This seems like a key component of the answer. Of course, salaries are largely determined by the industry one is in. If you can position yourself at a place in

This seems like a key component of the answer. Of course, salaries are largely determined by the industry one is in. If you can position yourself at a place in the economy that attracts large amounts of money (per person) then you will be able to siphon off a relatively large amount for yourself. As software embeds itself in everything we do, developer earning potential will reflect the industry one is in. High tech firms like Apple and Google make huge amounts of money per employee, so people that work for them make huge amounts of money too. Not just software developers, but also people in sales and strategy, etc. Same for people in finance.