That's not entirely true. I work for big corporations, and the reality is that they're paying big money not for the ability to code, but for the ability to mana

That's not entirely true. I work for big corporations, and the reality is that they're paying big money not for the ability to code, but for the ability to manage projects (even when there is a separate PM). If you're good at making several people work towards a goal and make management happy with your projects, you'll make the money you mention. If you're just interested in coding, they will show you the door sooner rather than later.