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Let’s face it—some people have no idea what our jobs are all about. Sometimes, we might enjoy explaining the basics with a few polite sentences but when they ask the same questions over and over again, it can start to feel slightly annoying. Luckily, there are plenty of people on the internet ready to enlighten the masses about the realities of what they do for a living.
One Reddit user posed a question on the r/AskReddit forum, "What is something that people in your profession understand, but the general public can’t seem to grasp?" From lifeguards to teachers, hundreds of people rushed to share insider knowledge and debunk the myths surrounding their jobs.
Take a look at some of the illuminating observations commenters revealed in this thread and make sure to upvote the ones that you might not have known about. And if you can relate to any of them, don’t be shy and share your insights in the comments below!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
I work in healthcare. People are dumb and I’m just going to leave it at that.
RELATED:
#2
Pencils are expensive. Prints are expensive. Proper paper is expensive. It takes a lot of time to do a painting. So, no, I can't give it to you for free or 'exposure.'
#3
Mental health is real health.
Brandy Grote 2 years ago
It's all tied together. Your mental health WILL affect your physical health - and vice versa!! Pain management is mental health care too.
We managed to get in touch with one of the Redditors who had enough of people misunderstanding their profession. User Substantially-Ranged left an illuminating comment under this thread, explaining the common misconceptions they face as a teacher.
"Teaching children takes more than subject knowledge," they wrote. "Many people think that their experience as a student qualifies them to be teachers. It's called the apprenticeship of observation. There are strategies for both classroom management and teaching that you don't learn from being a student."
Substantially-Ranged was kind enough to have a little chat and share some thoughts about the topic. They started by mentioning that, sadly, teachers in the US feel unappreciated.
#4
I work on super yachts. We understand that the rich and famous can get away with ordering drugs, hookers and whatever else they want to their yachts. I've been stopped by police with drugs, but when I tell them it's for the owner of the yacht I work on they let me go. Rules and laws do not apply to the rich and famous. Oh,....... And yacht owners are rich and rarely famous. The really rich don't want to be known.
#5
Public libraries are not safe places to drop off your kids. It's not the books that are unsafe; it’s the other patrons, and the fact that librarians are not babysitters.
#6
In most places, we don't set the prices for anything. Your surgeon is not making $50,000 on your grandma's hip because the hospital charged that much. He or she is probably getting $1,500, and the institution gets the rest. Insurances and institutions are the problem.
"When classes went online due to COVID-19, the public attacked teachers as being lazy and suggested that they should be paid less because they were not actually in the classroom," they told Bored Panda. "It starts to feel like your education, your commitment, and your effort aren't appreciated."
The user believes that the general public does not value and respect "the amount of education and experience it takes to be a skilled teacher." One of the reasons behind this could be that "the apprenticeship of observation makes people think that because they've seen teachers, that they can teach."
#7
Your children are generally [jerks] and we don't find them nearly as charming as you find them
Scagsy 2 years ago (edited)
The thing with this is, you ALWAYS notice the naughty kids, running amok in the restaurant. I would hazard a guess that because the other kids are well-behaved you NEVER notice them. It's always a minority spoiling it for the majority. Note: You can apply this to adults too.
#8
Military spending.
The U.S. spends the most by far, but it doesn't mean that money goes towards making sure Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors, and Marines have the best training, facilities, education, and equipment.
The vast majority of that money goes to private companies for programs that never produce anything or contribute in any way to the effectiveness of the fighting forces.
There is no concrete evidence that the U.S. has "The Best" military in the world.
#9
A lot of "tough" parenting stances don't work.
I work with teenagers who have committed minor offenses and are not required to do jail time, but seeing a youth worker and working on anger management/social skills/life skills is required of them. There is not one single teen that has been sent to me who has come from a background of "gentle parenting". Not one. Every singe one of them without fail as long as I have been doing this will tell stories of all the times they were hit as punishment, and it becomes their logic when faced with conflict, "He disrespected me so I bashed his face in", "He called me a wanker so a smashed his car with my baseball bat", "I didn't do anything wrong, he stole the girl I like so I kicked him and his knee just broke, it's not really my fault".
This whole "Back in my day we got hit and we grew up right!" is just silly. Back in "your day" hitting was more prevalent so it's safe to say that most, if not all, violent crimes were committed by those who were hit. Most of the more shocking serial killers and so on have very well documented back stories of abuse.
Not every child who is hit will resort to physical violence when things don't go their way, of course, but children who are taught proper coping mechanisms for anger other than hitting people or things are very less likely to resort to that themselves, because they've been given conflict resolution skills that they can carry on into young adulthood.
