To ask what jobs people secretly (or not so secretly) look down on and why?

[ForBreezySloth]

We’re always told “all work is valuable” and I do agree in principle, but if we’re honest, most of us have a job or two we side-eye, even if we don’t say it out loud. Is it how people behave in the role? The pay vs attitude? The ethics of the job itself?

AIBU to think it’s okay to admit we have judgements - as long as we’re willing to examine them?

I’m more likely to look down on the ethic someone brings into their job rather than the job itself. Anyone who does a job in a half arsed and lazy way gets my down vote.

Anyone in "finance" - greedy fuckers. Anyone in a "bullshit" jobs: the kind of jobs that society might be better off without. We know who does the important jobs; we saw this in Covid.

• Mlm
• Influencers
• Unsolicited selling in any form
• Estate agents
• Some fields of academic research that strike me as rather self indulgent
• people who are "self employed" making pocket money as vinted sellers or candle makers etc, usually making less than minimum wage per hour after costs
• life or career coaches
• jobs in "policy" in these slightly pointless quasi public sector quangos you can't believe receive funding to exist

This plus those working in porn.

It's incredible isn't it?!!!😂

Any MP that lies to get elected.

Anyone pushing MLMs to all of their family and friends.

Unsolicited sales people, especially those who knock on your door on a Sunday afternoon.

Content creators who do 'react' videos.

Only fans/prostitutes/influencers (unless you live in a poor country and this is the only way to survive/you're traficked).

Dictators and influencers, especially influencers who includes their children in their work. I think it should be illegal to market your young kids that way.

My friend’s DD (age 21) gave up her part time job and chucked her uni course when her Instagram took off. It was one of those total pot luck moments that gained her tons (hundreds of thousands) of followers and things just snowballed from there. She’s very much of the opinion that she’ll enjoy it while it lasts and go back to “real life” when necessary, but she’s done very well from it - enough to buy a flat in London, always away on holidays with some company footing the bill and loads of freebies sent to her to review and post online.

Anything illegal, anything that exploits workers in an 'unnatural' way and the executives of companies that facilitate illegal activities but manage to present as decent citizens.

I can't knock influencers etc, because there are as many idiots willing to fund their businesses, hence they make more money than many of us.

I do lack respect for a jobsworth, the inherently lazy and some of the supposed 'silent quitters'. Especially those in jobs that have a direct impact on people's livelihoods (👀 at some of my coworkers). Do the job or have the conviction to walk away.

My grandmother always instilled in us that there is much honour in an honest day's work, so I can't look down on anyone else.

I'm no vegan, or even vegetarian, but I've always struggled with the thought of working in an abattoir. I know someone has to do it, but the thought of seeing/causing that amount of death on a daily basis makes me wonder about the people able to/willing to go through it.

People who do MLM jobs, I tend to feel sorry for/annoyed by depending on what they're like with it.
Any job that preys on vulnerable people, debt collection and that sort of thing seems problematic but then you presume that there's a level of desperation in taking that job.

Any presenter on Loose Women.

Anything in childcare ( childminder / nursery worker ) ( I don’t look down on these jobs at all. but I know people do )

MLM stuff, always thought prison officers were an odd group.

Bailiffs. I used to work in debt advice and they were some of the worst people I had to deal with. I very rarely spoke to a decent one.

Cold callers of any description and chuggers
I'm VERY rude to them

I simply don’t know much about jobs outside the industry I’ve been in, so I can’t be judgmental. Also, I don’t spend time thinking about other people, let alone their jobs.

Flight attendants

Lobbyist for tobacco industry. Can't get my head around someone's ethics who would want to do a job like this. I'm nowhere near these circles so seems very alien to me.

I'm sure someone would have said this upthread, but I think covid showed the value of some looked down on jobs.

Considering how many people on MN speak of their 100K salaries, it’s not a stretch to think that job value equates to money earned, for many people.

People who do the sort of practical jobs that keep the cogs turning are never going to earn the salaries that bankers etc earn. I know who I’d rather spend time with.

I judge people who are earning money by damaging others, by drugs, trafficking or modern slavery. I judge people who don’t commit to a good day’s work for a good day’s pay.

I work in retail and can testify that many many people look down on retail workers, as though we're only there because we can't do anything else!

The only people I look down on are those who look down on others who are doing their best.

In general though:

Working in McDonalds - always made to sound like the very worst possible outcome in life when actually it’s an honest job which offers real life work experience & progression to management for those who may want it.

GP Receptionist - I work in a GP surgery, although not as a Receptionist (I couldn’t take the abuse they take day in day out). Despite popular belief most are actually very intelligent people with a wealth of previous experience. Our team includes an ex Practice Manager (wanted to step down to fewer responsibilities), an ex nurse, two ex HCAs etc etc. Everything the say to you, every rule they impose comes from the partners of the practice. They’re just the poor minimum wage employees passing it on to the patients.

HR people. Universally looked down on and despised. I would know, it’s been my career for 20 odd years. It’s paid very well but I feel I’ve sold my soul and I will be changing career in the next 18 months.

As someone who both works in finance and had a number of elderly relatives with very little education or finance knowledge, it has always made me very angry to see rich celebrities accepting money to advertise rip-off products like over-50s plans to naive member of the public.
It’s honestly an abuse of their fans’ trust, and extremely damaging. They should be ashamed.