Many centuries ago, in the age of knights and kings, it was considered almost shameful for nobles to engage in any activity other than being a warrior or a courtier. A huge number of professions and businesses were closed to knights simply because they were considered "beneath their dignity."
Well, today, these prejudices have faded into oblivion, and many descendants of aristocratic families happily engage in any job. However, some people still believe that there are "low jobs," and even being completely broke is preferable to "stooping" to these professions. For example, this happened to the user u/Boring-Treat5072's former bestie.
More info: Reddit
Neglecting "low" job offers for an IT guy was quite obvious years ago, but it seems pretty irrational nowadays
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The author of the post works as a server in a restaurant, while their bestie has a computer science degree but has never worked by trade since graduating
Image credits: EyeEm / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The guy believes that he deserves a senior position and a big salary, so he keeps rejecting "low" job offers, including the author's idea of working together at a restaurant
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Meanwhile, the man is completely broke, lives off his parents, and recently asked the author to give him some money
Image credits: Boring-Treat5072
When the author mentioned the server's job once more, the friend lost it and claimed that working as a server is "beneath his dignity" as it's an "objectively low job"
The Original poster (OP) says that they have been working as a server in a restaurant for many years, earning decent money, and are generally happy with their life. Meanwhile, their best friend, who holds a computer science degree, hasn't worked in his field since graduating, and has been scraping by with odd jobs ever since.
The guy sincerely believes he's only worthy of a senior position with a high salary, and therefore regularly declines "low" job offers. He's also nearly broke and has recently been mainly supported by his parents. The original poster has repeatedly offered to work together at a restaurant, but the friend consistently rejected the idea.
He recently asked the author for some money, but the OP declined, stating that they have a principle of not lending money to friends. Instead, the author once again brought up the idea of working as a server - and this time, the friend lost it. He declared that waiting tables in a restaurant was "beneath him" and that no one would respect someone who works as a server in their 30s.
However, the guy immediately stopped himself, realizing that he was essentially insulting his friend. He tried to backpedal, saying he wasn't referring to the OP, but to the job itself. After that, however, the guy once more remarked that things like being a server, cleaner, or street sweeper were "just objectively low jobs." The author is now seriously considering cutting the former bestie off for such disrespectful words.
Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Well, if a computer science degree used to be a virtual passport to high salaries and good jobs, today, the numbers mercilessly show the opposite. For example, a recent Federal Reserve Bank of New York study claims that fresh computer science graduates face unemployment rates of 6.1 to 7.5%. This is significantly higher than the national average unemployment rate, which stood at 4.2% in November 2025.
This is due, in part, to two factors. First, the market was heavily overheated during the pandemic, when a significant portion of the world's population, staying at home, created increased demand for online services. Secondly, the AI boom is currently causing massive layoffs even at giants like Amazon and Microsoft.
"Computer science students who graduated three or four years ago would have been fighting off offers from top firms - and now that same student would be struggling to get a job from anyone," the NY Times quotes Jeff Forbes, a former program director for computer science education and workforce development at the National Science Foundation. This is sad, but it's the reality.
On the other hand, does this labor market situation justify the disrespect of the author's now-former friend? Of course not. And people in the comments fully supported the OP, arguing that the guy just needed to grow up quickly and accept objective reality. Otherwise, it will be very difficult for him to live with such a mindset. So do you, our dear readers, also agree with this?
Most commenters agreed with the author, noting that they did the right thing by cutting off such a disrespectful guy
