Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To feel embarrassed about your occupation?

352 replies

Poppets14 · 10/10/2021 09:12

I’ve been a medical receptionist for 14 years. I really enjoy my job and consider some people I work with as friends.
It’s super flexible around childcare. I can also do my job blind folded.
The money is crap! Minimum wage.

Ive not got any skills or any qualifications to write home about so it’s not like I can just do something much different. I’m not the bread winner - it’s a part time job that fits in with the school run!

When people ask what I do I suddenly start feeling really embarrassed to tell them. Almost ashamed I’m not a’professional’
Some of my mum friends have been to uni and seem to have super flash jobs and I’m worried people look down on me for having a job so simple.

Anyone else feel embarrassed by their job? AIBU?

OP posts:
AliceWo · 10/10/2021 11:32

I'm a PA - I love my current role, it's interesting, challenging and has a lot of responsibility.

Other people's attitudes to it can suck though - it is very clear that some see it as not a 'grown-up' job, it's for pocket money, that I'm probably thick, that I wouldn't be looking for any kind of growth or progression, and that it's fine to change my job duties with no discussion with me (would never happen with a different role).

So on that front it's an uphill struggle and can wear me down and I can start feeling 'embarrassed' if I'm not careful.

GoingOutOutNEVER · 10/10/2021 11:42

Yo do have skills, after 14 years more than you think. Be proud of yourself.
I work on a school, pay is crap but I get 3 months of a year , I could work 36 hours a week and get 4 weeks of a year like many other jobs for a lot more money but I’m happy. It’s not always easy money wise but hey ho

Tootsey11 · 10/10/2021 11:44

Try being a cleaner, people look at you like you're dirt. I will be leaving my job and was thinking of doing what you are doing. You have a responsible job, nothing to be ashamed of.

Livebythecoast · 10/10/2021 11:47

I'm a medical receptionist too OP although I've recently changed to a more admin role as it's really exploded lately and I'm now basically full time just doing that. Although I still speak to patients, I mainly ring them to book them in for appointments/results etc so I don't tend to get the abuse from patients when we have no appointments left (I completely understand their frustration but being told you're responsible if they die isn't nice and if you think your death is imminent then you're ringing the wrong people as we're not an emergency service). Medical receptionist do get a bad press (like any job, there's good and bad) and for MW, it's a difficult job.
You shouldn't feel embarrassed about what you do though. Flowers

Rummikubfan · 10/10/2021 11:48

Oh my goodness. I’m super impressed, I couldn’t do your job. I never look down on anyone’s job. I should say though I don’t have work friends on FB, I have added a couple when I’ve left jobs but I do keep my work life and professional life separate.

Rummikubfan · 10/10/2021 11:48

I mean my work life and personal life separate

BiLuminous · 10/10/2021 11:48

Id never look down on a medical receptionist, Id always thought of it as a good job that seemed hard to get. Im shocked its minimum wage, that sucks.

Id hope the pandemic showed us that all jobs are worthwhile. Low paid does not mean a bad job, it means youre being underpaid!

MissCruellaDeVil · 10/10/2021 11:52

I had a super flash job and earned lots of money and hated it, I never saw my kids and got fed up of line managing nearly 50 people day to day. I'm now an ECT (teacher) on a quarter of the salary, but much happier.

lljkk · 10/10/2021 11:54

I'm not getting this.
I am Not saying ppl are wrong to feel how they do, but I can't make it logical.

It feels to me like if you feel this way about your "crap job" then you deep down agree with ppl who look down on your "crap job." That's a decision you made -- to agree with their (apparent? imagined?) beliefs and put yourself down.

Don't do it. Please don't believe that.

As for snobby vain flashy people... I find them amusing at best & contemptible at worst. But wouldn't life be boring if we were all the same. I like the variety.

Camomila · 10/10/2021 11:54

I have a 3 day a week minimum wage admin job (and a degree).

I don't feel embarrassed about it though, my DC are 5 and 1 and it's perfect for now. I log off at 5.30 on the dot and don't think about work in the evenings, and work is always fine if one of the DC are ill and I can't work, I just make the day up on one of my usual non-working days.

Stompythedinosaur · 10/10/2021 11:56

Medical receptionist is a skilled job and an essential part of the healthcare family.

If anyone looks down on this they are telling you something about themselves, nothing to do with your perfectly respectable job.

Notmoresugar · 10/10/2021 11:57

You should be very proud OP.
On the ball and kind doctor's receptionists do an amazing job for the community and are worth their weight in gold.

whatfreshheck · 10/10/2021 12:04

@Poppets14

I’ve been a medical receptionist for 14 years. I really enjoy my job and consider some people I work with as friends. It’s super flexible around childcare. I can also do my job blind folded. The money is crap! Minimum wage.

Ive not got any skills or any qualifications to write home about so it’s not like I can just do something much different. I’m not the bread winner - it’s a part time job that fits in with the school run!

When people ask what I do I suddenly start feeling really embarrassed to tell them. Almost ashamed I’m not a’professional’
Some of my mum friends have been to uni and seem to have super flash jobs and I’m worried people look down on me for having a job so simple.

