# "High-Prestige but Low-Pay" jobs? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 1, 2021, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-prestige-but-low-pay-jobs/951733 "2021-10-01T15:23:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-prestige-but-low-pay-jobs/951733/21 "2021-10-01T19:44:32Z")
A good example is Texas House of Representatives members - they get paid about $45k for a TWO year term. So nobody’s in it for the pay, and I’d be willing to bet that for many of them, it likely costs them (relatively speaking) to serve in the Legislature versus the money they’d make doing their normal money-making endeavors. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-prestige-but-low-pay-jobs/951733/22 "2021-10-01T20:08:20Z")
Lawyers can be in this category. Sure, some lawyers are extremely well-paid, but some work for nonprofits or local governments and might not make nearly as much. Religious leaders are probably the extreme example. Half of all Catholic bishops, for instance, earn between $24,000 and $33,000 a year. Pastors of individual parishes make even less, though of course they also have somewhat lower prestige. Oh, and superheroes. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-prestige-but-low-pay-jobs/951733/23 "2021-10-01T20:19:29Z")
Teachers? Often venerated but poorly paid. Teachers are often deferred to even by the well-to-do for decisions about their kids’ education, yet it seems like the whole “we need to pay teachers more…” stuff has been going on for decades. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-prestige-but-low-pay-jobs/951733/24 "2021-10-01T20:27:00Z")
> [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](#): > > I came in to suggest social worker. They are well-educated, don’t have to get their hands dirty, work in an office helping people, and make only $50-$65k per year. I think this really stretches both the definition of “high prestige” and “low-pay.” I have never heard social workers referred to as ‘prestigious,’ and $50-65k is not bad pay. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-prestige-but-low-pay-jobs/951733/25 "2021-10-01T20:40:20Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > If you are a professor or a general and motivated to do so, I’m sure you can augment your salary by doing a little consulting on the side. I promise you no one has ever offered to pay me to be a Shakespeare consultant, but maybe the generals are luckier. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-prestige-but-low-pay-jobs/951733/26 "2021-10-01T20:42:22Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > and $50-65k is not bad pay. For a full time position that requires a master’s degree - which is also very difficult work - that’s pretty bad. I agree with your notion that they’re not high prestige. They would qualify for “important jobs with low pay” but not “high prestige jobs with low pay” ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-prestige-but-low-pay-jobs/951733/27 "2021-10-01T20:58:39Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > College Professor? Or more generally, any sort of scholar/researcher in the sciences or humanities if they’re working in academia or at a non-profit research institute. We’re not exactly low-paid, but in some fields (AI, for instance), we could easily be making three to ten times as much by working in similar positions in private industry. Of course, that would come with a significant loss in academic freedom, pressure to work longer hours, and often the requirement to put our talents to unsavoury purposes. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-prestige-but-low-pay-jobs/951733/28 "2021-10-01T21:25:43Z")
> [@bump](#): > > A good example is Texas House of Representatives members - they get paid about $45k for a TWO year term. But they also only legislate for five months out of that two years (although the Governor’s recent penchant for calling special sessions is extending that). ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-prestige-but-low-pay-jobs/951733/29 "2021-10-01T21:27:02Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Religious leaders are probably the extreme example. Half of all Catholic bishops, for instance, earn between $24,000 and $33,000 a year. Pastors of individual parishes make even less, though of course they also have somewhat lower prestige. It depends. Obviously you have the megapastors who are pulling in millions, but even in Mainline Protestant Churches you have fairly well paid pastors along with the low paid ones. The Bishop for Synod of which I am a member in the ELCA is paid around $100,000. Of course, that was a pay cut for him, because he used to work for the Churchwide offices as Assistant to the (Presiding) Bishop, Executive for Worship. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-prestige-but-low-pay-jobs/951733/30 "2021-10-01T22:56:36Z")
