My great-to-the-nth grandpappy didn't claw his slimy tetrapod ass out of the Devonian sea just so his no-good descendants could sit in a cube playing Farmville all day!
And yet, we have the same great-to-the-nth grandpappy as every other human on the planet.
Er, what? Becoming an actuary is not exactly easy and that seems like the only thing guaranteeing 6 figures quickly once you get through the door in an insurance company. Or am I wildly misinterpreting you?
Low six figures is a reasonably achievable salary for a youngish programmer working in a secure job in an unsexy industry (insurance is an example).
And a lot broken to fill the existential void with meaningless drone labor because we accepted that's the best we can do in life.