Subjective jobs

[Ninjafox]

Just wondering what winds you up about people's reaction to your job?

My role is design related which I've done for years. It really winds me up when people assume a job 'shouldn't take me more than 2 minutes' I've had that quite a lot, and also when they start to tell me how to redesign things like I have no clue how to do my job. Just fancy a big vent!

I work with ex offenders who have mh issues

I get asked how can you be nice to paedophiles - I have to be fair and treat them as human beings and that means at times being understanding to their needs and having to sit and listen to them discuss their problems

I don’t care for them as I do others I work with but I have to remain professional

That because I do a lot of "fun" stuff for my job that it's easy. That it's not actually work. Also people ask "oooh invite me to do x, y and z" then when you ask them they're too busy.

Also people are always offering me their ideas, again comes down to thinking because my job has lots of fun stuff it must be easy.

I'm a travel and lifestyle journalist.

People in a certain industry sometimes are a bit weird when they find out about my job because they see me as a threat or enemy!

But most people think my job is really cool if I describe it the right way

Not to mention having to plan and research routes from London to the arse end of nowhere, do money conversions and have conviction that the utterly adorable bouji cafe you stumbled across will still be in business when the nag goes to print is slightly stressful.

I also recently had my face plastered on the front of a magazine in a "niche" market for a story I put together. They'd used my Facebook picture and I had all sorts of randos messaging me on Facebook telling me odd stories and asking for me to take them on a personal tour of somewhere because I was "so very attractive". Freaked me out!

Ahem, *mag

NO YOU FUCKING CAN'T, SO JUST FUCK OFF! It took me decades to develop this level of empathy.

LMAO

Zamolochikova i thought you were going to say you were an MP! They might be right then.

I am a barrister and used to do crime (I still do a sort of crime but not the stuff people find interesting and not so much in court). People always ask "what do you do if you knew someone was guilty?". How? With my crystal ball?

NB - if they tell you that are guilty you can't represent them, not in any meaningful way, I.e. put forward any actually defence.

Do people think it's owned by Mr Burns too? You must get loads of Simpsons jokes.

I work for an arts organisation, doing something that seems fun and easy but is actually an incredibly complicated, full on and pressurised job, which requires extraordinary amounts of relationship management, project management, R&D, data analysis, solid financial understanding, governance and ... creativity.

People ask me how it’s going with my “charity thing?” “Is it voluntary?” and my favourite “oh what do you do the rest of the time”?

The rest of the time?! I work between 40 and 100 hours a week (depending on where we are in the year), and yes I am paid ... I’m a fucking professional with 10 years experience who took a hefty pay cut to work in the third sector, I’m not paid enough, frankly.

Cunts.

I work in an NHS hospital lab, and most people don’t know my job exists, despite the fact that a large percentage of doctors decisions are based on what we do. It’s frustrating to have to explain it, and when I do, people focus on the gross samples (you work with poo??) more than anything else.

I’m a social worker. People either look horrified, pity me or tell me they hate social workers and we’re all crap.

So I tell new people I work in a shop.

Musician here, I frequently get asked what my day job is and also many people insinuate I shouldn’t get paid for what I do as it is enjoyable.

Ha ha. DS is a musician, and he gets that too. He loves telling people the function band that played at their wedding for a couple of hours probably had a 14-hour day to do so and probably weren't even given food at the event either

We paid to spend a weekend in a swanky hotel where a long-established, professional touring band were playing on 2 evenings over dinner. One of the other guests asked me if this was effectively a free holiday for the band - where do you start with that??

I’m a lawyer. People tell me long winded stories about disputes with their neighbours / former workplaces / families / business partners etc before looking at me expectantly as if either a) they think it’s the most complex and fascinating legal dispute I will ever have encountered, or b) they’re expecting me to give legal advice. I just smile and make sympathetic noises!

DH is in IT
He works on high profile government contracts, has years of experience and is highly qualified and well paid
Quite a few people ask him to “fix their WIFi”, usually the same people who say how boring his job must be or what a nerd he is
Being a thoroughly nice chap he usually still does it for them

I work in a library. People say oh it must be so nice to sit and read books all day. If only.

I work all year round in an educational institution. It's often assumed I have no work to do during academic holidays when in fact they are the only times I can do certain tasks which are difficult when I'm otherwise busy helping students.

Work in PR - that people think I'm snotty and unapproachable.

People assume I’m a spy!

When I worked in retail management I usually just got people assuming I'd get a whopping discount on everything and buy it for them- haha no. I'd lose my job! Or asking me refund procedure for places I didn't work for - unsurprisingly I couldn't help much, or asking for my weirdest customer stories - yep cleaning up actual shit from a changing room was the nadir of my career, I'm so glad you enjoyed hearing that!

I work in administration for the MoD now so people generally assume I'm more important than I am and don't know what to say or that I can't tell them anyway . The rudest is probably people who knew I "worked in a shop" before and ask how I managed to get an office job- especially an MoD one. Because I did an admin role within retail. Plus I tell them honestly that I've signed the official secrets act and let them draw their own (far more exciting) conclusions ... It's a natural conversation killer and exceptionally good at shutting up judgemental bitches

@LaurieFairyCake

Same. It annoys me that even on Mumsnet I’ve seen people state “counsellors are only trained to listen” more times than I can count.

I worked as a gardener in a Royal Park. People asked the most bizarre questions and frequently enthused about how much they Loved Gardening. I resisted the temptation to ask them if they’d like to start at 7am, work for low wages and be bossed around by Neanderthal Sun-reading males.

I have a job that sounds cool (and actually is quite cool if I’m honest!) People outside always ask what celebrities I’ve met/know but I don’t really deal with talent so they’re often disappointed.

Some people inside my work only see the outward ‘swanning around, drinking champagne and chatting to people’ and believe that’s all I do.

No, actually I run the fucking business and all that entails!! Also looking delighted to see people you don’t particularly like and staying late to chat to them when I’d rather be at home with my kids is not that fun!!!

I do love my job though

So I work in HR...people think HR staff are unsympathetic and out to get them.

Previously worked for the police and views were the same if not worse.