What is your most & least respected profession?

amother

Azure

Mon, Jun 05 2017, 6:09 am

My father, a'h, was a major talmid chochom, who worked in his family business at the bottom rung, shlepping, deliveries.
When I was in seminary a teacher asked me what my father did. I said he worked in the family business. The teacher asked me again. I gave the same answer. A third time. The teacher got exasperated with me and said no, your father learns Torah. For parnasa he works in the family business.

miami85

Mon, Jun 05 2017, 6:22 am

amother wrote:

Curious to know which profession is respected the most/least

Most respected: hard working trade jobs like a shoemaker, etc. honest at the core and knows true work

Least respected: mainstream doctors (paid for 8 min years of schooling to be trained by big Pharma funded books to be sheep and never question. CDC shall burn ....)

I find this thread very insulting, we are all cogs in a huge machine we are all necessary. Hashem created every individual with unique talents to serve humanity and our "tachlis" is to figure out how to use our talents to our utmost. We just had Shavuos where the "smallest" mountain didn't think he'd amount to anything, but it was his humility that made him worthy to be the one that we received the Torah--and today we don't even know where that mountain was. Moshe Rabbeinu, Dovid Hamelech were "mere shepherds" so that they could learn Torah. The Chofetz Chaim worked as a "cashier" in a grocer. After 120 years, Hashem doesn't care how much money a person has but "Were you ethical in business?" "Did you learn enough Torah?"--were you productive with your life.

I find the "most respectable" are those who recognize their talent--whether it be shoemaking, or medical diagnositician, or accountant, or lawyer who uses his power of defense and logic to really help people.

I find the "least respectable" are people who are lazy, unethical, immoral, conniving individuals only out to serve themselves. Doesn't matter WHAT they do.

My career, "could be" paying more, but right now after a struggle to find the right place, I'm happy with what I'm doing--it suits my talents well, I'm told I'm good at what I do, and HaShem knows how much money I need.

We are all created b'tzelem Elokim from the taxi drivers, to the florists, to the dry cleaners, to the doctors, to the veterinarians, to the manicurists at the salons. Its how you treat people that matters not WHAT your profession is.

sky

Mon, Jun 05 2017, 6:32 am

I think my shoe maker makes a decent living. My grand father was a tailor and shoe maker and provided for his family.

Doctors graduate school these dates with at least 100K in debt if not more. They carry very high mal practice insurance. Medicaid and state care pay very little. I know more then one doctor struggling financially while working crazy hours.

amother

Wine

Mon, Jun 05 2017, 6:41 am

agreer wrote:

I may be in the minority, but I respect people that have found ways to provide well for their families, unless they are doing something immoral/illegal (drug dealers, embezzlement, etc).

I respect doctors that make money and support their families well much more than the hardest working shoemaker who barely makes enough money for food. I respect internet millionaires who've found ways to make money much more that hard-working, minimum-wage earning, honest people.

I think OP is deluding herself if she thinks most people are like her.

Or....you like people that have 💰!!!
You like winners and not losers.

Are you Donald Trump by any chance?

cozyblanket

Mon, Jun 05 2017, 6:46 am

I don't respect anyone because of their profession. I respect them because of their middos, chessed, responsibility, integrity, torah knowledge... all that kind of stuff! Providing for your family in an honest way is under the responsibility category.

Most of the examples that were given of professions not to respect (drug dealers, etc.) -- I wouldn't call them professions just because they bring in money.

LittleDucky

Mon, Jun 05 2017, 6:46 am

I respect most those who can do something I cannot do, Particularly if their life is put on the line doing that, such as police, fire, and military.

Least? Those who do something illegal or immoral- drug lords, criminals, pedophiles, X traffickers etc.

But I respect anyone who works an honest living and to their full capacity (disabled doing what they can within their abilities included.)

Laiya

Mon, Jun 05 2017, 6:51 am

I respect people who work hard to be the best they can at what they do. These types also seem to love what they do.

The speech therapist who creates tongue exercises using pretzels, to help kids say certain sounds.

The PA who practiced taking her own blood with different types of needles, to learn the best technique.

