Don't be fooled by the profession when judging one's intellect.
In all deference to the many jobs that require proper training and years of education, not everyone is qualified for the position.
There are people who seem capable and competent because of what they do for a living, but in actuality, they have managed to coast along in life—whether by luck or being born into a profession—and are clueless and are terrible at what they do.
Curious to hear some examples of this from strangers online, Redditor BandaidPuppet asked:
"What career seems to attract an unlikely amount of idiots, despite of being intellectually demanding?"
Adults may run the show in public schools, but it doesn't mean they're fit for the job.
They Work In Education
"school administrators."
"My significant other is a choir teacher and this year her music department received a lot of funding from a donation. The music department made a list of things they NEED. The school admins completely ignored their list and bought a ton of new music stands and smart boards for the band and choir rooms. Now they still don't have the equipment they need, but they have so many music stands they had to put all of their old stands in storage."
– bholzap
Deemed Discriminatory
"Our districts high school admin decided the best way to help low income students was to put them all on academic/disciplinary probation. They can't see how discriminatory this is especially in a small school where half the students qualify for free lunch. So, if your student doesn't qualify for free lunch they don't receive probation if they're failing classes or skipping school, etc. they get a pat and a "do better" but the low income students can't get off probation no matter their grades or attendance."
"Desperate For Support Staff"
"I've been working in special education for about a decade now and I've found that it unfortunately attracts a lot of complete idiots. Schools are usually so desperate for support staff they'll pretty much hire anyway."
"Sh*t, I think the first district I worked for lucked out with me [as being at the very least average, and based on my track record over the last decade], but the head of special education reached out to me after finding my job post on craigslist."
– egnards
Misappropriation Of Donations
"so much this."
"I was furious when I read articles about people who in the Will, gave money to their old school for a library but since it was not a binding contract, they basically said 'f'k the nerds' and used the money for football bullsh*t."
Hire Free-For-All
"I've been working in special education for about a decade now and I've found that it unfortunately attracts a lot of complete idiots. Schools are usually so desperate for support staff they'll pretty much hire anyway."
"Sh*t, I think the first district I worked for lucked out with me [as being at the very least average, and based on my track record over the last decade], but the head of special education reached out to me after finding my job post on craigslist."
– egnards
The integrity of lawyers were questioned.
For The Sake Of Argument
"Law. So many idiots running around as pseudo intellectuals who went to law school because they were 'good at arguing.' So many attorneys don't realize it's not about arguing and being an a**hole for the sake of being an argumentative a**hole, it's about achieving resolution under the rule of law. The biggest offenders are the oldest attorneys who have got away with sh*t practice for decades and now coast on their names while still practicing like it's 1982."
A Newer Attorney Weighs In
"I feel really seen right now. I'm a newer attorney and I'm not the best at arguing but I do try super hard to settle, which many people are not interested in. Like they'll throw out a single idea and if I disagree with it then it's like 0-60. WE ARE GOING TO TRIAL, MEDIATION IS A WASTE OF TIME."
"Also, any time I see opposing counsel's bar # starts with a 0, 1, or 2, I involuntarily clench my buttcheeks in anticipation of the fruitless conversation that is more than likely to ensue."
"I don't know if I have the patience for this profession and the obstinate, single-minded idiocy that goes on on a daily basis."
– seal_mom
The Best Questions To Ask During A Job Interview | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
When heading to a job interview, many candidates only prepare to answer questions about qualifications or past experience. But they should also be ready to a...We admire those in the medical field, and there truly are many who care and in recent times have put their lives at risk.
That being said, there are those who don't quite measure up to the level of many of their better colleagues.
We Trust Them With Needles
"Nurses."
"I've met a lot of really clever, friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable nurses. But for every 1 good nurse there's 5 idiots where you're amazed they're considered literate."
My Way Or The Highway
"There's also a bunch of older nurses who have been doing it for 20+ years and refuse to do any outside research/update their knowledge and then try to give patients advice that can be proven to be terrible advice with 5 minutes on Google."
Toxic Work Culture
"Both my sister and mom are nurses. Both describe it as toxic. My mom was a health care assistant and used to get bullied by nurses at the hospital she worked at. The thought of my 55y/o mom being bullied by 30 and 40 year olds because of her weight used to really upset me."
"She moved to a different hospital closer to where they live. She loves it there. Due to the insecurities about her weight she started cycling for fitness. 7 years later she recently cycled 66km along the coast of Ireland. Everybody is proud of her."
Nurses Prevail
"After reading the comments, it's all careers. We are so overwhelmed by idiots that no career or corner of this planet is safe. But nurses seem to prevail as the most mentioned. So good luck with that information."
– TheJWeed
People in finance are often perceived as big shots. But are some of them really all that?
We Count On Them
"Finance really runs the gamut from super bright to dumb as a hammer."
"Finance is confusing on purpose (lots of acronyms, lots of numbers) and requires salespeople. That's a potent recipe for sneaking dummies into an intellectually demanding profession."
Family Business
"I know a few people who are in finance because they grew up in wealthy families or married into money, and were really failures at whatever they had studied in college."
"I saw that one guy I went to high school with was now a 'financial advisor' and could only think, 'Sh*t, he's going to ruin someone,' and a few years later, got wind of someone suing him in federal court for losing about half a million dollars of their money."
Complex Jargon
"This… the financial industry also creates new words and acronyms in order to increase the perceived complexity which we can then justify fees because the consumer surely cannot do what we do (sarcasm). I'm also jaded because I'm just tired of the financial industry and working an incredible amount of hours and probably will quit and move into an easier profession and make 1/2 of what I do now."
Mind-Boggling Emails
"I can second this about advisors. I do trade supervision and some of the stuff they say, in emails, and on documents is just mind boggling. Some of the products they sell a ton of, well, it won't end good for client, or advisor. Perhaps the firm too, but it's OK, we're making money, right?"
"Arrogant Morons"
"I work for an investment company and have to deal with financial advisors every day. For a profession that requires multiple qualifications and can make you a shit load of money, you apparently don't need to be very smart. So many of them are complete and utter morons (and arrogant to boot)."
I'm in awe of nurses and basically of anyone with a job focusing on care-giving and helping others.
However, a few years ago I went for a physical and there was a changeover in medical staff.
I was assigned to a very friendly nurse who was going to take my blood—something which I've never had a problem with as the veins in my arms are very prominent and jab friendly.
After exchanging pleasantries, the nurse stuck the needle in my arm...but no blood flowed through the tube.
She apologized and tried a second time. "it happens," I told her, even though it was new to me.
Again, she missed the mark. When she jabbed me a third time and was unsuccessful, she left the needle in my arm and ran out to get the doctor, who eventually came in successfully withdrew my blood.
I recall seeing him rolling his eyes when he was done. Who knows, maybe I was a freak-accident scenario, but I did seriously question her integrity that day.
