to feel upset that they 'felt sorry for me'?

[GamoraT]

I'm a cleaner in a big train station. I didn't dream of becoming a cleaner and it's by no means my ideal job, but it's mine and I do it well. A bunch of women walked past me on my shift recently and I heard them say that they felt sorry for people like me, doing jobs like the one I do. This has stuck with me for a few days now and I feel I need to post about it. Do people really see those who are doing jobs such as mine as less? People they need to feel sorry for? I just don't know how to feel about that comment and am gutted that that's how I was categorised...

It depends whether you’re happy or not. My mum was a cleaner on the RAF camp I lived on when I was a kid but my dad was fairly high ranking and she didn’t rely the money as people might have thought and could easily have got an office job or not have worked at all, she just liked the flexible hours while we were at school and the social part of it. She was a woman with options which somehow made it ok whereas the people who made those comments obviously assumed you were not, which was very wrong of them. You can’t judge somebody based on what they happen to be doing for a living at one particular time. You could have young children or be studying or none of those things and just enjoy the work or do it as it’s necessary. Your job doesn’t define you, those women know nothing about you, please don’t be upset.

Wouldn't even occur to me to feel sorry for you!! I'm quite senior where I work and I've become good friends with a couple of the ladies who clean in our office. They love their job! Sod em, OP. They sound like snobs.

I quite like the idea of a job which has some physicality to it and cleaning is one, you don’t have to rush to the gym in the evening to get fit.

I’m a cleaner and I do it because I enjoy it and it’s stress free. Sometimes I think how life would be easier if I had a higher paying job but then I remind myself how debilitating stress is for me.

I do find it odd when people assume cleaners would not do the job if they had any other choice - probably true for some but it’s true in any job sector.

I recall one office worker saying (she didn’t know I could hear), ‘Bloody hell, even the cleaner has a bettter car than me!’

So, yes, I’m afraid people do pity us and some see us as beneath them and I agree, it’s a shock to the system when you don’t feel that way yourself isn’t it!

Do you get people looking a bit shocked and then looking for kind words to say when they ask what you do and you reply you’re a cleaner too? I used to be taken aback as I don’t ever think of myself as unlucky for the job I do, but now I find it amusing!

What matters though is how you see yourself and value yourself. If you’re happy in your work and you know you do a good job, then it really doesn’t matter what others think. Often the most judgemental person we know is that little voice in our head and you can control that.

GeorgeIII that is one of the perks of the job!
I feel fitter since I started my cleaning job. I've also lost almost a stone which means I'm now at my ideal weight. It is tiring though.

Ahhh,there you are!
Found the jerk and we didn't even have to search.What's wrong with you??!!