What is the most respectable career? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

kate jack · 07-23-2008, 03:24 PM

I say Teachers.

They get paid shit, there's no glory, long hours, but they're providing some of the most important skills to our next generation.

shesus · 07-23-2008, 03:32 PM

Well, as a teacher, I thank you.

I lean toward careers that help others and the community. These include firemen, policemen (although I know there are crooked ones), teachers, doctors, social workers, etc. These people get paid varied amounts of money, but without them, the society and community would suffer.

Oh and I also respect trash collectors. There is no way I'd do that job.

The_Jazz · 07-23-2008, 04:29 PM

Internet message board administrators and moderators.

Anyone gotta problem with that?

LoganSnake · 07-23-2008, 04:31 PM

I don't think respectable and useful are always the same thing. Most respectful? Probably a doctor.

Most useful? People who do the shit you wouldn't do yourself to make your life easier.

Bear Cub · 07-23-2008, 05:49 PM

Prostitute.

But only the fancy, high-priced ones. For $1000, I expect lobster, not crabs.

Willravel · 07-23-2008, 05:57 PM

I've always wanted to be a firefighter. A national average salary of $40k a year ($7k less than the national teacher income) and putting your life on the line to save lives of people they've likely never met? Yeah, that's pretty awesome. First to show up to 911 calls, running into burning buildings; it's a hell of a career and I have nothing but respect for them.

laconic1 · 07-23-2008, 06:05 PM

To me there isn't really a "most respectable career" as I consider ones conduct in how they do their jobs to be of more importance than what the actual career is. Firefighters, policeman, teachers, doctors etc are all certainly respectable when they conduct their duties with the utmost care, but construction workers, plumbers, mechanics, hell even used car salespeople can be quite respectable as well. (Ok, maybe not used car salespeople). Overall though I look at individual conduct more than a blanket assumption about careers, since each career has respectable and despicable people working in them.

genuinegirly · 07-23-2008, 06:09 PM

My honest gut response? Accountant.

Relatively little education required (compared with, say, a doctor) Make decent money. Work in the background. Keep things orderly. Potential for corruption, but more likely to avoid it. Every accountant I have met has been a respectable person.

surferlove007 · 07-23-2008, 07:11 PM

I would say Engineers. They have to know their stuff and work in fields that people can only dream of understanding.

Mom is on the board of directors for Lockheed Martin, she's a top notch engineer. Dads an electrical engineer. Impressive stuff there...not to mention the future for so many things in innovations for human kind.

Bear Cub · 07-23-2008, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghoastgirl1

I would say Engineers. They have to know their stuff and work in fields that people can only dream of understanding.

Mom is on the board of directors for Lockheed Martin, she's a top notch engineer. Dads an electrical engineer. Impressive stuff there...not to mention the future for so many things in innovations for human kind.

Even if I'm only a half-assed "engineer" without a PE.

cyklone · 07-23-2008, 07:32 PM

If you exclude illegal occupations, how does a career get to be either respectable or not? If you are working and contributing to society in any category, surely that is enough. Perhaps different careers have different status, but surely not different respectability.

ngdawg · 07-23-2008, 07:37 PM

Not a single "soldier" answer?????

/me cries

ItWasMe · 07-23-2008, 07:51 PM

I noticed that, too.

Stare At The Sun · 07-23-2008, 08:21 PM

I'd say a Doctor.

ipollux · 07-23-2008, 08:23 PM

Reporters. They get paid very, very little, and are usually treated like shit, but yet almost everybody watches/reads the news.

Baraka_Guru · 07-23-2008, 08:30 PM

Artist

Willravel · 07-23-2008, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ngdawg

Not a single "soldier" answer?????

/me cries

Some of the most respectable people I know are soldiers. The profession, though, can require a certain comfort with the taking of life, whether excused by self defense or not, that rubs me wrong. Same with police. Most police and military I know are really honorable and respectable people, but the professions? There are equally brave professions that don't involve being required to hurt others, even if they're bad.

mixedmedia · 07-23-2008, 09:35 PM

Why do people have to say that 'soldiers' have the most respectable career? I don't think they have they most 'respectable' career, for the little that is worth. But if that's what you think, ng, then just say so.

I can't really pick a most respectable career, there are good people and assholes in all of them.

I would say that anyone who works conscientiously and with compassion to help others for little compensation, even 'soldiers,' would have the most respectable careers.

