Interesting to see this debate here. I've never seen this debate anywhere as far as I'm aware. And honestly: I'm glad I've not ever perceived this debate as something serious. I find it somewhat strange to have such a debate. It might be a symptom of a individualist society. In that regard, yes, a doctor might enjoy higher status, possibly a lot higher earnings. But in my view all professions that have a function in society are similarly amazing. Sure, people working in marketing rarely have a function the society profits from - only entity profiting is the company employing the marketing team. Sure, a simple and "uneducated" worker in a production line might always be regarded as lower status by society than a doctor. But when it comes to importance, I think the only metric that should count is the value for society.