So you think it takes the same skill set to be a programmer as it does to be a trucker?
No, I think the laws of supply and demand apply equally well to trucking and programming. If sufficiently many truckers quit supply will go down and price will go up.
Artists are valued by the quality of their work almost completely.
Not necessarily, once it meets minimum quality standards. Many artists merely create a large amount of fairly interchangeable art that agrees with a style guide.
If every trucker in the US quit tomorrow, they would be replaced in a week or so, by similarly paid drivers. Not enough truck licenses? The government would pass emergency legislation, allowing anyone who has held a car license for 3 years (with no major traffic offenses) to drive a truck for the next year or so. It might cost a few thousand in sign-on bonuses, and there would be some horrific accidents caused by inexperienced drivers, but the supply of replacement drivers is there.
If every programmer in the US quit, they wouldn't be replaced nearly as quickly.
No, I think the laws of supply and demand apply equally well to trucking and programming. If sufficiently many truckers quit supply will go down and price will go up.
Artists are valued by the quality of their work almost completely.
Not necessarily, once it meets minimum quality standards. Many artists merely create a large amount of fairly interchangeable art that agrees with a style guide.