Annoyed by my friends comment tonight...

[Tomato345]

My best friend of 11 years and I occasionally have our disagreements but I love her like a sister, however a comment she made tonight has really pissed me off and has made her look like a snob imo.

We were with our kids, talking about different careers as we've both recently changed jobs, when her eldest son announced that he wanted to be a bin man when he's older. Friend turned to him and said "aim a little higher please" and started laughing. I made a comment about how bin men earn a pretty decent wage (in our area at least) and that the perks of working for the council, such as weekends off/decent pension etc are good. She was adamant that it's a shit job and that the only reason someone would do it is if they didn't have any qualifications. It certainly came across that she would be embarrassed if her son ever becomes one.

Her reaction was the same last year when her partner showed an interest in becoming a HGV driver, so it's not the first time this has happened. I'm not sure why it's got my back up, maybe because I use to be a delivery driver and now I work for a cleaning company, so I'm wondering what she thinks of me as I would say those types of jobs are linked. We both only want the best for our kids at the end of the day, but what's wrong with it if it makes someone happy and provides them a living? Perhaps I could understand her point if she was earning mega bucks herself, but she earns minimum wage, which is actually less than what a bin man earns...

A job is a job in my eyes, but I'm not sure if I'm being sensitive or not. After all, we're all allowed to have an opinion... so AIBU?

[EveryFlightBeginsWithAFall]

2 of my children wanted to be bin men when little. I don't think laughing at them and telling them to aim higher would have been particularly encouraging.

Nether of them grew up to be bin men. Kids that age change their minds every 10 minutes

Ds3 wanted to be a robber when he was 6. Now that's something to discourage

[ClaudiaJ1]

She is a nasty snob. I would have said back "they make more than you do!"

Besides, being a bin man is not a physical job since the invention of wheelie bins. The man presses a button and arms reach out the lift the bin, and put it down. They don't do anything but drive and push buttons. It's a considerably easy job. Even when they get back to depot/dump site everything is done and sorted by machines, no manual labour needed.

[drpet49]

@ClaudiaJ1

Er how do you think the filled wheelie bin gets to the lorry?????? There is still some manual labour involved

[SofiaAmes]

Here in Los Angeles the bin men make twice as much as the school teachers.

[Ellen888]

I think people are making too much of this.

Most kids at 9 have no serious idea what they want as a career and it can change many times before they have to make a decision.

Actually bin-men have quite a good job (although it's only for the physically fit), pension, paid holidays, task & finish working day, sick pay, salary £17,000- £21,000.

Once you're on the Council payroll you get first dibs at any other jobs that come up, and there are opportunities for advancement for those that want them.

[gofg]

Er how do you think the filled wheelie bin gets to the lorry?????? There is still some manual labour involved hmm

Not here there isn't. The lorry drives down the street and mechanically picks up the bins, shakes them, and puts them down again. The driver never gets out.

[PeapodBurgundy]

I had a remarkably similar conversation with a friend a while back. It was pre DC for me, but my opinion still stands.

I pointed out that, whilst a binman is a job I don't think anyone aspires to, at the end of the day, (in our area at least) they get regular contracted hours paid above minimum wage, paid holiday and sick leave, a staff perks/discount scheme, access to free private healthcare such as physiotherapy (paid for by the council for employees who need it, they just need a referral from occupational health which they're perfectly happy do give out, both of my parents have benefited).

At the time I'd completed a degree and 3 post grad qualifications at various levels, as well as several vocational qualifications which pre-dated my degree, so had a lot of job experience for my age at the time. I was working as an FE teacher, but was on a zero hour contract with no job security in the slightest.

I now have DC and I would rather they had less stress and more job security than a fancy job which is deemed prestigious/aspirational with no security or peace of mind.

[ClaudiaJ1]

[quote drpet49]@ClaudiaJ1

Er how do you think the filled wheelie bin gets to the lorry?????? There is still some manual labour involved [/quote]
Not where I am! By 'lorry' I presume you mean truck. The wheelie bin is left at the curb side, and the truck comes along, mechanical arms stretched out, lifts the bin, empties it in the truck, mechanical arms put the bin back down on the curb. The bin NEVER leaves the truck cabin. Not sure what on earth goes on where you are. But here manual labour hasn't been done since the late 80s.

