I know that the art students get a lot of stick about their lack of employment opportunities, and the science and engineering students fight it out amongst themselves about who is the most martyred. But do you want to know something? The real heroes are the vocational degrees. I'm talking teachers and nurses here, folks.

This one's for you!

So pour out one from me while you sit down to read this wedge of validation.

I'm going to set the scene for you. It's a generic family gathering of sufficient scale for all the gang to be gathered together around the table, already stuffed with food and spoiling for a bit of gossip. Failing that, they're more than willing to create their own drama.

Enter me, the trainee teacher

It's like lambs to a slaughter – the eyes of the hunting dogs light up (by which I mean the elderly aunts brace themselves for righteous indignation where they have no business being righteously indignant).

Although you've explained it thousands of times before, there's something that your extended family members just simply don't seem to grasp. The willingness to work for the public and national interest even if it doesn't necessarily come with the biggest paycheck. Something about generational morals and capitalistic venture, I'm sure.

You take a deep breath as the first comments flow across the table, accompanied by a brandished fork and rapidly emptying wine glass.

'Think about the huge number of hours you will do!'

'What about all the horrible parents and misbehaving children'

'It'll turn you off children for good'

'What was that I read last week about teachers getting no pension'

'Isn't it a bit of a cop-out to just spend your life teaching primary school children? Do you not want something more fulfilling?'

You guys get so much stick that it's no wonder you have to have nerves of steel and patience for days. People just can't seem to register that other people are more willing to directly contribute to the national economy and services, without necessarily having the same economic benefits as they expect.

Something about a moral incentive, I guess? Go figure

The art students won't have a job in their field and will likely succumb to a soul-sucking job in corporate HR if they're lucky. The science and engineering students will get paid …. Eventually. After another 4 years of debt-collecting studies. Don't even get me started on Med students. Yes, everyone contributes to society in some way. But for teachers, we have the best balance of it feeling worthwhile, achievable, and something that you can retain a passion for.

The same is true, even to a greater extent for nurses

You have a very similar work ethic and amount of contact hours and exams and scary labs as doctors. But there are also gendered stereotypes that you have to push back against and work through. I'm not going to lie, a lot of your emotional energy is spent grinning and bearing the nonsense that the public puts you through.

Quite apart from the often haunting and horrifying things that you witness and resolve on a daily basis. Like, even just writing about it is making me tired – the hours you guys work. I mean, wow. All the respect.

In short, the next time your grandmother thinks that she's qualified to comment on the topic because she was a teacher's assistant for 6 months 40 years ago, you can hold your own against her tirade against Ofsted. About how 'everything is just about the exams rather than learning the curriculum' among other things. While it's true, what can she or I do about that? Other than making the children's lives more interesting and engaging with the material at our disposal. Teaching is all about making do and enriching lives.

Changing lives, frankly

So without further ado – this is a short and sweet letter to the angels that are nurses and teachers….

We love you, and you are so appreciated.

Keep it up but also look after yourself and take a break when possible.