It's not uncommon for people to feel underappreciated at their jobs. But some careers in particular harbor an environment where workers feel overlooked by the general public, and it's about time we give those folks some recognition.
Recently, Reddit user u/audreysucks asked the Redditsphere, "What are the most thankless, but absolutely crucial, jobs?" Here were the most standout responses:
1. "School custodian here! The admins have no concept at all of what we do, and it truly is thankless. About once a year, the students will be encouraged to thank us in person and make thank you posters and shit. Both are annoying as fuck. Sometimes, a teacher will leave me a Starbucks gift card or a six-pack of my favorite drink, and you better believe their rooms get extra clean from then on. Or, if we have to prioritize cleaning for whatever reason, they get bumped up the list."
2. "Garbage men. For whatever reason they're looked down upon, but we would be screwed without them."
3. "Linemen for the power company. Every snow storm or thunderstorm when we’re in our cozy homes, they’re out there braving the elements to get the power lines back."
4. "Translators. These guys make the world run behind the curtains, and people barely remember they exist."
5. "Most civil servants, utility workers, or anyone who works in a back office role that affects logistics. No one really gets how important that stuff is until it goes south, and then, it's a catastrophe across the board."
6. "911 dispatchers. They have long hours, and speak to people on their worst days without ever finding out how the situation concludes."
7. "Science and engineering researchers. I know people who work on real problems affecting your world that you don’t even know about. They never get thanks. No one knows what they are doing. Throw, catch, or run with a ball and everyone thinks your a hero. Solve major problems in the world and you will get no thanks from anyone."
8. "Retail and fast-food workers. They are the reason Karens haven't killed us all yet."
9. "Construction workers. Why do we use them as an example of what not to be? They are literally the base of our society."
10. "Nurses. Here, where I live, most view us as doctors' errand boys/girls. Even when they recover, they thank the doctors/surgeons and forget we existed."
11. "Prison officer. My dad is a prison officer at a sex offenders prison, and it’s left him with high blood pressure and generalized anxiety disorder."
12. "Farming. They’re underestimated and sometimes used as an example of failing school, but without them, you wouldn’t be here."
13. "Accountants. They get derided as bean-counters and killjoys because people just want to spend money, but somebody has to keep track of what you actually have the resources to do and be realistic about whether a company/government is financially solvent or not. It's crucial and mostly gets shit on."
14. "Customer Service. Without them, you would just be cursing the wind with your complaint. But you continue to curse them even though it isn't their fault, and they're just trying to help."
15. "People who work in nonprofits. Lots of folks complain about various public health, safety, and policy issues, and say things like 'how come nobody is doing anything about XYZ?' There is probably a nonprofit organization working on that."
16. "Journalists. And I don't mean the talking heads on cable TV. I mean the real journalists who are out there holding powerful people accountable and telling stories about those who are overlooked. They usually are paid poverty wages and work long hours, only to be berated constantly by those who don't like their work."
17. "The person who works at a water treatment plant. They are providing clean drinking water 24/7. We should have a parade for those guys every year."
18. "Paramedics. They're immensely underpaid and are basically real-life angels."
19. And finally, "Restaurant cooks. I'm a server, and I find it's extremely rare for other servers to thank the cooks. They work their assess off to make sure 10+ orders are all made correctly and at the same time."
What's a thankless job that you think deserves more recognition? Let us know in the comments for a chance to be featured in a BuzzFeed Community post!
Some submissions have been edited for grammar and clarity.