Let's not pretend that stuff like software development or finance, some of the best paying careers there are, are "hard, disgusting or dangerous". Jobs are simply paid on the value they create vs the supply of workers available to do those jobs.
In these cases, there is still something choking the supply side. In the case of software, its having the curiosity, intelligence and discipline to actually learn the skillset to the point where they can create the value. I've met plenty of people who wanted to learn to code that fell apart as soon as they tried writing anything past "hello world"
But there’s plenty of us who are experts in the field, yet still know how to sit down for a cold beer on a hot day.
personally I completely understand the idea of a lone wolf coder. I'm self taught and started aggressively learning web development while working a dead end job. At some point I realized if I hung out with my coworkers and smoked weed/drank after hours with them like everyone else was doing, this is what Id be doing for the rest of my life. You're the average of the people you hang out with. if the average is hell bent on mediocrity and thats not what you want, isolation is just what you have to do till you are good enough to find a new crew.
My point is that OP's points really only applies to the ppl who are new to the job. Inter-person skills comes into the play in just a few years.
You're not going to come across as virtuous to anyone if you're in finance, as opposed to if you decide to be a firefighter. When you have multiple variables, coming up with examples that stretch just one will not give you a right answer.
I agree ultimately supply is the main driver, I have another comment in the thread about it.
Even sillier jobs mostly pay on first order value. That is why I refuse to work in any department that the larger organization deems a cost-center: in my experience such jobs consistently pay less!