Remember that whole big hullabaloo back in the '60s about rights, discrimination, that pretty well known minister, and the demand for change that brought about the Civil Rights Act of 1964? (Well, "remember" is the wrong word—none of us were there, presumably—but you get it.) And when President Johnson signed that bill into law, with one stroke of his pen, all racism and discrimination vanished wholly and completely, right?

Wrong, of course. All these years later, we still need to be reminded from time to time that it's not okay to discriminate. Luckily, the provisions of the Civil Rights Act included the creation of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) (source), where you can work as an equal rights opportunity officer to combat discriminatory policies in the workplace. 

And we're not just talking about discrimination based on race; the EEOC protects workers from facing discrimination based on religion, gender, ethnicity, age (forty or older), disability, or other genetic information.

If you're one of those crazy people (and by "crazy" we mean "totally sensible") who wants to ensure that companies maintain a free and just working environment, you can expect a pretty sweet payday in addition to, you know, doing the right thing. The median salary is a cool $65,000 per year (source), and the high end is $100,000 (source). Even the low end of the spectrum is pretty good, at $37,000 a year (source). 

 

"That's right, son. You need to offer equal opportunities to everyone. Got that? Good, now clean your room." (Source)

Who knew it could be so lucrative to make sure employers treat their workers fairly? In addition to your solid paycheck, you can count on having vacation time, weekends off, and generally not working crazy hours like those poor suckers on Wall Street. Not bad for someone who essentially gets to play the parent role for adults who can't treat each other nicely.

You'll spend your eight-hour workdays investigating employment practices and alleged violations of laws, dealing with any and all complaints about equal opportunity from every Tom, Dick, and Sally who might have something to complain about. In this case, "dealing with complaints" means paperwork, and lots of it. It'll be your job to keep a record as you comb through every scrap of evidence, hunting for the source of the alleged discrimination.

 

You can wear a cowboy hat...but you're still just doing paperwork. (Source)

If you think there are some illegal shenanigans going on somewhere, you'll have to follow up personally by scheduling meetings to address each incident, poring over surveys and statistics, and filing lots of reports (source). You'll be fighting injustice by filing paperwork, crunching numbers, and talking to people. Not exactly John Wayne stuff, but still important.

To become an EEOC, you'll need a bachelor's degree, if not a master's, in a related field like law, business administration, or human resources. While it's theoretically possible to get this gig with an associate's degree and some on-the-job training, breaking into the world of the EEOC is not uncompetitive. As things currently stand, the ranks of EEOC officers are growing by less than half the rate of most jobs in the U.S. (source). When the competition's that stiff, you want all the edge you can get.

Despite its slow growth, this job remains an incredibly important one. Workplace discrimination isn't dead, but you can be the one to help kill it and restore peace and justice to this fair land. Okay, so, maybe you are a bit like John Wayne after all.

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