Reflection Paper: Different Occupations

Reflection Paper: Different Occupations

Introduction

The roles different occupation play in the development and betterment of society has remain a topic of debate for last few decades. The post-war studies are dominated by the approach that professionalism and professions were depended upon structural-functionalism. It means that certain occupations were looked upon as honored servants for public needs who provide their service determining the responsibility towards society. But with time, prestige of occupations has been linked with the influence and power they have on society in monetary terms. This paper discusses two types of occupations that are prestigious in terms of salaries and influence and others that are important for communities but not payed well enough.

Discussion

Prestigious occupation based on Salary/Power/Influence

The key ingredient of making an occupation powerful or influence is the capital - both in social and financial terms - earned against the work. Social capital is the combination of popularity, credibility and respect; for example the popularity a professional enjoys being a successful relationship manager and the respect other may have for their expertise and opinions. On the other hand, financial capital includes how enough a professional is paid to not only fulfill his basic necessities but also save and spend. There are many occupations around the world that are considered to be prestigious based on the influence they have or the higher salaries they pay. The top five among them are (Torpey, 2012):

Dentists and Orthodontists - $204,670 per year

Petroleum engineers: $138,980 per year

Architectural and engineering managers: $129,350 per year

Financial managers: $120,450

Lawyers - $112,760 per year 

Airline pilots, copilots and flight engineers: $118,070

There are certain occupations dominated by men and the research shows that it is due to the fact that such occupations need skills and characteristics that are traditionally attributed to men rather than women. On the ...