Do some professions offer greater social status, and do some who enter them do so solely for that purpose?

Lucius "knew [his classmates] all had come to medicine for its promise of social mobility," but it was a step down from his own social class. Do you believe this is true today? Do some professions offer greater social status, and do some who enter them do so solely for that purpose?

Interestingly enough job prestige did not become a fully developed concept until 1947 when the National Opinion Research Center conducted a survey which held questions regarding age, education, and income in regard to the prestige of certain jobs. Prestige is the measurement of the desirability of an occupation in terms of socioeconomic rewards. So yes, some professions do offer greater social status and there will always be people who will enter professions solely for that purpose.

Absolutely. For example, a doctor or engineer would be looked on more highly than a garbage collector or, unfortunately, even a housewife or stay=at-home mother. The difference is money and power. One can witness in politics that a person may enter that realm with the intent to benefit others. As they gain more power and total allegiance to their party takes over, the focus changes for "doing for others" to "what can I gain from this" and "how do I stay in office?"

Obviously, yes to both parts of this question.

Absolutely. I’ve known people who became Investment bankers, attorneys, physicians, or politicians for that very reason.

I agree with the two answers directly above but I cannot believe a person would be happy if that is what they do.

Yes some professions have a higher ststus and people go into them for that reason, not sure how happy some are after they choose a "status" profession

Renem, thank you for sharing that interesting information on Prestige. Done in 1947, I believe that if the study was repeated today the results would be the same! I do believe that the professions of medicine and law still maintain a high status. Those associated with money and power, banking and politics for example, are still held in high regard. There are those that are attracted to those positions for the status that they confer. Fortunately there are some that are more altruistic

The answer to both questions is yes, of course, but I believe that those who are truly successful at any profession are the ones who bring to the position a true affinity for the skills required and a passion for the work. While Lucius does learn to perform amputations and other medical procedures from Margarete, he never seems to have the same confidence and mastery of skill that Margarete does.

Yes, some professions do offer greater power and prestige. However some professions carry status but do not provide as much power. An example of this might be a musician or an artist, who unless very famous would not make as much money or have as much power as a Dr. or engineer.

Absolutely some professions offer greater social status. I guess this is why some people from around the world rush off to tiny strip center "medical schools" in different countries to have the M.D. title rather than rushing to become a teacher, and it also seems to be part of the use of the "Dr." title rather than putting Phd. after one's name.

There is definitely social status in professions and even within professions themselves and corporate titles. While a doctor used to be considered almost a blue collar job (remember the butchery comments that the professor threw Lucius's way), it is now considered to be a higher social status probably due to the education required and the cost of getting a medical degree. Plumbers and electricians who make incredible amounts of money are considered less on the social strata than lawyers. Even in the retail profession someone who sells clothing is not considered as high socially as a bookseller, for example.

I remember before I became a professional person, I was a receptionist at a car dealership. Most of our friends had degrees and worked in professions that gave them status. I wasn't looked down on but certainly felt like a lesser person. It is the same today. We all react when we see initials following someone's name - they must be important because the are an MD, or a DO or a CPA. I do believe some people enter into fields that they believe will give them social status and while this may not be true, I think families still apply pressure on their children to enter a field that will give them status.

Some professions do offer a greater status and surely, people do enter them solely for that purpose. Hence, we have bad doctors, with very little or no empathy towards their patients, lawyers who can misrepresent their clients, etc...