Credit for this amazing photo goes to my chemical engineer-turned-anesthesiologist buddy Nick. Given the nature of our capitalistic society, I generally assume that the amount people get paid is roughly equivalent to value they add to society or to the people they work for. However, this photo makes me question that basic assumption... how many of you would be willing to shell out $50-65 for the solution to a partial differential equation? I definitely would not.Therefore, the question must be asked... what do people in different professions actually get paid for? (Keep in mind that few individuals in the top tax brackets are reporting their actual incomes.)
Orthopaedic Surgeons: $388,784
Job description: operate power tools to break your bones and re-fuse them, while not being able to diagnose a common cold or fix a squeaky kitchen sink.
[Sorry, brothers... I still love you.]
Anesthesiologists: $302,724
Job description: shoot you up with proven drugs at proven levels to knock you out, while reading a book or newspaper during your surgery.
Entry level Attorneys: $86,677
Job description: push paper, proofread, and perform as a research and writing monkey; if the attorney shows exceptional promise... they might speak with you during their first few years on the job.
Sanitary Engineers (known in my childhood as "garbage men"): $58,646
Job description: ride around on a smelly truck most days of the week picking up your nasty trash that takes great effort to even move from the garage to the curb on a [gasp] weekly basis.
Paramedics: $37,455
Job description: be the first on scene to look at the bloody mess you've made and try to keep you alive.
Elementary School Teachers: $48,788
Job description: educate you and convince you to stop playing outside to do homework and, later in life, educate your kids and convince them to put down the remote or xbox controller. [Chantal will take exception to this figure, as the Provo first year teachers' salary is below $30k]
I'll let you make your own conclusions.
*All salaries quoted at 50% level from salary.com except Sanitary Engineer, where data comes from payscale.com.
5 comments:
I do not think that people get paid according to the value they add to society. There is a severe disconnect in our society on this point I think. If a teacher's salary doesn't prove that, how about all of the people that volunteer (as in get no money) to help feed the hungry, to preach the gospel or a large range of humanitarian efforts. I think the rich are overpaid and the poor underpaid. I'm an advocate of higher learning, but extra years in school doesn't necessarily turn out a person who has something valuable to offer society.
It is all supply and demand. Lower pay jobs not necessarily contribute less to the society.
I've concluded that the harder the work is, the less you get paid. Our world is weird.
I love this post. I find it very tongue-in-cheek. Wow, the more useful you're job is, the less you get paid! hmm... what is the least useful thing I could do to get paid bank... i'll work on that :) (i hope i am climbing the "useless but fun" ladder though)
You should do an expanded version of this sometime
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