[jaclaz]

>Is this because we lack empathy or are we living in our own bubbles?

Coming from someone that is not a software professional, you are actually living in your own bubble BUT you have a number of mitigating circumstances.

The work of (I presume) a programmer is not entirely new and can be likened to a number of "intellectual professions", what has changed (again as seen from the outside) is the toxicity of the environment around you.

I mean, a programmer at IBM or Bell Laboratories or NASA in the '60's has probably written possibly "more important" code, very likely being paid comparatively much less, but he/she did it in a proper office, with some "proper" management and much less "company pressure".

And - since I believe you are from the US - remember that the "best salary among verticals" is not "worldwide", generally speaking in the EU programmers and "software professionals" are not usually paid better or much better than other technical professionals (like engineers, architects or similar).