Underpaid careers - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

jar_e · 01-29-2007, 05:12 AM

Since it's 503 am on a Monday morning and I've worked all night, I thought I would make this topic and see where it gets to by the time I wake up at noon!

I'm curious on what people see as underpaid jobs/careers. At my current workplace, they're in the middle of negotiating a new contract which always brings up the infamous question on how much somebody should get paid (or not get paid) for doing their job. If your not aware, I do work in the emergency services field so I'm sure this will be a tad biased, but if any of you are aware of how little street crews (medics, cops, firefighters) are paid, I'm sure you'll be able to relate.

So, that brings the question...what jobs do you think are underpaid? Which jobs are overpaid? I'm sure everyone here feels they're underpaid in some sort of fashion, but what justifies a pay increase?

I'm curious...and...it's 5 am

jam26 · 01-29-2007, 05:23 AM

Cops are definitely underpaid. Also, most people who work at the major banks are grossly underpaid as well. My g/f is a personal banking officer who brings in millions of dollars in mortgages and loans and gets paid very little to do so. A lot of bank jobs are like that.

Frank the Tank · 01-29-2007, 07:14 AM

I'll have to agree with bank employees as well, seeing as my wife works for one of the big ones. She is getting fairly high up and gets paid jack to handle multiple millionn dollar accounts. I make more than her, and I design beer cartons.

Overpaid. Pro athlete. All of them.

Also, I think that most doctors are underpaid. For what they do, the education required to get there and the pressures put on them, its insane.

MJK · 01-29-2007, 07:24 AM

Teachers are underpaid IMO considering the amount of work they have to do on their spare time. The work involved outside of school is unreal.

Frank the Tank · 01-29-2007, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJK

Teachers are underpaid IMO considering the amount of work they have to do on their spare time. The work involved outside of school is unreal.

12 weeks off a year and one of the sweetest pension plans on god's green earth? Plus they get to go on strike every four years. Bunch of damn slackers if you ask me! (My brother is a teacher by the way

)

MJK · 01-29-2007, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frank the Tank

12 weeks off a year and one of the sweetest pension plans on god's green earth? Plus they get to go on strike every four years. Bunch of damn slackers if you ask me! (My brother is a teacher by the way

)

Well the pension plan sucks here and those weeks off are needed after teaching 8-3 each day, going home and correcting crap all night long. makes for some long days and it is only one of a handful of jobs where you have to take work home with you on a constant basis.

Looger · 01-29-2007, 07:55 AM

SOME engineers.

i know electrical engineers that are expected to work 60-70 hours a week and get paid for 40.

more than one i know has looked seriously at career change, due to the stress and low pay.

TimSJ · 01-29-2007, 08:00 AM

I may be biased but i would say that car salesmen are underpaid. Most of us don't get a salary at all.. I don't sell anything this week i don't get paid but i still have to be working 10-12 hours a day.

besides people hate us..

transplant99 · 01-29-2007, 08:02 AM

For sure EMT's are underpaid...such a vital job and so thankless as well as non-rewarding monetarily.

Log · 01-29-2007, 08:18 AM

I would say a Vet. They go to school as long as a doctor does, Vet school is probably harder to get into than Med school, yet they make a fraction of what a doctor does. The only way a Vet cashes in is if they own their own clinic.

redforever · 01-29-2007, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frank the Tank

12 weeks off a year and one of the sweetest pension plans on god's green earth? Plus they get to go on strike every four years. Bunch of damn slackers if you ask me! (My brother is a teacher by the way

)

First of all, get your facts straight. Teachers might have this much time away from the place that they work, BUT, they are not paid for the summer months that they are off.

Christmas and Easter holidays are covered by their contract, the summer months of July and August are not. And now adays, many businesses, outside of retail etc, have almost as much time off over Christmas and Easter as teachers do.