BogeyDope · 07-23-2008, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Willravel

I've always wanted to be a firefighter. A national average salary of $40k a year ($7k less than the national teacher income) and putting your life on the line to save lives of people they've likely never met? Yeah, that's pretty awesome. First to show up to 911 calls, running into burning buildings; it's a hell of a career and I have nothing but respect for them.

As a reserve firefighter who goes to college by day, waits tables by nights, and saves lives in between, I thank you, and yes, it is pretty f***ing awesome.

In my opinion, every job has something to be respected about. The fact that people are willing to give their time to contribute to something beyond them is in itself highly respectable.

ngdawg · 07-23-2008, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mixedmedia

Why do people have to say that 'soldiers' have the most respectable career? I don't think they have they most 'respectable' career, for the little that is worth. But if that's what you think, ng, then just say so.

I can't really pick a most respectable career, there are good people and assholes in all of them.

I would say that anyone who works conscientiously and with compassion to help others for little compensation, even 'soldiers,' would have the most respectable careers.

Agreed, there are good and assholes in every profession, every walk of life. Whether someone's a soldier, teacher or doctor or firefighter, there will always be a few to muck up the respectability the profession might warrant.

In that vein, again, I agree-there is no singular 'most respectable' career, but rather those in those careers who do it with passion and truth.

Cernunnos · 07-23-2008, 10:56 PM

Anyone who assists in building, maintaining, and/or saving lives. This encapsulates most professions with altruistic qualities.

passthru · 07-23-2008, 11:09 PM

To try and come up with something a bit different, and if I can replace "career" with "occupation", how about martial arts expert? Or another similar occupation where the teachings relate to a level of consciousness and day to day functionality. I think something of that nature can spread basic well being, almost virally.

Glory's Sun · 07-24-2008, 06:02 AM

How the hell could nobody say Porn Star? I mean come'on. Without them we'd all be stuck watching Heavy Metal or actually having to do our jobs. What good is it going to work when we can't have something good to watch?

.. ok really? There is no correct answer to this. There are tons of career choices that are admirable and respectable, but I think any job is respectable if a person actually puts forth an effort to do it as well as they can.

Poppinjay · 07-24-2008, 06:07 AM

EMT.

In most communities, firefighters are trained to put out fires and get people out. EMTs are trained to go into the fire and save lives.

No shooting people. Little room for corruption.

Jinn · 07-24-2008, 06:57 AM

Firefighters.

highthief · 07-24-2008, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jinn

Firefighters.

A blue collar job? Given your prior comments, how odd.

BogeyDope · 07-24-2008, 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poppinjay

EMT.

In most communities, firefighters are trained to put out fires and get people out. EMTs are trained to go into the fire and save lives.

No shooting people. Little room for corruption.

To my knowledge, every firefighter, regardless of location [our station has a sister station in the Netherlands that has the same requirements], in order to be a Firefighter you must attain EMT certification at one point or another. Never have I heard of an EMT or a paramedic running into a burning building to pull someone out. It's a huge risk and liability for the company the EMT works for, and on top of that, most of them just aren't that stupid. If it was that way, we wouldn't need firefighters, would me now

speshul-k · 07-28-2008, 10:31 AM

Hm, respectable. Well, I guess it all varies on your view of respectable and what commands respect from you.
Anyone who betters humanity, either by saving or building on its foundations is damn good in my book.

filtherton · 07-28-2008, 02:00 PM

Jobs aren't respectable, people are.

yellowmac · 08-01-2008, 07:59 PM

I'd say it's a toss-up between teachers, police officers, fire fighters, and EMTs. Basically anything that serves the general public and/or children.

Manic_Skafe · 08-01-2008, 10:59 PM

Being a parent.

little_tippler · 08-02-2008, 02:56 AM

I'd say all bona fide "jobs" are respectable. Hard working people should be respected.

Now which jobs I respect because they are particularly tough, or particularly useful to society, is another matter.

I would have to say all jobs that perform an important social service I'd respect more than others.

People like doctors, teachers, firefighters...the list goes on and on.

That being said I would never want to do any of those jobs! But that's just who I am...no point in pretending.

Martian · 08-02-2008, 03:16 AM

I am a telemarketer. I am attempting to kickstart a career as a musician. Neither of these are deemed respectable, although I would contend that the common perception of the professional musician is wildly out of synch with the reality of it -- after all, most independent musicians have more than a full time job playing out, writing, rehearsing and promoting, and a good number work day jobs on top of that.

