Nothing. In all my years ( 13 ) software engineering, the people who made the most were the ones who could sell. And I don't mean like "sales engineer", but rather who could sell their projects to team members, bosses, etc. Making money really comes down to being able to sell
A) actual, i.e. what you've built or
B) potential, i.e. what will you build
And then to get rich you need a multiplier on those things. But just being a good engineer, in general, does not get richly rewarded. If you show me a pure engineer who makes 1 million, I can show you a founder who made 100x from his work.
I'm just pointing out that its not absolute. So in general I recommend being open to switching jobs/companies until you find and environment that you personally find enriching, both professionally and financially.
A) actual, i.e. what you've built or
B) potential, i.e. what will you build
And then to get rich you need a multiplier on those things. But just being a good engineer, in general, does not get richly rewarded. If you show me a pure engineer who makes 1 million, I can show you a founder who made 100x from his work.