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Many programmers hit their peak salary very fast. Making $140k a year for 35-40 hours of work a week <4 years out of college with no graduate school is pretty insane.

Continuing to make that $140k 20 years later is also insane, but in the opposite direction, but that's not the situation the post was describing. As a programmer you're fantastically highly paid at the beginning of your career but often not at the middle and end.

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I always tell that to young people that look at their peers and see them very well paid - not 140k here in Uruguay, more like 30k but most other young people would be lucky to hit 15k.

However, an accountant, doctor, lawyer or other professional will have an upwards trajectory while programmers have a tough-to-penetrate glass ceiling and will plateau VERY early (late 20s to early 30s) unless they switch to management or start their own company or move to the U.S.

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