A Philosophical Look At The True Value Of A Job

While talking to my father yesterday, I was inspired to write about how in modern society we are paid solely for the amount of experience and education we have when we should be paid according to our contribution to society itself.

My father brought up a good point when he said that despite my talents, creativity, and experience, nobody has ever given me a chance to shine at any job I have ever had.

Take for example, if you were a world-renowned doctor.  Although doctors are paid well in the United States, in other countries, they are not.  However, without doctors, we would have overwhelming illness and few cures for disease, also if we were to get injured, we would have nobody to turn to with the know-how of medicine to get us back on our feet.

Another group of people who are way underpaid in the United States are those who work for public safety.  Police officers, firefighters, paramedics, etc. are notoriously underpaid for the round-the-clock selfless duties they fulfill day after day.  Without their service, our society would be a loose cannon, where crime would get out of control, a small fire could lead to entire cities burning to the ground, and those who are sick or injured might not make it to the hospital on time, if at all.

The point I am trying to make is that as a society, we should get paid according to the impact our jobs have on society as a whole.  Higher paying jobs would be those that if they didn’t exist, society would begin to crumble.  Lower paying jobs would be those that if they didn’t exist, there would be no profound effect on society.