Once Highly Respected, But Is Now A Complete Joke?” (30 Answers) Alchemist

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