Aside from every job you’ve ever worked, what’s a profession that deserves better pay? It’s an interesting question, as pay isn’t always commensurate with an employee’s specific duties or their level of education or training.
We want to know your thoughts, but first, check out the r/AskReddit thread, ” What job deserves to have higher pay? ” for some interesting food for thought.
Paramedic
“Paramedics even go to school for a year and most make less than $20 in PA at least… With the amount of critical thinking and life saving skills they need it is more than deserved.”
Public accountant
“Working 65-80 hours during busy season and not even getting paid for working overtime. That’s why there is a huge turnover in public accounting.”
Delivery driver
“They have higher probabilities of having an accident (obvious reasons) but also of going to a dangerous place without previous acknowledgment.”
Dishwasher
“Its a behind-the-scenes occupation that is very underpaid. No special skill is required to become a dishwasher but clean and sanitary dishes are must for any food service business. Considering that the safety of the public is at stake, dishwashers have a huge responsibility and hence deserve more pay.”
Long haul truck driver
“If you look at rates of pay in the 1980s vs inflation, wages basically haven’t risen. Live in a truck 24/7, about 50 sq ft. Go to a distribution center, told you can’t use their bathroom even though you sit there for 9 hours waiting for them to unload 2 pallets of string cheese or whatever.”
Janitor
“They work so hard and clean up nasty [stuff] all the time. It takes a wicked toll on your body and often you’ll see older people who are struggling to make ends meet working it which means it hurts even more on them and they suck it up and do their work for a very low wage.”
Zookeeper
“Not to mention the zookeepers where I work are some of the nicest people I’ve met. They do so much to keep all the animals healthy and happy, despite all the complications that come with that.”
Scientist
“No one is saying it, probably because they associate them with money. The scientists themselves don’t get much money except in the highest positions. Everything below a PI pays [pennies] for what you put in.”
Vet tech
“I have a BS in Biology, been a tech for 5 years. I just broke over $20/hr this year. ‘Full time’ at my clinic is 36 hours and we’re discouraged from overtime. I’m full time there and recently started working part time at an emergency vet in the area to make ends meet. It’s insane that we make so little.”
College intern
“People freak out about the unpaid part. It’s worse than that. Colleges charge the student tuition prices for the academic hours they earn. They literally have to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for the opportunity to be a slave.”
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Retail worker
“I work retail. I completely agree with this. Most customers I deal with are nice, but boy there are times where I wish I was working elsewhere because of some of the customers we deal with.”
Farmer
“The agriculture sector is a strange one. On one hand no sector has more millionaires than that sector, and on the other hand you have farmers doing 16h/7day workweeks and not even break even.”
– u/aenae
911 dispatcher
“Must multitask, and the job involves listening to very stressful and emotional situations, while maintaining calm, but not able to help directly. Dispatchers are unsung heroes.”
School bus driver”
“We need to add school bus drivers to the list! We have a CDL and take care of kids, as many as 70+ on a route. Because we typically don’t work 40hrs/wk, we don’t get benefits.”
Line cook
“Especially in high end restaurants, generally a couple bucks above min wage (at best) and grueling labor while servers are walking away with $800+ a night. Source: worked as a cook in high end kitchens, many hire undocumented workers for the simple fact that they generally don’t ask for more.”
– u/qmzx
Social worker
“I don’t know how we’re supposed to help homeless people when the people assigned to help them make less than a person working sales at Nordstrom.”
Aircraft mechanic
“With all the responsibilities each mechanic has to carry, the pay is a joke. It’s truly a thankless job and depending on where you work the company will test how much you’re willing to bend the rules to make schedule.”
Physical labor
“Commercial roofer here. As a journeyman, my wage is not bad, but all my colleagues should be compensated for their bodily sacrifice. Why pay someone less money for a job no one wants to do and has a shorter span because of the demanding nature of it? You’d think you’d want to pay people more and keep them.”
Personal caregiver
“I did a brief stint as a CNA in a nursing home. 12 patients who all need baths, help dressed, taken to activities, taken for lunch, multiple [diapers] changed a day, and God forbid you needed extra towels because one of your patients had a blowout…”
Teacher
“The people that are caring for and educating our KIDS! Okay they don’t raise them but they play such a big role in their lives. Everyone remembers that one good teacher that cared a little more or taught you a life lesson or believed in and supported you… As parents, we are trusting these people with our kids lives.. AND their education.. It bothers me so so much that these jobs are undervalued.”
