I got an engineering job at a top-30 EE dept (UBC). By the pay was really poor - i once had an elite dad but he died when i was 13. So I quit the job, as I was no longer elite. An elite family can backstop you when you are taking a low-paying academic job in an expensive city.
The thought that poor people would go for a professor job is no true. I believe most poor people would much rather have money to help their family, money to bank for security, money to pay back their student loans, money to start a family life, etc.
Also it's worth pointing out that academia is a huge pyramid scheme and jumping to the next rung of the pyramid can be made much much easier if your mentors (ie your parents) know which tricks to use to make the greatest leap possible.
The thought that poor people would go for a professor job is no true. I believe most poor people would much rather have money to help their family, money to bank for security, money to pay back their student loans, money to start a family life, etc.
Also it's worth pointing out that academia is a huge pyramid scheme and jumping to the next rung of the pyramid can be made much much easier if your mentors (ie your parents) know which tricks to use to make the greatest leap possible.