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Jason English
How Much They Would Make If They Weren’t Make Believe
by Jason English - June 6, 2007 - 7:00 AM

lynette.jpgEver wonder how much today’s most popular TV characters make? Regardless, Kate Lorenz of CareerBuilder.com did the math. Dunder Miflin receptionist Pam Beesley pulls in roughly $23,000. Dr. Meredith Grey earns just $37,000/year as a resident. (Seriously? Do we have a doctor in the house who can confirm this?)

Most intriguing to me was Desperate Housewife/advertising executive Lynette Scavo. She’s listed at $50,000/year. I work in advertising, and this does not fit my perception of what senior-level account people make. Where is Wisteria Lane, anyway? Because I know better than to ask to see a colleague’s paycheck, I turned to Google for an answer. According to Stanley Bing – an authority on the subject – the salary for an advertising executive can reach well into the six-figure range, and is one of the Top 50 Bulls**t Jobs. His list includes agent, barista and closet organizer. So suck on that Ari Gold, Rachel from Friends and The Virgin from Seinfeld.

Also on the list: blogger. Hard to argue.

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Comments (9)

  1. genius… I’m hoping we get a second opinion on that resident figure in the comments.

    posted by Mangesh on 6-6-2007 at 7:13 am

  2. My wife was a pediatric resident in So. Cal. and made $31,500 as an intern.

    posted by Chet on 6-6-2007 at 7:36 am

  3. I’m going to be starting as an intern this month in Seattle, and my paycheck is going to be around $42,000. But at some schools you really do make $37,000. It depends on the school.

    posted by Avanti on 6-6-2007 at 7:38 am

  4. So we don’t discourage any potential future doctors, how much will you guys be making five years from now?

    posted by Jason on 6-6-2007 at 7:54 am

  5. In five years, coming out of fellowship as a Child Psychiatrist, I would say I would make in the upper $100’s to $200,000 in my first year. Other specialties would make even more, but they may have to do a longer residency. For exampl, plastic surgery takes 6 to 8 years of residency, but they make bank once they’re finished.

    posted by Avanti on 6-6-2007 at 8:10 am

  6. As a general Pediatrician in the southeast (where we are now), my wife makes ~$125k.

    posted by Chet on 6-6-2007 at 10:44 am

  7. Residency is closer to being a student than having an actual job. I think the way it works is that hospitals pay their residents with money they get from the government for having the residency programs. Thus, residency is relatively low paying. After residency, when you can get real job, however…

    posted by andy on 6-6-2007 at 2:24 pm

  8. Man, as a teacher intern I earned a whopping $0! (AND I had to pay for college that year- it’s considered a full course load at most schools) We had the equivalent of a full time job, but no pay! And then I had to get my fingerprints sent to the FBI to get certified.(seriously)And in my first year of teaching (in one of the highest paying districts in my state) I made $33,000. Good thing I didn’t go into teaching for the money… Yeah, I feel NO sympathy for the interns that make $40,000 a year.

    posted by greenstrawberries on 6-6-2007 at 6:35 pm

  9. Pam Beesley makes WHAT as a receptionist??? Are you kidding? I am so moving to Scranton. I’m a receptionist and I could never ask for that. (Not that being a receptionist would be worth moving anywhere. It’s horrible. I feel like a piece of office eqipment.)

    posted by Allison on 6-10-2007 at 9:40 pm

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