>It's funny, people frequently assume this would be true but reality doesn't really bear this out. It's typically pretty average to even below average which contributes to the talent pipeline problem.

This, I went into programming over 40 years ago. At the time I worked in a warehouse, I had to take a 5% pay cut (IIRC). But in the long run it was worth it. Most people there stayed in the warehouse/manufacturing due to the pay.