To ask whether you judge someone based on their occupation?

[lushilaoshi]

I am sometimes judged (I think) a bit harshly based on my occupation. It can be a bit of a conversation killer, sometimes.

So without revealing yet what I actually do, if I were to say (for instance) that I am a City lawyer, what assumptions would you make about me? Would you take an instant dislike? Versus if I were to tell you that I am, for example, a languages teacher?

I think I can predict some answers, but I am curious about what characteristics are attributed to certain occupations, and whether justified. And in particular, whether gender makes any difference to your judgement?

Dr - illegal parking needs to be dealt with, absolutely. I think it's the fact that so many of them are on targets and don't give an inch. For example, they used to patrol the streets in droves in Edinburgh surrounding the Sick Children's Hospital in the knowledge that parents were often caught in appointments which were running late or longer thsn anticipated, or stuck in the waiting room and scared of losing their place. They would slap on tickets within a couple of minutes of the ticket running out - and it caused a lot of bad feeling. The last thing you need at a time like that is a hefty parking fine for the sake of a couple of minutes.
Doesn't excuse or justify any violence or abuse though.

There was no hospital car park to speak of btw.

As for traffic wardens, I don't have a problem with them per se, but some of them can be absolute bastards. My grandmother was fined for overstaying in the hospice car park on the day my grandfather died. The warden on duty would absolutely not budge and the council wouldn't back down when we appealed for her. It was so awful. The same goes for these cowboy private parking companies. They can be totally immoral.

Trevaron, I used to work in the square mile in London, at a large international 'magic circle' law firm advising mainly energy companies on the development of their projects. I did mostly power projects but also some oil and gas (which I really disliked). I decided I preferred advising on renewable energy project financings for various reasons (morality being one of them), and I ended up moving abroad and now work for a large international American law firm advising on a lot solar and water projects, mainly in the Middle East and north Africa. My clients are project developers, lenders, and some governments.

I have previously been criticised (on this site, actually) for daring to complain about my old job/life in London, on the grounds that corporate lawyers are all in it for the money and I was paid so much I had no right to be dissatisfied. The thing is, I AM paid a lot, but I worked extremely hard and got myself into a lot of debt to get here. I'm not saying I 'deserve' to be paid so much - I actually think it is appalling that I am paid so well and yet soldiers, paramedics and other much more worthy professions get paid so little. But when I lived in London I found that I was paying so much in tax, debt and rent that I couldn't afford to save enough money to even buy a small apartment. Which, given that I work very very hard, made me resentful.

Then there was the 'moral' aspect of it - I felt bad advising large western oil and energy companies on how better to monetise technologies that pollute the atmosphere. So I switched to renewables and do find it much more rewarding. Yes, there's a lot of money to be made in the industry and the clients aren't doing it out of the kindness of their hearts, but you have to motivate people to do it somehow!

I got ticketed for being five minutes late off a night shift. I'd been looking after a dying child ffs but the warden didn't give a shit nor did the council. Cunts.

I agree with sirchen and others.

Some discretion should be used when issuing parking tickets.

People who park like prats deserve tickets, but often they are issued unnecessarily. I see it as a form of taxation.

I think in a lot of jobs that attract public ire, like being a traffic warden, the people who do those jobs are more sinned against than sinning. The pressure put on them to get them ruthlessly to apply whatevr cruel inhuman system has been thought up is immense. And then they take public flak for it as well.

That's why so many employers love zero hours contracts. It turns the job into a moral race to the bottom with ever more desperate people queuing up to do it.

Summeblaze, i used to do your job. I worked with people who had been bankers, worked for lawyers, run nurseries, worked in offices etc etc. not thick at all, all different reasons for not doing their original jobs now.
I had a comment made once ' people see that as poorly paid, lowly work' took me a while to speak to her again..! ( thats why i try not to judge) !

On traffic wardens:

1. None of them have targets, or earn more for booking more people. It's a complete lie. Obviously, if there are 5 wardens patrolling an area and one of them booked far less people than the other 4, questions would be asked, as they would be in any job where your performance was out of step with your colleagues. He or she might be in the cafe all day drinking tea!
2. Once a warden has issued a ticket, they cannot withdraw it by law, regardless of the sad tale they are told. You have to appeal to the council. If they refuse, that's nothing to do with the warden.
3. Re the sob stories and such that the wardens and council hear. What do you think people would say. No one is going to see a warden issuing a ticket and say "sorry, I was in the betting shop and lost track of time because my horse won." Everyone gives a sad tale about death or cancer. That's all they hear. Some of those stories will turn out to be true, but most aren't. If they cancelled every ticket on a sob story, it was be carte blanche for everyone to park for as long as they liked.

Ps. I am not a traffic warden.

Parking wardens were conceived as a tool of the local governments to maintain order for the benefit of its residents. Something has possibly been lost in translation.

1. My apologies - I was sure there was something in Edinburgh about targets, but perhaps not.
2. Yes, I know they can't withdraw the ticket.
3. I'm sure that they hear all sorts, but when they slap tickets on cars within a couple of minutes which are parked immediately surrounding the Sick Kid's Hospital, there's going to be a high chance the driver is in the hospital - and far less than they are doing anything else with their time.

