Business Degree Salary: "The Office" Reveals its HR Files
How much would each character on NBC's hit TV show earn in real life?
Though the absurdly ridiculous—and often ridiculously inappropriate—antics of Steve Carell's character, Michael Scott, seemed a little over the top for your conventional office, his position of Regional Manager was a very real and significant one in the business world. That position, in fact, can mean an almost six-figure salary. With some help from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' actual data and our resource center information, we came up with a list of what sort of business degree and salary each of the characters on "The Office" would earn in real life positions.
Michael Scott (Steve Carell)
Title: Regional Manager
Salary: $98,882
Business Degree: Michael likely has a bachelor's in business and could even have an MBA, though by his actions in the office, it appears he didn't learn much about political correctness or appropriate office etiquette in any of his management courses.
Jan Levinson (Melora Hardin)
Title: Corporate Executive
Salary: $112,508, including stock options, dividends and other performance bonuses
Business Degree: With Jan's high rank, she probably has a bachelor's in business administration and an MBA.
Toby Flenderson (Paul Lieberstein)
Title: Human Resources Director
Salary: $70,080
Business Degree: It is likely that Toby has a specialized degree in human resources administration or human resources management.
Angela Martin (Angela Kinsley)
Title: Head of Accounting Department
Salary: $51,320
Business Degree: Angela would have to have at least a bachelor's degree in accounting or a related field.
Jim Halpert (John Krasinski)
Title: Assistant Regional Manager
Salary: $50,200
Business Degree: After transferring to the Stamford branch, Jim was promoted from his sales job to Assistant Regional Manager. His initial education probably centered around sales, meaning that in addition to his bachelor's degree, Jim likely attended seminars in sales techniques or took courses in marketing, economics, or communication. Jim then used his work experience to earn the big promotion.
Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson)
Title: Assistant to the Regional Manager
Salary: $49,270, including commission
Business Degree: As the Assistant to the Regional Manager (note: not the same as Jim's job), Dwight probably has a bachelor's degree in business and, considering his competitive nature, may also have a graduate certificate in business.
Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer)
Title: Office Manager / Administrative Assistant
Salary: $42,683
Business Degree: To be qualified for her position, Pam might have a diploma or associates in office administration.
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*As of July, 2011, actor James Spader's character, Robert California, steps in as CEO of Sabre, Dunder Mifflin's parent company.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2009, Official NBC "The Office" site
Photos © NBC Universal
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