Why Do Lawyers Get Paid the Big Money?

Lawyers are compensated extremely well for the work that they do, but why is their pay so high, $250 per hour and beyond?Three reasons: 1) They have a skill with limited supply of people that can do it, 2) the difference between a mediocre and good lawyer is really apparent, and 3) they work on really important stuff (i.e., when people hire a lawyer, the job needs to be done right).Sound familiar? This why programmers get paid so well, too.1) Limited supply of peopleEven in our very own San Antonio, TX, there just are not enough programmers to meet the demand that employers have. They often have to look elsewhere in order to find people to fulfill their technology needs. A lot of programmers who are also homegrown here in San Antonio leave the city in order to find jobs elsewhere because they are not aware of all of the opportunity that lies here. The United States is even giving foreign people with computer science backgrounds work visas to live in the US and offer their skills. Looking for a career in which you will always be needed? This is it.2) The difference between good and bad are apparentAny lawyer that tells you that a case is "a slam dunk" is a bad lawyer. Any lawyer that stumbles and fumbles through the law as if he or she were riding a unicycle on a rocky road is an awful lawyer. Any programmer that builds apps full of bugs and that crash every time you open them and calls it a finished product is a bad programmer. It is easy to tell the difference between something that is good and something that is awful, especially with computer programming. You know something is good when the program is doing what it is meant to do without issues. It feels flawless, which means a lot of hard work went into building it. However, like the examples above, bad lawyers and programming are quite apparent. Would you use Facebook as much if it worked like MySpace when MySpace was popular? Chances are you would not.3) They work on important thingsLook at your smartphone or tablet and think about all of the apps you use on a daily basis. Then, look at your laptop or desktop computer and think about all of the things you use those for. Now, look at your job and all of the software and technology necessary to keep you afloat, aware, and productive. Chances are that you rely heavily on technology on a day-to-day basis, and a lot of it is important for our lives, personally and professionally. Computer programmers, among others, are the people behind a lot of the things we take for granted every day. They work on important things, and they need to be paid well for it. You would not want to pay as little as possible for an architect to design your family's home; why would you want a computer programmer to be paid very little to make your life much more frustrating with buggy and incomplete software?These are just three simple reasons why computer programmers, like lawyers, get paid a lot of money. It's really about what they do and who they do it for.Right now is the best time to learn how to become a computer programmer and start getting paid well for doing important things. If you'd like to learn more about how you can get the most out this profession, apply for Codeup and let's talk!