The OP puts me in mind of an incident I witnessed in the microfilm/microfiche room at the Perry-Castan(y)eda Library at UT.
A young man approached the counter and rang the bell for assistance. I was at a nearby microfiche machine, vainly pursuing the liberal arts. The heavily bearded librarian working inside the cage took -- by heart, right? -- like two or three minutes to appear, despite the mounting urgence of the bell.
Well you took yer sweet time, the man said. In the real world, you would be out of a job.
The librarian paused briefly.
This is the real world, he said blandly.