But yeah, I'm not respectable. I'm okay with it.

One of the most undervalued jobs in my opinion is that of the social worker. I've done contract work with agencies around town here, and I know exactly what it's like. The job takes a lot of patience, determination and fortitude, it doesn't pay much and it's not the slightest bit glamorous. It takes a special kind of person to be able to do that every day, and I certainly don't fit the bill.

filtherton · 08-02-2008, 07:12 AM

Paparazzi. Definitely.

Punk.of.Ages · 08-02-2008, 08:13 AM

Pimps sure demand a lot of respect.....

canuckguy · 08-02-2008, 11:50 AM

Well pimping ain't easy....

I am not sure what the most respectable career is but I think Doctor is right up there with the most respected for sure.

For me, I don't respect a title or designation. I respect hard working honest people whatever they do for a living.

thespian86 · 08-02-2008, 02:12 PM

Being me is pretty hard.

How about leading a county. Just joshing. I'd say Artist (meaning anyone who creates/produces original material). It takes a lot of guts to draw outside of the lines in society. And to do it as a way of making a living. Kudos to them.

Punk.of.Ages · 08-04-2008, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by punkmusicfan21

I'd say Artist (meaning anyone who creates/produces original material). It takes a lot of guts to draw outside of the lines in society. And to do it as a way of making a living. Kudos to them.

I agree with this one a lot

Martian · 08-04-2008, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Punk.of.Ages

Quote:

Originally Posted by punkmusicfan21

I'd say Artist (meaning anyone who creates/produces original material). It takes a lot of guts to draw outside of the lines in society. And to do it as a way of making a living. Kudos to them.

I agree with this one a lot

I also agree, but then I'd say all three of us are biased.

I'd intended more to point out that the popular conception of artists doesn't seem to agree with us. Particularly when it comes to popular musicians.

Punk.of.Ages · 08-04-2008, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martian

I also agree, but then I'd say all three of us are biased.

I'd intended more to point out that the popular conception of artists doesn't seem to agree with us. Particularly when it comes to popular musicians.

Wouldn't that be part of the reason we see art as respectable?

07-23-2008, 03:24 PM	#1 (permalink)
kate jack Tilted	What is the most respectable career? I say Teachers. They get paid shit, there's no glory, long hours, but they're providing some of the most important skills to our next generation.

07-23-2008, 03:32 PM	#2 (permalink)
shesus Fancy Location: Chicago	Well, as a teacher, I thank you. I lean toward careers that help others and the community. These include firemen, policemen (although I know there are crooked ones), teachers, doctors, social workers, etc. These people get paid varied amounts of money, but without them, the society and community would suffer. Oh and I also respect trash collectors. There is no way I'd do that job. __________________ Whatever did happen to your soul? I heard you sold it Choose Heaven for the weather and Hell for the company

07-23-2008, 04:29 PM	#3 (permalink)
The_Jazz Asshole Administrator Location: Chicago	Internet message board administrators and moderators. Anyone gotta problem with that? __________________ "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - B. Franklin "There ought to be limits to freedom." - George W. Bush "We have met the enemy and he is us." - Pogo

07-23-2008, 04:31 PM	#4 (permalink)
LoganSnake We work alone Location: Cake Town	I don't think respectable and useful are always the same thing. Most respectful? Probably a doctor. Most useful? People who do the shit you wouldn't do yourself to make your life easier. __________________ Maturity is knowing you were an idiot in the past. Wisdom is knowing that you'll be an idiot in the future. Common sense is knowing that you should try not to be an idiot now. - J. Jacques

07-23-2008, 05:49 PM	#5 (permalink)
Bear Cub The Reverend Side Boob Location: Nofe Curolina	Prostitute. But only the fancy, high-priced ones. For $1000, I expect lobster, not crabs. __________________ Living in the United Socialist States of America.

07-23-2008, 05:57 PM	#6 (permalink)
Willravel ... a sort of licensed troubleshooter.	I've always wanted to be a firefighter. A national average salary of $40k a year ($7k less than the national teacher income) and putting your life on the line to save lives of people they've likely never met? Yeah, that's pretty awesome. First to show up to 911 calls, running into burning buildings; it's a hell of a career and I have nothing but respect for them.

