“I had someone leave a turd in the magazine rack. I have cleaned up a lot of diarrhea. That’s a small town library.”

I'm a New York City-based Staff Writer who enjoys covering lifestyle, relationships, and women's content.

"We do it because we love it. But it is hard work, and you always have to be prepared for the worst. Please, please realize that if you are a lawyer, I would never assume I know more about law than you do. You should give the same respect to the person whose job is diving. We do know more than you."

"Another misconception is that we just sit around sipping tea and eating cake through the week while visiting your gran, or sit on some 'heavenly cloud' in contemplation. I wish! Twelve of my working hours a week are spent just on admin and meetings. The rest of my time is spent on meetings, training, research, community engagement, professional development, working with social agencies, social justice projects, and more. Sermons are well researched and thought out, but not committed to paper until Saturday or Sunday morning because I run out of time in the week. 

"And as far as how I look and act: I have a nose piercing, have had a pink-and-black fauxhawk for ages, drive a motorcycle, wear makeup, and like my music loud. IDGAF if I don’t meet someone else’s expectations of how a minister should look because I am professional, caring, and hardworking, and I take my responsibilities seriously. I wish people knew that most clergy members are normal people who are overeducated and just want to change the world for the better.

*The above is an overview of our work pre-COVID. Our work doubled in responsibilities and intensity from 2020 until now!*"

"I don't have inherent body confidence or think I'm great because people pay a lot of money for my company. I'm always worried about disappointing people with how I look or act. A lot of clients assume that I either have endless offers for partnership or that no one would date someone like me. I don't get asked out a lot, but people I do date have never seen me as unworthy of a serious relationship because of what I do. 

Also, clients aren't all predatory creeps who 'have' to pay for sex and who we only pretend to like. Most of my clients are people who pay for the convenience and the boundaries. I've developed feelings for a client more than once. The money makes it a lot easier to push those feelings aside and respect the nature of the relationship. People who saw me when I was in my early 20s were mostly creeps, though. 

What no one ever guesses is how lonely it is or how much it can hurt to really connect with a client, only to never hear from them again. Clients will also tell you hyperbolically kind things and have to make sure not to take them to heart because a lot of them only mean it in the moment (if they mean it at all)."

"I'm an SLP, and we also do video swallow studies (VFSS) in radiology, which is basically a video X-ray of the throat while swallowing. We also do Fiberoptic exams of swallowing (FEES), where we scope people's throats to watch them swallow. We do these tests to make sure they aren't inhaling food and liquids into their windpipe, which people do after brain injuries, strokes, and respiratory illnesses. We also work with tracheostomies. I work at an acute care hospital and enjoy working with medically complex patients. On the other hand, my preschooler needs speech therapy because her speech sounds aren't clear, and my professional handles that too."

"A lot of people assume it's easy to become a librarian. Nope. You need AT LEAST one master's degree and five years of experience working in a library to be considered for an entry-level position. If you're an academic librarian, you often need TWO master's degrees (one in Library and Information Science and one in the subject area you work in, such as chemistry or history). Then, to get hired, we usually go through two or three interviews. The last one usually takes up to eight hours (written, verbal, and then teaching demonstration or presentation) for a panel of people. Also, the field was definitely not made obsolete by the Interwebs. With an MLIS degree, you can work in public, private, federal, state, academic, corporate, or museum institutions, doing anything from working with the public, preserving historical collections, analyzing data, teaching, conducting research, and so much more."

"I'm a librarian, and I don't read books at work. My work environment isn't quiet either. Most public libraries are busy, vibrant places with all kinds of activities."

