Re: Modern Marvels

"Tom Sherman" <sunsetss0003@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
news:fufp8b$a0q$2@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Wilson wrote:
>>
>> "Victor Kan" <victor.kan@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
>>
news:5523c98f-b1b9-4a71-877e-9a893f3e32ed@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>> On Apr 17, 8:16 pm, Tom Sherman <sunsetss0...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>>> wrote:
>>>> The starting wage for a civil engineer with a graduate degree is a
>>>> larger US city is about $40/year, or less than a third of what a
doctor
>>>> or lawyer would make.
>>>
>>> http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos027.htm
>>>
>>> Kinda bizarre though--according to this page, Civil Engineers with a
>>> Bachelors have a higher average starting salary than those with a
>>> Masters degree.  Wow, Petroleum engineers too!
>>>
>>>
>>>
>> I don't know, but if I had to venture a guess I'd say civil engineers
who 
>> have hung around in college to get masters degrees and other advanced 
>> degrees probably don't have the reputation of being the "can do" types 
>> entering in the field.
>
> Actually, there is a shortage of civil engineers with graduate degrees. 
> However, the shortage results in more work for the same pay, not higher 
> wages. The level playing field imagined by the libertarian free market 
> advocates only exists in theory; in the real world the system is always 
> gamed to someones advantage.
>
>
 -- 

I'm not getting it.  If the shortage of civil engineers with graduate 
degrees isn't driving up their wages, but only resulting in a greater work

load for them, then I have to wonder if their numerical shortage isn't 
somewhat imagined in some quarters.  It appears the present work load is 
getting done with existing personnel. What am I missing?