07-23-2008, 06:05 PM	#7 (permalink)
laconic1 Junkie	To me there isn't really a "most respectable career" as I consider ones conduct in how they do their jobs to be of more importance than what the actual career is. Firefighters, policeman, teachers, doctors etc are all certainly respectable when they conduct their duties with the utmost care, but construction workers, plumbers, mechanics, hell even used car salespeople can be quite respectable as well. (Ok, maybe not used car salespeople). Overall though I look at individual conduct more than a blanket assumption about careers, since each career has respectable and despicable people working in them. Last edited by laconic1; 07-23-2008 at 06:09 PM.. Reason: fixed typo

07-23-2008, 06:09 PM	#8 (permalink)
genuinegirly Eat your vegetables Super Moderator Location: Arabidopsis-ville	My honest gut response? Accountant. Relatively little education required (compared with, say, a doctor) Make decent money. Work in the background. Keep things orderly. Potential for corruption, but more likely to avoid it. Every accountant I have met has been a respectable person. __________________ "Sometimes I have to remember that things are brought to me for a reason, either for my own lessons or for the benefit of others." Cynthetiq "violence is no more or less real than non-violence." roachboy

07-23-2008, 07:11 PM	#9 (permalink)
surferlove007 Junkie	I would say Engineers. They have to know their stuff and work in fields that people can only dream of understanding. Mom is on the board of directors for Lockheed Martin, she's a top notch engineer. Dads an electrical engineer. Impressive stuff there...not to mention the future for so many things in innovations for human kind.

07-23-2008, 07:32 PM	#11 (permalink)
cyklone Crazy Location: Adelaide, South Australia	If you exclude illegal occupations, how does a career get to be either respectable or not? If you are working and contributing to society in any category, surely that is enough. Perhaps different careers have different status, but surely not different respectability.

07-23-2008, 07:37 PM	#12 (permalink)
ngdawg peekaboo Location: on the back, bitch	Not a single "soldier" answer????? /me cries

07-23-2008, 07:51 PM	#13 (permalink)
ItWasMe But You'll Never Prove It. Location: under your bed	I noticed that, too. __________________ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Ok, no more truth-or-dare until somebody returns my underwear" ~ George Lopez I bake cookies just so I can lick the bowl. ~ ItWasMe

07-23-2008, 08:21 PM	#14 (permalink)
Stare At The Sun Eh? Location: Somewhere over the rainbow	I'd say a Doctor.

07-23-2008, 08:23 PM	#15 (permalink)
ipollux Crazy	Reporters. They get paid very, very little, and are usually treated like shit, but yet almost everybody watches/reads the news.

07-23-2008, 08:30 PM	#16 (permalink)
Baraka_Guru warrior bodhisattva Super Moderator Location: East-central Canada	Artist __________________ Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing? —Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön Humankind cannot bear very much reality. —From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

07-24-2008, 06:57 AM	#25 (permalink)
Jinn Lover - Protector - Teacher Location: Seattle, WA	Firefighters. __________________ "I'm typing on a computer of science, which is being sent by science wires to a little science server where you can access it. I'm not typing on a computer of philosophy or religion or whatever other thing you think can be used to understand the universe because they're a poor substitute in the role of understanding the universe which exists independent from ourselves." - Willravel

07-23-2008, 09:35 PM	#18 (permalink)
mixedmedia has all her shots. Location: Florida	Why do people have to say that 'soldiers' have the most respectable career? I don't think they have they most 'respectable' career, for the little that is worth. But if that's what you think, ng, then just say so. I can't really pick a most respectable career, there are good people and assholes in all of them. I would say that anyone who works conscientiously and with compassion to help others for little compensation, even 'soldiers,' would have the most respectable careers. __________________ Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce

07-23-2008, 10:56 PM	#21 (permalink)
Cernunnos Insane Location: Orlando, Florida	Anyone who assists in building, maintaining, and/or saving lives. This encapsulates most professions with altruistic qualities.

07-23-2008, 11:09 PM	#22 (permalink)
passthru Addict Location: Portland, OR	To try and come up with something a bit different, and if I can replace "career" with "occupation", how about martial arts expert? Or another similar occupation where the teachings relate to a level of consciousness and day to day functionality. I think something of that nature can spread basic well being, almost virally.

07-24-2008, 06:02 AM	#23 (permalink)
Glory's Sun Registered User	How the hell could nobody say Porn Star? I mean come'on. Without them we'd all be stuck watching Heavy Metal or actually having to do our jobs. What good is it going to work when we can't have something good to watch? .. ok really? There is no correct answer to this. There are tons of career choices that are admirable and respectable, but I think any job is respectable if a person actually puts forth an effort to do it as well as they can.

