This seems more sane IMO. The pay in the US seems just crazy. Programming an sich is absolutely not something you need an extensive training for.

On the other hand, I spent a huge amount of time and effort on my eduation. While I could not do this without financial support from my parents, I also made a lot of sacrifices, and I am a little bit bitter that friends who dropped out as undergraduate make more than I do. Makes you wonder why anybody would like to work in IT at all.