What doesn’t the public understand or appreciate about your job? The Atlantic asked their readers and were provided with some fascinating answers from a broad range of occupations. For example, in “A is for Army soldier”:
The thing that surprises people is that some of the most free-thinking people in the United States are in the US Army. The problems that we have to contend with require innovative solutions and given the breadth of educational backgrounds of Army Officers, you find some incredibly adaptive people. Deployments and combat result in an environment where evolution is sped up by a million and those that cannot adapt fail. As long as basic forms are obeyed, you find that most leaders actively encourage free thinking within their ranks. To be sure, we have our share of intellectual dullards and buffoons but the reality is that the more time you spend with Soldiers, the more you begin to realize how vibrant, adaptive and broad they are in their thoughts.
Since I left the military I’ve had jobs in politics, policy, and journalism. But none of them have encouraged the same level of creative thinking that was expected in the Marines. In fact, if you are interested in expressing yourself creatively, you might want to consider the joining the Corps rather than seeking a job as a graphic designer:
Thanks to Mad Men and the countless ads on TV for schools that “allow you to express your creativity to its fullest potential,” the thought is that every design job is a sexy glamorous job. Once you’re through with school, you’ll land a job at Leo Burnett, BBDO, Nike, Apple, or another company that has a pool table, sexy promiscuous secretaries, very entertaining socio-political drama, or something your parents and friends would recognize on the shelf.
The reality of it is the vast majority of designers will work to make ugly things for strategically incompetent people only to have more people still think very little of you.
I’ve known a lot of graphic designer and they have all had to put up with daily frustrations from clients. The lack of appreciation for what they do is sort of like being an IRS employee:
What people don’t understand about my job is that chances are you are not the person I’m examining. I examine doctors who expense three Cadillacs, insurance brokers who claim jet skis for business use only, and real estate agents who haven’t paid taxes in eight years. The public doesn’t realize that tax auditors are the only people between a balanced effective tax rate among all social classes and the bourgeoisie stealing what isn’t bolted down. Don’t kid yourself; these people are stealing from you. This money helps pay for schools, roads and with any luck can keep mortgage interest deduction alive for a few more years. I read a report on NPR that Italy has 40% of its population evading taxes. Imagine our debt crisis if we had the same problem. (Our tax evasion rate is estimated between 8-18%).
So if you’re one of those “Joe the Plumber” people who take time out of work to throw teabags at me on my way into the office in the morning: You are the middle class! I’m helping you!
September 9th, 2011 | 12:04 pm
I figure everyone should have to work retail, and spend some time waiting on tables, at some point in their life.
September 9th, 2011 | 12:30 pm
I was an inventory specialist. You know those people who hold the handheld computers and wear the funny polo shirts in stores? The ones you mistake for employees, but in actuality they count the goods in the store?
I have worked fourteen hour days counting nuts and bolts in Home Depot. I have been driven to entirely different states to work, one time not being told that the place we worked at was refrigerated to freezing temperatures. I was lucky, they drove us home and back the next day. Other people had to take hotel rooms there. Even then the clothing we all brought wasn’t enough, the workers there let us use their jackets. I’ve done multiple stores in the same day once, one 4, one six hour. Not counting travel time to and from the office.
Yet I have worked all of 3 hours the next day counting record stores. There is no planning or fixed schedule. You have to call in to find out your hours for the week, every week. You aren’t even driving there-they pile you in a van and drive you themselves. Heaven help you if you get sick in a job halfway across the state.
Did I mention that they are a near monopoly too?
But what people really don’t understand is the soul-killing nature of the job. You cannot joke while doing it. You cannot talk to coworkers or customers because every moment you are keeping tallies of merchandise in your head and transmitting it to a pocket computer. If you are inaccurate they will let you know.
Things you take for granted become nightmares. A rack of sunglasses becomes a half-hour of pure tedium. Your knees start to ache and never stop unless you realize you NEED kneepads. You see those lovely concrete floors places like Sam’s Club have? You kneel on those for hours.
No one understands anything about that job. They are invisible people, taking a job of last resort, all for roughly ten bucks an hour. The managers have it even worse. So if you see them, say a prayer/smile warmly for/at them, they need it.
September 9th, 2011 | 12:47 pm
I composed a long comment that was eaten up, so apologies for repost if it happens. I did Ray one better-I worked as an Inventory Auditor, part of those crowds of rust-red polo shirted people who mob the stores with their handheld computers counting.
The next time you are in a Home Depot, imagine kneeling on those concrete floors for 14 hours, counting nuts and bolts for ten bucks an hour. Inventory services are even more invisible than retail workers, and operate in near monopoly conditions. They work as many as 14 and as little as 3 hours in a day, always changing.
You can even be driven to other states working it-I was across all of New England. It’s a thankless, soul-killing job even beyond retail. You can’t even talk to your coworkers or you might lose count.
September 9th, 2011 | 12:52 pm
Ray,
I’d say the same about being a teacher, if not for the fact that it would be horrible for many students.
September 9th, 2011 | 1:02 pm
In the military the fact that mistakes will get you or your buddies killed kind of focuses the mind and makes finding solutions that actually, you know, work, a high priority. No room for theoretical nonsense.
The other amazing thing about folks in the military is that they’ve usually put some thought into what they’re doing with their lives. The average person who drifted from high school to college to some job all too often hasn’t for a second.
September 9th, 2011 | 2:25 pm
The thing people don’t get about my job (Christian pastor) is how lonely and difficult to make friends it can be. Folks say “how can that be — you are around people all the time” which is true enough, but it is very difficult for folks to have a humanized relationship with someone that represents in some way or another “God” in their life.
A story to illustrate: A colleague was invited to the home of some parishioners soon after he was called to their church. The husband and wife after dinner were telling him earnestly how much they want to support him and be “friends to him”…. He replied “No I don’t think you really do want to be my friend, it’s more complicated than you think.” The wife pressed him saying “Oh come on, we can take it. We really want to do this.” And my friend said “No you don’t and let me tell you why: because the first time you hear me say ‘s–t’ or worse yet ‘f–k’ (and he used the actual words) you will be disappointed or angry or both and it will put a real strain on our supposed friendship…” The wife looked at him for a long moment and said “you shouldn’t say those words…”
Not a complaint mind you. I love my job (the lovable parts of it anyway) and the people I have been called to serve are a real gift to me. I have made some wonderful friendships and would not at all characterize my life as lonely. But that has happened because I have worked hard to make it happen and it is to be noted that almost none of those close friendships are with people in the congregation I now serve. Seems to go with the territory…
September 9th, 2011 | 3:54 pm
Dblade – Sorry, didn’t realize it was a contest. I’ll bring my “A” game next time. :)
September 9th, 2011 | 6:38 pm
[...] other people don’t understand about other people’s [...]
September 9th, 2011 | 10:39 pm
[...] -via First Things | Photo: US [...]
September 10th, 2011 | 12:13 am
You already bring your A game, Ray. It’s nice to be able to agree with you once in awhile, though.
September 12th, 2011 | 8:19 pm
Sympathize with david c.
When my spouse died, the priest came to visit our house. I thanked him for taking the time out of his busy schedule. He gave me a quizzical look and said, “You think I’m too busy to visit bereaved family members?”
I told him I could do the math. 5000 families registred in the parish. 7 members per family on average. If each person lived to be 100, then 1%, or 350, people would die per year, about one a day.
He told me my estimates weren’t far off–over 200 funerals were performed at our church last year.
I dont think I could handle that load.
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