[galangalalgol]

Because money wasn't the deciding factor? When I became a programmer we didn't have the term software engineer, and we were reviled for our lack of social skills and poorly paid. I miss those days. All my coworkers were motivated by love of the job. If you wanted to make money you went into banking or finance or law.

[kazen44]

This argument goes for a lot of jobs btw, not just SWE.

Healthcare is a major example. Most people in the netherlands i know who work in healthcare do so because they want to help people, not to get rich.