IABC has come out with its first “Profile” survey in five years. It’s a study of the communication profession, and it seems pretty comprehensive. I know it’s good that IABC does it. It gives concrete shape to our amorphous profession, and maybe it gives really underpaid communicators ammo to get raises.

But I’m looking at the executive summary from the association’s Communication World Magazine, and I’m coming down with a serious case of Tell-Me-Something-I-Don’t-Know-Motherfucker.

Among other things I’m “learning”:

• Very few communicators make more than $120 grand; the vast majority make between $50 and $100 grand.

• Communicators with more experience make more money. Same goes for communicators with more education.

• Most communicators work more than 40 hours per week.

• About a quarter of communicators are “very satisfied” with their salary level.

The only thing, in fact, that leaps out at me is that about half of these respondents said they have “unlimited” direct interaction with management. And that one has me scratching my head skeptically and asking more questions, like: What’s the quality of that interaction?

You know how we all moan and grown about how management doesn’t believe anything they can’t count? I’m afraid I’m equally pig-headed in my refusal to be moved by anything you can count.

Or maybe I'm just frustrated that for all the "revolutions" and "sea changes" pundits like me have hopefully predicted over the years, the day-to-day realities of the communication business haven't changed too damn much.

That said, if anyone finds anything here here that they think is worth a second thought or even a discussion, I’d love to hear it.