Anyone else feel embarrassed by their job? AIBU?

Can I just say, as a nurse, the whole NHS would grind to a shuddering halt without medical receptionists and similar. Pay doesn't equate to the value of a job and neither does academia, we would be lost without you. Please don't undervalue yourself. Your contribution is valued and appreciated.
Burnerphone21 · 10/10/2021 12:05

You are lucky to be able to do a job which doesn't take a huge toll on you.

shouldistop · 10/10/2021 12:05

I'm really surprised a medical receptionist is a minimum wage role.

MarshmallowSwede · 10/10/2021 12:25

It’s absolutely nothing to be ashamed about! It’s a reputable profession and you work in healthcare and you’re helping people. It should pay more than minimum wage.

If you said you were killing people and harvesting organs for the black market while at work, then yes perhaps you would need to be ashamed.

But you work in a respectable profession and in respectable way. You should be proud of what you’re doing.

PrivateHall · 10/10/2021 12:51

I think it is a really good job and very important.I imagine it would give a lot of job satisfaction. I used to work in the civil service and progressed to middle management but I used to be embarrassed about working there - nothing to do with 'status', just because I feel like my roles were pretty meaningless with little to no job satisfaction (I am obviously only referring to my own roles and experiences so please don't anyone be offended!). I couldn't go on like that so retrained as an HCP. Personally I wouldn't feel the way you do in your role though as it genuinely is a very important role, helping people day in day out. My sister in law does it and I certainly wouldn't look down on her, though I would never do that anyway to be fair!

IveGotASongThatllGetOnYNerves · 10/10/2021 12:54

My late dad always used to say "no honest work is beneath anyone".

waterlego · 10/10/2021 12:58

There is nothing at all to feel ashamed or embarrassed about. I have friends in many different lines of work: retail workers, solicitors, teaches, nurses, receptionists, administrators, care workers… As long as they are finding some satisfaction or reward in their work and are earning enough to support themselves, I’m happy for them (I wish some of them were paid more for the valuable work they do though!)

I teach exercise classes, very part-time. It’s not rocket science, but I’m good at it and I get such a lot out of it. I am just relieved to have finally found the right line of work for me. It took me till I was 40 but I got there in the end!

PrawnofthePatriarchy · 10/10/2021 13:05

We’ve got one doctor that will not socialise with any of the receptionists as she has told us she only socialises with professionals. She says it’s because our levels of intelligence doesn’t match and she would bore us all!!

She must be a terrible doctor and a truly destructive team member. A good GP can empathise with patients regardless of background or occupation. I can imagine the contempt my dad would express towards another doctor who talked like this.

She should retrain to be an anaesthetist (whose patients are typically unconscious). Grin

I used to work in reception to make money in my university summer holidays. It became really obvious how much went into being a good receptionist and how much the doctors relied on their skill and judgement.

MissChanandlerBong81 · 10/10/2021 13:27

I have what you might call a ‘flashy’ job (ie professional, although there’s nothing glamorous about it) but I think being a medical receptionist is a very valuable and essential job and also sounds like bloody hard work, especially at the moment. You’re right on the front line - arguably no NHS role is more front line, really - and the stories I’ve heard of GPs’ receptionists having to deal with daily abuse and rudeness are unbelievable.

Xenia · 10/10/2021 13:29

Never feel like that! I am proud of my son who was a postman for 3 years and now a food delivery driver as the lawyer children. People make their own choices in life and as covid 19 has shown we are like a bee hive rather than one person an essential worker - we all need the others.

However if you want a better job try to get one - we have never in my adult life had as many vacancies. How is the time! I graduated in 1982 which had the worst unemployment for FIFTY years then - 3m out of work. Now instead we have 1m vacancies and rising.

XenoBitch · 10/10/2021 13:38

I used to do two different Band 1 roles in the NHS, and I was embarrassed to tell people what they were.
Now I am on benefits, and the shame is even worse.

LetHimHaveIt · 10/10/2021 15:21

@XenoBitch

I used to do two different Band 1 roles in the NHS, and I was embarrassed to tell people what they were. Now I am on benefits, and the shame is even worse.
I know it's easier said than done, but please try not to feel like this. You've nothing to be ashamed of.
Polkadots2021 · 10/10/2021 15:48

@Poppets14

I’ve been a medical receptionist for 14 years. I really enjoy my job and consider some people I work with as friends. It’s super flexible around childcare. I can also do my job blind folded. The money is crap! Minimum wage.

Ive not got any skills or any qualifications to write home about so it’s not like I can just do something much different. I’m not the bread winner - it’s a part time job that fits in with the school run!

When people ask what I do I suddenly start feeling really embarrassed to tell them. Almost ashamed I’m not a’professional’
Some of my mum friends have been to uni and seem to have super flash jobs and I’m worried people look down on me for having a job so simple.

Anyone else feel embarrassed by their job? AIBU?

Some people look at me like I have two heads when I say I work in fitness sometimes OP, lol. You have a great job that you love which is more than most. Be proud!