A recent job posting at the City University of New York offered a position in teaching literature, rhetoric and composition. The instructor (not professor) had to publish and carry a full load of teaching, which includes grading papers and consulting with students after class. Candidates had to have a “doctorate from an accredited university” and “demonstrated excellence in teaching.”?The salary started at $35,031 

Another job posting offered a position that required a bit less education:?plumber. The qualified candidate had to know how to repair pipes and have five years of experience. 

The salary began at $77,483. 

There’s an old joke about the lawyer who had to call a plumber to fix a sink. When he saw the bill, he said, “That’s more than I charge.”?

“I know,”?the plumber says. “That’s what I said when I was a lawyer.”?

Unfortunately, in New York City in 2006, the joke isn’t so funny anymore. 

George Chevalier contributed research to this article.