I’d nominate Head Brewer or Master Distiller. These people will typically have a masters degree and work 60 hours per week and make $50-60k per year. It’s a fun job and lots of people are envious of the job until they discover how little it pays. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-prestige-but-low-pay-jobs/951733/31 "2021-10-01T23:36:19Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > Teachers? Often venerated but poorly paid. Teachers are often deferred to even by the well-to-do for decisions about their kids’ education, yet it seems like the whole “we need to pay teachers more…” stuff has been going on for decades. It depends where. Here in Ontario, for instance, the belief that teachers need to paid fairly well is reflected in the fact that they actually are. I value good teachers and believe they should, in fact, be well paid, but I’m not going to be bamboozled by any claim that they aren’t already. **[According to this](https://careers.workopolis.com/advice/five-surprising-jobs-that-pay-six-figure-salaries/)**, the average teacher salary in Ontario is $83,500, about the same as the average lawyer. Thousands make over $100K. Plus, they get the whole summer off. And when they retire, which is usually early (average age 58) they’re generously supported by the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, one of the wealthiest non-governmental pension plans in the world, which paid out nearly $7 billion in pension benefits last year. It seems to be the old “nice job if you can get it”, and indeed, as the cited article notes, the only downside to aspiring to be a teacher here is that it’s a hard profession to break into because there are so many of them. > [@beowulff](#): > > College Professor? Generally speaking, yes. Considering the educational and other qualifications required, university professors do tend to be underpaid, most of them accepting that academic freedom is valuable compensation in its own right. But, although junior entry-level salaries are indeed low, this is another profession with a very wide range of compensation. Senior professors with well-established research records can be very well compensated indeed (and deservedly so). Those in an even more rarified tier who have achieved a high level of academic fame effectively have no ceiling on their salaries or other perks (such as lavish research facilities and grants). ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-prestige-but-low-pay-jobs/951733/32 "2021-10-01T23:46:10Z")
Any creative profession - musician, author, painter and so on - usually pays pretty badly for the amount of work people put in to become good at it. “Prestige” is a bit of a movable target, but if you define it as “people will be impressed and think well of you when they discover you have this job” then I think it fits. ---
**Author:** ![Bootb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@Bootb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootb)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2021, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-prestige-but-low-pay-jobs/951733/33 "2021-10-01T23:57:56Z")
> [@Fretful\_Porpentine](#): > > I promise you no one has ever offered to pay me to be a Shakespeare consultant, but maybe the generals are luckier. That sounds like a perfect side gig for a Supreme Court justice. > **[Supreme Court Justice Breyer presides over Shakespeare Theatre’s Mock Trial -...](https://wtop.com/entertainment/2021/03/supreme-court-justice-breyer-presides-over-shakespeare-theatres-mock-trial/)** > > Shakespeare’s plays are packed with conflict that would make for riveting court cases. As such, Shakespeare Theatre’s Virtual Mock Trial returns this Thursday. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2021, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-prestige-but-low-pay-jobs/951733/34 "2021-10-02T01:15:55Z")
It does depend - because along with the Catholic priests who work for little pay (plus room and board) , and the megachurch pastors who pull in millions and the various religious leaders who are paid at least well enough to support a family, you also have the pastors/assistant pastors whom I have worked with. I worked with them at the full-time , non-religious jobs they held to support themselves because they were paid little or nothing for their religious role. ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2021, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-prestige-but-low-pay-jobs/951733/35 "2021-10-02T01:26:57Z")
National Park Ranger. Years ago, certain isolated postings literally came with instructions on how to apply for food stamps. It has gotten better, but for younger rangers it is almost impossible to live on their salary. After a bit of googling it is worse than I thought: " \* Park rangers with the National Park Service will more than likely be hired on at the level of GS-5, requiring at least a four-year [degree](https://www.park-ranger.org/park-ranger-degrees/), a minimum of related coursework of 24 semester hours, or one year of focused experience that could be seen as an equivalent to the level of GS-4. - Park rangers can qualify to be employed at the level of GS-7 with graduate education of one year or specialized training that is equal to the level of GS-5." For anyone with Government experience here is a job that requires a graduate degree to start at a GS-7… - GS-5: $27,705 – $36,021 - GS-7: $34,319 – $44,615 ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2021, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-prestige-but-low-pay-jobs/951733/36 "2021-10-02T01:53:36Z")
