This past summer, I have been working as a housekeeper at a small ma and pa motel. I am only working this job in the summer since I attend college in another state as an engineering student the rest of the year. I enjoy my summer job; all of my coworkers are great and the owner is super nice and friendly. Throughout this summer, however, I became aware of a trend that is quite frankly just not acceptable. This trend that I am referring to is the judgement of people based on the job they have.

So apparently housekeeping isn't viewed as the most prestigious job. Some people make that very clear, whether I am simply ignored by guests or I am left with a completely trashed room as a thank you. These people don't know anything about me other than my job, yet they are so quick to judge me on that one aspect. On the opposite end, when people find out that I am majoring in engineering, they automatically have a new level of respect for me. It's like I am finally worthy of their presence but, honestly, I do not want their presence if they are only talking to me because I am a future engineer. I am not engineering. I am not a job. I am an individual with an abundance of characteristics that actually define who I truly am, but these individuals did not take the time to understand that. All they took the time to know was my job (or future job), and from that they had everything they wanted in order to judge me.

It doesn't matter whether I am being judged negatively for being a housekeeper or positively for being an engineering student; neither is okay. A job is just training. It is something that you are taught. Work ethic, however, is not something that is taught. To me, work ethic is worth so much more than a job title. That is why it is so hard for me to understand why people are so judgmental based on a simple job title. Someone can be a lawyer or engineer or scientist and be a very lazy, practically worthless worker.

I'm not saying that everybody has this misconception; there have been several guests at my summer job that have been very nice and respectful, but there are enough people who are wrongfully judgmental that something needed to be said. I am also not saying that every housekeeper ever is a super hard worker; there are hard workers and there are slackers in every job field. What I am saying is that there is not a definite correlation between work ethic and a job title, and people need to stop acting like there is.

People need to start acknowledging the workers whose jobs are services to them, such as waitresses, cashiers, housekeepers, plumbers, construction workers, garbage men and women, truck drivers and every other job that may be stereotyped as being "bad" or a "dead end job." These are people who are working to support their families or there education, or their hobbies. There is no need to act like you are better than them just because you possible make more money or wear a suite everyday. That is not what matters.

All those jobs listed, are very important. Think of what the world would be like without garbage services, or buildings or plumbing. After thinking about that. you should be very willing to look your garbage man or woman in the eye next time you cross paths and thank them for their work. Every hard worker, regardless of what job they have, deserves to be acknowledged and appreciated.

So next time you are inclined to judge somebody, don't judge them based on the job they have; instead, judge them on how hard they work at that job. That is what truly matters.