Something that benefits someone helpless (think animals or homeless) or a society as a whole instead of enriching a handful of one per centers? 
5 Likes
The concept is recognized in economics as “imputed income”.
Some jobs offer enough emotional/psychological benefits or status that contribute greatly to the overall compensation of the employee.
Charity is a voluntary affair. Everyone is free to indulge in this. Best done anonymously. And people market some charities or some activities as being more deserving than others because they want to manipulate public perception of the nobleness of those activities.
Incidentally if everyone wanted said activity funded, it will be funded publicly. If it is not funded publicly, it means there is no consensus on the nobleness of that activity that it deserves everyone’s money.
3 Likes
The thing is that non-profits must constantly fundraise, relying on others to fund their mission…often higher income people and/or corporate entities.
Some might choose to work for 20 years (or whatever) at a more fair or even high wage, then move into a job with ‘higher purpose’. That seems like a reasonable solution for some.
Some people wish to find purpose in their work or lives besides the acquisition of money. Some value their contributions to society, assistance to the less fortunate, time with family-not all have the same goals for jobs. There are also high paying jobs which many find morally repugnant and are unwilling to accept ( working for big tobacco, defending mob bosses, etc).
7 Likes
That is true, but I’m not talking about non-profits only. Think teachers, academic researchers, musicians… and so on.
4 Likes
I understand, although people can certainly go to teaching later in life (we know there’s plenty of openings right now, and many states making the path to credentialing easier for career changers).
Definitely not so much an opportunity to go into academic research later!
Not sure I see musicians as a job with a higher purpose, but I respect that some might think differently.
1 Like
Yes, the general public through local governments does not want to fund much social work. Instead, it wants to fund police to deal with neglected social work problems that have gotten worse (homelessness, addiction, domestic disputes, …), even though police are not necessarily equipped to solve those problems (versus temporarily moving them out of view of the general public).
9 Likes
Your diagnosis is perhaps fair. And if you step back it is in part due to the jobs we’ve given up through trade with China etc. Those are policy decisions. Incidentally Clinton’s call at the start.
Whatever the reasons are, if that’s what the public is willing, then that is what it is.
I’ll posit that the average voter has no idea how much of their local police force’s time is taken up with domestic violence, dealing with agitated people who have stopped taking their medication (and sometimes because they couldn’t afford to renew their prescription), etc. I’m not prepared to say that an educated populace has decided that the police are best suited to deal with social work type situations… it’s default. The average person doesn’t think about it.
The public is willing to do a lot of things… that doesn’t make it right. OK for unbalanced/angry former psych patients to be able to order online a device that turns their handgun into an automatic weapon? OK for a teenager to purchase ADD meds which are contaminated with fentanyl and which could kill them?
The “public” is unwilling for sensible regulations in these arenas. I’m not prepared to stay “it is what it is”. We once condoned buying and selling other human beings. It wasn’t right then, and it’s not right now- but at least now, it’s illegal in all 50 states.
12 Likes
Perhaps a less controversial example. Meals on Wheels delivers dinner to the elderly poor who are house-bound. It receives some federal funding, in some places some state funding, but everywhere relies upon contributions in order to make up the gap between need and funding. I know of no one who opposes such funding, yet I do not doubt the Meals directors who say there is substantial unmet need. Public funding is not always adequate even for noble things we all support, hence the need for nonprofits
8 Likes
Part of the problem in all these things is that the govt got in the habit of making promises that are not fully funded beyond the first few years hoping that the next govt will be forced to fund these new initiatives because the public got used to these services. If everyone is forced to acknowledge the full cost of any new initiative, and what it means for their individual taxes, as a line item, we will know the true support among the public for any of these things. I am sure every initiative feels justified. Because we are all well meaning people.
del
I think all medical professionals have job with higher purpose and it puzzles me that some MDs and commercial pilots get paid less then software engineers
3 Likes
Once again- there is a labor market. People are not paid on the basis of how much we respect what they do for a living. It’s a market.
1 Like
When your first priority is impact on others not income or career advancement for yourself.
For example, non profit, education, federal government etc.
True but lots of people go in there for money or prestige.
Lots of people do seek career advancement while working in education, other non-profit, or government jobs.
For-profit businesses can also have significant impact on others. For example, suppose you develop a vaccine that greatly reduces the risk of a potentially deadly virus.
Impact on others can be positive or negative for different people. For example, government laws and enforcement against illegal discrimination in employment are a positive for those who are commonly discriminated against in those ways, but a negative for those who prefer to apply such illegal discrimination. (And what kinds of discrimination should be illegal can be a hotly disputed political matter.)
Not all jobs with a higher purpose are going to be federally funded. Doctors Without Borders comes to mind as a prime example. I really admire those who choose to work for them and it’s one of our “regulars” for charitable giving.
4 Likes