Yep, this. What the hell do people think desk jobs consist of? Even if you’re just forwarding paperwork you need to know your shit, because that paperwork can mean a license for a local small business owner, for example, or making sure a kid gets extra assistance at school. You don’t wanna fuck that up, right? Then you gotta know your shit, and not talk out of your ass.
And that’s not even talking about being, say, a tax consultant or lawyer, this is “only” about being a “paper pusher” who takes in applications and forwards them to the right person. Or who takes in invoices and makes sure they’re paid on time, which will ensure the survival of the businesses that your company is doing business with.
Just because it’s not heavy physical labor doesn’t mean it’s unskilled.
And I know this says “passable”, but still, pushing one paper somewhere wrong can fuck up a person’s application for insurance payout, or a craftsperson’s income and existence, y'know, existential shit like that.
Let’s focus our ire the right way. Give the bosses shit, not your fellow worker.
i’m credibly world-famous in my fields and i can’t even do a credible day’s work in a closely-related field without significant time to ramp up and learn the domain-specific skills.
like “programmer” isn’t detailed enough. a c programmer who does embedded systems can’t do a passable day’s work as a kernel developer also in c without spending a long time learning new skills. if you’re a python dev who does mostly machine learning, doing database work in go would take you months to learn. etc.
not at all disputing that i would struggle to do a shift in a restaurant or bar, mind. i’m just saying, the twitter poster is making the exact same mistake they’re complaining about in other people – assuming that the thing they hold in contempt is worthy of that contempt.
Also, as a factory worker who has to do paperwork?
My paperwork being done correctly last June means NOBODY ENDED UP EATING PARTS OF MY FINGERS. I was injured on the job, but because I was tracking my production correctly they were able to determine exactly what product needed to be isolated as possible biohazard.
Don’t look down on people for doing paperwork.
I wouldn’t even be able to fumble my way through a day in my colleagues’ jobs, and I know that for certain because one of them just quit and I’m having to do it. Her job basically isn’t getting done until we have a replacement for her, because I’m the closest thing we have to someone with the skills to do it.
