[ilbe]

Anyone who has read Grapes of Wrath knows that the correct statement is, "Companies would rather not pay ANY professionals high salaries..."

Call it a conflict of interest or call it the market. One way or the other, the conclusion is improve your skills, increase your value, and in the name of friendly competition, skin the company alive for as much as you can get for the skill the company demands. They are playing the same game with you.

[ItendToDisagree]

Problem being that in this sort of industry you can't improve your skills or increase your value without the 'company' (often not a company but an institution) doing the above to you.

I agree with what you're saying! I'm more pointing out that the problem isn't with educating more individuals (or doing it better) its with the way the system utilizes said individuals and their education/skills. You can't expect (or bemoan the lack of) breakthroughs if you are grinding the people you expect to make these advances into the dirt.