Unless you've worked a certain job, you probably won't know as much about it as you think you do. On the flip side, working in a certain profession makes you all too familiar with it.
Meaning, you'll know which parts of the job are real, and which are nothing but myths. This list shows the myths Reddit users are constantly correcting people about their jobs.
"My job isn’t 'hard' for the reasons most people think: constantly being exposed to and interviewing abused children.
"It’s hard because 90% of the time, it’s just disgruntled exes calling on each other over nothing... and dealing with grown adults’ drama is exhausting af."
"I work in a hardware store and apparently people think we have a huge underground storage big enough to hide every product in existence. No, I can't just go and fetch a part for your 20-year-old fireplace or power tool from the backroom."
"Antibiotics don't work on viral diseases."
Another user added an important PSA: "take your prescribed antibiotics the FULL course. Don't quit just because you feel better.
"You're basically giving the bacteria that isn't dead a vaccine to make them stronger."
At this point, it should be common knowledge, but some people still don't get it.
"As an engineer, I have to explain a lot of time that the law of energy and mass conservation can't be broken."
No, you can't just change scientific constants to suit your whims, people!
"There aren’t just buckets of grant money available for your wacky idea. You have to have a track record, an organization, a plan and a budget. It’s highly competitive."
No matter how good your wacky idea might be, you still have to present a solid plan.
"When I was building decks I remember a lot of people asked for shorter railings because it'd look nicer. I totally agree, but if 42" is the minimum in this state we're gonna do 42"."
You can't mess with codes.
"When someone finds out you're an accountant 90% of the time they will say 'great, so you can help with my taxes haha.'
"There are loads of accountants who may never see taxes in their day-to-day and have minimal knowledge from their certification only."
"As a bank teller. I don't give two f***s about what you do with that 10k in cash, but the government does and I'm literally just doing my job by asking."
But also, how can you expect to go to a bank and deal with large sums of money and not think the teller is going to ask questions?
"It's not dinosaurs we're looking for, it's the remains of human activity. No, we didn't find any gold."
If you want to talk to a dinosaur professional, you're probably thinking of a paleontologist. Big difference.
"Putting an angled back cut when felling a tree against the lean does absolutely nothing and will result in a tree falling on your house. Just pay us to do the job."
Why try to cut a tree down with no experience when arborists exist?
"Former pastry chef, and still work in a hotel. No I do not make amazing food at home. I barely survive on a diet of cereal, sandwiches and chocolate bars. Pot noodles if I’m feeling fancy."
"My extended family still can’t fathom me working the amount out of hours a week I work.
"Also we do not enjoy weddings, they are fun to attend, but nothing but a headache to run."
"The worst part of retail isn’t bad customers it’s bad management. You only have to be with the customers .005% of the time, you have to be with the management almost your entire shift. A good boss can make even the worst customer not a big deal."
"Just because I’m a psychologist doesn’t mean I’m immune to psychological disorders or distress."
Other psychologists in the thread admitted that they use different self care methods to cope with the weight of their jobs.
"Something being 'off the record.' If you're speaking to a journalist, you can't just say 'off the record' and then spill your guts. You need to have agreed with the journalist beforehand that you will not be quoted."
"Being a lawyer is not like what you see on Suits. It's all the stuff they cut away from otherwise viewers would be too bored to watch it."
"Factory worker here.. Once a machine is set up, it can run all day, perfectly, without adjustment. Nope. Steel can vary in hardness, even within a continuous coil of wire. Humidity, ambient temperature, tooling wear can also spoil parts."
"University prof. I do not get summers off. Teaching in front of classes is only about 30% of my job.
"The rest is one-on-one supervision of graduate students. Doing research, writing grant applications, writing research papers. Summer is the time of year when I finally have the time to do all that other stuff."
