I respect people who work at these ten jobs. Without these individuals, our nation and communities would not thrive as well as they do. These people go to work every day not expecting a thank you. These people do not get paid as much as celebrities and they rarely make the news. Therefore, if you see these individuals, stop and tell them how much you appreciate their hard work. It will really make their day.
1) Our farmers.
Our farmers wake up at the crack of dawn and often do not finish their work until dusk. They work outside when it is below freezing or sweltering hot. They have to take care of multitudes of animals and maintain and harvest crops. Without our farmers, we would not be able to eat all the food that we enjoy every day.
2) Our nurses.
The nurses do the majority of the dirty work at your hospital or doctor's office. They check your vitals (your pulse, your temperature, your weight, your height) and administer your medicine. They often are not treated with respect from patients. Also, nurses often work long hours with very minimal breaks.
3) Our doctors.
Unless you are a dermatologist (which is a very selective career), do not expect your typical 9-5 work shift. Doctors are often called in at the oddest hours (getting rudely woken up by the phone at 2 am is common). Also, doctors face much pressure from society especially if they do not tell the truth or make a mistake.
4) Flight attendants and pilots.
If traveling by plane was stressful enough, imagine yourself in your flight attendant's shoes. Your flight attendant often works for long hours with very little pay. They often only have a five minute break to eat a quick snack before boarding another plane for another flight. At the end of each flight, they have to wait until every single passenger leaves the plane, then they have to clean everything that every passenger left behind. They know pretty well that their fellow humans are very disgusting sometimes.
Pilots often have challenges as well. Although they are better off than flight attendants, they still have to focused for long hours (especially if it is an international flight) and they are responsible for the safety of every passenger on their plane.
5) Janitors, housekeepers, and maids.
Whether they work at a school, the mall, a store, a residence hall, an apartment, or at your house, they deserve every ounce of our respect. Without these individuals, your school, your work, or your place of residence will not be clean. They have to deal with bodily fluids and other unpleasant experiences on a day-to-day basis. Often they are looked down upon by many individuals. They work long hours and only earn a minimum wage.
These individuals do prove that you do not have to be the star all the time. You can be in the background and still make a major impact.
6) Volunteers.
Non-profit organizations cannot run the way they do without volunteers. Sporting events and school events cannot run smoothly without volunteers. These individuals help impact our community in so many ways and they do it without pay. Being a volunteer teaches you life long lessons of selflessness, lending a helping hand to those in need, and work ethic. Being a volunteer proves that there is so much more to life than getting paid every Friday or every month.
7) Firefighters.
Being a firefighter is very risky. Sometimes you have to battle huge fires and run into a building to rescue individuals. One of the most dangerous moments in the history for firefighters was on 9/11 when several New York fire fighters had to enter the Twin Towers to rescue those individuals trapped inside.
8) Policemen.
Recently, it has been extremely dangerous to be a policeman. Many times our policemen are feared and even hated by the community. The media is not helping by reporting every time a policeman does something bad. People who do not have family members who work as part of their community's police department do not understand that most policemen are just like us: they have a family at home and they just want to help others. They are often influenced by the stereotype of the police taking advantage of citizens. However, most policemen are just doing their job and are good at heart. All policemen are trained in how to deal with all kinds of individuals that they will run into their community and how to respond to certain situations in a way that will not escalate tension. Many policemen face stress, high-tension situations, PTSD, and weird sleep cycles. Policemen are on duty 24/7 and they can be called to patrol their community during the day or during the night.
9) Our military.
If there is anyone to thank for living in the greatest country in the world, my shout out would go to all the men and women in uniform. Without these amazing individuals, freedom would not be able to ring in our country. Our military works day in and day out to make certain that we can sleep tight at home. Their sacrifice and their selflessness is something that deserves every single American's respect.
10) Teachers.
Without our teachers, we could not receive a quality education or learn how to inspire, mentor, help, and lead others. Our teachers work over 40 hours each week writing out lesson plans and grading papers. They often come home late and can only spend time with their families during the weekends and holidays and a few hours during a school day. They often have to go to work on days that students do not have to attend school for training sessions and meetings. Teachers face pressure from parents and administrators daily. Parents demand that they treat their child with respect and teach them lessons that they will be able to remember and carry on for the rest of their lives. Administrators demand that teachers do their job properly.
Teachers have to be willing to teach and interact with all kinds of students and parents. Some students that they will encounter have faced abuse (physical, verbal, emotional, and/or sexual), poverty, or homelessness. Some students might be going through a dark time in their lives whether it is that they are being bullied, suffering from a mental disorder, struggling in school, or are trying to overcome an addiction or bad habit. Some parents might not be in the best of situations either: they might have been laid off from a job, exhausted from a long day's work, had a bad day, or are going through a divorce.