Personally, I will not tolerate disrespect no matter what my level of education is. Nor would I disrespect others under any circumstance. However, the more education I have, the less disrespect I will tolerate.
So at age 13, I was so excited to work that I did not really evaluate how I was being treated. I was treated as a laborer, nothing less or more. As I got older and more experienced, I expected wages to match my capabilities and definitely was aware when I was disrespected.
In time, I realized that no matter how much experience I had, I was still treated as a nobody because I did not have the education. That is when I realized that higher education made a difference in how others viewed and ultimately, treated me. This led me to return to school to pursue a bachelor's degree.
At my current place of employment, I am very much aware of the difference, not only in pay, but in the level of respect given to those with advanced degrees. I believe they are treated like royalty, while others, blue collar employees (like myself) are treated like peasants. For example, the engineers at my job will not even consider the input of the HVAC technician when planning a project. They appear to have the notion that our input is insignificant to the planning of any project. However, when failure occurs after the project is complete, we are very much consulted and viewed as important.
Unfortunately, society views educational level as very important in determining pay and respect. Realistically, I believe that educational level should be a major determining factor in salary compensation, but not respect. Respect is something that should be given to all employees across the board, whether you sweep the building or manage the building.
