Workplace Any ladies here with jobs that are "looked down" upon or you are unhappy with?

[doreenjoy]

One thing that does come across in your original post is that you seem to think you are above strippers? The fact that you accuse strippers of not using their skills/brain etc. There are intelligent A grade students that work as strippers whilst studying. Just because they are taking their clothes off it doesn't mean they're not skilled or clever. I can guarantee that some of them are making more than $50 an hour!

I'm not the OP but I don't think she was looking down on strippers. She said they weren't using their brain to make money, not that they don't have brains.

For the record some of my best friends used to be sex workers so I'm not looking down on anyone. We all get by the best we can. I just prefer to give OP the benefit of the doubt on this one.

 

[Antares6]

Re people looking down on administrative assistants:

IMHO that just shows their ignorance. Great admins make up to 100k (and sometimes more) in my company. Some have official "admin assistant" titles and other are cloaked under "Vice President" titles but perform the same functions. In my experience they're on the forefront of activities, react better than most to situations, have incredible responsibilities, and their bosses could not survive without them. Don't ever let someone's unknowing and immaterial opinion of you undercut what you're doing in your own eyes.



^^ITA.

I never heard of admin making 100k. In my company, they make 10-12 per hour

 

[doreenjoy]

I never heard of admin making 100k. In my company, they make 10-12 per hour

I think Executive Assistants make a lot more than the typical Administrative Assistant. if they're managing the schedule for a busy exec, they have a lot of responsibility. I've seen companies where no one gets to talk to certain key executives unless the admin lets them through.The admin will even be screening his/her email.

 

[Antares6]

I think Executive Assistants make a lot more than the typical Administrative Assistant. if they're managing the schedule for a busy exec, they have a lot of responsibility. I've seen companies where no one gets to talk to certain key executives unless the admin lets them through.The admin will even be screening his/her email.

oh, definately but if they make $100 k, I think I'm in the wrong proffession

 

[doreenjoy]

oh, definately but if they make $100 k, I think I'm in the wrong proffession

Well, some do. I have no doubt that Jeff Bezos's assistant makes over $100k.

I have an executive assistant and she makes $30 an hour. But I'm not as important as Jeff Bezos.

 

[DiorDeVille]

I never heard of admin making 100k. In my company, they make 10-12 per hour

In F100 companies, it's not unheard of for admin assistants to the VP-level execs and up to make 85K+. But it's a job with a nonexistent margin for error, and I can't see anyone who fully grasps it begrudging them a penny.

 

[Jennifer_C]

Yes, the high salary range I mentioned was including Executive Administrative Assistants. Some of their bosses are making millions each year so $75k-$100k for someone who's on top of his/her game and potentially on call 24/7 is considered a valuable asset.

 

[layd3k]

I'm a cashier at a grocery store. I'm 20 and i do it as a part time job while i'm in school. It's a typical job for a student but it is looked down upon if you're an older person working this type of job. People just assume you're uneducated, etc. I'm close with many of my older coworkers. One in particular is this very smart, educated woman. She went to university and everything. I always wondered how she got stuck working here for so long. She basically said she started here when she was young as a part timer, got married, had kids and never had a chance to break out and do something else, she kinda got stuck. She never intended to be here aslong as she has, sometimes things just happen. My grocery store in particular is a pretty great place to work. People assume that if you're working the front lines you're making minimum wage but that's not always true. People at my chain who've been there for a while make 20-25$ an hour and have full healthcare benefits, paid vacations, etc.

My point is that you should never judge someone or assume things about them based on their job. I work in a "rich" neighbourhood and many of the customers have a very snotty, "im better than everyone" attitude. My co worker is happily married with 2 beautiful kids, makes 25$ an hour, has full health care benefits, paid vacations and a full university education. I'd say she has it pretty good for a "grocery store cashier." She probably has it better than a lot of people in "respected" fields. That just shows you that you can't judge someone by their job.

I completely agree with this. I too work in a grocery store as part time and I get full benefits, STORE BONUSES and COMPANY BONUSES; and even though I pay union dues I always get some sort of bonus from them.

But as you mentioned I am afraid of getting "stuck" because I hate the place, and customers are quite rude. Many are ignorant and think that you have nothing better to do (meanwhile I go to UofT, am getting a BA and thinking of goign to law school.) But my boss who went to university stayed and took full time position as book keeper because of all the pay and benefits and vacation time. And the best part is, is that she does not have to take any of that work home with her! lol

 

[bellapsyd]

I work in prison

Imagine the reactions I get to that! Ha ha! I'm a correctional/forensic psychologist and I love my job, however I get the "you work where?", "you're so smart, why aren't you working in a hospital/ arent you a REAL doctor", and the "but you're too pretty to work in prison" (what does that even mean?!) statements often. The kicker? My fiance's mom "Do you really want to marry someone who spends all day in prison?" Look lady, I WORK there, I'm not an inmate.... ::sigh::

But my point is: I completely understand. My Nana cried when she found out my "Doctor" was a PsyD and not an MD. But, eh, what can I say? Picking criminals' minds was way more interesting than cutting into their bodies and curing their ailments!

Haters gunna hate, but all I've got to give back to them is this (imagine a super sweet smile): I work 4 days a week, my job is essentially recession proof, and I have a pension along with loan repayment. Not to mention 100% healthcare coverage and a darn good salary! (plus paid relocation, CEUs, 30+ days of vacation time a year and additional sick leave).

Take home message? Love what you do- girl your job sounds AMAZING and I'M jealous of you!

