An Essay on The Value of Work, Determining Importance Through Salary

Evaluating Salaries

The common idea about money is that the harder you work, the more you will have, and the more you have, the harder you have worked. This is true in many cases but also untrue in many. According to the U.S. Department Bureau of Labor Statistics, a mathematical science teacher on average makes 70,550$ annually while an engineering teacher makes 92,970$ annually. Both of these professions require the same amount of schooling and while different subjects, practically the same amount of work.  If both jobs are about as difficult as one another, then why does an engineering teacher make about 22,000$ more? On the other hand, a surgeon and an anesthesiologist both make around 215,000$ dollars a year and both jobs require about the same amount of work and schooling. 

Why do these professions make easily over 100,000$ more than a college professor? I feel that while work and schooling are major contributors to what salary a job has, I feel that it is a mix of the two along with the value that society places on the positions.  I feel that this is why celebrities and athletes make millions of dollars when they do not have to attend nearly as much schooling as a surgeon or a college teacher and while it may be difficult, they may not actually be doing anything to benefit society. I feel that because people enjoy watching these people on TV and this is the main reason they make so much money. There is also a common stereotype I think that goes along with different teaching professions, people hear mathematics and think that it is difficult but not impossible, they think of engineering though and suddenly they are thinking of people designing nanotechnology and new building materials. People tend to place a higher value on engineers and less on mathematicians and because of this, I am not surprised to see that college teachers of engineering make more than those of math.  Furthermore, people place a high value on doctors because they are related to the people’s health. While people may place a high value on educations, one’s own health is arguably more important and because of this, doctors make more money.

In my opinion, many of the higher earning jobs do deserve the salary they earn, many doctors and teachers are amazing at what they do and help people every day, but there are some professions such as the athletes and celebrities mentioned before that do not deserve the money they have. If it were up to me, a person’s salary would be determined solely on the amount of schooling they have, how difficult their job is, and the impact their job has on society. I do not foresee this happening in the near future but it would be nice to see people paid for their hard work.