The question of which job position is considered 100% overvalued and overpaid has been a topic of much debate and discussion in recent years. With many opinions and perspectives, it’s essential to consider various factors when addressing this issue. Some argue that specific executive roles in large corporations fall into this category due to excessively high salaries. In contrast, others point to particular professions, such as certain professional athletes or entertainers, where compensation appears disproportionate to the value they bring. In this exploration, we’ll delve into the complexities of this question, examining different viewpoints and the underlying factors contributing to perceptions of overvaluation and overpayment in various job positions.
Gillette Engineers
One person on the popular thread noted, “Gillette’ engineers’ – they took 5 years to go from 3 blades to 4.” At the same time, another got in on the joke, saying, “And they got the idea from reading The Onion.”
This was another razor story, with someone sharing, “I knew a guy who was an engineer for a razor company (Schick, I think), focused on both the blades and the hydration strip, which they mostly market for. When they first released the product, it was perfect and sold well, but it lasted too long, and they didn’t make enough money on repeat sales. His job was to re-engineer the hydration strip to make it wear out faster so people would have to replace blades faster.” The world of razor engineering can have its humorous quirks.
Member of the International Olympic Committee
One user added, “Member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). They’ve had a lengthy history of excessive demands ($4 million US spent on ‘entertainment’ in Nagano, traffic lanes dedicated to IOC members during the games, etc………..). They make very few decisions, all of which are politically motivated. They travel extensively and are paid well for it.”
While another chimed in with their grievance, saying, “My personal gripe (apart from all the corruption) is how staunchly the IOC denies the rest of humanity the use of the word Olympic in regards to any game or competition. I don’t have an issue with companies protecting a trademark they invented. I get why Lego doesn’t want other people calling plastic blocks Lego. But the Olympics as a word and concept existed long before the IOC was around. They just decided one day that they had exclusive rights to it, and for some reason, the people responsible agreed.”
IT Directors
One user added, “So many IT directors are not techs by any stretch, but just management that filled the void. They end up hiring MSPs to do the work. They balance the budget and approve requests for permissions or product purchases.”
While another added a humorous twist, saying, “Actually, my IT director.. he’s never around, automates his email, and he has his own company.”
US Government Contractor
“Generally, US government contractor positions require high-security clearances. Entry-level pay isn’t that high, but other contractors will offer bigger bucks once you’re cleared because you can get cleared with them quickly. Jump from one to another, wait two years, do it again, lather, rinse, repeat,” explains one forum user.
While another shares their personal story, saying, “I have a very close friend that falls into this category. He sits at a desk overlooking a beautiful lake and, once a month, drives 60 miles to inspect a dam visually. Like just drive to it and look at it. He always jokes, ‘If you want to see your tax dollars wasted, come visit me at work.’ His previous job…road construction.”
Upper-Level Admins
“About two-thirds of the upper-level admins at the university I work for,” said one user.
While another adds, “I am the payroll person at a state university, and I completely agree. The people in upper management aren’t even in union-protected jobs who, in theory, should be the first ones gone when we need to settle our budget problems. Instead, they were the only ones who got raises during COVID.” Concerns about budget allocation and salary disparities in universities are shared by many employees.
Babysitters
An online user shares an amusing story: “One night, I babysat three kids for about 2 hours. When I got there, the kids went to bed, and the parents had left dinner out for me, so all I did was eat their food, watch their TV, and pet their dogs. When they got home, the mom paid me $100. I told her that was way too much. She slurred, ‘Don’t worry about it, I’m drunk.’ And then I noticed her fly was down. So that was the most overpaid job ever, lol.”
While another commenter added, “One of the smartest moves you can make as a parent is to treat those who care for your children incredibly well. I always overpay my sitters; they’re worth every penny with the peace of mind they give me.” It’s always good to appreciate those who care for your children; sometimes, it leads to unexpected moments of generosity.
Hospital CEOs
A commenter shared their perspective: “Hospital CEOs… and almost all hospital upper management. There are so many layers of management that many barely step foot into a healthcare facility, let alone speak to a patient. Yet, they all make 6, 7, 8-figure salaries plus mega bonuses. My hospital network CEO makes an $11 million salary, not including bonuses, which bothers me. Still, it bothers me even more are all the board members directly under him making nearly as much. Hundreds of millions of wasted money paid to the people trying to screw staff out of good pay and screwing patients into paying big bills.”
