"There also is a shortage of high-skill developers. Compensation north of $250k-$500k is becoming standard" I don't see it at all. At least in Boston, salaries

"There also is a shortage of high-skill developers. Compensation north of $250k-$500k is becoming standard" I don't see it at all. At least in Boston, salaries seem to top out at $170K, perhaps a bit more if you have a _really_ rare skillset. But in a stagnant economy getting $180K is not easy. Usually a lot of hand-wringing about the cost, etc. The just-released Employment Cost Index (ECI) rose a record-low 0.2% last quarter. This is hard data, not anecdotes.