Barbara J. Hamby

Respect Revisited

The results of a Gallup survey of teenagers, which I read this morning, are quite noteworthy. They were asked what their career preferences were. To my great surprise, teacher was No. 1 on the list, just above doctor and lawyer. Secretary didn’t make the top ten. Nor did any type of skilled labor make the list. Those two were the top of the female and male lists, respectively, in 1977. Sports was a new category in the top ten this year.

Who is going to repair the cars and the plumbing for these kids when they grow up? And who will be the paper pushers? Those jobs are difficult to out-source.

I can understand why secretary wasn’t on the list. About half of my career was in that position. It was no surprise to me when I found it near the top of a list of most stressful occupations. Secretaries must, in many cases, cover for bosses who give them little or no respect. Some of those bosses are unworthy of respect, themselves.

A poem I wrote several years ago tells the story of the boss, now deceased, who introduced me as “My sexetary. She does good work, but she wears her skirts too long.” Enough said.

It appears to me that skilled laborers are not accorded the respect that an unskilled, non-proficient professional receives.

This year’s list of career choices still includes many high paying categories, but more notable is the fact that most of them are highly respected. Lawyers are maligned at length on the internet, but when someone gets in trouble, whom do they rush to call? Athletes, to my disgust, receive adulation as well as obscenely high salaries for pushing, or carrying, balls around.

A poem my parents recited, which I can’t remember exactly, listed all the many things that the writer would not allow her/himself to do. The last line I do remember, “But, by heck, I’m respected.”