People Share The 'Unwritten Qualifications' Needed To Be Successful In Their Industry
We know the routine. Show up to the interview with a resume. Have prepared answers to interview questions.
Blah blah blah.
But there are things nobody ever tells you about—the things you need to be successful that nobody is really talking about.
But everybody seems to have them or know they don't have them.
And if you don't have them, it could spell the end of your career.
Redditor stuartwolf asked:
"What's the 'unwritten qualification' needed to succeed in your profession?"
Here were some of the answers.
The Screens In Front
"Programmer-"
"You have to be able to focus on incredibly tedious stuff for often long hours and deal with incredibly annoying stupid bull made worse by the fact that either you caused the stupid bull, or you are being forced to fix someone else's stupid bull"
"If you fancy having to essentially write complicated, excruciatingly atomic step-by-step instructions for the world's stupidest toddler who will do exactly everything you tell it to do completely literally, you might be good at programming"
Stomach Of Steel
"Zookeeper: An extremely strong, 10/10 iron-cast stomach."
"Not only do you need years of unpaid internships and a college degree - you can't be squeamish about smelly things. It's actually the number one reason why we have to let new zookeepers go, who severely underestimating the stench."
"It gets tiring telling interns and new hires 'Yes, you actually do have to clean up the otter poop...yes I know it's sloppy and you can smell the fish in it, that is how otters work.' 'No...you can't go disappear to the bathroom for half an hour because you slipped in cheetah diarrhea, throw some water on it and keep working...'"
Now Or Not At All
"Nurse (I'm NICU but any nurse needs to be able to do the general idea of this). Have a spine to stand up to people."
"Nope you can't do the kid's x-ray right now. Their blood sugar is 20 and I need to get a line first. Yes, I know you're busy but too bad, wait."
"I know you want a picture of your first grandchild but right now she can't breathe so this mask I'm holding in her face is more important."
"Yep, you don't want to get out of your call bed at 4am to come see this kid, but they're deteriorating and we need to do something about it and it can't wait until 6am."
You Know Nothing Jon Snow
"Software Engineer"
"You have to be able to look your superiors in the eye and say 'No. You're wrong and I'm not going to do what you're asking me to do.' in a way that they'll hear as 'yes boss', but then will still let you actually do your job without interfering."
This Exists In Real Space
"Spatial awareness and mechanical knowhow."
"You'd be surprised how many engineers have never put their hands on an object or built something. Some are very difficult to separate from the perfect model and see the real world. Drives me bonkers."
The Pain Of Pharmacy
"Pharmacy requires you to have the ability to manipulate the fabric time and space. Somehow you need to fill 200 scripts, dispense 200, deal with insurance, following up with prescribers, give out 20 flu shots, and manage a retail space with exactly 30% of the manpower and man-hours you need and with one pharmacist essentially locked inside the building for 12 hours. Also do all of this without pummeling the irate, irrational customers, corporate, and the regular store customers."
"Everyone hates you and also you're not doing a good enough job."
Buff And Corn Fed
"Farming (Market gardener in my case) -> Physical strength and endurance"
"I got hired in a farm recently after they've been looking for new employees. When I arrived for my 3 hours test drive, they made a point of asking me if I knew this job would entail physical work and if I was ready for it. I already had experience in this field and assured them it was one of the reason I got into this line of work."
"The reason they particularly stressed this aspect is because the two people that came as a test that morning couldn't handle the strenuous activity. One gave up after 2 hours, and the other started crying after 1 hour... Yikes."
The Problem With Bad Situations
"What doesn't get talked about a lot in Human Resources is the amount of emotional labor that is part of the job. I've definitely carried some of the bad situations home with me."
Not An Exact Science
"People often think research scientists must just be in love with science, and though success usually does require a deep sense of dedication to research, you can't go far in the field unless you give up your worshipful adoration of science. Once you become a professional and start generating original research, your role becomes to view all science, including your own, with a critical eye and healthy dose of skepticism."
