Please stop assuming women with lower salaries are un- or under-educated

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And please stop assuming those of us with high salaries chose it only for the money. In my area, the hours that are sometimes required and the constant stress make any salary not enough unless you really love it and are good at it. People who choose my job for the money don't last long.

Who is assuming that, and where?

From the OP:

I understand that it may be difficult for lawyers and MBAs to understand, but not everyone chooses a career path based principally on money.

PP, if you love a career that happens to pay a lot of money, you are luckier than I! And I'm sorry to have lumped you in with the other posters who denigrated low-salaried women. Those posts just make me so angry...

Signed, OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, I don't know it for sure, obviously. It's not that I think it would be easier, not at all... that's not what I'm going for. I just think it would be more interesting, more suited to my passions, more suited to my talents, and more fulfilling to me.

Just curious - why not go back to school to become a teacher then? It sounds like that's what you really want to do!

I probably will! I stay at home now with my baby and I'm very happy, but when it's time to go back to work, I will probably try to make the switch.

[Anonymous]

DH has MD, a PhD and several other degrees: makes less than 6 figures, because he does research, which is what he loves.

Me: just a tiny Master's degree, and I make nothing, since I stay home.

[Anonymous]

My brother earned his Masters back in the 90's (education - focused on Teaching English as a Foreign Language). His first job (non-profit) paid $12,000/year. He stayed with the job for a couple of years. He's now a teacher and to supplement his income for the family, also teaches night courses at a University.

[Anonymous]

Speaking as a teacher of Englihsh as a Secnd Language -- most "professoinals' I know do not consider this to be a high prestige, highly "educated" type of job.

[Anonymous]

Horrors, I am a head start teacher with a masters degree in early childhood. Most people generally think I barely have a college degree! I do the job because it makes me happy, I love working with children, and I believe in the Head Start mission. I still have trouble accepting that people think I'm generally uneducated because of where I work though.

[Anonymous]

I always thought that people who work for non-profits (also teachers and other should-be-paid-more careers) had their choice of where to work, but went with their heart (and brain). At least they are HAPPY.

Seems people here go into jobs for the money. No wonder there are so many disappointed faces - how naive of them. Truly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And please stop assuming those of us with high salaries chose it only for the money. In my area, the hours that are sometimes required and the constant stress make any salary not enough unless you really love it and are good at it. People who choose my job for the money don't last long.

Who is assuming that, and where?

From the OP:

I understand that it may be difficult for lawyers and MBAs to understand, but not everyone chooses a career path based principally on money.

Thank you!! The people I know who work solely for their paycheck are miserable.

[Anonymous]

Thank you OP!!

You articulated beautifully what I had been thinking for a while.

I know not every high-income lobbyist or BigLaw lawyer feels as you say, but many do. How do I know this? Because they tell me! (me: B.S., J.D., MPP, max salary ever earned = $64,ooo).

My own husband slips into this false dichotomy sometimes and I am beginning to loathe him for it. A window into his thinking (which I have seen mirrored on DCUM too much, so indulge me):

Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer partner = $720,000 a year = super smart and accomplished and prestigious

U.S. Fish and Wildlife biologist = $78,000 a year = not impressive intellect, "cute" job, not prestigious.

[Anonymous]

I dunno. I don't admire those who whore themselves out then b*tch about it (some, not all, big law). What did they expect? They're no better than I am - regardless of the snifflier-than-thou attitude. Tiresome. I could buy and sell them, but I choose NOT to walk around that way. It is a life choice to be humble. Unheard of here, unfortunate for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a lawyer and I would make a lot more money bartending or stripping for that matter.

Really? How much do you make? How much do strippers make?

When I was stripping 18 years ago, I averaged $200 a day, tax-free. That's not half bad is it?

[Anonymous]

I love this thread so much! I'm a public interest lawyer who has been out of school for ten years and has never made over $55K. But, I helped to put two different murderers in prison for the rest of their lives as a county prosecutor, fought like crazy on behalf of more children than I can literally count as a lawyer for CPS, and now fight every day to help survivors of domestic violence keep themselves and their children safe. I don't ask for money. But gosh, some respect once in a while would be wonderful. Oddly enough, I've never felt dissed by fellow lawyers, even at big firms -- many of them have been very helpful to my organization on pro bono efforts and virtually all of them have told me at one time or another that they would trade jobs in a heartbeat if their financial constraints weren't so severe. It's the reaction I get from people OUTSIDE of law who see the work I do and think, "Man, what kind of a loser do you have to be to have a law degree and not work for a big firm?" Especially in DC. It's very frustrating sometimes but my clients make it all worthwhile.

[Anonymous]

indeed!

i have a doctorate, make 62K working longer hours than i would like at a non-profit that provides much needed service to 10,000 poor DC residents a year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a lawyer and I would make a lot more money bartending or stripping for that matter.

Really? How much do you make? How much do strippers make?

When I was stripping 18 years ago, I averaged $200 a day, tax-free. That's not half bad is it?

How many hours did you have to work to make $200 a day?

[Anonymous]

And why was it tax free? You mean you didn't report it, right? A lot of us would make more money if we didn't pay taxes!