"I'm a librarian, and the thing that gets left out a lot is how much you deal with the public. And not just the good chit chat or book recommendations. We've been yelled at, spit on, lied to, cussed, threatened, had grown people throw tantrums, and things thrown across the room over trivial things like late fees or books still owed. We have drug users and people who have come in to sexually harass young girls. We've had parents try to leave children as young as 4 alone at the library. And one thing I can't stress enough that you will not find in this article or class courses is the fecal matter. Didn't expect that? Oh, yes, and it's hardly ever the kids. I've had a few puke piles and exploded diapers for parents. But the main culprits are the adults. Older, drunk, or drugged out. I've had people put a whole roll of toilet paper, shit on it, and rub it on the walls. I had someone leave a turd in the magazine rack. I have cleaned up a lot of diarrhea. That's a small town library."

"But because we're salaried, we only get paid for the contracted hours. I'd prefer to get paid hourly. Who wants to work for free, even if you love your job? Also, we don't get paid for the summers off. We have to stretch our paychecks for the 10 months we work to cover us for the summer. Most of us either work an additional job during the school year or do summer school to supplement. I tutor. 

We also don't 'just teach.' We teach students how to regulate their emotions, embrace and practice communication skills, and build relationships. We also spend more money on our students than most people would believe, even if we teach at a 'good' school. 

Lastly, as a teacher, your job isn't guaranteed. Budget cuts happen, sometimes midway through the year, and you could be fired or forced to change grade levels just like that, with no warning. It hurts the kids, confuses the parents, and guts you as an educator. You have to find a different job immediately and just hope another school you'd like to work at is hiring and wants you. I love my job, but the system is flawed, and I really wish people knew all that goes into teaching."

"I'm a government office worker and union member, and many members of the public that I interact with comment on how lazy we must be and how we are doing the bare minimum. Nope, the standards are still high. Most people naturally don't want to be 'in trouble' at work, so even though we have more due process before getting fired than in at-will jobs, I don't know of many coworkers who have ever reached those levels of disciplinary action."

"Guess what? We don't know if our client is guilty. If they say they're not, it's up to a court to look at the evidence. And if the prosecution can't or doesn't provide the right evidence, a guilty person might walk. That's how the system works. Defense lawyers are just a small part of that."

"Graphic designers are not artists. Graphic designers can also be artists, and there are instances where the two can be combined, but they are fundamentally different. On the most basic level, design is more technical and has a ton of rules to attain its quantifiable goal, while art doesn't have rules, only guidelines to achieve its ambiguous goal. One problem I frequently see in designers who mix up the two is that they get very attached to their designs (because art tends to be more emotional and connected to yourself) and take critique as an attack on themselves, rather than the reality, which is just making the design more effective."

"The veterinary ER is indeed also more expensive than a day vet. This is NOT because we're taking advantage of a desperate situation. It literally costs more to maintain a full ICU and surgery suite, stock emergency drugs for highly specific purposes, and retain qualified staff willing to work nights, weekends, and holidays to be there for your pets. We truly love your pets. We love being able to make a difference, and we go home and worry about your pets, we cry over them, and we celebrate with you when they recover. ❤️ "

"I can pull up lineage and personal records on my phone at any time. I've integrated modern tech to make my job easier! I've also battled supply chain issues with feed, sick animals, and bad weather (I have to work whether it's sunny and 70 degrees or negative temperatures with a foot of snow). A friend did a lot of my work after I had surgery and was surprised it was so involved. They even recruited additional help, but ended up loving it as much as I do. Sure beats working for someone else!"

"And another thing, too. There seems to be an assumption that I just sit around all day unless something breaks. People only notice when something breaks, and they don't see all the behind-the-scenes checks that keep things working. Or they see me playtesting a game, and assume I'm just wasting time and playing when I should be working, when what I'm actually doing is making sure everything is functioning as it should be, controllers are working, ball games have enough balls in them, and there aren't any subtle problems affecting gameplay, or things like ticket payout for the games that give prizes, etc. Frankly, the general public is surprisingly dumb and oftentimes won't notice an issue in a game, or just not bother to tell anyone when they do. So it's actually an important part of the job to regularly play the games myself to make sure they're actually working as they should."

Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.