I wish it would be like that but my experience is that even average IT people are quite interested in what they do. (I'm still a student so my sample size is not that big).
I find it's heavily dependent on the company. Companies that see IT as core to a successful business tend to attract 10x programmers. If you are still in school then my advice is to learn to interview a company while you are interviewing for a job. Find the place that's going to push you more, regardless of pay.