Teachers do however have their remuneration averaged and paid over 12 months, but they are not actually paid for those 2 months. In other words, their 10 month salary is divided by 12 months so that they receive a balanced income over the year.

redforever · 01-29-2007, 08:28 AM

How about nurses? Surprised no one has mentioned them.

MacDougalbry · 01-29-2007, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redforever

First of all, get your facts straight. Teachers might have this much time away from the place that they work, BUT, they are not paid for the summer months that they are off.

Christmas and Easter holidays are covered by their contract, the summer months of July and August are not. And now adays, many businesses, outside of retail etc, have almost as much time off over Christmas and Easter as teachers do.

Teachers do however have their remuneration averaged and paid over 12 months, but they are not actually paid for those 2 months. In other words, their 10 month salary is divided by 12 months so that they receive a balanced income over the year.

Yes, but if we are comparing annual salary to annual salary, it is irrelevant whether there are paycheques in the summer or not.

TheyCallMeBruce · 01-29-2007, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redforever

How about nurses? Surprised no one has mentioned them.

are they underpaid? I have 3 friends who are nurses, and they don't seem underpaid to me.

They do work a ton of hours, but them seem to be making a lot.

metallicat · 01-29-2007, 08:42 AM

Military. Just based on what I think I know, I feel many starting positions in the military should be getting paid more money.

Obviously police, fire, and EMT as well. Police careers can pay quite well, but that's only after you either put many years behind you, or if you work 24/7 with a ton of optional OT. In a career so desperate for people right now, I think a patrol officer starting his career should be looking at 60,000+ his first year, before OT and court time.

MacDougalbry · 01-29-2007, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redforever

How about nurses? Surprised no one has mentioned them.

The pay isn't bad, it's the working conditions that suck. My wife works this complicated 13 week schedule that is impossible to keep track of. I'm never sure if she is working tomorrow or not. She works every second weekend and some 3-11PM shifts as well. We have small kids, so this sort of schedule is hard on family life. She works a "0.7" position, which is 70% of a full time shift, but not by choice... It is hard to get a full time shift, mostly the Health Region creates these stupid part time positions and then tries to manage the workload by calling people at 6AM for extra shifts (which they don't have to pay overtime because you aren't working full time to begin with).

On the plus side, most patients are quite appreciative of the Nurse's work...

metallicat · 01-29-2007, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fotze

Do you mean that is what they get or what you think they should get? Its not clear.

I think they should start at 60,000 before court and OT. What they do start at is closer to 40,000. Calgary being a bit higher than Edmonton.

Burninator · 01-29-2007, 09:00 AM

I am also going to go with teachers. My mom is a teacher so I see the extra time put in that most people do not. Kids are only in class from 8-3 or close to, but teachers are there before and after that. They have to go in on their days off to get ready for their kids at the end of the major breaks. Parent teacher interviews are another long day, etc. I recall a conversation my mom had with a parent. They were talking about days off and the parent said "Well atleast you got the PD day on friday off." My mom says, "A PD day is a professional develpment day, we don't have the day off." People think teachers have more time off than they really do. Plus they are the ones educating our future, you would think that'd be important.

Sylvanfan · 01-29-2007, 09:02 AM

Well most people think they're underpaid for the job they do. They can usually spin it really nicely to really make it stand out. From my experience it's people with full university degree's who seem to be most inclined to feel they're underpaid. Went to school for 4-7 years and often don't make much more than people who went to school for 1 or 2. Than you have people who went for 1 or 2 but work in dangerous or really crappy working conditions who'll argue that they don't get to work indoors and for set hours.

Bertuzzied · 01-29-2007, 09:04 AM

CFL football players. Some of them are playing pro ball for $40k to $50k a year. That is crazy. Iginla makes more more than the Stampeders combined. Even Tanguay makes more than the whole team.

After working for 3 different banks, people in the branches are definately underpaid. I worked at TD Waterhouse for 2 years and was making more than people working at the branches who were there over 15 -20 years.

Not to mention working in a bank is about the worst job in the world. I would rather wash dishes before I ever did that again.