[ClaudiaJ1]

[quote drpet49]@ClaudiaJ1

Er how do you think the filled wheelie bin gets to the lorry?????? There is still some manual labour involved [/quote]
@drpet49 I'm not sure what backward area you live if the bin man has to actually get out of the truck, but this video shows how it's bin done since 1980s in Australia, it's the same process for recycling bins and general waste bins (emptied weekly). Not it's all automated.

[ClaudiaJ1]

*note how it's all automated, that should be.

[RedHot22]

I’m with your friend here.
It’s not the job itself, but surely we all want our children to aspire to more in life.

[ClaudiaJ1]

I can't believe bin men still leave the cabin of the truck where you are and manually lift a wheelie bin? Is it a third world country you're in, @drpet49 ? Surely not even the UK is so far behind modern (well, if you call 1980s automated technology 'modern') technology! I cannot believe what I'm reading. Wheelie bins were invented for automated mechanical trucks. That's the whole entire purpose. Never heard of a bin man lifting a wheelie bin. It defeats the entire purpose.

[RedHot22]

When I was 9 I wanted to be a horse

[TrickyD]

DS2 worked for the Council as a binman during his university summer vacations.

When he graduated he had no desire to make it his career.

[RedHot22]

@MultiStorey

To me, bin men have a perfectly respectable job: they get up early; do an honest days work and get paid an honest wage.

Some people just have no respect at all, and bringing your children up to think that bin men (also a bin woman for us) are not worthy of respect is vile.

Are people disrespecting them though?
Just because I feel it’s not something to aspire to, doesn’t mean I disrespect them.

More to life in what way?
Just aiming higher. We should aim high in every aspect of our lives.

Don’t all boys want to be the bin man though? DH and DBro did.

[AllTheUsernamesAreAlreadyTaken]

I just want my kids to be happy in their employment when they’re older.
I know so many people who have high power/ respectful jobs who are absolutely miserable. To the point they’re on medication and/ or have to be signed off work with stress. Don’t doctors have one of the highest suicide rates?
If being a bin collector made my kids happy, then I’d be proud of them.
Bin collectors are doing one of the most important jobs there is.

[Oblomov21]

OP is avoiding the issue. She's been told and told that she's wrong, but no she still insists she's right.

She's now turned it round into why do a job for 40 hours which makes you miserable. But that wasn't the point of the thread. No one ever said you should do something that made you miserable, that wasn't the point of the thread.

Was her friend wrong to say a child should aim higher have aspirations higher than a bin man. No. Because it's not a great job. For all the reasons listed. So OP has been told friend is right, she is wrong, YABU. But no. She still insists not.

[BlueFlavour]

Completely agree with @Unsure1983. I think that cleaners and binmen do a more valuable job than bankers and estate agents. I have respect for them.

[Unsure1983]

Lol @Oblomov21 it has not been at all unanimous. You seem a bit of a bully.

[BlueFlavour]

@Oblomov21
I don’t think @Tomato345 is wrong. What does aim higher actually mean?

[AllTheUsernamesAreAlreadyTaken]

@Oblomov21

What’s higher than being happy?

[LivingNextDoorToNorma]

@ClaudiaJ1 The video isn’t actually from my town, but this is how it works here. The bin men get out of the cabin follow the truck down the road. They sort of ‘boost’ each bin onto a contraption at the back, and that tips the bin’s contents into the truck. Then they drag the bins bag. With recycling collection, they manually empty the glass and paper caddies, and then the wheelie bin of tins and plastics is the same as the video (although that will vary a lot. Recycling is different in each council area.). So while it’s not as physically demanding as it used to be, it’s certainly not zero manual labour.

[Oblomov21]

Nothing is higher than being happy. I never said it was. You've completely misquoted me and misunderstood what I was saying.