Another commenter added their experience, stating, “I also work for a healthcare organization, and our CEO also makes $11M annually; one of many, as you said. In December, we had a meeting about the financial results, and leadership discussed how the healthcare industry is in trouble and how our salaries and wages are our biggest problem. This devolved into a tangent of essentially ‘nobody wants to work,’ and we can’t keep nurses on staff (I wonder why?). Therefore, we are relying on costly temp help, and it’s killing us. Listening to some C-suite finance skinsuit who makes a 7-figure salary (edit to add: this was not the CEO, I’m aware $11M is 8 figures) explain to us that Greedy Nurses Are Totally The Problem, and we’ll have to ‘look hard’ at our expenses this year (AKA probably more layoffs) was a sickening experience I just haven’t been able to shake.”
Overnight Shelter Staff
One platform user shares their story, saying, “My last job in college, before starting my career. I was an overnight shelter staff for transitional housing. Since these clients were basically back up on their feet by the time they arrived, they were pretty self-sufficient. I was paid about 25% higher than other night-shift jobs I could get at the time, and on most nights, all I had to do was make one pot of coffee. The rest of the time, I could watch TV, play video games, do personal chores, etc… The one job that I knew was better was their overnight sleeper since we had to have two staff at all times. As implied, this dude made a well-above minimum wage rate to just sleep there on the weekends.”
Life Coaches
“This girl I know became a life coach and charges $300-500 per person for a 4-hour ‘seminar’ that a friend of mine used to help her set up for. A friend said all it was was 4 hours of her saying these people are great and doing yoga and breathing exercises. And she had repeat customers and often 4-8 people per class. $2400 per weekend to tell people they are awesome and do a few yoga stretches. Wild!” explains a contributor.
In-House Legal
A contributor shares their work experience, saying, “In-House Legal for a corporation. I basically browsed the internet most of the day in my office, maybe reviewed one or two standardized contracts, and occasionally sat in during a firing. I made $80k a year plus benefits. To clarify, I am a paralegal, not an attorney, and the work was limited to contracts and entity formation.” Some corporate roles can offer a comfortable salary for relatively limited responsibilities.
DevOps Engineers
An online user said, “Mine. I am a DevOps engineer at a fintech startup. I write server configurations for $125K/yr, and I work about 10 – 20 hours a week remotely. I keep thinking they’ve figured out how easy my job is and decided to fire me, and then instead, they tell me I’m doing a great job and promote me. I smoked the good stuff all through college and got a degree in philosophy, and did not go to grad school.”
Senior Expert on Blockchain
A forum member explained their seemingly lazy job, saying, “I work in fintech, and I literally do nothing during 9-5. I wake up in the morning, start my computer, check emails and morning meetings, then play video games, go to the gym, invite friends over, or go out for brunch, and at the end of the day, message everyone a good afternoon. I’m absurdly overpaid as well, and I highly recommend the career. It’s like I have a job, but I don’t, but I do.”
They continue, “I am a Senior Expert on Blockchain and contracts between FANG companies every year, mostly Google and Amazon. The hardest part is the schooling, but afterward, the actual work is quite easy. It’s a pretty surreal career, and I understand how privileged it is to have a stress-free job. I’ve seen how badly an unhealthy work-life balance can impact a person’s mental health because of my parents, which is why I got into IT.”
Pharmaceutical Sales
One person explained, “I’m a small-scale clinician who deals with medical sales reps 5 days/week who are the [apparently] sweetest, bubbliest, most seemingly accommodating people on earth— if you buy their thing. Since your patients need theirs, they’re usually not even medically qualified to make those determinations. They can’t answer medical questions relevant to their products. Every rep we deal with can be googled and earns >3x the combined salary of my office staff comprising 4 people.” The interactions with medical sales reps can sometimes raise questions about qualifications and compensation disparities in the healthcare industry.
Realtors
One person explained, “Realtor. While I believe they can provide value in some situations, technology has put a lot of the work into the buyer’s hands. You find places you like, send them to a realtor, they walk you through and point out which rooms are bathrooms, print out a mountain of paper for you to sign, and … BOOOM, $50,000 commission.”
Cat
Finally, one user said what everyone else was thinking, “Being a cat. Free rent. Free food. Sleep all day. Automatically dominate anyone around you. Just go outside and kill things for fun. Never wear pants. You can lick your own behind in public and not get arrested. And everyone adores you anyway.” Living life like a cat does sound pretty carefree and enjoyable.
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