Agree with Goodbye - they don't exist for the benefit of the residents.

Summerblaze I work as a lunchtime supervisor but also as a TA in the juniors. I take the G and T groups too. I love confounding children's expectations as I can be sweeping up chips one moment and teaching poetry writing the next. The older ones children do judge me on the work I do with them. I like the variety, it fits in and it won't be for ever. So no, I would never judge anyone on their job.

I run a domestic abuse intervention service and I do get judged usually as some type of man hating harridan.

I try to avoid judging people based on occupation and have done since the cofounder of the service I run had a life changing event thst required her to quit and go and work in a shop for NMW for 16 hours per week and be dependant on tax credits. I know that any person who serves me in a shop (she's in a newsagents where she's worked for 12 years) could have a Ph.d and be the smartest kindest most inspirational woman I have ever met just like her they could have been a major driving force behind several law changes including but not limited to making rape in marriage a crime improving the likely hood of obtaining protection orders and be responsible for saving the lives of many women and children.

She gets people treating her like she's thick constantly

I'm sure that they hear all sorts, but when they slap tickets on cars within a couple of minutes which are parked immediately surrounding the Sick Kid's Hospital, there's going to be a high chance the driver is in the hospital - and far less than they are doing anything else with their time.

Sick kids' hospital? Is there a well kids' hospital? Kids' hospital will do. Although sick kids' hospital is obviously more emotive.

If someone overstays their time limit outside a kids' hospital, then that's denying a space for someone else who also probably needs to visit the kids' hospital.

New legislation will mean that tickets will no longer be issued until 10 minutes after the time has expired. But you know what will happen, people will come on MN saying "fucking traffic wardens, I was outside the kids' hospital and I was only a couple of minutes past the 10 minute leeway, and the bastard gave me a ticket."

It's known as the Sick Kids in Edinburgh - or The Royal Hospital for Sick Children, if you're being pedantic. What a stupid thing to even comment on.

If someone overstays their limit by a few minutes and no tickets are issued, then it will all even out, won't it. And no-one will come away £60 poorer.

Excellent change to the legislation.

If someone overstays their limit by a few minutes and no tickets are issued, then it will all even out, won't it. And no-one will come away £60 poorer.

My point is that people will factor in the extra 10 minutes leeway, and when they get a ticket after 11 or 12 minutes, they will be just as furious as they are now, because they were only a couple of minutes over. Not sure it will solve the problem.

Some will, some won't

Fortunately, The Sick Kids (that's the Royal Hospital for Sick Children as opposed to the other hospitals in the region, just in case you felt like making some stupid comment again) has now moved to another site where there is actual, real parking - so less revenue for Edinburgh Council and a quieter day at the office for the local parking attendants - a good result all round.

lushilaoshi, I'm sure that people in developing countries, earning 50p a day, are happy that the money their country brings in goes to pay the salary that has allowed you to buy a property in the States just for drawing up a contract. It's all a racket, isn't it?

If someone overstays their time limit outside a kids hospital, then that's denying a space for someone else who also probably needs to visit the kids hospital

Surely the most likely scenario for overstaying the time limit here is that an appointment in the kids hospital has taken longer than expected for whatever reason? The real issue there is a hospital having inadequate parking for patients and visitors. It seems silly to accuse patients who have earlier appointments of denying parking to patients with later appointments.

My local hospital has pay on exit parking, so no need for us to worry about parking fines if appointments overrun.

Agree Shadow.

The Sick Kids has pay on exit now - it sits within a larger site, so no moments of panic or appointments where I'm too busy clock watching to give the Consultant my full attention. It's much less stressful (at a time that's stressful enough, believe me)

I actually benefit from people judging occupations I think! When I tell people I am a Fashion Buyer they are usually very impressed and assume I must be 1. getting paid very well and 2. really chic - neither of which are true in the slightest unfortunately ????

The reality of my job is long hours and reams of paperwork, with admittedly two fun months a year!

Re. Traffic wardens. I expect a lot of the anger is that (in common with many Govt depts) they seem very concerned with low hanging fruit and can't be arsed with the real law-breakers.

So, round here, they never ticket the people who every day park dangerously around school - which causes real traffic problems - but are very happy to hang around car parks looking for 5 minutes/10 minutes over.

Considering most of the council machines around here also don't offer change - and they are all set at something like £2.10 an hour, this creates a picture of a system that is about money-making and not for the benefit of residents at all.

John - well said, absolutely spot on. I completely agree with all you said there

TTWK you sound like a heartless sod. Shame on you.

I can see the points for traffic wardens but as some other have pointed out they can be absolute arseholes and I really don't believe they don't get commission.
I was parked in a car park, got out my car to get a ticket, was waiting behind someone I was probably 4-5 minutes max the traffic warden was in the middle of writing me a ticket, like really?
People cannot even leave their cars to get tickets anymore? It's a joke and that's just one example of why I believe they get commission.
They say they don't do people won't think they are scum.

Some jobs are just more interesting than others and it's interesting to hear what attracted a person to that career. Last time I was in the hairdressers a very glamorous younger woman (well, early to mid twenties which is young to me!) was there and obviously a new customer, when asked her job she said she was a mental health nurse. People were clearly there is a stereotype of mental health nurses and it isn't a glamorous one!