Daily writing prompt

What profession do you admire most and why?

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I’m not going to say nursing obviously, because I am a nurse. There are plenty of tougher jobs than mine. Currently I’m employed as a college instructor and it’s one of the most fun jobs I’ve ever had.

I’m definitely not going to say doctors. They’re compensated nicely for what they do.

I tend to think of the extremes. People in the military literally risking their lives. Is there anything more valiant? Like you would give up your life for the job that you do? To protect a country and people who are strangers to you? That’s crazy and admirable.

Then I think of construction type people, out in the elements. In Canada, construction doesn’t stop outside just because its -30 Celsius. They just have to add layers and layers. Not that I admire him, because he was psycho, but the boyfriend I had for two years when I was 18 was a steel worker. He worked outside building buildings.

Balancing way up in the air to lay and bolt down those steel beams that are required for the structure of a building. No matter how cold, or what the windchill value was, they worked.

We whine when it’s the middle of January and the temp is -45 Celsius with the windchill and we are only running from the warm house to the warm car to the warm workplace. These people are out there all day working in those temps. I’m sure there is a cut off, a point where it’s deemed unsafe to be in the elements but it doesn’t preclude working in the cold. Imagine if all construction just stopped because it’s cold outside?

One other profession I do really admire are first responders. The ones on the scenes of horrific accidents. That’s a job that requires compassion, brains and bravery. They also have to go out in the worst of conditions. Rain, snow, sleet, freezing cold or unbearable heat. And out there in those less than perfect conditions they provide hands on support and comfort, not to mention life saving measures.