Would you look down on someone who does a low skilled job all there life?

[SurreyMan93]

Hi all,

Im just wondering what’s your thoughts on someone who decides to do a low skilled job all there life and would you look down on them?

As I’ve come across people who don’t treat the said people with respect.

Thanks

No, of course not. Low-skilled jobs are very important in any society. Shelves have to be stacked. Post has to be delivered. Food has to be picked & packed. Bins have to be emptied. Buildings have to be cleaned, and guarded. All deserve respect.

Education isn’t for everyone. Stress, pressure and serious amounts of responsibility are not for everyone. I did bar work when I was a student and worked as a courier driver during a period of unemployment. They were among the most enjoyable jobs I have ever done. Unfortunately such jobs don’t pay enough to buy a nice house or pay for nice holidays, or I would still be doing them...

No of course not. And I don't really feel I should patronise people in low skilled jobs by justifying why they are worthy of my no judgement

In reality all jobs are skilled. All jobs are valuable. No one is better than others because they do a high paid or high skilled job. Their job is really none of my business tbh

Saying things like 'some people chose a low stress lifestyle' etc. Is patronising. It suggests these people are only valuable if they had the option to become an stock broker, or if they have some sort of skill they aren't using rather than being valuable for the job they actually do

No, I don’t. I’ve done low skilled jobs to earn money. I’ll respect anyone who goes out to earn money and pay bills. (Usual disclaimer about as long as it’s not immoral or illegal.)

Not at all. I was a community carer for 5 years and I absolutely loved my job.
If people looked down on me you can bet I asked them if they loved their highly skilled job and always did a little head tilt with aww. They might of been making more money but I was happier so they could look down on me all they wanted. I had the last laugh.

@TheLightSideOfTheMoon

I do what’s considered a low skilled job.

I’m not sure there are any low skilled jobs. Everything requires skill. Just different skills.

But some jobs you can pick up in a couple of weeks, others take years/intensive study to become proficient. Acknowledging this fact isn't the same as saying it's ok to be a dick to people in low-skilled jobs.

Meant to say when they replied they didnt like their job they got the head tilt and aww what a shame.
mn needs an edit function

No, in fact when I look out my window office and see the landscape crew out there just cruising up and down on their riding lawn mowers, I think to myself: God that would be such a nice job to only have to cut grass and listen to music.

No, I do a supposed low skilled job, in reality it needs skills that aren't valued and therefore doesn't earn much money, get much respect or even thought.
I've heard IRL and seen on here wildly differing opinions, from "I couldn't do it, I applaud you" to "Well if you lack the aspirations to do better...."

Ultimately though, many of these jobs aren't really low skilled, they require skills that don't have a degree attached to them, or manual skills or behaviours (alongside skills) like empathy, and in a world where only those with a degree are valued by many, these jobs are not.
I've worked with people without a GCSE to their name who completely wipe the floor with degree students (in a different field) because having a head full of knowledge on one subject doesn't automatically make you good at everything and better than someone else.
It's not so much that we value education in our society, it's that we don't value any skills that aren't educated into someone at university.
Pretty short sighted when you consider that the rest of society relies on many of these low paid and 'low' skilled occupations to carry on.

Among the people I have the most professional respect for is a friend who works as a carer in a care home.

She loves "her" old people, enjoys their company and talks about them with genuine warmth. She is fierce about making sure they get the care they deserve, we retired colleagues who think they can cut corners or be unkind.

She earns minimum wage (which is a travesty in itself) but I admire her immensely.

The friend who has been there for me solidly is a cleaner. I wouldn't call it low skilled because I'm shit at cleaning so it's skilled to me.

She has been cleaning care home during this bollocks so there may well be people alive today who wouldn't have been because of her.

She's also one of the best friends I've every had. Loyal, kind and doesn't take any nonsense.

We retired? Woe be tired

@kieronsmum

most low paid so-called unskilled workers were the reason this country was able to run through covid, no I don't look down on them

This!

But some jobs you can pick up in a couple of weeks, others take years/intensive study to become proficient. Acknowledging this fact isn't the same as saying it's ok to be a dick to people in low-skilled jobs.

Yes, that's true, but in order to do most things well you need more than a couple of weeks, and that's a problem in itself.

You can be a care assistant in two weeks, it's not really enough to deliver great care to everyone you come across though. (Using that example as it's my job 🙂)

God no....have done my fair share of low skilled, minimum wage jobs and people who do those get my absolute respect.

Also the carers who looked after DH at home until his death were absolute heroes.

Actually, I really admire lots of people who do low paid jobs well. A good barman for a example, it's an art form to watch the easy chat, the casual upselling...

And today at the Tesco petrol station, the way the staff directing traffic had things organised was a sight to behold, it actually brought a tear to my eye (really!) and I guess they would be low paid.

I’ve had a chat with a couple of people in vocational roles recently who both told me how they love what they do and look forward to going into work. I was seriously jealous as I definitely don’t feel like that.

No way. I judge people by how well they treat others

No I wouldn't look down on anyone for the doing a job considered low skilled- but these days what are low skilled jobs? There aren't many jobs where you don't need many skills - if we are talking manual jobs like caring / cleaning etc then surely they can't be considered as low skilled these days - with all the ongoing training that's needed and new legislation and regulations to keep up with.

@Kindertonguehappierlife

No way. I judge people by how well they treat others

I always ask the receptionist how interview candidates were. Any rudeness is a very black mark, the ones who remember her name get bonus points.

You can tell a lot about a person from the way they treat the "little people".

Absolutely not. All jobs are important, at the very least, they all contribute to society, taxes, NI which pays for the NHS, education etc. As long as someone is doing a n honest days graft, then there is no need to look down on them. We all play our part in society.

No shame in honest work. All jobs need to be done by someone. So no, I’d not think of anyone any differently because of their job.

Not at all. Many low skilled jobs are seriously hard work. I am impressed by people's good work ethic regardless of their job title.

I work with people who view the cleaner beneath them, for example, and their attitude quite frankly stinks. I come from a family where my Mom worked damn hard as a cleaner and I hate how people view low paid workers as less than they are.

I used to work in a much higher position than I do now. People often see me as just a receptionist (which I am Not!) I do soooooo much more. I find it rude as most of the time the lower paid, lower skilled workers actually help the others do their job

Nope, never. I think if we are lucky, we can chose to either work to live or live to work. Not everyone is lucky enough to have that choice & either choice is a personal one, so it is nobody else business & certainly not mine.

I have experienced the reverse of this though in a close friend of mine since our early teens. We took different life paths, she chose low skilled work & kids young. I did the career job thing & was a high earner. We remained friends for decades, but she could be snipey about my financial security. The odd times I was out of work, she was surprised that I had enough money saved not to have to worry for a decent amount of time & was angry about "my hoarding money" to her, if you had it, there was something it had to be spent on & she just didn't understand my needing to have months of savings to tide me over. It was greedy & hoarding according to her. I had a mortgage, she paid rent, & she just didn't get that when you are suddenly out of work with a mortgage, the help isn't there for me as it was for her.

She ended up causing a row over something stupid, this was after a period of extra snipey remarks about my "high flying life" then ghosted me. I never once looked down on her ever & found subtle ways to help her out when she needed extra cash.