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Poor developers keeping society afloat with no help whatsoever.

Let’s give the food producers your benefits. They’re probably far more valuable to me than you will ever be. Why empower you with such economic agency then?

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If you want the actual answer society pays people commensurate to their individual value. NBA stars make millions because of the level of entertainment they provide, and the value they bring to sponsors. I make a lot of money because not everyone can do my job and I provide an outsized value to tech companies. Despite many attempts to drive developer wages into the ground with code camps and other non-sense apparently it's a difficult enough job not everyone can do it. For comparison, garbage men make a LOT of money (at least where I am) because their job isn't easy and no one wants to do it.

No one wants to hear they're worth less than someone they perceive to be doing an "easier" job. Truth is, that's how society values people.

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