16 Prestigious Jobs With Surprisingly Low Pay

In fact, some of the most highly respected professions out there - ones that take years of schooling and help create essential medical products, towering skyscrapers, and academic breakthroughs - don't pay nearly as much as you might imagine.

That's especially true when you realize that computer engineers headed to the Bay Area can earn six figures right out of college, and that surgeons earn an average of $358,000.

Using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on the mean salary of full-time civilian workers between 2009 and 2011, we've picked out some of the most prestigious jobs that have surprisingly low earnings.