> [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](#): > > Non-profits are famous for offering hard-working, driven and idealistic young professionals great job titles (“Managing Director”) and unconscionable pay. **Senior executives do fine** but the grunts are supposed to be glad to be paid anything for saving the world. (Bolding mine.) Depends on the non-profit. For well-established organizations with national or international reach, and well-oiled fundraising machinery, most senior execs probably do fine (even scandalously well sometimes). But the little arts and culture non-profit where I work has zero employees with benefits and only only three people who are paid at all - the highest paid gets $24,000/year, which would be peanuts anywhere but is especially bad in a high-cost-of-living state like Hawai’i. While our situation is particularly extreme, I don’t think we’re unique in being too cash-strapped to pay anyone a decent wage. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2021, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-prestige-but-low-pay-jobs/951733/37 "2021-10-02T03:43:05Z")
That’s still only $108k gross if you were to make that amount for a whole year. Not terrible pay, but not particularly greate pay, considering that a lot of mid-career people in other industries make that and don’t have to try and make laws for an entire state. My point though was that they still have to have a day job; they can’t just make a career out of being a Texas House member, because they only make 45k over a two year period. They are paid ok for the time they’re there, sure. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2021, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-prestige-but-low-pay-jobs/951733/38 "2021-10-02T04:48:59Z")
> [@gdave](#): > > if you’re a general? No, you can’t, generally. Pun intended? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2021, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-prestige-but-low-pay-jobs/951733/39 "2021-10-02T04:49:29Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Oh, and superheroes. Superman never made any money saving the world from Solomon Grundy. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2021, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-prestige-but-low-pay-jobs/951733/40 "2021-10-02T05:09:32Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > > [@beowulff](#): > > > > College Professor? > > Generally speaking, yes. Considering the educational and other qualifications required, university professors do tend to be underpaid, most of them accepting that academic freedom is valuable compensation in its own right. But, although junior entry-level salaries are indeed low, this is another profession with a very wide range of compensation. Senior professors with well-established research records can be very well compensated indeed (and deservedly so). Those in an even more rarified tier who have achieved a high level of academic fame effectively have no ceiling on their salaries or other perks (such as lavish research facilities and grants). At the low end of this wide range of compensation are part-time adjunct professors. Many of them rush from 1 college to another, teaching 6-7 courses a semester. At around $3K a course that can work out at $40K a year, or less. Some of them give up and teach in high schools while others can’t make that move. Here’s a sad story about an adjunct who died destitute: [The Sad Death Of An Adjunct Professor Sparks A Labor Debate : NPR](https://www.npr.org/2013/09/22/224946206/adjunct-professor-dies-destitute-then-sparks-debate) “Adjuncts are the second-class citizens of academe: They are contract workers hired and paid on a per-course basis, with no possibility of tenure. They now make up about two-thirds of the academic workforce nationwide, and their numbers have been increasing steadily since the 1970s, as part of a larger trend in which universities, both private and public, are run more like businesses. . . . Hiring adjuncts instead of tenure-track faculty is unquestionably great for a university’s bottom line. From every other perspective, though, it’s a scourge. This is not just a question of adjuncts toiling away in relative penury. Overworked, underpaid adjuncts are also bad for students: Professors who don’t have their own offices, often must work multiple jobs to make ends meet, and sometimes find out whether they’re teaching shortly before the semester starts simply cannot devote as much energy and time to their students as they would like. When universities don’t pay their instructors adequately or give them benefits, adjuncts end up relying on [food stamps and Medicaid](http://chronicle.com/article/From-Graduate-School-to/131795/).” > **[What Really Happened to Margaret Mary Vojtko, the Duquesne Adjunct Whose...](https://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/education/2013/11/death_of_duquesne_adjunct_margaret_mary_vojtko_what_really_happened_to_her.html)** > > On Friday, Aug. 16, Margaret Mary Vojtko, an adjunct French professor who’d recently lost her job at Duquesne University at the age of 83, suffered a c ... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-prestige-but-low-pay-jobs/951733.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-prestige-but-low-pay-jobs/951733.md?page=3)