The need to be recognized is a powerful one. People love an excellent appellation. Especially ones that display hierarchy and, in some cases, function; the more critical sounding the name, the better; however, a title alone is not a good indicator of the value that one can bring.
When I was looking for a job, one of the things that I realized was most important besides what you did, was the title you had. Skills are excellent, but your given name and professional designation precede any of your accomplishments. Before anyone hears about what you do, they listen to who you are. Depending on how important your moniker sounds, they will automatically be impressed—titles are used at times to boost one’s self-esteem and belittle others.
While titles and places of employment can display the level of importance, they can also dictate how little respect some are given. The thing I find crazy is that often, the people that get the most disrespect are some of the most vital in our community; for instance, take garbage personnel. Quite a few people would not hesitate to judge a sanitation employee as a less valuable societal asset. But if said employees were to go on strike and the city is plagued with garage walls (like what happened in New York years ago), everyone would see their actual value.
