Are you/have you ever been embarrassed of your job?

[ShesSingingAgain]

When LO was born and we went to register him, I remember the registrar asking me my occupation, I told her she wrote it down. She then asked my OH who is a sales assistant, he hesitated and then said do you have to put it, she said yes. He then reluctantly said he worked in a supermarket, and then said 'it's a bit shit do I have to have it written on the birth certificate'. The registrar then changed it to something like 'logistics personnel' and made his Job sound fancy.
I asked him why he did that afterwards he just said well it's not the best job and I didn't want LO to be embarrassed later in life.

OH still does a similar, he has the potential to do more however previous bad life choices and lack of confidence have resulted in him being in this position.

Any way this memory popped in to my head earlier and got me thinking, are you/have you ever been embarrassed of your job or even your partners job? Have you changed it to make it sound more glamorous?

Absolutely not.

I have done all sorts of jobs in my time ; bar work, waiting tables, shop work, meter reading, couriering, call centres. I even worked on a market stall. Now, as a reasonably senior professional I’m not ashamed of any of them. Quite the opposite, in fact.

There is inherent dignity and self-respect in working, contributing to society and supporting yourself and those who depend on you. I would only be embarrassed if I were unemployed, sitting on my arse and living on benefits while making no attempt to work. I would feel like a parasite on society not a member of it.

I'm super proud of my job but I have a disability that could/will render me unable to work at some point. I'd be so embarrassed to say I wasn't working, I know that wrong but it's how I feel.

I work at a fast food restaurant
The amount of people who pull faces when you tell them where you work is unreal
It’s a job-my job-I do it well and I’m proud of it,it’s bloody hard work
It pulls in a wage and that is the main thing
Yes I’m looking for something else but for now I’m not ashamed

I hope they think about that next time they scoff a Big Mac-after all if I didn’t do my job they wouldn’t be able to eat there

I would like to think that anyone contributing to society be that employed, sahm, volunteer, peer support etc would be appreciated

I was embarrassed when I worked at the Jobcentre and hated when people asked what I did! Although that would have gone on a birth certificate as "civil servant" doesn't sound too bad!
Never been embarrassed by anything else I've done.

I was tempting before my daughter was born and left to have her so had to put stay at home mother on her birth certificate and it was pretty embarrassing as I've always worked.

Today 22:33 Doona

‘What could be more admirable than a hospital worker? Like seriously, I can't even think of a more worthwhile job, in terms of contributing to society. Cleaning too. So weird that these jobs are associated with low status. Why?’

Because they’re jobs which are mainly done by women. Like care work for example. “Women’s work” and therefore low status.

Also, equivalent jobs mainly done by men such as refuse collection (bin man) are unionised = higher wages = higher status.

Yes I have been in the past but I went back to college and retrained and now I'm proud of my job.

I’ve never been embarrassed about my job. I started working on a factory production line and worked my way through the ranks to senior management, but if I’m asked I’ll often just say I work at x factory.

I had an ex who worked in a bank, always, always looked down on me even though I was middle management by then, used to refuse to travel to work with me because I wore jeans to work instead of a suit. I didn’t speak much to him about what I actually did because he was such an arse about it, constantly pushing me to take a starter job in an office somewhere to “improve myself”. Then one day he started going on about how much overtime had I done, and had I signed the working time directive?l I was puzzled because I’d done none. Long story short it turned out he’d found my wage slip and couldn’t believe I earned more than him so must have done loads of overtime. Prick.

@AlCalavicci

Years ago I was embarrassed to say that I was a cleaner , until I was employed by one of the best bosses I have ever had , he had a way of talking to everyone that made them feel appreciated and there opinions and ideas were valued and implemented whenever possible.

In one meeting ( when I had been there a monthish ) he got all of us together for a briefing on the next big job were going to ( we were mobile industrial cleaners ) as usual we went through the when / where / how / teams / equipment / chemicals etc and he showed us a short video and some photos of where we were going .
It was a disused kitchen in a big restaurant that had been shut for about two moths , it was revolting food had been left in unplugged fridges on work tops the deep fryer was still full of oil and the cooker hoods looked like they hadnt ever been cleaned .

