To ask what jobs people secretly (or not so secretly) look down on and why?

Phone scammers. Drug dealers.

Oh gosh, I love accountants. They are so useful, I can barely keep track of my petty cash.

Agree also. I think there are a lot of jobs that have essentially been created to keep middle of the road university graduates employed in white collar work.

Sorry for your bad experiences but you do not know all divorce lawyers. They are bound by a professional ethical code and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority to whom you can complain.

I could not work in retail, I would be so tempted to give a right mouthful to some of the rude people I have seen in shops that I would probably only last a week.

As a former PowerPoint jockey, can’t disagree with this

Tbh nothing really other than the “job” of the people doing telephone/email scamming those people to me are the scum of the earth….I obviously don't agree with other illegal “jobs” but that one to me is the worst

Special Advisors
Lobbyist
Life coaches
Influencers
Porn
Traffickers
Drug dealers

Those who blame everything on other people. You are responsible for yourself

I hadn't realised I was so judgemental!

Well. This is going to be controversial and perhaps ruffle some feathers. And I'd like to clarify that I don't look down on people for actually doing these jobs.

But, I kinda think we've created a society where are are a LOT of "bullshit" jobs out there. Essentially just busywork. Stuff to keep people earning a salary and contributing taxes, but outputs that don't actually make much of a positive contribution to society or the planet. So, doctors, teachers, most tradespeople, scientists, bin men, cleaners, supermarket staff - all examples of absolutely not bullshit jobs. But if someone suddenly eradicated all unnecessary middle management positions, would it make much difference to the planet? What about advertising or marketing for products or services that don't actually significantly improve people's lives (which is probably the majority of things actually)? Or those kinds of corporate roles where, when someone tells you their job title, it just sounds like a bunch of random corporatey buzz words strung together and gives you absolutely no indication what the role actually is?

The idea that being busy and working hard and having a strong work ethic seems like a good thing, but what if all those efforts do nothing to actually serve society or in fact just make things overall slightly worse, or line the pockets of a few more rich old white guys?

This is something I think about a lot. I remember finishing university and suddenly feeling terrified that it was quite likely I was going to end up doing some sort of "bullshit" job for the rest of my working life (so, the younger, fitter, best years), just in order to pay the bills. Do I have a better solution? Nope!

Lawyers and accountants. Create nothing, drive no value, inexplicably exalted in this country.

Tell me a divorce lawyer has never played off a divorcing couple against each other to create more (paid for ) contesting paperwork...? Never wind up an aggrieved spouse ? Play on the heart strings of a father that wants more access to his kids ? A mother that's been cheated on? Tell me that isn't so ?

Sales type stuff. As plenty have said, folk need a living

Yes, the main element that determines why jobs get more or less money is how easy it is to find people to do them. It may be very important to be a childcare worker, but there are a good many people who can do a good job at it. You can even find women who will do it to supplement themselves to stay home with their own children which makes it cheaper.

Plus if it gets too expensive, it no longer makes economic sense to hire a childcare worker, the parents won't earn enough to justify it.

However, it is very difficult to find someone who is a world class footballer, and millions of people will buy tickets to watch a good team.

Value to society isn't really anything to do with it.

Why on earth would I look down on anybody going out to work?

I agree it's very judgey. Surely we've all done jobs because we have to at some point or are we all so priviledged? I remember my then boyfriends sister once referring to sales people as 'the lowest of the low' in front of me when she knew I'd taken a temporary sales role post uni as a stop gap while very ill. The flexible hours worked for me and I could hide away on the phone all day making a living until I recovered. I wasn't flogging rubbish either but then she always liked to have little digs.

That person who works for 'Sky technical services'

That's fucking disgusting 😡

Middle class arsehole.

I work in healthcare , fairly senior. I know the cleaners by name, have chats in the corridor (not because I'm a do gooder and want to give them a patronising pat on the head ) but because I started off in a similar role and always remember the ones that treated me like I mattered and the ones that treated me like I didn't exist. And funnily enough, once you 'rise above them' in rank, they act very different and a little coy and red faced. They know and I know. I don't forget being 'at the bottom' (horrible turn of phrase that it is ) so see the people at the lower end of the pay scale as the same as me : because it was once me.

I'm a working class girl that worked hard and got myself a "middle class" job. But the values of your upbringing stay with you. My mother worked at a poultry factory when I was little. My colleague who comes from a family of lecturers and doctors (same job role as me) nearly choked on her sandwich when I told her. Could hardly contain her horror ! 😄

I bet you've got a better work/life balance that some. I loved my mum being at home when we were little and I always felt she put us first.

Also: the domestics know who the nice people are - we get a sly cuppa on the tea round 😉 which is very much appreciated I can tell you !

I knew it wouldn't take long for the legal profession to be brought up.

Exploit people ffs such ignorance.

The majority of lawyers do what they do for good. Some get paid a pittance to defend innocent people, some work to stop horrific human rights abuses or to seek justice for those abused, many ensure that money isn't spent unjustly and that important decisions are made fairly, the most wealthy are helping ensure commerce and business run smoothly. Most lawyers require empathy it is a key skill.

We specifically are not allowed to exploit people. Why do you think lawyers exploit people?

Eh? Both vital jobs without which innocent people would suffer.

okay, if you say so. The City is a wide church. I would not agree with your sensationalist description nor about not creating jobs.

There are elements of many job categories I don't have much time for.

I don't necessarily have a problem with people in finance and banking for example. But I really don't think much of people in things like hedge funds.

I tend to think the insurance industry is a huge grift, but I know people who work in it at a low level that are selling a service to people who need to buy it.

Charities are a good thing imo but the people that seem to run the big charities, like AA, SW, Oxfam and the rest - I think they are grifters.

Similarly while I love literature and the arts, a lot of the people who seem to be there taking advantage of public funds and such seem to be fakes and fakers. I'd say the same about some university departments.

I also have little time for the advertising industry, which is essentially trying to convince people to buy things they don't need, which is a huge element of why we are in so much trouble with the environment.

Or supply and demand. It’s got nothing to do with misogyny. Do you honestly think banks (or their shareholders) would pay bankers their hefty salaries if there were qualified/equally skilled men or women willing to work for substantially less?

Police.
Social workers.

To be fair, I think for a lot of people, it's largely because of the fact that, as you say, they can earn a lot of money from it.

A lot use shady methods and emotional blackmail, as well as being economical with the truth.

I understand (I may be wrong) that most of your first year's directors debit goes straight to pay for the chugger - and if people sign up to get rid of a clingy one and then cancel as soon as they get away, that actually costs the charity using them a significant amount of money.

It's the way that most of them only care about getting DD sign-ups, through whatever method, and don't actually care (or even know without referring to their crib sheet) which charity they are claiming to be a passionate supporter of.

All that said, your partner sounds completely different from these common sort - so good luck and all the best to him.

It’s probably been said already but I openly look down on influencers who use their kids to get money/free stuff. I find that worse than OF because at least that’s the individuals choice and theirs alone. So many kids are having so much of their life broadcast online to thousands of strangers with absolutely no say in the matter just so their parents can cash in.