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Which professions are paid too much given their value to society?

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Re: Which professions are paid too much given their value to society?

#31

Post by istorical »

Something I've always questioned is why certain jobs in the United States are expected to be tipped but others aren't:

Why does a bartender at a bar that isn't very busy who simply pours me a draft beer out of a tap deserve a dollar when a guy making burritos at Chipotle during the lunch rush who can't take a break for 3 hours straight doesn't get any tips? I've had bartenders hand me a can of beer for 2 dollars, I come back 20 minutes later and ask for another and they say "ok but I'm going to charge you extra because you didn't tip".

If I ever did that when I worked at any fast food job I've ever had I would have been fired.

Either have a tipping culture or don't, but don't have social punishments for skipping tipping on bartenders or restaurant waiters but then don't tip me EVER when I work a different minimum wage job that can be just as hectic.

Many bartenders and waiters take the approach of tipping constantly at other low paying service jobs, which is very admirable.

But others will berate you if you mention that you don't tip for every drink at a bar while they themselves see no hypocrisy or problem that they aren't tipping low paid workers in other industries.

Before someone mentions that some of those tipping jobs can have pay that's less than minimum wage - remember that if tips don't make up the difference then the employer is legally required to pay the minimum wage for that shift.

Re: Which professions are paid too much given their value to society?

#32

Post by Overtonwindow »

I think we can find groups of people in every profession that are paid too much given their value to society. I wouldn't say one profession over the other is overpaid. Someone is paying for that profession. I think there's a lot of tenured college professors who are grossly overpaid for the little value they bring to teaching, but as a whole, professors do bring value to society. It's a tough question to answer.

Re: Which professions are paid too much given their value to society?

#33

Post by Overtonwindow »

istorical wrote: post #31

Something I've always questioned is why certain jobs in the United States are expected to be tipped but others aren't: Why does a bartender at a bar that isn't very busy who simply pours me a draft beer out of a tap deserve a dollar when a guy making burritos at Chipotle during the lunch rush who can't take a break for 3 hours straight doesn't get any tips? I've had bartenders hand me a can of beer for 2 dollars, I c…

This is why I take a flask to the bar. Cheaper.

Re: Which professions are paid too much given their value to society?

#34

Post by treehau5 »

nocman wrote: post #29
treehau5 wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone who just recently sold FSBO, this rings true to me. Real Estate agents provide an entirely 100% superfluous service especially in relation to the absurd amount of commission they charge. The important aspects of selling a home are done by inspectors, appraisers, and lawyers. The Real Estate agents are basically leeching middlemen that keep as many people out as possible to keep their perceived monopoly, wh…

"Real Estate agents provide an entirely 100% superfluous service". While I definitely agree that the amount of money realtors get for selling a home is ridiculously high, the above statement is definitely NOT true (and I've sold several homes through a realtor). Realty is often a more risky business than people think. People often only focus on the houses that sell quickly, not the ones that sit for a long time. A re…

Not not saying that there isn't room in America's big economy for that, but the topic was "Which professions are paid too much given their value to society" -- Real estate agent is an easy, immediate answer to this question. The essentials of the home buying process are provided by the lawyers, inspectors, and appraisers.

Re: Which professions are paid too much given their value to society?

#35

Post by thrden »

michaelt wrote: post #28

It would be interesting to see these results cross-checked, by applying the methods from one job to another - for example by applying the methods used for law and engineering (Cross-country regression of GDP on per capita) to the other fields listed. Personally I find the results presented surprising - especially the claim of research being worth 25% of GDP, which seems very high to me.

I agree, they said that they were basing the externality on how much people would theoretically pay for longevity. That number is very likely to be inflated, as people are likely "willing to pay" more than they may be actually able to pay. Further not all research is medical longevity enhancement research. Overall it seems very sloppy.

Re: Which professions are paid too much given their value to society?

#36

Post by valbaca »

istorical wrote: post #31

Something I've always questioned is why certain jobs in the United States are expected to be tipped but others aren't: Why does a bartender at a bar that isn't very busy who simply pours me a draft beer out of a tap deserve a dollar when a guy making burritos at Chipotle during the lunch rush who can't take a break for 3 hours straight doesn't get any tips? I've had bartenders hand me a can of beer for 2 dollars, I c…

> employer is legally required to pay the minimum wage for that shift.

Right because if you're getting paid $2/hr + tips and make less than min wage because you didn't get tipped, you sure have the means to file a lawsuit.

If you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to eat out.

Re: Which professions are paid too much given their value to society?

#37

Post by loco5niner »

valbaca wrote: post #36
istorical wrote: post #31

Something I've always questioned is why certain jobs in the United States are expected to be tipped but others aren't: Why does a bartender at a bar that isn't very busy who simply pours me a draft beer out of a tap deserve a dollar when a guy making burritos at Chipotle during the lunch rush who can't take a break for 3 hours straight doesn't get any tips? I've had bartenders hand me a can of beer for 2 dollars, I c…

> employer is legally required to pay the minimum wage for that shift. Right because if you're getting paid $2/hr + tips and make less than min wage because you didn't get tipped, you sure have the means to file a lawsuit. If you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to eat out.

> If you can't afford to tip, you can't afford to eat out.

Sure, if you only go to places where it is proper to tip, but there are plenty of places to eat out where NOT tipping is appropriate.

I believe that tipping should be based on the level of service provided, not on the financial status/need of either the provider or the consumer. If I'm getting takeout, I rarely tip more than a dollar. If it's a place where I bus my own table and pickup my food at the counter, I don't tip at all. On numerous occasions where I felt I got wonderful service, I've tipped $20 on a 10 dollar meal. Generally, I'll tip 15% - 20% based on service level.

Re: Which professions are paid too much given their value to society?

#38

Post by ignostic »

wyldfire wrote: post #22

This thread seems to have few comments on the article and several on the title. It's not an HN survey, it's an article regarding a research paper [1]. IMO -- this kind of data could/should benefit teachers and researchers who want to argue that their benefit to society isn't reflected in the existing high school/undergrad/graduate metrics. Instead of paying teachers/researchers the wage that reflects an equilibrium b…

But I so badly wanted to share my opinion on /r/askhn rehashing commonly-held beliefs..

Re: Which professions are paid too much given their value to society?

#39

Post by k__ »

bryanlarsen wrote: post #15
sorokod wrote: post #2

An easy example for the opposite question of "Which professions are paid too little given their value to society? ". Hospital nurses in UK, they perform life saving work and paid rubbish money.

Before or after overtime? My understanding is that here in Canada most nurses doing shift work make 6 figures. Hospitals are understaffed so there's lots of overtime available, and of course nursing is a 24/7 job. The night shift premium and the overtime premium multiply so picking up a single extra night shift can gross $1000.

My girlfriend is nurse in Germany and she makes under 2000€ a month. I think when she worked 100% it was 1700€ or something.

Re: Which professions are paid too much given their value to society?

#40

Post by keerthiko »

istorical wrote: post #31

Something I've always questioned is why certain jobs in the United States are expected to be tipped but others aren't: Why does a bartender at a bar that isn't very busy who simply pours me a draft beer out of a tap deserve a dollar when a guy making burritos at Chipotle during the lunch rush who can't take a break for 3 hours straight doesn't get any tips? I've had bartenders hand me a can of beer for 2 dollars, I c…

This inconsistency and the overall social cognitive load on customers to recognize which things 'deserve' tips and which ones don't is one of the top reasons I'm anti-tip-culture. Just raise your damn list prices, pay better wages, and tell your patrons no need to tip (but it can still be appreciated if they do, just don't pressure them into it).
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