It took 6 of us four 10 hr days of hard graft to get it clean , unbeknown to us he took photos of us working and more once we had finished.
The following week we had another meeting, for the next job but before he started talking about the new job he showed us the before , during and after photos and said
if anyone says you are only a cleaner show them this then ask to see what they have done this week We were all chuffed to bits to be cleaners !

When the restaurant opened about a month later I went there for a very nice meal

Our life would be so much more harder without our cleaner. You do significant and hard work. Never be ashamed of that!

@AlCalavicci how lovely!

I get this. Insurance broker is on my dc's bc. I did think "how did i allow that to happen?" recently when she was using it.

@PickupaPenguin8

Do you mean embarrassed about your job?

"Do you mean embarrassed by your job?"

@Flyingbymypants-nice one!

I’m not embarrassed about my job but I get lots of comments about it. I’m work doing intimate exams and so many people comment along the lines of is this all you do all day etc etc. It’s the height of rudeness-I’d never comment on anyone’s job to their face. I’m providing a service someone has to do-would anyone really say to, for example, a checkout person as they’re passing through the till-is this what you do all day?

No I've never been embarrassed of my job. Its been very interesting seeing my kids and what value they put on what jobs. I have a "good" job, healthcare, make good money etc but my 4 year old recently said she wishes I worked in Tesco because her friends mum works there and gets free parking in the local shopping centre, and it's such an important job because without her no one would have food.

I don't think anyone should be embarrassed that they're working and supporting themselves and their family no matter what the job. Unemployed would be far more embarrassing on the birth certificate.

(And yes I know some people can't work for health and disability reasons before anyone says anything)

I haven't been embarrassed but I think it's not unusual that reducing a job to a title can be tricky. In the interviews we had with the registrar in the build up to getting married we were asked for our parents' professions as is standard. We gave fairly simple answers (e.g. teacher) but they told us to go away and check properly with the parents before the day what they wanted to go on the certificate as it can be quite a sticky subject! I do recall some ended up a bit more elaborate

Not me, but my mum. I'm doing a job I love & dreamed of as a tiny child (librarian). Plus it fits in well with having DC, although the pay is rubbish. But because I got an MA & spent a couple of years working abroad, my mum is ashamed of what I do & never asks me about it or shows any sign of encouragement

I work in the Nhs. I'm on the band 3 pay scale but I'm proud to work in the Nhs. There are times when I feel I should have pushed myself to move up the banding but no I'm not embarrassed by my job title.

Not quite the same but my dad was a minister. As a kid I was so embarrassed. I used to tell folk he was an engineer 🙄. He died when I was a teenager and now I feel so awful for having felt embarrassed. He was brilliant at his job, very kind, caring and compassionate and did a job I could never do, particularly in terms of comforting the bereaved.

@confusedofengland oh yeah, my mum too. I’m vastly overqualified for my job and the pay is crap but I enjoy it. Essentially I don’t NEED to work to pay the mortgage as dh has a well paid job but I like to work. She often says I should be a lawyer. Academically I’m theoretically capable - temperament-wise I’d be absolutely sh*t (ADHD and not remotely detail oriented!) not to mention bored to tears. At least it would sound more impressive to tell her friends though…

Between the ages of 14 and 16 I worked on my uncle’s burger van at the local Sunday market and I was mortified. I would crouch down and hide if I saw anyone from school and I would never admit where I worked. Now I look back and realise that I was doing an honest day’s work for £30 a week (£60 a week during the summer and I picked up an extra day due to a Saturday fete or gala day) so I was rolling in it compared to my peers.

While working in a jobcentre a customer sneered and said "you only work in a jobcentre" to which I replied "at least I'm working" and walked off.

My first full-time job was at OfSted, was embarrassed by that. Was only admin temp but never wanted to tell people where.