 

[pink_dolphin]

I'm bumping this because I'm fighting this problem right now.
I was an accountant and in the past few years I took a job in administrative work. I feel so ashamed when people ask/see what I do because they think admin=uneducated nobody. I have a Master's degree and I am not uneducated. It really ticks me off. However, I work less than 40 hours a week, I get to take vacation whenever I want, there is no stress, and I get great benefits and a pension. However, I don't make much money.
Sometimes I wonder if it would be better to switch companies so I can get a better title and more money---but I'd lose all the other good things abut my job.

 

[juneping]

I'm bumping this because I'm fighting this problem right now.
I was an accountant and in the past few years I took a job in administrative work. I feel so ashamed when people ask/see what I do because they think admin=uneducated nobody. I have a Master's degree and I am not uneducated. It really ticks me off. However, I work less than 40 hours a week, I get to take vacation whenever I want, there is no stress, and I get great benefits and a pension. However, I don't make much money.
Sometimes I wonder if it would be better to switch companies so I can get a better title and more money---but I'd lose all the other good things abut my job.

wow....i want your job!!
sometimes you just got to tell yourself that you live your life not that some judgmental person in front of you. a job has no stress and the money is okay for you is hard to come by. and you can always part-time tax return when tax season comes to make extra $$.
some people like challenging jobs and some don't...that's what make us all interesting individuals.

 

[Midge S]

This is one of those things I just never got. I have typical middle of the road career. I have people who work for me, I have people I report to, I make decent money that could always be better. (and would be if I had my degree. Boy do I get looked down upon for THAT. virtually 100% of the people at my level at my company have a bachelors, and probably 70% have masters. Most assume I have my degree to, but when they find out I don't.... it's a fascinating study in human behavior. I'm not sure why not having a degree is equated with having no ability. Definately not true. I am the first to admit that I would be making far more money and have a higher position if I had my degree though. My own fault, I accept)

It is amazing to me to see how those at my level (and definitely higher) treat folks in positions like facility services (housekeeping) or shipping or you get the picture. It's disgraceful. human being are human beings no matter what their perceived label. And frankly, without people willing to come to work every day to do those jobs I wouldn't want to be there! there's a lack of leadership and basic humanity that is really disturbing.

regarding admins I work for a fortune 500 and the admins make anywhere from $17/hr to about $125k. Most level at around $50 - 60k. Good money, but not extravagant.

 

[peppersasen]

I grew up with some kind of an inferiority complex and had wanted to be something prestigious to compensate, until I got sidetracked.

i can't offer "perspective", but would it help if i told you i'm going through the exact same thing? my life was perfect up until 2009. i went to a decent private university for undergrad and a good university for grad school, my first job was with an international NGO (that some people couldn't even believe because it was too good to be true, they thought i was lying) and then i landed a UN internship. but everything went downhill from there (long story: basically got dragged into office politics BY FORCE and now everybody pretends i'm dead). and now i can't even look people in the eye and tell them what i do. the UN called me up one day to offer me a temp job where i would take lick envelops all day. my parents get so angry at me about how bad my life turned out that they nearly kicked me out of the house at midnight. i had a nice job for a while and was saving to buy a 1-bedroom apartment, but then i got laid-off and i have to live at home. it's humiliating because sometimes my parents hit me. i get suicidal, way beyond "kind of depressed". i literally want to die. some days i just think "f*ck it, i'll just go all the way and just be a hooker". every time i chicken out about killing myself fast and clean, i consider prostituting myself to deliberately contract a nasty, deadly disease. sorry, i know that was a nasty [but true] story. i hope you don't feel so bad about playing Poker. do you own a home? can you at least pay your rent?

i work doing things a high school graduate can do. i look at these people i work with and they have substantive jobs. i have an opinion about things but i have no right to speak. and frankly, i'm not going to open my mouth after what happened at the UN, these days i just play dumb to be likable. i feel like i'm stuck in a rut. sometimes i literally feel like dying. i do these little "errands" for them, and i feel like i'm peering on, working on the surface. my father is so embarrassed of what i do, he forwards me vacancy/PhD emails even when i was employed full-time.

not everybody gets to do big things in life. if everyone did big things in life, there would not be such thing as "big". sometimes some people just get sidelined. i worked so hard and it only backfired on me. i literally wished i was less ambitious. you just have to learn to be less ambitious too. your perception of yourself is too dependent on what your parents think and what you think society thinks of you. i've learned to just mind my own business and paint my nails and i'm happier that way. i also find a lot of peace imagining people like Helen Clarke and Christine Lagarde as horrible people who caused a lot of collateral damage to people around them to get where they are right now. you're much better than that, because in reality, you're not harming anyone. the only person getting hurt is you, with these ideas you have about yourself. i know it's not easy, i'm ruined beyond repair and there's nothing that can fix my self-esteem and self-worth now. not even therapy which i can barely afford now (at least you make decent money, right?).

anyway, if you don't mind me asking: apart from your parents, has anyone actually said to your face that they look down on you?

ETA: And while I skimmed through this thread, I know some of you felt that admin assistants are looked down upon. I would just like to say that admins and IT are the most impartial people in the entire office and probably also the most trustworthy and worth being friends with! Please don't feel bad about what you do. I love admin assistants!

 

[nooch]

Your problem isn't your job or your life, it's your wackadoo parents.

 

[lovinalotofbags]

Looked down upon? No one should look down upon or judge anyone who is supporting themselves and/or or their family through means other than criminal activity. If I made a living picking up sh*t. You ask me what I do and I will say, "I clean up sh*t, literally."