contract programmers/developers for an inhouse project, I was quoted something like $400 an hour or so, and I seem to remember even higher rates, at rates that even I couldn't believe back then.
I even considered switching jobs to one of these higher paying jobs, somewhat still regret it, but overall, in the Industry/company I was in, I did do quite a bit of original programming and development, brand new in the world, even established some preliminary standards for data traffic (as opposed to voice data, at that time more than 99% of all traffic over networks). So I was happy I stayed.
Most of my software development work was done in interconnecting computer networks, training programmers in COBOL, PLI, and many other languages too numerous to list here, Job Control Language, Utilities, training, as well as maintaining some reporting systems and establishing standards on various programming items, such as the proper construction of software and its various components to ensure that all was documented thoroughly (you would be amazed at how many programmers 'forgot' to do this last but most important step). A job which at the time, was on the leading edge of the incoming Data Revolution back in the 1970s/1980s/and so on.
The point I want to emphasize here, is that I have seen these doom and gloom predictions pop up over the last 45 years I've been in the industry, and none of them have really panned out to be the doom and gloom scenario that so many predicted over the years.
Reasoning? It costs too much for a whole series of industries, that depend on IT infrastructure to process their bills, their internal infrastructure, their sheer number of reports, their manufacturing processes, and so on (the list is endless) to change everything all at once. Literally untold $billions of dollars if not more. Like the old saying when newer programming languages popped up and some said it was the end of COBOL back then, no, it wasn't. Businesses back then had a huge cost embedded in their COBOL platforms and they weren't just about to throw it all away. Maybe implement small chunks of new code for meaningful chunks of the Business Enterprises.
And the higher paying jobs, maybe at first they're high, but eventually the labor markets will catch up and the jobs and pay will somewhat stablize.
That's my two cents.
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