Ds's rebbe who inspired him to love learning, by pouring his heart and soul into his students.

Ds's preschool Morah who is k"h a great-grandmother, who happily explained to me how she had recently changed up her curriculum to implement recent views on what helps kids learn.

People who are flexible and want to learn new things and improve.

marina

Mon, Jun 05 2017, 6:58 am

Obv I respect many professions, but if I had to categorize the ones I respect most it would be professions that make 3rd world countries safer and better places. This includes Doctors Without Borders, Engineers Without Borders, Lawyers Without Borders, you get the drift.

And of course I can be all indignant and say that I respect people regardless of their professions and just for the quality of their characters and to some extent that's true, but if there are two people in front of me and one is an actuary and the other is a member of Doctors without Borders and I know nothing else about them, I will respect the latter more. Sorry to all who are actuaries.

treestump

Mon, Jun 05 2017, 7:01 am

The title is misleading.

OP, your answer is talking about professionals. Not professions.

People aren't defined only by their profession. A relations worker can be the kindest, sweetest person who brings light into other people's lives, and a mathematician with a PhD and several awards can be an arrogant, pompous prick.

Personally the professions I find most admirable are those that are geared towards helping people. A Wall Street mogul or oil tycoon is lower on my list than a nurse, for example. But it's not something I think about a lot, and I don't look at people in terms of their work usually, so I'm having difficulty coming up with a definite list.

treestump

Mon, Jun 05 2017, 7:03 am

marina wrote:

Lol, I see we cross posted with similar points.

Chayalle

Mon, Jun 05 2017, 7:04 am

mommy3b2c wrote:

I actually respect people as individuals not by their professions. I'm sure there are some shoemakers that I respect more then some doctors and vice versa.

Exactly.

My mother A"H had Parkinson's, and I accompanied her to her well-respected-educated doctor a few times. I never met a colder person in my life, and though I respected her expertise, I have not much for her person.

amother

Coral

Mon, Jun 05 2017, 7:05 am

Gotta laugh at the "fakeness" of the responses here. No, in the frum community high earners are not respected more. Of course not. The young singles from poor families have the same shidduch prospects as the singles from wealthy homes. Talk is cheap and actions speak louder than words. Out of the dozens of responses, no one here admits to respecting people who work jobs that make lots of $$$.

SixOfWands

Mon, Jun 05 2017, 7:21 am

amother wrote:

Those I disrespect most? Trolls, and those who mindlessly trash others, using words like "Big Pharma" and "sheelple." People who don't recognize their privilege.

Next? Polluters and cheaters and fraudsters.

Who do I respect? Anyone who gets out of bed each day and tries their best to make an honest living.

FranticFrummie

Mon, Jun 05 2017, 7:26 am

I used to know a woman who was a high end call girl. I've posted about her before.

She married young, and had 3 kids before she turned 21. She was divorced, and her ex had custody of her 3 boys. The guy was a bum, and didn't work. No real hope for the future, so she did her best with what she had.

She paid full child support and alimony to support them. She also saved up enough to put herself through college and get a degree in hotel management. (You could say she knew a lot about "hospitality" LOL

)

She was one of the sweetest, kindest people I knew. She genuinely wanted to make her clients feel special and appreciated. She cared about them as human beings.

Of course it was not kosher money. I couldn't offer her a job that paid any better, so I figured it wasn't my place to judge her. Certainly not a role model career wise - but overall she was a very good person, and I respected her as a human being.

LittleDucky

Mon, Jun 05 2017, 7:54 am

amother wrote:

I think the difference is profession vs person. If someone was a multi- millionaire from painting homes they would get the same respect in the community as a well paid accountant.

Money buys respect in the frum community (and the world) unfortunately. But there are some fields that automatically garner my respect, despite how wealthy (or typically not wealthy) they are: first responders and those who put their life on the line for us like military. If 2 people were in front of me and one was fighting in the Air Force and the other was an actuary, I would automatically give more respect to military. But when it is rich vs poor, society makes a distinction although I try not to pay attention to it. I have friends who are $$ and those who have 6 kids sleeping in a room, and I don't differentiate as I make friends despite wealth, not because of it.