[bootload]

'... communications equipment ... there's a lot of opportunity there for domain specific expertise that often times requires an advanced degree and experience in the industry ...'

And significant hurdles to market. In some ways you have to have balls to launch a hardware product. In coms, you have to create the software but the physical hardware as well. Much harder than pure software. You also have all the problems of creating & selling physical things, logistics, inventory, packaging. Yet more skills, risk & as you point out, more reward.