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.

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.

Internet message board administrators and moderators.

Anyone gotta problem with that?

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.

Prostitute.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

:thumbsup:

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

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.

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

/me cries

I noticed that, too.

I'd say a Doctor.

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

Artist

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Firefighters.

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

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 :D

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.

Jobs aren't respectable, people are.

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.

Being a parent.

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.

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.

Paparazzi. Definitely.

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

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.

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.

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.

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