I’m sure we all know about the jobs out there that can give us financial, physical, and even emotional success. Law, military, firefighting, teaching, or music — the list is endless. But the value of those jobs tend to dominate and disvalue many others that could be just as fulfilling and lead you to just as much success.
The subjectivity of job industries diminish the spotlight underrated jobs deserve, while the overrated continue to bask in the popularity. A job could be underrated because it isn’t glamorous, doesn’t earn six-figures, or won’t give you critical acclaim, but they are more necessary than we might realize and take just as much time and effort to become the best at. They need more devotees to give them proper recognition, and so I’ve sleuthed them out from the shadows of the overrated to start a trail of appreciation.
In analyzing the job spectrum, I consider two of the biggest underrated jobs to be data analyst and accountant. A data analyst collects, cleans, and examines data to solve problems or answer questions. They can also work in a multitude of industries such as business, science, and medicine. An accountant analyzes financial records and tracks a company’s income and expenses among other things depending on the type of accounting.
On the outside, these nine-to-five desk jobs can be seen as careers that require great attention to detail and math skills and don’t sound entertaining or stress-free. But the people who take on this work are the reason we get paid and the reason why we have internet searches that help us find the best results through language and images. These qualities may not be dire in the big picture, but they are necessary for our day-to-day lives, especially in a world of rapidly evolving technology which we become more and more reliant on.
On the opposite spectrum, a real estate agent is thought to gain big money and represent million-dollar homes. An architect could expect to receive big projects and make bank with their own unmodified designs, but ultimately it’s what the customer wants, not the designer. One could say the exterior is prettier than the interior. Real estate agents are also responsible for being knowledgeable about budgeting, building codes, and by-laws. If an agent doesn’t know how to talk to a client, they’ll know about it when the customer buys the property through a different agency, so the pressure is real. Architects ride in a similar boat, as they might have their original designs subjected to adaptation and harsh scrutiny to fit the likes of customers or contractors. The outside image of someone’s home is important — everyone wants to feel good about where they live. With an architecture business, the design can contribute to how they make business, so the pressure is on for them too.
Underrated jobs’ biggest sub-category is the underappreciated, and I believe nursing falls into that category based on what I’ve observed from Fraser Valley medical institutions. The value of a nurse is high; they help to prevent diseases, care for ones with illnesses, and offer their expertise on how to improve and maintain our health. But it’s incredibly exhausting and takes a mental and physical toll on them. Nursing is a career largely dominated by women, and they’re seeing more job inequality than they should. Staff shortages result in a demanding queue of patients, but salaries don’t increase as often as they should, male nurses appear to be paid more for the same job, and working hours continue to extend.
On the other hand, a physician might get put on a pedestal when compared to a nurse because of their line of work, which to me makes physicians overrated. Becoming a physician is a rigorous process; personally it feels like they get more visibility as leaders with more responsibility that not only comes with more money, but more authority and respect. The perceptions of these two jobs can be different despite both being important and necessary to society and humankind. Plus, if you’re a nurse or a doctor, you’re probably there because you want to help people and that is of the utmost value, yet one might be looked upon more highly than the other.
All these jobs lead me to one conclusion; if you don’t know what you want to do with your life, try looking into jobs that aren’t a hot topic of discussion. It’s not just about providing recognition and appreciation for that field, but pursuing an underrated job can lead to unique knowledge, growth, opportunity, and possible value to your own life you never thought possible. Sure, an overrated job can do this too, but at least you might be less disappointed or dissatisfied because you went into a “cool job” that might not end up fulfilling you.
Veronica is a Staff Writer at The Cascade. She loves to travel and explore new places, no matter how big or small. She is in her second year at UFV, pursuing the study of Creative
Writing.
