I must admit that I was careless in my terminology. When I said salary, I should have said total compensation. That, of course, covers the money he's paid, but

I must admit that I was careless in my terminology. When I said salary, I should have said total compensation. That, of course, covers the money he's paid, but also benefits (healthcare, pension, etc.), stability, satisfaction from a stimulating job, respect, and if he's lucky, perhaps the feeling that Feynman describes when he'd discovered something new and was for a short time the only human who has ever held that piece of knowledge. But you're being a little careless, too, when you throw around a word like "important". Can you be more specific?