And yeah, here's the point that a lot do understand in regards to this- if you are saying that you were hit and you grew up okay and you are using that to defend physical violence against children who most of the time actually don't know any better (and it's even worse when it's "Oh well they're too young to understand why they shouldn't touch the stove, so I hit them so they understand"- if they can't understand why they can't touch the stove they won't understand why you hit them either), you didn't grow up okay, you grew up with violent tendencies.
General rule, don't hit people.
If you hit children, they will learn to hit.
When children grow up and hit other grown ups, that's a criminal offense and they will go to jail.
Brandy Grote 2 years ago
I was hit as a child and I did NOT turn out ok. There are better options.
It can be quite hard to figure out why the public has so many misconceptions about other professions. Whether it’s seeing librarians as babysitters or assuming that the IT guys can do it all, there seems to be a general lack of common sense when it comes to appreciating what others do for a living. "It can be difficult to have empathy for others and realize that they have to work hard," Substantially-Ranged added.
The user continued by saying that it’s necessary to talk about such issues. "The beauty of Reddit is that it creates an environment where positive and open discourse can occur. A simple subreddit like r/AskReddit has the power to educate people and enlighten them about things just by scrolling," they concluded.
#10
'Switching it off and on again' in I.T. usually resets the device to the state before you pissed about with it — this quite often solves the problem.
#11
Just because I "play" in a band, doesn't mean it isn't work! For every hour you see me on stage, I spent probably 100 hours practicing and rehearsing, so you would enjoy listening to me.
Yugan Talovich 2 years ago
In Chinese there's an expression, One minute on stage comes from ten years' practice.
#12
Veterinary- just because you can’t afford care for your pet, doesn’t mean I have to give said care for free. Nor does it it mean I’m heartless and cruel and killing your pet. It just means you can’t afford it.
I have bills to pay too. I have a right to make a living wage. I need to get paid. We get no government funding, we exist solely because people they their bills.
Slinkman 2 years ago (edited)
Well this goes for healthcare as a whole. I don't think it's the fact people have to pay that is the problem, it's the ammount of money that needs to be payed that is the issue. Sometimes a vet just looks at my cat, gives a short diagnose 'give it some rest' and I walk out fo the door with a € 80,- Bill. I know they deserve a good salary (studied long, have a big responsibility), but this I find ridiculous. I take care of kids in my profession, a big responsibility, but the pay is lousy. Just to compare.
#13
Emergency Rooms are NOT first-come, first-serve businesses! We triage you for a reason, and you CANNOT cut the line in front of somebody with a more serious complaint just because you got here first!
Brandy Grote 2 years ago
Sorry, Jenny's non-Covid sniffles have to wait behind that guy's bone sticking out of his arm.
#14
As a teacher, No! Your "babies" are not babies. They are delinquent teens with sociopathic behaviors that you allowed to go unchecked, and now we have to deal with it when they disrupt learning environments and harm others, while you throw a fit when we call home about it, even though we have video evidence of them brutally hitting others, including staff, and behaving like out of control animals. But your little "baby" would "never do that."
#15
I am not a babysitter. It is your job as a parent to watch your kid when swimming and if they can't swim, you have to be in the water within five feet of them at all times.
#16
YOU NEED TO SLOW DOWN IN BAD WEATHER!!!!!
DUN DUN (she/her) 2 years ago
(Two wheelers)If you ride faster in rain, the rain will pelt you like bullets. Driving slower makes it a bit bearable.
#17
That the eighty thousand pound truck I’m driving can’t stop in a dime
Brandy Grote 2 years ago
Thiiiiiiissss! That extra car length in front of them isn't for your beemer to slide into! And if you can't see the driver's face, the driver can't see your CAR.
#18
You actually don't want an exotic animal as a pet.
Chucky Cheezburger 2 years ago
Not very exotic, but we(my wife) just "adopted" a mouse. Not a lil white mouse from a pet store, but a field mouse that we found almost dead in the toilet. I didnt want to put it out in the cold while half dead and wet, so I had it in a box to recover. Showed it to my wife...she deemed it🤩 "precious, with its little ears and feet"...so now we have a house for a mouse in our house. So far, it doesn't seem to have any diseases, but its still under observations. Hoo boy...
#19
Marriage and Family Therapist
Your partner only wants your advice if they ask for it. They want you to listen and emphasize. Tell them what they're going through must (fill in appropriate adjective here- examples: suck, feel amazing, feel overwhelming, etc)
No, you haven't found your soulmate. You're brain is giving you a super boost in brain chemicals so you screw like bunnies and have babies. Tell me in 1.5-2 years if they're still your soulmate. That's how long it takes for that chemical boost to return to their "normal for you" state. And not feeling fireworks at the first kiss doesn't mean anything. Plenty of amazing long-term relationships started from friendship (which by the way is what you'll need to have a long-term, fulfilling relationship).
