I think comparing the compensation for white collar labor and blue collar labor can be a bit apples-to-oranges sometimes when you consider the toll that physical labor takes on your body, which in turn limits how much time you can spend at your full earning potential. My friends in the trades have noted that the good pay when you're young comes as a sort of loan against how bad your knees and back will hurt by the time you're middle-aged. Versus someone like me who, barring a freak accident or sudden catastrophic illness, can expect to continue toiling in the software mines until I'm old and grey.