This is a strange thread to me because I believe that there is no such thing as a winner or loser in the world of work. One person gets paid more than another but it’s rarely great foresight that got someone to where they were. Computer geeks were just geeks when I was in school. Nobody wanted to be them. All of that has changed and now they sit at the top of what one should be. Before that, computer geeks were mamas boys, wimps, pale and pasty homebodies.
I’m not trying to be mean, just to capture the feeling of the time. There is a reason Revenge of the Nerds was a movie. The point is, those computer geeks pursued their passion even though it was totally uncool to do so. They were the losers at the time. Everything has changed now.
And guess what…it will continue to change. I remember when becoming a lawyer and doctor was the sure thing to big money. Read all about it, physician pay is declining while expenses are skyrocketing and law schools are barely staying afloat, lawyers are working as baristas and jobs in law are rapidly contracting. People went to those jobs to make big money, to be the winners - they are quickly losing now.
All this while art sales are ridiculously profitable for the moment. Art is booming (probably a bubble) and people are getting rich…until they don’t anymore.
The winners are the people who love whatever they are doing so much that they would do it for free and money is just a bonus on top.