07-24-2008, 06:07 AM	#24 (permalink)
Poppinjay You had me at hello Location: DC/Coastal VA	EMT. In most communities, firefighters are trained to put out fires and get people out. EMTs are trained to go into the fire and save lives. No shooting people. Little room for corruption. __________________ I think the Apocalypse is happening all around us. We go on eating desserts and watching TV. I know I do. I wish we were more capable of sustained passion and sustained resistance. We should be screaming and what we do is gossip. -Lydia Millet

07-28-2008, 10:31 AM	#28 (permalink)
speshul-k Insane	Hm, respectable. Well, I guess it all varies on your view of respectable and what commands respect from you. Anyone who betters humanity, either by saving or building on its foundations is damn good in my book.

07-28-2008, 02:00 PM	#29 (permalink)
filtherton Junkie Location: In the land of ice and snow.	Jobs aren't respectable, people are.

08-01-2008, 07:59 PM	#30 (permalink)
yellowmac Insane Location: left coast	I'd say it's a toss-up between teachers, police officers, fire fighters, and EMTs. Basically anything that serves the general public and/or children.

08-01-2008, 10:59 PM	#31 (permalink)
Manic_Skafe More Than You Expect Location: Queens	Being a parent. __________________ "Porn is a zoo of exotic animals that becomes boring upon ownership." -Nersesian

08-02-2008, 02:56 AM	#32 (permalink)
little_tippler Leaning against the -Sun- Super Moderator Location: on the other side	I'd say all bona fide "jobs" are respectable. Hard working people should be respected. Now which jobs I respect because they are particularly tough, or particularly useful to society, is another matter. I would have to say all jobs that perform an important social service I'd respect more than others. People like doctors, teachers, firefighters...the list goes on and on. That being said I would never want to do any of those jobs! But that's just who I am...no point in pretending. __________________ Whether we write or speak or do but look We are ever unapparent. What we are Cannot be transfused into word or book. Our soul from us is infinitely far. However much we give our thoughts the will To be our soul and gesture it abroad, Our hearts are incommunicable still. In what we show ourselves we are ignored. The abyss from soul to soul cannot be bridged By any skill of thought or trick of seeming. Unto our very selves we are abridged When we would utter to our thought our being. We are our dreams of ourselves, souls by gleams, And each to each other dreams of others' dreams. Fernando Pessoa, 1918

08-02-2008, 03:16 AM	#33 (permalink)
Martian Young Crumudgeon Location: Canada	I am a telemarketer. I am attempting to kickstart a career as a musician. Neither of these are deemed respectable, although I would contend that the common perception of the professional musician is wildly out of synch with the reality of it -- after all, most independent musicians have more than a full time job playing out, writing, rehearsing and promoting, and a good number work day jobs on top of that. But yeah, I'm not respectable. I'm okay with it. One of the most undervalued jobs in my opinion is that of the social worker. I've done contract work with agencies around town here, and I know exactly what it's like. The job takes a lot of patience, determination and fortitude, it doesn't pay much and it's not the slightest bit glamorous. It takes a special kind of person to be able to do that every day, and I certainly don't fit the bill. __________________ I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said - Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame

08-02-2008, 07:12 AM	#34 (permalink)
filtherton Junkie Location: In the land of ice and snow.	Paparazzi. Definitely.

08-02-2008, 08:13 AM	#35 (permalink)
Punk.of.Ages Forming Location: ....a state of pure inebriation.	Pimps sure demand a lot of respect..... __________________ "The fact is that censorship always defeats its own purpose, for it creates, in the end, the kind of society that is incapable of exercising real discretion..." - Henry Steel Commager "Punk rock music is great music played by really bad, drunk musicians." -Fat Mike

08-02-2008, 11:50 AM	#36 (permalink)
canuckguy I read your emails. Location: earth	Well pimping ain't easy.... I am not sure what the most respectable career is but I think Doctor is right up there with the most respected for sure. For me, I don't respect a title or designation. I respect hard working honest people whatever they do for a living.

08-02-2008, 02:12 PM	#37 (permalink)
thespian86 change is hard. Location: the green room.	Being me is pretty hard. How about leading a county. Just joshing. I'd say Artist (meaning anyone who creates/produces original material). It takes a lot of guts to draw outside of the lines in society. And to do it as a way of making a living. Kudos to them. __________________ EX: Whats new? ME: I officially love coffee more then you now. EX: uh... ME: So, not much.