I heard a lot of things in my formative teenage years: "Tattooed girls are seen differently by potential employers, husbands, and the generally fine upstanding public."

Well, I'm here to tell you, no! There is absolutely no reason to discredit someone over ink on their skin.

Looking beyond the market saturation of tattoo parlors, and amount of airtime inked skin receives in movies and TV, there is no true just reason for the discrediting. According to the Journal of Dermatology, one-third of adults born between 1975 and 1986 have a tattoo. That is a huge workforce, if we are to marginalize them. Instead of creating unnecessary divisions in our economy, we should be bridging the divide.

Here is a list of five uncommonly inked career fields, and why we should love having our inked employees.

1.) Customer Service

A great representative can handle customers and business efficiently, and seemingly without much effort. One of my favorite examples to use here is a hotel bartender friend of mine, who wears body wraps to cover his arm tattoos. However, that doesn't always happen, and a guest will ask him about them. It triggers an amazing conversation between guest and service employee about his art style, where he was in life when he got them, and the guest feels better having had the experience.

Any moment the service industry creates a special guest experience, it should be cherished, not locked away under sweatbands to protect eyes from ink lines.

2.) Military

Here is a veteran, who puts my love of Sailor Jerry flash to shame.

Any serviceman/woman, who puts their life on the line, shouldn't be kicked out of doing so, for a tattoo. Just recently, the standards were relaxed in the Navy, were only the head is off limits. However, the rest of the armed forces have a large way to go, with the Marines not allowing tattoos visible in short sleeved uniforms.

The Navy's criteria changed because they understood the need for the best and brightest in uniform, regardless of what their skin looks like. Maybe the other branches will follow in step? The war isn't won by who looked the best in uniform.

3.) Medical Field

You see both men, standing in the doctor office. You know the man in the lab coat is there to treat what ails you, and the man in the cut off T-Shirt, and full sleeve tattoos, might be the one needing medical attention. But, take into consideration the amount of schooling, sleepless nights and strained relationships he underwent to receive his medical degree. Can all of that be summed up by his jacket, or all of it negated by this tattoos?

I want the man saving my life to be the best one for the job, regardless of his arms. It's the work preformed by them, not the art attached.

4) Finance

Banking and investment transactions occur so often online, to some of us, speaking to a representative is something often done on the phone, or through a computer. The financial sector can be very face paced, with a lot of corporate culture involved, the tattoo taboo can run rampant. A pretty regular policy of financial institutions, is nothing visible to customers can be acceptable.

A pretty decent argument if I didn't already need an account, just to speak to the representative. The majority of the American population conducts banking online, and had little regard for the leg piece of the guy overseeing the transaction.

A little research, and I found a treasure trove of Wall Street bankers, and their secret tattoo collections forming on their skin. My final conclusion: Everything seems to be improving since 2008, so it must be the tattoos.

5) Education

Let's pretend we have elementary-aged children, or maybe you already do, and are facing the realities of parenthood, what teachers do these children have? When you show up to that first parent-teacher meeting, what does this person spending the majority of their day educating your children look like?

I see a smiling, happy person, eager to educate and excited for a new school year. Parents truly want the best for their children, and learning is crucial in our early years. A happy, healthy education professional, who feels accepted in the workplace is paramount to the success of this important endeavor.

An art teacher with her work on her leg, a music teacher with his favorite song scrolled around his arm, or a science teacher with a DNA stand on their wrist, it intrigues young minds. Children are almost magical in this way of understanding, and I think we can learn a few things from them. It's very seldom the children who are upset with the pretty animals on the back their gym instructor.

We still have a long way to go before workplace acceptance of tattoos really makes some real headway.

Tattoos are: images of lost family, a furry companion, a special place, or just a perfect summary of who we are as humans. Our value to society doesn't change when we have those memories imprinted on us. It's about time to change the worldview and experience the positives.