I'm not talking about the formal "dues" one pays at some regular interval in order to be part of some organization, rather I'm referring to the more informal meaning whereby someone is expected to "pay their dues" before being allowed to advance upward through some hierarchy.   I find this a very lame construct, usually in place in an organization/group/whatever that is basically erecting artificial barriers (in a perfect world, competence should be the sole measure of whether or not an individual advances).   Some of the specific tasks involved in "paying dues" might sometimes be legitimate chores, but more often than not, there's a significant amount of makework involved.

On the other hand, chores are tasks that need doing.  By regimenting the fact that they should be done regularly (sort of the definition of a chore), this is a valuable learning tool and can aid in teaching responsibility, discipline, humility, etc....

I often think of these things in the context of my own past (having grown up and lived on farms for many years.  There are lots of farm chores that need doing regularly.  How to go about doing these repetitive tasks without succumbing to to the apparent drudgery and boredom is a challenge, but in my book, the successful navigation of this problem puts one quite a ways down the road to true enlightenment.