In this case, my friend learned to write grants from her parents who had earned the education. Grant writers do not need any academic certification, they simply need to know where to look for grants and how to write the proposals (it's actually a relatively unskilled job).

A bakery manager doesn't even require a high-school diploma, but it does require years of practical experience (typically 5+) and subjects the worker to high-risk conditions such as heat exhaustion, burns, chemical exposure, fatigue, and a myriad of other health risks.

The difference in the reward is only in "perceived value". In our society we assign work that we perceive as being more valuable (College Education, White-collar, Executive ...) a higher value than we do for work we perceive as having no value (food workers, cleaning staff, cashiers ...). This inequality is so societally ingrained that many people assume the guy in a suit is more valuable than the one in Blue jeans and a torn t-shirt, regardless of their respective skills.

While many people are happy to devalue jobs based on opinion, I seriously doubt that just anyone could handle all of the requirements that must be met to "flip burgers". I've actually had executives in several of the kitchens I've worked and very few of them even knew how to use the industries most common machines.

Even if there was a disparity in skill set, why should my skills be worth any more or less than yours? I still had to learn the skill, practice and hone it to be competitive in the market I worked in.

BTW I am currently a Senior in my Bachelor's of Business Administration with multiple recommendations to Cal-Poly Pomona for a Master's with a focus in Entrepreneurial management and workplace equality