To think some people are really snobby about tradespeople?

[Loveheart13]

I’ve noticed that a lot of people really look down on tradespeople/jobs with practical skills.

Dh works in a trade and he earns very well. Obviously I don’t talk about it. I’ve noticed that people make a lot of assumptions that it’s poorly paid, that you must be a bit thick.

I’ve got friends ds and work colleagues who think that university is the only way. I know someone whose nearly adult child is not very academic at all but they are determined to push on as they are certain that anything less than a degree is complete failure.

Why are people so snobby about it?

I've got tradesmen in at the moment. I do admit I can be a bit snobby and probably had a slightly skewed view as my ex works on building sites and he is a fat, lazy, obnoxious, thick twat.

The ones I have are all really nice, friendly, polite (tell me to tell them to shift out my way or sod off if I want to make a call or have a meeting), and seem quite clever, greet me every morning with a hello and smile. In return I offer them tea and coffee (which they always turn down, they do have coffee making facilities nearby so I think they go off there, and take a break as well) and have the place clear for them every morning so all they have to do is move the large furniture I can't. They seem grateful that they can just walk in and get on with it. At the end of every day I ask them what the plan is for the next day so I know what I need to clear for them.

I smiled today as they put their music on, I've been waiting all week for them to do that. It doesn't bother me.

A couple of them are quite hot too! One was wearing a really nice after shave as well. It's been a nice distraction from my dull boring job🙈😂. It's also taught me to not be quite such a snob.

Tbf, academics often earn peanuts. There was a point where everybody and their dog was retraining as a plumber.

I remember an article about a decade ago written by an academic who was doing pretty groundbreaking research into cancer. He decided to retrain as a gas engineer after being gobsmacked that the guy who came round was on £34k and he was only on £24k.

Estate 😂 Yes sounds about right

I remember the same article it's waa pretty arrogant of him to think he should outearn a gas engineer it's a pretty important job

Yes they are very poorly paid. You might reach £80k at thr peak of your career. It’s a calling and that’s why they do it. Pensions are great though. Unfortunately economics doesn’t reward people based on their contribution to society

erm I’m not sure we can compare science researcher with hearing by engineer 😕🤔

You know they make sure your appliances are in good working order ,so can't kill you ?

But as somebody with a middle class upbringing who spent a few years in graduate roles before moving into the construction sector, I'd agree people can definitely be rougher around the edges. But the flipside is that a lot of people seem to become corporatified by office jobs.

I really notice this now having left. I feel like myself at work now rather than a projected corporate persona of how I think my employers want me to be. The worst is hearing some of my mates on the phone to colleagues, or hearing people on work calls on the train.

"I'll reach out to Jeremy". 😂 Like, why wouldn't you just speak to him/have a chat with him? You wouldn't say "I'm going to reach out to Sarah and see if she fancies a pint after work".

I just find it super cringe. Every sector has it's terminology/jargon but corporatespeak just seems to be a somewhat pompous and wholly unnecessary way to say something that could be communicated in plain English.

"I fancy a curry but Sharon really wants to go for Chinese. We're going to have to roundtable it. If she's got the bandwidth". 😂😂😂

Imagine speaking like that and still earning less than a scruffy bloke with his arse hanging out. 😂

Why would you assume a tradesman would be scruffy with his arse hanging out 🤔

Tell me you don't spend much time on jobsites without telling me you don't spend much time on jobsites.

They don't all work on job sites though do they I live in social housing, never once has a tradesman turned up scruffy with his arse hanging out .

Well, he's not going to be walking around with his trousers around his ankles. 😂

Painting, working in muddy environments, working with oily machines etc will generally leave you looking a bit scruffier/dirtier than sitting at a desk. And if you've seen a lot of plumbers trying to get under a sink you've probs seen the crack of dawn a few times lol.

I'm not being derogatory about tradespeople. I'm making the point that a lot of the people who see them as scruffy roughnecks actually earn less in spite of all their pretensions. You don't need to play the crown defender of the trade sector. You're talking to somebody that works in it lol.

100%! It's so narrow minded.

It’s not quite the same as working to create scientific advances for the benefit of humankind

Lol yeah. My late FIL was a gardener. Poor MIL had a garden that was full of half finished bits as he was too busy with other people's gardens