Some trivial professions are grossly overpaid, while many other beneficial professions are grossly underpaid. I'd like to contest this. Overpaid and underpaid

Some trivial professions are grossly overpaid, while many other beneficial professions are grossly underpaid. I'd like to contest this. Overpaid and underpaid - by what standard? The standard ought to be how much someone is willing to pay you for your goods or services (whether you're an employee or an entrepreneur). I think this actually matches people's intuition a lot more than they realize. Oftentimes, when it seems like someone intuitively ought to make more, it's actually because they are making significantly under what would be a true market rate, because their work is not actually being offered on a free market. Case in point: scientists and educators who work for the government.