Unwritten job duties

April 15, 2012 1:43 AM

What are ways to do things without being the person who does those things? (ie. barber can listen to people spill without being a therapist)

Not sure what the best way to phrase this question is (and it likely has been asked before) -- I read on a Ask MeFi comment that talking to a nail or hair stylist is a good thing to do after you've broken up, but before you can see your therapist.

What other roles use skills that "belong" to other occupations? Obviously there are a lot of overlap between occupations, but what are some hats you did not expect to wear in your job?

(No offense to any professionals or for those who practice these skills as a job-- was simply curious what are other roles use the same skills in a non-obvious capacity)

posted by ichomp to Grab Bag (11 answers total)

I would suggest that any occupation that is predicated on some sort of physical contact (barber, hair stylist, manicurist, physician, masseuse) is going to engender a sense of trust and/or connection and an individual might vent/share items that they otherwise might not divulge. This doesn't imply, however, that the individual you're talking to has any specific "skills" (other than the ability to keep quiet while you talk).
posted by HuronBob at 3:25 AM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]

Taxi driver!
posted by misspony at 3:41 AM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]

Being a Music Producer and/or Recording Engineer can often heavily involve being a sort of social worker.
Being a photographer or lighting cameraman can incorporate many things, most often moving a lot of furniture around.
Being able to interview your client effectively to find out what they actually need is a very important part of being any sort of freelancer.
posted by Magnakai at 4:52 AM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]

Bartender is a canonical job of this type.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:21 AM on April 15, 2012

With the introduction of computers in the workplace, almost everyone has become their own secretary - typing their own memos, keeping their own calendar, etc.
posted by CathyG at 9:30 AM on April 15, 2012

Teachers often end up being coaches of less common sports, even if they've never played that sport.

Cops sometimes perform EMT duties in an emergency, but they're trained to do that. Cops actually do pretty much anything since they're often the first people to arrive when something weird is happening.

Waiters often get to draw the specials on the chalkboard and do other artistic stuff.

In medieval Europe, many barbers were often surgeons. This is kind of terrifying.

Nowadays, a veterinarian can act as a doctor in emergency situations (like on an airplane).
posted by k8lin at 9:54 AM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]

A realtor often ends up having to act as a marriage counselor. So does a canoe trip guide, now that I think of it.
posted by vytae at 10:18 AM on April 15, 2012

Response by poster: Thanks for the answers! Teacher as sports coaches is the kind of thing I was thinking of.
Magnakai- Can you explain how being a music producer involves being a social worker?
posted by ichomp at 11:03 AM on April 15, 2012

I would imagine that any job that requires you to be around people for a certain amount of time AND interacting with them and perhaps seeing them on a routine basis would fit the bill. Basically, if you are willing to chitchat / with your client while they are paying you to do whatever it is you do, you will end up being their confidante, adviser, therapist, consultant etc as you do their nails / cut their hair / whatever.
posted by ditto75 at 11:45 AM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]

My friend is a barista at a coffee shop in a sort of hippie/artsy area that has a lot of transients living out of their cars. She definitely feels like an underpaid social worker some days. Another friend worked as a location scout and ends up doing a lot of informal consulting on decorating since she sees a lot of stylish homes and meets a lot of people who want their homes in the movies.
posted by troublesome at 4:45 PM on April 15, 2012 [1 favorite]

I was being fairly sarcastic, but there are elements of truth there. Young bands are often fractious objects that are subject to lots of complex interplays of ego and resentment. The sound engineer and/or producer's job is to complete the recording, and that can involve lots of careful personnel relationship management. I'll admit that I don't know exactly what a social worker does, so apologies if I've misrepresented their job.
posted by Magnakai at 1:45 PM on April 16, 2012