Also... be kind to each other. You will each f*** things up in your relationship. All is not lost because one of you talked to an ex, forgot a birthday, etc. Relationships go through seasons and I promise if you can work though the winter you'll have an amazing summer! Every relationship sucks sometimes (screw you social media and your highlight reels).
Lastly, though there are so many more- I can't stress this one enough, there is no such thing as my problem or yours. Though the work to get through it will look different for each of you, once you decide to become partners, everything becomes ours to work through together. Yes, even that thing that happened before you met but is getting in the way of your healthy relationship. And especially that thing you never want to talk about that is getting in the way of your relationship.
#20
Your kids lie to you. If we said they didn’t do the homework and they said they did, it’s a 99.985% chance they are lying. If they say they weren’t doing xyz behavior in class and we say they were, it’s a 99.985% chance they were doing it. I have so many more demands on my time than to make up random c**p about your kid.
#21
Flossing actually helps.
#22
You can lie all you want about falling on or accidentally sitting on the stuff that gets lodged in your [butt], none of us HCWs believe you though!
Debbie Barnes 2 years ago
Dear lord.. I'd probably die of embarrassment if I 'fell' onto anything.. But I'm pretty sure people make up stories to cover their own embarrassment in these situations,rather then think they'll ever be believed....
#23
Teachers don't "give grades" - students earn them. The teachers just calculate them.
Sure, some teachers can be d**ks, and actually give grades, but that's not how it's supposed to work.
#24
That office work is more than just making excel spreadsheets and chatting at the water cooler. A busy day in an office can be exhausting.
Peej Maybe 2 years ago
This. Mental exhaustion still counts as exhaustion. Just because I'm not in the middle of a forest chopping down trees all day it does not mean my job is less taxing than yours
#25
My god, your chocolate will last the two weeks until Christmas. Buy it now and give it next Christmas. It has a shelf life measured in years. And stop putting it in the fridge. I made it three months ago and it's been sitting at room temperature in a box since then. If you put it in the fridge for a week it'll get condensation on it and turn sticky, or the cold will ruin the tempering.
Becky Moore 2 years ago
I like my chocolate from the fridge. It's never in there for more than a day cos I'm a pig :P
#26
Yes, the animal is in the exhibit. Sometimes you have to look for longer than eight seconds.
kristina law 2 years ago
I would try to stay hidden too if I was forced to be stared at all day by hundreds of strange looking beings.
#27
Bathroom renovations — things take time. Drying times are a factor. If I ask your budget, it’s not because I’m trying to empty your account. I just need to know your expectations so I can meet them.
#28
Teaching children takes more than subject knowledge. Many people think that their experience as a student qualifies them to be teachers. It's called the apprenticeship of observation. There are strategies for both classroom management and teaching that you don't learn from being a student.
DUN DUN (she/her) 2 years ago (edited)
Absolutely! I had two kinds of science (phy) teachers- one who came in, stood like a robot, and puked out everything written in the textbook. And one who made us learn through real-life experiences, telling us topic related jokes, bringing all types of teaching aids, etc. The thing is, we still talk about the second teacher and miss him so damn much, whereas almost everyone has forgotten about the first.
#29
Correlation is not causation.
Foxxy (The Original) 2 years ago
I had 4 vaccines today, and one of them was the MMR. I wonder how long till I get Autism. lol
#30
The Cloud is just someone else's computer.
Peej Maybe 2 years ago
See also: "Microsoft are reading all my emails, accessing all my files and examining all my data" - Trust me, no one's interested in your furry porn collection son...
#31
Just because I'm an electrical engineer doesn't mean I can rewire your house. At least not legally.
Brandy Grote 2 years ago
Well, you CAN, but it will cost 5 figures, a few permits, and a couple of inspections, plus a crew.
#32
I work in long term mental health care with special need adults.
I see al kinds of s**t, trust me. Most people get that. I get the 'ah you are such a hero for doing what you do, I could never do that' quite often.
What most people don't grasp is that the good moments are equally amazing as the bad things are horrible.
My residents are capable of such great things. Or they become so happy in our care it's just amazing to witness.
I could tell amazing or terrible things about my job, depending on the mood you're in to hear about.
Scagsy 2 years ago
Having spent some significant time as a patient on Psych Wards (not special needs, just adults) I feel quite well placed to comment on my experience. The ward staff were always ready to offer an ear, a hug or to nip to the shops. If it was in their power, they would do it for you in a heartbeat. Whilst the modesty of this chap is admirable, I have to disagree, these doctors and nurses ARE heroes, do a wonderful job and deserve praise.
#33
No, I can't grab your iPhone and take a picture to match my best studio works, even if it's the most recent model of an iPhone. Also, yes, I do charge money 'just to take a picture.
