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

[Anonymous]

engineer
entrepreneur
scientist
software engineer/programmer
I banker
CEO

[Anonymous]

This list is lame. The only jobs that i would be legit impressed to meet someone with:

- Senior (and i mean senior) officials within the federal government: President, VP, senators, congresspersons, supreme court justices, secretaries, agency heads, merit based ambassador. State governors, but not state reps.

- CEO of a company I have heard of

- dean of a college or university I have heard of.

- Famous actors and singers and athletes. (I don't laud them, but I can be impressed that they achieved their success).

- Some scientific research types - but hard to quantify what puts someone in the 'prestige' category on this, versus just a lab rat.

Separately, what actually achievable jobs do neighbors and parents get most worked up about: Doctor and lawyer. End of sentence.

[Anonymous]

Lobbyist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd say the following:

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

None of those are prestigious in the slightest, and their measly pay shows that. A diplomat (I assume you meant state department) or a fed employee in general are nothing social. They are a dime a dozen, make meh pay (and even then you could argue are overpaid given how little work they do) and have fairly low hiring requirements.

In my book the prestigious careers (outside of unique ones like Hollywood actor) are big law, investment banking, big tech, and to a lesser extent, management consulting.

[Anonymous]

an architect is not prestigious, I work with many architects and there is no prestige within that profession unless you are the top of the top and are the senior designer for a major build (and that’s rare).

Most are “desk jockeys”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Serving as a senator or congressman
Serving as a justice on the Supreme Court

Maybe at one time, but now they'll take any old yahoo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Do you want to suggest that when I wrote “meditation teacher,” I was talking about your BIL? No.

Reading comprehension matters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Comedy writer. Seriously. I think you need to be really smart to write good comedy. I have so much more respect for someone who can do that over investment banking or consulting.

Good one!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd say the following:

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

None of those are prestigious in the slightest, and their measly pay shows that. A diplomat (I assume you meant state department) or a fed employee in general are nothing social. They are a dime a dozen, make meh pay (and even then you could argue are overpaid given how little work they do) and have fairly low hiring requirements.

In my book the prestigious careers (outside of unique ones like Hollywood actor) are big law, investment banking, big tech, and to a lesser extent, management consulting.

Weird that you conflate pay and prestige. The vast majority of Americans would never consider excel monkeys and empty suits like i-bankers and management consultants to be prestigious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd say the following:

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

None of those are prestigious in the slightest, and their measly pay shows that. A diplomat (I assume you meant state department) or a fed employee in general are nothing social. They are a dime a dozen, make meh pay (and even then you could argue are overpaid given how little work they do) and have fairly low hiring requirements.

In my book the prestigious careers (outside of unique ones like Hollywood actor) are big law, investment banking, big tech, and to a lesser extent, management consulting.

I literally laughed out loud at management consulting.

You forgot to put a /s on your post. Big law, bankers?

[Anonymous]

Definitely NOT management consulting. They're the most worthless blowhard parasites on the economy that exist. They're also largely responsible for tons of destruction of the country. Horrible job done by terrible people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd say the following:

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

None of those are prestigious in the slightest, and their measly pay shows that. A diplomat (I assume you meant state department) or a fed employee in general are nothing social. They are a dime a dozen, make meh pay (and even then you could argue are overpaid given how little work they do) and have fairly low hiring requirements.

In my book the prestigious careers (outside of unique ones like Hollywood actor) are big law, investment banking, big tech, and to a lesser extent, management consulting.

You completely do not understand the concept of prestige and exclusivity if you think making money equates to prestige. A random I banker is just a random college grad who sits in his cube manipulating excel. No one knows who he is. He is not doing anything of consequence. Nor does he have access to an exclusive network of powerful and influencial people. He is just…rich. So is a random gas station owner.
A well regarded university professor at Yale is more prestigious than being an I banker.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd say the following:

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

None of those are prestigious in the slightest, and their measly pay shows that. A diplomat (I assume you meant state department) or a fed employee in general are nothing social. They are a dime a dozen, make meh pay (and even then you could argue are overpaid given how little work they do) and have fairly low hiring requirements.

In my book the prestigious careers (outside of unique ones like Hollywood actor) are big law, investment banking, big tech, and to a lesser extent, management consulting.

Weird that you conflate pay and prestige. The vast majority of Americans would never consider excel monkeys and empty suits like i-bankers and management consultants to be prestigious.

100%. Name one ibanker whose name you know of and who has contributed something of consequence to our world or culture? Making money does not equate to prestige

[Anonymous]

The original question isn't clear.

OP asked what are, in our view, the most prestigious careers.

Prestigious means "inspiring respect or admiration".

So is OP's question: Which careers do each of us most respect/admire? Or is the question, what do we think are the careers that get the most respect/admiration from the population at large? Two different questions.

[Anonymous]

Veterinarian

Pediatrician

Judge