Software will continue its bifurcation into two income distributions, similar to lawyers. No lawyer earns average salary. That industry is split into low wage work and high wage work. I expect software will be the same.
- Many doctors earn 100k or 3-400k depending on their field.
- Many small business owners earn <100k or make a killing, depending on their field, goals, and success/luck.
- 9 out of 10 startups outright fail or aren't successful enough to compensate founders & employees for the opportunity cost.
The log-normal also applies somewhat for lawyers. The partners of big firms make millions annually.
As long as we're getting into nuance, I should add that the two-peak distribution is most clear for lawyer starting salary, not long-time professional. You either go top firm or not.