Just found this really interesting article/blog post about comparing dnd numbers to real life situations. I believe he's referencing plain old 3rd edition, but it might be 3.5, considering it was written in 2007.

It's really interesting how this guy breaks everything down, and the fact it actually makes sense >.>

DnD, Calibrating your expectations

edit: ah, I wasn't done reading the article, he does later pinpoint that he's talking about 3.5.