Someone Asks "What Job Position Is 100% Overvalued And Overpaid?" And 35 People Don't Hold Back

Artist Aaron's thread went viral and it’s no wonder why. Topics about work, money, and justice are very popular. And there’s nothing quite like the injustice of being underpaid and exhausted and seeing someone putting in barely any effort and making bank to make you seriously mad at the world. The redditor found a topic that was bound to get others' attention.

The fact of the matter is that life isn’t fair. Some job positions will inevitably be overpaid while others will be underpaid. The best that society can do is reduce that gap as much as possible. We’ve written before on Bored Panda how society doesn’t necessarily value the people who contribute the most to everyone. Educators and social workers are vital to the health of our society, and yet, they’re often not who get prioritized. At least, not financially.

The people who get paid the most tend to be those who generate the most profits. That’s why you see so many CEOs with morbidly obese paychecks. It’s a symptom of society valuing profits (ironically) more than tangible value.

Financial traders and software engineers get paid more than construction workers, artists, and farmers. They all bring something to the table, but the former work with something ephemeral while the latter work in ‘the real world.’

However, at the same time, some objectively valuable professions are rewarded very generously. For instance, in the United States, some of the best-paying jobs include anesthesiologists, oral and maxillofacial surgeons, obstetricians and gynecologists, surgeons, orthodontists, physicians, and psychiatrists.

These positions all earn a median salary of $208k, according to US News. Next in line are nurse anesthetists ($195.6k median wage), pediatricians ($170.5k), and pilots ($134.6k). In short, what humankind really does value are all types of medical and mental health professionals, as well as pilots.

If you feel undervalued and underpaid, you have three choices. First of all, you can (and should!) talk to your boss about a raise. Explain to them how much value you bring to the company and back it up with evidence. Have a couple of reviews like that every year to remind management that you’re an essential cog in their machine. Nobody else will fight for a better wage for you, so it really comes down to your own actions.

Your second option is quitting… or rather, looking for another job while you’re still employed and negotiating a severance package at your old one. Many workers have power fantasies about how epically they’ll quit while burning every bridge and slamming every door, but you have to take the time to figure out what’s in it for you. Maybe being a bit more patient and tactical can put you in a better financial position down the line. Of course, that doesn’t mean that you should tolerate exhaustion, bullying, and unpaid overtime. Just be strategic about how you handle it.

Your third option is to work for yourself. Not everyone is built to be an entrepreneur (heck, not everyone wants the stress), but for some people, it is incredibly liberating to start their own business. Focus on a side hustle or two while still keeping your day job and see where things go from there. It’s likely that you’ll need to put in a lot more time and energy into turning your projects into full-time gigs than you thought. So be patient and keep at it.