Chloe Patt 2 years ago
Lots of ppl are willing to pay lawyers $$$ per hour for advice on the law "because they had to study long and hard" but somehow think artists just somehow "know" how to paint/take photos etc. beautifully and therefore don't deserve to charge much. Like..it's just drawing sth with a pencil, or "push a button" etc. Sure, you also know how to read but you still pay lawyers so what gives?
#34
Unpleasant feelings are healthy and needed for us to function properly
Brandy Grote 2 years ago
Yes, but if I feel my depression signs building on top of grief and stress, I should be able to get requested relief from my MH team during a time of additional mental stress.
#35
That everyone is entitled to due process and to be presumed innocent until proven guilty no matter how sleazy or guilty they are.
#36
Complaining to my manager isn't going to get me fired. If anything he's going to be even more blunt with you about how much of a power tripping c**t you're being because he knows for a fact that you can't get him fired either. Retail workers, especially during a labor shortage and especially when they've got a few years experience, aren't so replacable that you can get one axed just by complaining to management. Most of the time your complaints won't even reach anyone with the authority to fire someone. Even if they do, they get so many complaints from unreasonable people that the management is far more likely to side with an employee that's in good standing with the store than with some random weirdo that didn't get what they wanted.
#37
Teaching English in Japan does not elevate you to godlike status among the locals and Japanese kids can be as ill mannered and unruly as kids in the West.
#38
The only certainty in medicine is that everyone dies eventually.
#39
I am a material scientist.
America will never go to war with Russia. We buy too much Titanium and Helium from them.
Daniel Marsh 2 years ago
Yes, this is a weirdly false assertion. We produce many times more Helium than Russia and we could easily skimp if we needed to. (How about stop wasting it in balloons?)
#40
If you want to fit a portrait image into a landscape canvas, you either have to crop it, leave a black or white border or empty space left and right, or distort it (which is almost always a bad idea). On a regular occurrence, clients are unhappy with either of these options, they just want me to somehow make it fit.
What do you think ?
Leo Domitrix 2 years ago
From medicine: No, we are not all just googling things when we look at the laptop or blackberry. We're often looking at the PDR, and it's much faster than the physical PDR. (The Physicians Desk Reference, a pharma guide that's about 2,000 pages of tiny print.) We may be reviewing your medical history, if it's available. We may even be checking to see if a specialist is in the hospital at the time. Do not assume we're going on Web MD. Please. Thank you.
Lydia Owen the Bi-tch 2 years ago
Most people don't understand that before they get a med prescribed you have to first make sure there won't be any reactions
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abby smink 2 years ago
Every person that doesn't want socialized medicine because they won't want their taxes to pay for someone else's healthcare....they already are. The tons upon tons of people that treat the ER like a walk in/minor care clinic because it's "free"...how do you think the hospital recoups that loss?
Leo Domitrix 2 years ago
Exactly! ... And now you can explain the idiocy of medical costs in the US to some extent. (They also just like big profits. Patients second, the ba*tards.)
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Victoria Pitt 2 years ago
I think what's most annoying is when people constantly complain about their job and have to go on and on about how exhausting it is. My job is hard, your job is hard, most jobs have some negative aspects, working sucks. I mean it's one thing to vent about a bad day but some people just need to either switch their careers or at least switch their attitudes.
WildHoneyPie 2 years ago
"Oh, you hate your job? Why didn't you say so? There's a support group for that. It's called everybody and they meet at the bar" - Drew Carey
Load More Replies...
Leo Domitrix 2 years ago
From medicine: No, we are not all just googling things when we look at the laptop or blackberry. We're often looking at the PDR, and it's much faster than the physical PDR. (The Physicians Desk Reference, a pharma guide that's about 2,000 pages of tiny print.) We may be reviewing your medical history, if it's available. We may even be checking to see if a specialist is in the hospital at the time. Do not assume we're going on Web MD. Please. Thank you.
Lydia Owen the Bi-tch 2 years ago
Most people don't understand that before they get a med prescribed you have to first make sure there won't be any reactions
Load More Replies... abby smink 2 years ago
Every person that doesn't want socialized medicine because they won't want their taxes to pay for someone else's healthcare....they already are. The tons upon tons of people that treat the ER like a walk in/minor care clinic because it's "free"...how do you think the hospital recoups that loss?
Leo Domitrix 2 years ago
Exactly! ... And now you can explain the idiocy of medical costs in the US to some extent. (They also just like big profits. Patients second, the ba*tards.)
Load More Replies... Victoria Pitt 2 years ago
I think what's most annoying is when people constantly complain about their job and have to go on and on about how exhausting it is. My job is hard, your job is hard, most jobs have some negative aspects, working sucks. I mean it's one thing to vent about a bad day but some people just need to either switch their careers or at least switch their attitudes.
WildHoneyPie 2 years ago
"Oh, you hate your job? Why didn't you say so? There's a support group for that. It's called everybody and they meet at the bar" - Drew Carey
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