Kate Hackett
Redditor u/Stoned_Black_Nerd opened the world up for some real talk when they posted to Reddit asking:
“What is something that people in your profession understand, but the general public can’t seem to grasp?”
You can just FEEL the relief pouring off of people to have the opportunity to really reveal the intricacies of their work. I rounded up some of the best responses for you — what’s something YOU think people should know about your job?
1. Zoo worker
“Yes, the animal is in the exhibit. Sometimes you have to look for longer than eight seconds.” —u/rue842
2. Librarian
“Public libraries are not safe places to drop off your kids. It’s not the books that are unsafe; it’s the other patrons, and the fact that librarians are not babysitters.” —u/fauxbuous
3. Chocolatier
My god, your chocolate will last the two weeks until Christmas. Buy it now and give it next Christmas. It has a shelf life measured in years. And stop putting it in the fridge. I made it three months ago and it’s been sitting at room temperature in a box since then. If you put it in the fridge for a week it’ll get condensation on it and turn sticky, or the cold will ruin the tempering.” —u/JvckiWaifu
4. Lifeguard
“I am not a babystter. It is your job as a parent to watch your kid when swimming and if they can’t swim, you have to be in the water within five feet of them at all times.” —u/Ceiling_Fan_Lady
5. Designer
“If you want to fit a portrait image into a landscape canvas, you either have to crop it, leave a black or white border or empty space left and right, or distort it (which is almost always a bad idea). On a regular occurrence, clients are unhappy with either of these options, they just want me to somehow make it fit.” —u/aleqqqs
6. Bathroom renovator
“Bathroom renovations — things take time. Drying times are a factor. If I ask your budget, it’s not because I’m trying to empty your account. I just need to know your expectations so I can meet them.” —u/EasyOutside4
7. Audio engineer
“Not every problem with audio is feedback. Feedback is when the sound goes out the speakers and back through the mic and loops around and around. Ground hum is not feedback, noise is not feedback, echo off the wall is not feedback. And speak up, people, the mic isn’t magic, you need to be heard!” —u/srcarruth
8. Equestrian
“Horses are less fragile than people think. They are also more fragile than people think. Also, it probably won’t kick you if you walk behind it, but insurance is expensive, so please don’t.” —u/Affectionate-Whole93
9. Surgeon
“In most places, we don’t set the prices for anything. Your surgeon is not making $50,000 on your grandma’s hip because the hospital charged that much. He or she is probably getting $1,500, and the institution gets the rest. Insurances and institutions are the problem.” —u/will0593
10. Dentist
“Flossing actually helps.” —u/throwmeawaydumbass
11. I.T. worker
“‘Switching it off and on again’ in I.T. usually resets the device to the state before you pissed about with it — this quite often solves the problem.” —u/Jezbod
12. Bookstore worker
“We can’t keep a copy of every book ever published on hand in our store. Some things we will have to order for you.” —u/BatmansKhaleesi
13. Health care worker
“You can lie all you want about falling on or accidentally sitting on the stuff that gets lodged in your asshole, none of us HCWs believe you though!”—Smudgeandarrogant44
14. Emergency room worker
“Emergency Rooms are NOT first come first serve businesses! We triage you for a reason, and you CANNOT cut the line in front of somebody with a more serious complaint just because you got here first!”—u/SwingGirlAtHeart
15. Airport worker
“Yes, your flight is in fact delayed due to weather. Yes, I also understand it’s a gorgeous day here AND at our destination airport. What you don’t understand is the airplane is coming from New York and THEY had weather.” —u/poser765
16. Photographer
“No, I can’t grab your iPhone and take a picture to match my best studio works, even if it’s the most recent model of an iPhone. Also, yes, I do charge money ‘just to take a picture.'” —u/le_wild_asshole
17. Artist
“Pencils are expensive. Prints are expensive. Proper paper is expensive. It takes a lot of time to do a painting. So, no, I can’t give it to you for free or ‘exposure.'” —u/SidnyM
18. Truck Driver
That the eighty thousand pound truck I’m driving can’t stop in a dime. —blakjak66
19. Special Orders
That when you special order an appliance, we have zero control over when it will be here. Stop expecting a discount because your fridge arrives 3 months after your kitchen remodel and it doesn’t fit so you have to pay to alter it. Poor planning on your behalf does not make it an emergency on our behalf. —El-ChuPugcabra
20. Line Painter
I paint the lines on roads (white edge lines and yellow center lines) and SOMEHOW when the signs and flashing lights on the truck say “DO NOT PASS” and “WET PAINT” people still pass us and get paint slung up onto their car… then feel the need to call our office and insurance company to get a free trip to the body shop…. or they pull in front of the paint truck to stop us and cuss us out..—why_worry69
