# Stupid comments about your job **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 3, 2000, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-comments-about-your-job/14298 "2000-03-03T02:35:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jeannie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e480ec/32.png) [@Jeannie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeannie)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2000, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-comments-about-your-job/14298/1 "2000-03-03T02:35:00Z")
Okay, maybe “stupid” isn’t the right word, but I don’t know what to call it. Okay, here’s the deal (long story follows): I work with people with developmental disabilities. The people I specifically work with are adults who have (or are working towards having) a job in the community. I have a fancier sounding title, but basically I’m a job coach. I help them learn their jobs. Here’s my complaint. A lot of people misunderstand what I do, and the people I work with. I get a lot of: “Oh, you must be an angel,” or “You must have the patience of a saint.” Sometimes I’ll get, “So, are they allowed to eat what they want?” or “Do any of them talk?” When I take my guys to the store, the cashiers love to talk to them like they’re five years old. My grandma always asks how my “kids” are doing. Here’s my response: I love my job. It tries my patience probably as much as any job. I think accountants and doctors must have the patience of saints. I couldn’t do those jobs no matter how much you paid me. Our clients are normal people who happen to have disabilities in some areas, and live their lives as fully as they can. They are not children. I know that doctors get asked medical questions all the time, and I’m sure that lawyers, accountants, etc., get asked professional advice constantly. But does anyone have one of those jobs (like mine) that no one seems to understand? BTW, if this sounds like a rant, I’m sorry. I’m in a funky mood at the moment. If this belongs in the Pit, feel free to kick it on over there. ---
**Author:** ![Jeannie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e480ec/32.png) [@Jeannie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeannie)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2000, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-comments-about-your-job/14298/2 "2000-03-03T02:36:00Z")
Darn. I meant to post this in MPSIMS. I don’t know where my head was. ---
**Author:** ![Ursa\_Major](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a88e57/32.png) [@Ursa\_Major](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ursa_Major)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2000, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-comments-about-your-job/14298/3 "2000-03-03T02:46:00Z")
I’m a teacher and you would think that most people have a pretty good idea what a teacher does and what a teacher’s responsibilties are. Alas, some people don’t have a clue: [http://boards.straightdope.com/ubb/Forum7/HTML/001381.html](http://boards.straightdope.com/ubb/Forum7/HTML/001381.html) [begin rant] Just in case anybody is unclear on what teachers do: THEY TEACH!!! They are not babysitters. They are not child psychologists. They are not prison guards. They are not anger management specialists. They are not religious indoctrinators…and they sure as Hell should not be scapegoats for bad parents. [end rant] ---
**Author:** ![Anti\_Pro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Anti\_Pro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anti_Pro)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2000, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-comments-about-your-job/14298/4 "2000-03-03T03:38:00Z")
Jeannie, I can imagine that it would get irritating to hear what sounds like patronizing things about your job, but turn it around, and maybe it wouldn’t be so hard to hear. They WOULDN’T do the job, they can’t imagine who would, so they imagine it would ‘take a saint’ rather than just someone who cares about people. Which is all they are. They have the same needs, wants, and dreams of all of us. We tend to look for the ‘differences’ in others rather than the fact we have so much more in common. Ursa, I’m with you, teachers are told to be everything to their students while they keep up with their own curriculum/grading/paperwork/getting further degrees/meetings and they are supposed to be able to tell who is dangerous and who is not. Parents are the ones that are supposed to be in charge, and they don’t act like it much of the time. It’s a selfless profession and you get dumped on much too much. ## Hats off to both of you! Judy ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2000, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-comments-about-your-job/14298/5 "2000-03-03T06:06:00Z")
Try asking someone what a veterinary technician does. Many times I will just call myself a veterinary NURSE. That helps clear it up a little. ---
**Author:** ![Ursa\_Major](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a88e57/32.png) [@Ursa\_Major](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ursa_Major)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2000, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-comments-about-your-job/14298/6 "2000-03-03T06:13:00Z")
Everybody knows a veterinary technician is somebody who repairs broken vets. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2000, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-comments-about-your-job/14298/7 "2000-03-03T14:47:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Jeannie: > **Darn. I meant to post this in MPSIMS. I don’t know where my head was.** Only but ask, and ye shall receive. * * * [Change Your Password, Please](http://204.95.48.199/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ubbmisc.cgi?action=getannounce&ForumNumber=3&Start=2451545.99&End=2451911&Session=2451598.1854) and don’t use HTML, as it has been disabled ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2000, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-comments-about-your-job/14298/8 "2000-03-03T15:24:00Z")
My profession is shovelling up elephant bowel movements for the Ringling Brothers organization. I am often the butt of patronizing comments from hoi polloi. ---
**Author:** ![psycat90](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@psycat90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psycat90)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2000, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-comments-about-your-job/14298/9 "2000-03-03T22:11:00Z")
Well, this really isn’t stupid. My boss just came up to me and said “If I ever get on tha t ‘Millioniare show’ I think you’re gonna need to stay home by the phone.” I am so flattered. I would be my bosses lifeline. That is such a cool compliment. OK I’m gushing, I’m sorry. Oh, just for the record I don’t like that show at all. not very challenging, give me Jeopardy any day. * * * This life is a test. It is only a test. If it had been an actual life, you would have received further instructions on where to go and what to do. ---
**Author:** ![Crystalguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dbc845/32.png) [@Crystalguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crystalguy)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2000, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-comments-about-your-job/14298/10 "2000-03-03T23:09:00Z")
Here in Florida, there is a sugar company named “Dixie Crystals.” There is also a bottled water named “Crystal Springs.” When I tell people that I work with piezoelectric quartz crystal units, I get a blank look and then the comment “Oh, so you make sugar (or bottled water).” ---
**Author:** ![Jeannie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e480ec/32.png) [@Jeannie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeannie)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2000, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-comments-about-your-job/14298/11 "2000-03-04T01:32:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Anti Pro: > **Jeannie, I can imagine that it would get irritating to hear what sounds like patronizing things about your job, but turn it around, and maybe it wouldn’t be so hard to hear. They WOULDN’T do the job, they can’t imagine who would, so they imagine it would ‘take a saint’ rather than just someone who cares about people. Which is all they are. They have the same needs, wants, and dreams of all of us. We tend to look for the ‘differences’ in others rather than the fact we have so much more in common.** I know that people are not trying to annoy me when they say these things. That’s why I post it here instead of saying it to their face. I’ve tried to say, “No, it’s not as bad as you think,” etc… Then people think it’s false modesty and that I’m fishing for praise. The only person who I’d try to get to praise me is my boss (but that’s a rant for another day :)) ---
**Author:** ![funneefarmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@funneefarmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funneefarmer)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2000, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-comments-about-your-job/14298/12 "2000-03-04T12:16:00Z")
I think some of it is that people sometimes romanticize (for lack of a better word) certain jobs. Look at firemen, EMTs etc., people whose job it is to help others rather than producing a product or technical service. You see the job as a job, they see the job as a humanitarian effort. It has always been my opinion that you should be well educated on what the requirements are for your field and know how to deal with your clients, don’t expect the rest of the public to be able to relate to a job that they have no experience with.