I'm really not sure where in my post you get that I'm cheapening engineering jobs. On the contrary, perhaps my post is worth another read. We are paid substanti

I'm really not sure where in my post you get that I'm cheapening engineering jobs. On the contrary, perhaps my post is worth another read. We are paid substantially more than almost every other industry specifically because engineering jobs are not something most folks out in the work force are capable of performing. This, despite our industry also being accessible when held up against the "traditional" most-highly-paid industries (e.g. medicine, law, etc.). And even more exceptional is that you can do equally well with or without a formal education in it, depending on your personality and technical capacity. And what you call "screwing up future earning potential and savings" is still light years ahead of what most people in the global workforce are thinking about. The vast majority of Americans will never be able to consider plans for a six-figure salary, but this is just par for the course in most disciplines and job titles in our industry no matter where you live. If you sit in front of a computer all day and your job has something to do with turning business processes into computer automation, you can expect to break that barrier at some point in your career, even if you're just okay at your job. In fact, it's actually a symptom of some kind of failure on an individual's part (career path, negotiation, perhaps external circumstances) if you don't break the six-figure barrier.