January 2004

You Are What You Do

People are defined by job descriptions and salaries nearly as much as by their names

What do you do? That’s the first question people ask when they meet someone new. Job descriptions encode all kinds of information about us: our education, our perceived values and, perhaps most notably, our salaries. Second only to our names, our occupations identify us.

With the proliferation of new job titles, these social codes are becoming harder and harder to decipher. Classically high-paying jobs like neurosurgeon, rocket scientist and corporate lawyer still elicit a nod of deference in conversation. But what does a systems administrator do? What does an industrial machinery repairer bring home?

To say that people are only worth what they earn is certainly shallow, but it would be naive to say that money counts for nothing in our society. In fact, salaries reveal a lot about societal values and trends. With a dominant pop culture that values youth, beauty and health, it is not surprising to learn that a manicurist earns more money than a home healthcare provider. As universities across the country adopt corporate models of administration, adjunct professors are earning less than $10,712, for teaching ten classes a yearÑthat’s less than minimum wage.

For the rest of this story, you can order the January 2004 issue of Hampton Roads Monthly magazine.