I've been a software developer at internet startups for 15 years and never made anything beyond my (frequently minimal) salary (me=bad negotiator), but it was usually fun, challenging and I've learned a lot. But I've never claimed to be smart. The most money I ever made was something that had nothing to do with the internet (real estate) that a friend of mine talked me into against my better judgement. And the only reason I made any money at all was because I'm such a pessimist that I sold right before everything crashed.