I personally have known people who do software development for as low as 35k/year. I have also known people who have attained wages as an engineer for as high a

I personally have known people who do software development for as low as 35k/year. I have also known people who have attained wages as an engineer for as high as 250k/yr. Given this continuum I suspect it's very easy for a well heeled employer to keep the costs on the lower end of that spectrum.