The Days At The Ambulance
"Paramedic here, and here are some that immediately spring to mind:"
- Being able to talk to people. This is harder for a lot of paramedics than it sounds. If you can ditch all the medical speak and just get down on their level and talk to them like you would talk to someone at a barbecue they will tell you anything you want to know.
- Having a good nose for bull, because people will try to lie to you. Not often, but it happens.
- Just because you can, doesn't mean you should
More Work
"As a librarian I have found that I also work the following jobs: Tech support, researcher, babysitter, teacher, social worker, 411 operator, library security (rarely)... the list goes on. Most of those I expected, some I absolutely did not."
Getting Mechanical
"Our university makes us do machine workshop courses - I’ve just finished making a tap wrench (in a very not time efficient manner so we have to use every bit of equipment) and am now making a fully metal hammer because I finished early."
– [deleted]
Art On A Screen
"I did some programming work for a company that made CNC machines and head units and while I was learning about their current code I got to play around in their machine shop (which was a legit busy job shop that mostly served a local state university). I became friends with the old, handlebar-mustaches, seen-it-all;done-it-all, forgot-more-than-you’ll-ever-know guru shop manager and machinist."
"He showed me some of the jobs that came in from the graduate industrial design students and it was honestly shocking. The best was a job that had this incredibly intricate mill work that looked absolutely beautiful on the CAM display and the guy showed me how much time and effort the student put into these paths (I think they were fluid channels for cooling something). Then he zooms out, and not only was this intricate maze of channels like probably only 2cm square, it was inside a large, football-sized piece that only had one opening that ran parallel to the face where the channels were. So this student spent what had to be hours or days coming up with this perfect set of channels and then painstakingly figuring out the tool path, all to have it rejected because it made absolutely zero sense when you weren’t zoomed in 100x with invisible exterior edges on CATIA."
"Being the true pro he was, I think they actually eventually figured out how to produce a workable part by making it in two halves and then joining the two with a weld, but it was just so clear that this grad student, who was probably a brilliant designer, had never actually worked on anything with their hands. It was all just theoretical art on a screen."
Service Industry
"Any restaurant job: Humility"
"You cannot take yourself too seriously, this job is hard, fast paced, and can still overwhelm seasoned vets. You can’t do everything, everyone plays their part."
– JoelxE
The Ability To Explain
"Know how to provide an answer even if you don't know THE answer... engineer."
Discipline For Educators
"Infinite amount of patience and the ability to not interrupt while listening to pure BS —> teacher"
– pushk_a
Never Let 'Em See You Sweat
"Nurse: Act confident even when you’re not. Patients vibe off of that."
Staying Sharp
"Lawyer: The ability to find improperly placed commas and extra spaces at 2am after waking up at 6am."
"Bonus points if you don't mind constantly having weekend plans blown up."
If only there was a guidebook...
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It's highly believed that it is important to learn history as a means to improve our future.
What is often overlooked is that what is taught in history class is going to be very different depending on where you went to school.
And this isn't just internationally, even different regions of the United states will likely have very different lessons on American history.
This frequently results in our learning fascinating, heartbreaking and horrifying historical facts which our middle or high school history teachers neglected to teach us.
Redditor Acherontia_atropos91 was curious to learn things people either wished they had learned, or believe they should have learned, in their school history class, leading them to ask:
What isn’t taught in history class but should be?
The Irish Troubles
"The troubles."
"Too many people in America do not understand why a wall straight through Ireland would be a BAD idea."
"I’m referring to the Brexit referendum and possible outcomes."
"If people were wondering why we were talking about walls through Ireland in the first place."- CLCVS.
Forgotten elements of World War II
"What the Japanese did to the Chinese during WW2."
"Unit 731."- CaptainMcBoogerJew.
"Japan gets off easy for their war crimes in WW2."
"They killed an estimated 16mil Chinese civilians and another 8mil soldiers"
"Also, Pol Pot."
"Didn't know who he was until I was like 25."
"Worst dictator all time (in terms of percentage of population he decimated)".
The truth about the American Revolution
"That the American Revolution was part of a wider cold war type of conflict with France."
"The American Revolution was basically the UK's equivalent of the US version of Vietnam."- vinsant7.
