Thank The Thankless

When it comes to our jobs, knowing we make a difference in the world is often the fuel we need to get through a long workday. 

So when the pandemic hit, the world understandably praised those in the medical field because they were caring for the sick. But what about the other professions that kept the world turning? 

At the height of the national lockdown, when government officials stressed the importance of staying home, these public service workers headed to work because their communities needed them, even though they could get sick.

Since this is our Giving Issue, we wanted to highlight some of the professions that are often thought of as thankless jobs. Because, ironically, these workers deserve all the thanks in the world. 

Public Works

If it weren’t for public works’ departments in towns across the country, our quality of life would be drastically different.

Think about our roadways, our public parks and the water and wastewater systems that allow our days to run smoothly. If the roads are broken, if the restrooms at parks overflow, if there’s a water main break, who comes to the rescue to fix these things?

The men and women in public works. 

“Public works professionals provide the infrastructure and services that we all rely on to live, work, play and thrive,” says Stan Brown, president of the American Public Works Association. “Their jobs are critical, impactful and should be appreciated. Public works is more than a job — it’s a calling. Those who work in public works truly make a difference.”

Sanitation Workers

Every week, people all over the country drag their garbage cans to the edge of their street, leaving their waste for sanitation workers to collect and dispose of in local landfills or dumps.

If this job were to be eliminated, we would notice immediately because no one wants to deal with heaps of rotten trash.

The biggest misconception about a job in sanitation is that the pay is low, says Waste Pro’s Southwest Florida Regional Vice-President Russell Mackie. 

“All companies offer signing bonuses and performance bonuses, and Waste Pro is unique with a $10,000 safety award for every three years of safe driving,” Mackie says. “Drivers and helpers are the face of the company on the street and are treated as ambassadors.”

Teachers

Being a teacher isn’t just about educating a child.

Teachers often find themselves serving as therapists, refereeing disagreements or buying school supplies for kids whose families can’t afford them.

And they continued to do this even as schools temporarily went virtual in 2020, making their job that much more complicated. Most educators put their students first, often leaving little time to focus on their own struggles.

“We are on the frontlines,” says Jordan Hernandez, an AP English teacher at Boca Raton High School. “This is a difficult job. Sometimes it’s thankless. Students perceive us as we have it all together, but we’re human, too. There are a lot of teachers who are really fighting and trying to help students but trying to help themselves at the same time.”

Firefighters

Instead of running away from the chaos, these people run towards it.

They not only battle fires but also respond to medical emergencies. Most firefighters are also emergency medical technicians, and fire trucks carry equipment to perform basic life support.

Emergency calls are often the worst day of someone’s life, and firefighters are proud to serve in a time of need. But those days can also take a toll on the firefighters themselves.

“Health complications, a risk of cancer and mental health are among the ailments that plague our personnel,” says Ngoc Huynh of the Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association.

Firefighters across the country have recently been advocating for better job conditions and benefits.

“Knowing you are part of something that will make the fire service better than you leave it is worth the journey,” Huynh says. 

Grocery Store Employees

Before the pandemic, grocery store employees might not have been classified as essential workers. 

But when schools and offices closed in early 2020, families still needed to eat. And many people took up hobbies such as baking and cooking as ways to pass time during the lockdown. So, naturally, everyone flocked to grocery stores. 

Grocers young and old continued to work during the pandemic, stocking shelves and helping customers. The world took notice of these public service workers during the pandemic, realizing that without their commitment, we wouldn’t have been able to feed our families healthy foods or fill our pantries with simple staples such as milk and bread.

“As our founder, George Jenkins, or Mr. George as we fondly called him, would say, ‘we are in the people business and just happen to sell groceries,” says Maria Brous, director of communications for Florida Publix Super Markets. “The same is true today. We are more than a grocery store. We are a part of the fabric of our communities.”

Paramedics 

When the pandemic hit, paramedics’ jobs changed drastically because they not only had to learn how to look for signs of COVID-19, they had to make sure they were wearing protective gear to avoid getting sick. 

Most people don’t realize that paramedics have the skills and equipment to treat patients just as an emergency room would in the first 20 minutes of an emergency, said Terence Ramotar, president of the Florida Ambulance Association.

“They are some of the most compassionate people you will ever meet,” Ramotar says.

“They value the ability to enter a patient’s home in one of the worst times of their lives and be able to provide consolation. At the end of a shift, there’s nothing more rewarding than doing that for 12 hours.”

Farmers 

They’ve been the backbone of our nation for years, growing crops while battling challenges like supply chain issues, bad weather, pests and diseases.

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, one single farm in the United States feeds 166 people a year. By 2050, to keep up with the world’s growing population, farmers across the globe will have to grow 70% more food than what is produced now.

Jim Alderman, a Palm Beach County vegetable producer, said farmers are proud to help provide food security. But, he noted, being a farmer involves a lot more than just the land. 

“A career in agriculture goes far beyond the field,” says Alderman. “As technology continues to expand, there is a high demand for business managers, accountants and IT professionals.”

Doctors and Nurses

They go through years of schooling, work grueling hours and sacrifice personal time all for the sake of helping others.

They also have the difficult task of preparing patients for death and comforting grieving families. 

Dr. Lloyd Zucker, Chief of Neurosurgery at Delray Medical Center, said that the biggest reward of working in the medical field is knowing they have given a patient a better quality of life.

What the public may not know, is that the doctors’ and nurses’ quality of life isn’t as glamorous as Hollywood makes it out to be. 

“With COVID, I have [doctor] friends in New York who fought a war. There’s a thankless job. They lived through things people aren’t designed to live through. Some of them have PTSD. We are still scared now,” Zucker says of COVID-19 before adding, “but we aren’t as scared as we were.”

Law Enforcement

Like teachers, the men and women in law enforcement also wear many hats — social worker, conflict mediator and traffic director to name a few. 

They also serve as role models to our children and protectors of our communities.

Police Chief Javaro Sims of the Delray Beach Police Department says that a misconception of the job is that each day is filled with action, like car chases and physical altercations. That’s just not the case, he adds.

It is a rewarding job because police officers and sheriff deputies know they are helping people every single day, despite the obstacles they face.

“The biggest challenge is the expectations of law enforcement, having to deal with the many social failures in our country,” Sims says, “including homelessness, addiction, poverty and mental illness.”

Professional Truck Drivers 

We see them everywhere — the big rigs on roadways that tower over our cars, hauling anything from farming goods to construction material to food and retail items. 

The drivers dedicated to transporting items across the United States face a ridiculous amount of traffic woes and road construction, and, regardless of whether it’s a vicious thunderstorm or a blizzard and icy roads, these drivers still have a job to do and a schedule to meet.

“Too many people underestimate what it takes to be a professional driver,” says John Elliott, CEO of Load One and First Vice Chairman of the Truckload Carriers Association. “To safely navigate an 80,000-pound vehicle across the country is far more challenging than the public realizes. They are the lifeblood of this country. The pandemic truly showcased this more than ever.”