Secrets of your trade.

[Confusedfornow]

I have worked in my current area of expertise for the last 20 years or so. It's in Aviation, can't say exactly what or for who as it's a relatively small community (for my role) and it would be VERY outing. Before this, my only other "job" that I did for a few years was dancing (yes, that kind ). So I don't have massive experience of the world of work.

But I was chatting with some people in a bar over the weekend and conversation turned to jobs and then to my role. I was telling them about some stuff which is perfectly normal to me, but was absolutely news to them.

For instance . .

When a plane is "parked" and everything is switched off, the aircraft is referred to as being "Cold and dark".

If a helicopter has engine failure, it won't just fall out of the sky. The pilots are trained in a procedure called "autorotation" and can usually land safely even if the engine isn't running at all.

All British Airways flights use the call sign "Speed Bird". It's unique and no other airline in the world uses it.

Last one . .

Pilots can't wear polarised sunglasses. They make the electronic displays on the flight deck appear black, and you can't read any information from them.

So, what do you know from your jobs that is mundane for you but which most people wouldn't have a clue/be surprised by?

Taut

Thats so weird about the cat noises!

Have name changed for this. I spent a short spell in a role in an abbatoir. Absolutely 100% the animals know within their final few minutes they are going to die. The lambs more than others

MrsPotterRides That's heartbreaking. Why is there such a blind spot regarding this level of suffering.

If you ever overhear a medic tell a colleague a patient has been, 'transferred to ward 13' it means they have passed away, 'ward 13' is code for the morgue.

When I was nursing, back in the 70s 'ward 13' was the pub across the road. On call doctors and house officers were often in there when not busy - it was close enough for them to be able to hear their bleep which was the only way of contacting them pre mobiles. The morgue was Rose Cottage

Not actually a secret but a true story concerning Rose Cottage when i was working on the ward.One of the relatives was trying to find a nursing home for her mom.Shecheard me mentioning Rose Cottage to a doctor.She said i have heard that name before i think it sounds ideally i would like my mumto go there.I didn't know how to reply but the doctor replied with that not possible i am afraid it full.She replied with when will they be a vacancy

Old thread but wow! Amazing. I have just spent the entire morning absolutely engrossed. Learned so much. Threads like this are a gem. Thanks OP.

Anyhoo.

I work in the production side of film/TV. Here are a few from my side.

Visual effects are used in almost every movie, not so much bog standard tv, bit most movies. And I don't mean fighter jets flying between buildings. It can be as subtle as just making a patch of grass a little bit greener or removing something from the background.

Ricky Gervais "Extras" is so close to reality it's hardly satire.

Set Decorators are fascinating to watch. Especially in drama, the attention to detail is astonishing. Next time you watch a movie, have a look at the background, almost everything you can see has been put there deliberately.

Most productions are shot out of sequence, meaning not in order of the script. The last scene of the film could actually be the very first one filmed. The only exceptions tend to be movies which take place in one setting.

@SnuggleSnuggleBlanket
Twenty years ago, to get time off work, you had a bad back, today, mental health illnesses are more commonly found on sicknotes. Are all of them accurate and 100% depression? Unlikely. Can I distinguish between the ones that are real and are not? Normally.

You can normally tell who is real & who isn't? Then you go on to say you have no training. You are a nasty piece of work and people like you why HR gets such a bad name.

My secrets are that:

• when airbags go off in a car accident they give off lots of smoke which makes people panic and think the car is on fire (it is not)
• that the emergency services cause a lot of post-raid-traffic-accident psychological trauma symptoms by saying things like “1 inch to the right and you would have died” and “you are lucky to have walked out of that alive”. These things haunt people!

Doing sudoku, crosswords and brain training won’t stave off dementia. Spend the time doing moderate cardiovascular exercise instead. And/or learn a language or an instrument.

We don’t use just 10% of our brains - we use all of them.

No one really knows how SSRI antidepressants work.

NHS outpatients here. I have a very good working relationship with the lady who books my lists to make sure I run on time. If I call you through 10 mins late please don’t complain, just be glad you aren’t the reason I am running late.

Old job, financial underwriting for loans etc.

If a case was borderline as to whether a loan would be issued and 'gut feel' was required, the use of Google Street view for a good look at their house often confirmed your instincts.

Nicely manicured lawns and well maintained properties normally resulted in minimal defaults, whereas overgrown lawns containing a mattress and cracked flag stones was an almost guaranteed default (as differentiators where borderline, not a sweeping generalisation of all applicants).

Sad but true.

Another from time spent in the motor retail environment.

Car sales people are paid very little commission for selling a car - typically £30-£50 for selling a £20-£30k item!

They earn more for selling add-ons such as additional paint treatment and accessories than they do the car, hence they all push it so much.

The paint protection does little, if anything to protect the paint long term and costs the dealership about £30, plus a small amount paid to the valeting team to apply it, which 99 times out of 100 they don't apply properly - certainly not in the way that would make it effective. The dealer charges you £200-£300 for this as a profit generator.

If you want to protect your paint properly, there are far better, more effective and cheaper products on the market you can add yourself.

You will be offered GAP insurance (Guaranteed asset protection) for again, £200-£300. As a product this is well worth having on a new car, however it can be bought on the internet for circa £100. Again, it is a profit generator for the dealership who, thanks to the likes of Carwow, What Car Target Price and other price comparison facilities means they make very little, if any profit on a new car.

.

Tree Surgeons:
Certifications and accreditation’s cost a lot of money but the logos can be taken for free and no one usually checks, so to make sure they’re the real deal, ask for copies of their certificates, Insuance or accreditation’s.
Groundies might earn anything from £70-150 and climbers £100-200 per day and for good reason, the average climbing kit costs £800-1200 and is subject to loler every 6-12 months. (Depending on climbing or rigging), professional trousers are £160-£300, as are boots and helmets £80-230.

Wood chippers new cost roughly £15-25k

Climbing is changing, but mostly done on rope on rope techniques called friction hitches. Mechanical devices are available and now used however you’ve guessed it, cost a lot of money.
Monkey puzzle wood doesn’t burn, it’s too dense. (And crazy heavy)
Yew trees are one of the most poisonous trees there are.
Most tree surgeons can tell what chainsaw model is being used the other side of the village.
If you have a tree surgeon nearby and get travellers in to do your work, they will notice, it will be bad for your tree and they will roll their eyes every time they see it
Trees are all connected in woodlands through fungi called mycelium which allows trees to communicate and share things.
Bad fungi can attack trees especially in times of stress, (like us with low immunity) they’re likely to get something they shouldn’t most spores are airborne, so water your trees in drought and look after them.

CPR when the heart has stopped is unsuccessful most of the time, and even if it is successful it is unlikely the person will regain good neurological function

I know the stats but thankfully my DH bucks the trend; not been entirely plain sailing but the cardiac arrest was in 2013 and he's currently running a very busy general surgery department at our local hospital. He was at a music festival with some nursing colleagues, next door to the St John's Ambulance tent and their defibrillator. Life could have been very different....