Bingo, UCGal, agree completely. I’ve always felt that it wasn’t quite fair how well engineers (software engineers, at least) are paid in comparison to other professions, including teaching specifically.
Of course, I’m also a big ol’ hypocrite because I have yet to decline a salary increase, promotion, or send any of the money a teacher’s way (at least not directly).
Agree further that there are a significant number of engineers who deserve well less than their peers based on their contribution and skill level, but as you say, I think this is pretty much the case in every field. Heck, a number of engineers aren’t particularly suited to either engineering or teaching.
I find it interesting that some justify higher levels of compensation for engineering positions based on the level of stress and deadline pressure, but in my experience, the satisfaction of making various systems and devices do what they do far outweighs that. I do suppose, however, that I might be luckier than others, as I have no doubt that there are some awful employers out there with regard to ridiculous schedule demands (or even just simply boring work). In my opinion, the last thing an engineer deserves extra compensation for is the “stress” of the position. Maybe something for being able to juggle seven or so complex concepts in their head simultaneously, but not for the stress.