The Dark side of Swedish history.
"As a Swede, I'd like to know more of all the horrible sh*t my country has done throughout history."
"It's a damn shame we're trying to hide our history."
"For example, Swedes killed a metric sh*t ton of all Polish people when we were at our strongest."
"That's the kinda sh*t we don't get to learn."- mogwandayy.
Colonization
"Basically what Belgium did to the Congo."
"A lot of people are telling me that they are taught about this actually."
"I'm glad to hear it because I wasn't taught about this in the USA during my public school days (1995-2008)."- EconArch.
The truth about "heroes".
"While teaching about historical Heroes they should also tell students about the unspeakable things some of them did."
"Many famous figures throughout history who are pillars of morality actually did many terrible things." - User Deleted
Intolerance for Mental Illness
"The dark history of mental illness treatments."
"I think it's worth learning about."- 7dayexcerpt.
Slavic Mythology
"Slavic mythology in Slavic countries."
"Don't get me wrong, I love both Greek & Roman mythology and as a person from the Balkans both of those cultures are part of my country's history and had great influence over not only my region but the entirety of the continent & the western world but I wouldn't mind knowing more about Slavic mythology as well."- ShorsShezzarine.
The truth about the CIA
"How the CIA was made and all the shady things they did over the years."- ALargeChip.
There is a lot about the history of our world, not to mention our own country which shouldn't be ignored.
And it's from learning from our mistakes that we really improve our future.
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So apparently we are in the endemic phase of this nonsense.
We have light at the end of the tunnel.
So what now?
Where do we go from here?
Normal seems like an outdated word.
How do we get back to normal though?
Is it even possible?
What are reaching back to?
Life pre-Covid.
Those were the days.
If only we could bring them back.
Redditor hetravelingsong wanted to discuss our new normal in this hopeful "endemic" phase. So they asked:
"What’s something random you miss about pre-COVID times?"
I miss people being sane. Though that maybe election cycle issues not COVID. We'll never know.
I thought I was Alone...
"Being able to grocery shop after 11 pm."
Reading_Rainboner
"Hell yes. I miss the days where the Walmart across the street was open 24 hours."
Small_Tax_9432
let's just go...
"I miss spontaneity... everything now seems to have a barrier of difficulty."
iidosee
"I live very close to Disneyland so I have an annual pass. My friends and I would just go there after work and hang out and grab a bite to eat."
"Now, we have to reserve a day to go. And most of the time, the days are at 'full' capacity so we couldn't even reserve. I don't want to schedule to hang out at Disneyland for a couple hours for July. So yeah, I definitely miss the 'lets go eat at Disneyland tonight?' texts."
mymymissmai
Not til 24-25
"Functioning global supply chains. Ah, the product you want has got microchips in it? 9 month wait."
richard-king
"Minimum, I'd been saying for a while now that I wouldn't expect a true return to normalcy in terms of electronics prices till 2024-2025. Although Crypto crashing through the floor really took some of the pressure off graphics cards which I really appreciate."
statiiic
WTF?!?!
"How affordable everything was!"
Disastrous_Hour_6776
"Yep. Today I was bagging up my things at the grocery store and I heard the cashier say to the lady behind me 'thats $78.12.' She had -- 2 boxes of Kellogg's corn flakes, a carton of 12 eggs, milk, strawberries, raspberries, blue berries, a small cheese cake, English muffins, coffee, and a small whole frozen chicken that could maybe feed 3 people if the meat portioning was small."
SnowyInuk
Sushi
"My favorite sushi place. It was good quality, close by, kid-friendly, and not too expensive."
InannasPocket
All of this... it was a simpler time.
NASTY
"As a retail worker, just how f**king NASTY some people have gotten."
DmitriPetrov*itch
"They applauded you for being an essential worker but won’t vote for policies that’ll raise minimum wage while insisting a wage cap for heavily paid employees."
sketchysketchist
CHANGES your DNA...
"Some of the people closest to me became very bitter and petty over the last 2 years. So many people have the 'crazy eyes' now."
