If you know me, you're probably well aware of the fact that I've been a nanny for a few years now.

Being a nanny is honestly the best job I've ever had, and while I love journalism and writing, sometimes I kind of wish I had gone to school for childcare instead.

Things didn't pan out as far as getting a full-time journalism job after college goes, but the mother I currently nanny for didn't know that a few weeks ago.

Her daughter came up to her and asked, "Can Taylor babysit us forever?" Which totally melted my heart, until her mother said, "No, she's graduating college, she's going to find a real job."

"But being a nanny is a real job," her daughter said as I stood there awkwardly, unsure of how to break the news that I, in fact, did not find a "real job."

"No, it's not," her mother laughed.

I have to say, I was pretty hurt by the conversation. I take my job as a nanny very seriously; I always have. Not that I don't take journalism seriously, but the safety of someone else's child is not hinging on whether or not I meet a deadline for a story. It is, however, hinging on whether or not I'm at the house in time to get the kids off the bus.

Being a nanny is very important. If being a nanny isn't a real job, I guess being a mother isn't a real job either, because I do everything a mother would when I am at work.

I realize that what her mother meant was that I didn't need a college degree to be a nanny, implying that a "real job" needs a college degree. But I find trouble agreeing with this general sentiment, as well.

There are plenty of "real jobs" that do not need a degree. In fact, I don't even know what a "fake job" would mean.

If you are employed, then you do, in fact, have a "real job."

Even if you never put your degree to use, you can rest assured that wherever you are employed is a real job, and the work you are doing is important to someone, even if it's not important to everyone.

Keeping a job that doesn't require a degree after you've completed college can be frustrating, I'll admit, but only because it kind of feels like you wasted money and time in school.

The thought of never getting a job in the field I studied is a bit depressing, but not as depressing as the thought of not doing something I love and find so much joy in because someone told me it wasn't a real job.

So, enjoy your jobs and love what you do. Even if you're a college graduate and you discover what you truly love to do is wait tables, do piercings or even, God forbid, be a nanny. Because those are real jobs, too.