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I resent that remark. My doctorate of veterinary medicine allows me to earn the high salary of $56k a year with little or no chance of a higher salary unless I choose to work more than the 75 hours a week I already do or move to an area where the average income is greater than the $23K average per capita here. I used my D.V.M. to teach at a JUCO a couple of semesters ago and earn some extra cash and also allows me to add insight and intelligence to discussions on FR.

please don't... a Vet is still a DR. and CAN'T be one without the degree. i was talking about doctorates in English, Lit. etc. where the degree isn't required for the most part and even when they have one it doesn't mean that much more in salary.

plus the ego of these people is unreal, demanding they be called DOCTOR BlahBlah simple because of a piece of paper.

This is actually a complex issue, and if you aren't familiar with the workings of a DI research institution, it might take some info to understand.

First of all, there's a difference between a "PhD" and the professional doctorate, or what's more commonly known as an M.D. (your doctor), D.V.M. (your vet), D.D.S. (your dentist), etc.

A PhD is primarily a research degree, meaning that the holder has not only "mastered" the content of their discipline, but is also trained in the skills required to research and acquire new knowledge. It requires a lot of content in the areas of research methods and statistics.

Some professions have difficulty attracting new faculty because the people who have the talent and/or the degree in hand can make LOTS more money in their respective industries than they can possibly make in academia. I am an example of this issue. I am an R.N. with a PhD in Nursing Administration, making me as rare as hen's teeth, but horribly underpaid in my university position compared to what I could make in a hospital setting.

I do research and teaching related to health care informatics and patient outcomes, but I could make approximately double what I do now if I was employed in a management position in a hospital setting.

LOL! My cousin is a vet. He’s over 50 now so he had to give up his large animal practice and start over with pets. He’s had as much education as any HMO-type MD and his patients frequently bite, give birth abruptly, or eat metal.

He thought about teaching but shelved the idea after exploring it. Too PC for him.