__--__7
"So true and holidays with the family is like who has the biggest tinfoil hat building contest. How many jumps does your brain have to go through to think that the Covid vaccine CHANGES your DNA into the patented DNA so that the government now controls your body."
"So like vaccinated people now have a singular DNA set. I feel like I still have a chunk of my brain just broken off due to that comment alone. I was also told by same family member that I could never donate blood again due to the vaccine. I guess it is so my patented DNA doesn't affect people?? FYI my vaccinated butt just donated today fine and multiple other times after the vaccine."
tyreka13
Homeward Bound
"House prices."
adrianinked
"I'm resigned to never thinking I have a chance on owning property where I live. I'm 30 and just can't imagine it anymore. And I don't want to live anywhere else so, whatever."
Osdab2daf
"That didn’t happen because of the pandemic. That was already happening regardless."
CH11DW
Oh Mickey
"All Day Breakfast at McDonalds."
hutch2522
"It was honestly hell to do, and not very popular. ITs margins aren't anywhere dinner and lunch specials. ON top of that, the temperatures are such that They require its own grill, meaning that if you have 2 grills in shop, you are down 50% of lunch capacity."
Freyas_Follower
Way back when...
"Hanging out with friends. And I mean waaaaaay before Covid. Like 2006 back when I had some friends."
LoocsinatasYT
I miss the old days. Maybe we'll get back there.
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What do you believe?
Is there a GOD in the sky?
Is he guiding us and helping us?
Life is really hard. Why is that is a big entity is up there loving us?
Atheists have taken a lot of heat for what feels like shunning GOD.
What if they've been right all along?
Maybe let's take a listen and see what they really think.
Redditor __Jacob______ wanted to hear from the people who don't really believe all that "God" stuff. They asked:
"Atheists, what do you believe in?"
I'm waffling between G-O-D and nothing. So please give me some education.
911
"We need to look out for each other because help isn't coming."
cknipe
Peace Out
"More than 2 decades ago, a priest was giving a sermon in my church and he said 'our faith requires you to believe without question. Why call it faith if you have to ask questions?' I haven't returned to church. Not until my wedding day but you know what I mean."
asiangontear
Delusion
"When I was young I used to think that after death you would have access to a PC that you could see absolutely anything about your life. Stats, any question you had no matter how obscure, replays of moments, perspectives of others in relation to you. No matter what you wanted to know, if it was relatable to you, you could see it. I know it's silly, but as time goes on I just want it to be real, and I don't think I'd have any issue allowing myself to fall into that delusion."
eggwardpenisglands
I think nothing happens...
"Realistically, I think nothing happens. We literally experience nothing after death. Same thing that we experience before birth. We don't exist, so it's nothing. I think the tenant that we should follow while living is to try to be happy and healthy while minimizing the damage we do to each other."
"What I would LIKE to happen after death is whatever you believe in, exists. I think Christians should get to go to heaven if they truly believe in it, Hindus and Buddhists get reincarnated, and everyone else also gets to experience what they believe they will experience."
"'I would still experience Nothing. Maybe it's one of those things where at the moment of death their brain makes them experience what feels like an infinitely long moment in time where they experience their afterlife. I just think it would be neat for everybody."
Better_Meat_
Shrug
"Best advice I received from a dear senior on their way out. 'You win some, you lose some' shrug. Nothing divine, life is that simple and wonderful, accept it and move on."
Tune_Kindly
It all sounds pretty simple. Why are people so up in arms about Atheists?
Whatever
"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people that do."
imCIK
Cool with Empty
"Nothing. [Serious]."
rumblingtummy29
"I feel this way about death. When I was 5, my grandfather died and my cousin simple said, he is dead, that means you are gone forever. Everything ends up dying, even plants and animals. I'm now in my 40's and still have this simplistic view of life and death. People think I'm ambivalent to life and death but it's just what it is."
thepigfish82
puppet-masters...
"I think a lot of religious people struggle with the fact that we are all just swirling units of chaos. There is no grand plan or great orchestrator. I think that’s why people who are prone to religion are also susceptible to things like Q anon and the Cabal and all that. They REALLY want to believe that there is some almighty puppet-master who determines all of humanity’s fate."
