Should your kid become a comedian or a member of Congress? Neither requires a college degree

By Dian Vujovich

The dream of many parents whose little darlings are heading off to college is that their kids will learn enough to earn a good living. The other day I came across some info that spoke to that issue. One listed the highest paid comedians, the other the previous professions of members in the 113^th Congress.  Given that there are plenty of jokesters in D.C., sharing the data made sense to me.

Okay, we all know that Al Franken, (D, MN) used to be a professional comedian. Now he’s just working with a bunch of clowns.  (Ba-da boom!) And from what I can guess, must have taken a pretty hefty cut in pay to get that Washington gig. After all, the average salary for members of Congress is $174,000 a years. Headliner  comics make millions.

Recently, Wealth-X just posted a list of the wealthiest comedians. While there is no indication of the annual salaries of the top five on the list, the comparison of a comic’s annual salary to that of a member of Congress is certainly not an apples-to-apples one. But then again, this is a blog. However, I promise if you read the entire piece, you’ll get my point.

So the richest five comedians, btw all are guys, are: Larry David has a net worth of $900 million; Jerry Seinfeld, $800 million; David Letterman, $390 million; Bill Cosby, $360 million; and Adam Sandler, $290 million, according to Wealth-X.

Clearly, TV viewers really did love “Seinfeld” the half-hour show about nothing.

As for that job in Congress, if being a public servant is a goal, while getting there takes bundles of bucks and moxie and the ability to handshake, smile, and self-promote, having a college degree isn’t necessary.

(You might say that the same is true for becoming a successful comic—except for having to have bundles of bucks—that’s not a requirement.)

In fact, among the 539 members of the 113^th Congress, it might surprise you to learn:

• 21 Members of the House and 1 Senator have no educational degree beyond a high school diploma.

• 7 Members of the House have associate’s degrees as their highest degree.

• 1 House Member has an L.P.N. (nursing) degree.

Those with degrees include 102 educators of one sort or another; two doctors, three psychologists; five ordained ministers; 33 former mayors; 10 former governors; eight lieutenant governors; seven former judges; 32 former prosecutors; one former Cabinet Secretary; and two Ambassadors. All according to the CQ Roll Call Member Profiles.

Bottom line: College, Congress or the Comedy Corner, it’s your pick. Whatever you decide, the joke is on us either way.