What are, in your view, the most prestigious careers?

[Anonymous]

successful tech entrepreneur

[Anonymous]

Medicine (esp surgeons)
Diplomats
Lawyers (but only GC level, managing partner, SCOTUS clerks)
Professional Athletes
Media (household names only)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Teacher
Meditation teacher
Chef
Soccer player
International pop star

"Prestigious"? Lol. The opposite.

For you.

I’ll take a Thich Nhat Hanh over a judge or State employee any day of the week.

Nobody knows the names of State employees or judges. Lol

You want to suggest that Thich Nhat Hanh falls into the general category of "teacher" along with my BIL who teaches hs history and goes around calling himself a "historian"? No.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tell me you work at the State Department without telling me you work at the State Department, OP.


These are jobs that would impress me:

Judge
Architect
Social Worker
Published Author
NASA scientist
Stage actor

I almost wrote this exact comment but thankfully decided to read the other comments first. OP’s list screams junior State employee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I used to think state department and diplomats were pretty cool growing up. As an adult, I've met so many who are insufferable and so self important. They're hard to be around. Hard pass.

You can add that they are also fairly clueless. Oh, you worked on Mexican drug cartels for two years and now you are a pol/econ officer stationed in North Macedonia? Cool, tell us more about how you aren’t an expert on any topic.

[Anonymous]

What is prestige?

Power, access, exclusivity and glamour. These are fields that only the privileged and the elite can enter.

When I think of prestige I think:

- high level government officials: heads of states; senators; congressmen; House of Lords; Ambassadors; CIA Director; UN representatives, people like Zibignew Brezinski, Charlie Wilson, Madeline Albright etc

- professionals that are at the top of their fields: CEOs, Non profit executives; tech entrepreneurs; Surgeon General; Justices of the Supreme Court

- The talented and the famous: Taylor Swift, Roger Federer, J.K. Rowling, Salman Rushdie, Michael Jackson etc

[Anonymous]

Director of a cultural institution like a museum or theater or a big library (Library of Congress, New York Public Library, for example).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I used to think state department and diplomats were pretty cool growing up. As an adult, I've met so many who are insufferable and so self important. They're hard to be around. Hard pass.

These careers not that impressive to me.

[Anonymous]

State used to be prestigious many years/decades ago. Now it’s filled with insufferable asshats who don’t know their ass from their elbow. You can see the asshattery on full display at the FSI cafeteria on any given weekday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd say the following:

- Diplomat
- Senior level Sate appointment
- Any high-level White House appointment
- USAID
- CIA

I think you’ve been watching too many spy movies. Or Madam Secretary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:State used to be prestigious many years/decades ago. Now it’s filled with insufferable asshats who don’t know their ass from their elbow. You can see the asshattery on full display at the FSI cafeteria on any given weekday.

This is genuinely amusing. Please elaborate.

[Anonymous]

Nurse
Professor

[Anonymous]

Mom
Doctor
Lawyer
Engineer
…
…
…
…
and for some reason teachers are way down the list

https://youtu.be/POwQHfpv6HE?si=31wbvxHRHFH_lilo

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd say the following:

- Diplomat
- Senior level Sate appointment
- Any high-level White House appointment
- USAID
- CIA

lol you didn’t name anything with “prestige”.

[Anonymous]

psychiatric nurse
emergency room physician
Psychotherapist
philosophy professor
Episcopal clergy
Buddhist monk
Jazz musician
Artist
Babysitter for families with special needs children
Government and nonprofit workers who help disabled people find jobs
power lobbyist on K street
Political fundraiser
Campaign manager
These last three are holdovers from my 20’s