Lngtmelrker
“we’re living in a society!”
"Just be a kind and empathetic person not because you’re worried about some cosmic justice, but because it’s the right thing to do. If there is some being that created us there’s no way they actually care about believing in it or adhering to some rules from over 2000 years ago."
"Also a big thing for me is that I find the idea that you need religion or the Bible in order to have morals and ethics pretty dumb. It’s pretty f**king clear that most evangelicals have neither. But my main thing is being a good person simply because, as George Costanza once said we’re living in a society!' If you’re only a good person in order to make it to heaven you probably aren’t actually a good and moral person."
conservative_genius
That's All
"You're born. You live. You die. That's it. After you die you cease to exist, the same as before you were born."
serefina
Believe what you want. We're all here together. So let's focus there.
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The list of what irritates me is endless.
I mean... breathing too loud or dust can set me off.
I'm a bit unstable, yes.
But I'm not alone.
So let's discuss.
Redditor Aburntbagel6 wanted to hear about all the times many of us just couldn't control our disdain. They asked:
"What never fails to piss you off?"
I feel like this article can go on forever. Let's get some highlights.
Wasted Time
"Meetings that could and should have been an email."
Sirena609
Lotto People
"Getting stuck behind people playing the lottery at a corner store."
thenuggetlover
"I also used to work in a gas station and you’re SO right. I f**king hated the lottery people. Especially since my store had a small staff and there was usually only one of us working at a time, which meant that I couldn’t get any of my other work done as long as they were there."
"And you’re right, it’s also pretty sad to watch. I had one lady who used to come in every day and spent hundreds and HUNDREDS of dollars on scratch tickets. One day, she won $200 after spending probably around $600 and she was so excited and saying she can 'finally pay her bills.'"
i-am-your-god-now
Aware...
"No situational awareness. Job, home, shopping, driving. Think for one minute and go about. OBSERVE!!"
Dizzy-Foundation8122
"My mom is one of those people who leave the shopping cart in the middle of the damn aisle and proceed to walk twenty feet away. After correcting her a million times to no effect I just walk away now so people don’t know I’m with her."
OutrageousEvent
Shut Up!
"Endless barking in the middle of the night, I love animals but that sh*t I can't stand."
Acceptable-Lemon2924
"Endless barking in general drives me up a wall. One of my friends dogs was barking almost an entire gaming session the other day. I wanted to reach through the computer and smack him for letting it go on."
bangersnmash13
Kindness
"People being mean to service workers, especially if the workers are very young."'
scaryboilednoodles
All of these things. I hate them all.
Admit It
"People who never accept fault when they mess something up. Like, why blame a million people when it was clearly you who did it???"
Quirky-Area-8978
From Above
"My upstairs neighbors."
lutzow89
"I had terrible neighbors at my previous apartment. It was a one person studio for students, but her boyfriend was clearly living with her illegally and he was loud."
"One night we knocked n the door at 3 AM because of the loud music and an unknown girl opened the door. I just thought they were having a little party. But the next door I saw the girl living there come home with a suitcase after having been away for the weekend... Her BF was cheating on her in her own apartment."
Th3_Accountant
Move Away
"People who sit directly next to me at the airport, movie theater, any other place where you can choose a seat when there is PLENTY of other seating."
BacardiPardy33
"I can’t YES this enough and the ones who can’t park for crap so they park so close you can’t open doors on one side of the car or the ones who park directly behind when you pulled through so the door won’t open to load groceries."
BacardiPardy33
It's Over
"People who try to restart old drama. Like I'm done with you, just leave me alone."
Tired_Potatos
"Yep, half the reason I've basically quit playing one of my favorite online video games. People keep bringing old crap up or sh*tting on on someone who used to be our friend. I got tired of it so I just ejected the game out of me."
CaucasianHumus
AHHHHH!!!
"People walking too slow in front of me with no way to get around them. It’s even worse if it’s a couple or group taking up the whole sidewalk. HAVE SOME SPATIAL AWARENESS FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!"
_-v0x-_
Life in general pisses me off. I'm easy.
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