Remember when we were kids and we’d get asked the question: What do you want to be when you grow up?
So often the responses would be fairly glamorous jobs—doctors, marine biologists, firefighters, performers, etc.—all based on simplistic ideas of what the job might be like versus what the job actually entails.
Recently, user stiengineer asked the Reddit community, “What’s a misconception about your profession that you’re tired of hearing?” And the responses—from graphic designers to vegetable farmers and everywhere in between—just go to show that unless you’ve actually worked in an occupation, you’re probably making a few assumptions about it. (Spoiler: no job is without its fair amount of work.)
Check out what some professionals wrote about their often misunderstood jobs that prove the grass isn’t always greener in the workplace.
1. “I’m a librarian, and people think we just read books all day. In reality, we manage databases, assist with research, and conduct community programs.”
Another librarian added:
“The cardigans are 100% fact, though. The back room and the stacks are two wildly different temperatures all the time.”
2. “I drove a taxi. We don’t meet a lot of famous people. Not all passengers are unhinged lunatics.”
3. “As an electrician, the misconception that it’s not a skilled profession is frustrating. It requires rigorous training and adherence to safety standards.”
4. “Vegetable farmer. We get so many applicants wanting to ‘connect to the soil,’ yet have never touched a shovel before. So many people don’t seem to understand that farming is manual labor with long hours and hardship every day. And It’s all just to limp by. We aren’t making much money.”
5. “I run an animal rescue and I get a lot of people who think they’re just gonna cuddle animals. A shocking number of people are very upset there’s poop and manual labor involved.”
6. “Fire Sprinkler Designer here: Fire Sprinkler water IS NOT clean and clear like the movies depict…That water more than likely has been in those pipes for decades and is filled with corrosion and cutting oil. As soon as a sprinkler goes off, you are getting doused with black tar water…”
One person commented:
“Oh so that’s why I’ve seen so many people complain that their furniture got ruined by fire sprinklers going off! It’s quite obvious now that you pointed it out, but I always thought it was weird so many things could get so badly damaged ‘just by getting wet.’”
Yep, we all learned something today.
7. “As a software developer, I’m tired of hearing that we’re all just nerdy guys who code in dark rooms all day. It’s actually highly collaborative.”
8. “I’m a graphic designer, and no, I can’t just whip up a complex project in an hour. Good design takes time and thought.”
This prompted a few graphic designers to chime in.
One wrote:
“Most of the time I’m trying to protect the client from making really bad decisions because they feel they could ‘do it themselves if they could just draw a little better.’”
While another added:
“I had a client one time who didn’t like a color we chose. I asked her what color she would prefer and her answer was ‘I saw this real pretty purple one time. I want something like that.’ When asked what shade of purple it was or what the item was so we could get an idea, she scoffed and said ‘you’re the artist, you should know.’”
9. “Lawyer here. Just because you fail to understand a nuance doesn’t mean it’s a ‘loophole.’”
Another lawyer shared:
“The one that gets me is the idea that we’re unethical tricksters just trying to run up our fees. First, there are some slimy lawyers out there, but I think as a whole we’re probably more ethical than the general population. Our entire career depends on having a license that can be taken away for minor ethical lapses.”
10. “I’m a long time caregiver to mother who lives with dementia. For some reason, people don’t consider it ‘work.’ That includes doctors. I’m on call 24/7. I can’t leave for long periods of time. My own health went to shit. Geriatric care costs are astronomical. Yet, all people hear is ‘you’re not working.’”
11. “People think being a chef is glamorous thanks to cooking shows, but the reality is long hours in a high-stress environment.”
One chef lamented:
‘”’You must eat so well!’ I eat cold pizza while crying, actually.”
And last but not least…
12. “I’m a locksmith, and people often think it’s just about cutting keys. It involves complex problem solving and security expertise.”