Totally true. People will never reach the decision making circle until they learn about the money side. And often, they will not have this opportunity until they quit employment to go freelance, or launch their own company.

And here is the fun part: learning about marketing, business models, commercial relations is not that hard for programmers. It just requires a different mindset. For problem solvers like the average geek, that's just another system to hack.

I have only begun recently on this path, but I find it exhilarating! Making my own decisions, talking directly with the clients and -oh, surprise- getting paid for my work, not for sitting at a desk... This is what developers should do!