Salary as a Demand Signal
A high salary often marks an unmet need rather than an overcrowded profession: employers pay more when demand for capable people exceeds supply. Conversely, passion can attract enough unpaid or underpaid entrants to make a field crowded despite low wages.
The careers that look most intimidating because they pay so well may be the ones asking most loudly for more people. The salary is not necessarily a velvet rope; it may be a shortage alarm.
E1Read the wage as market information
Employers bid salaries upward when they need skills that are difficult to find in sufficient quantity. That makes pay a price signal: it records the current mismatch between demand and supply while also giving more people a reason to acquire the scarce capability. Non-monetary rewards alter the other side of the equation. If a field offers identity, enjoyment, prestige, or a sense of purpose, many people may enter despite weak pay, producing intense competition without producing high wages.
E1A signal is not a guarantee
Salary describes a market mismatch, not your aptitude, likely satisfaction, or odds of securing a particular job. It can also reflect barriers to entry, unpleasant conditions, location, or risk. Read it as evidence of demand—not as proof that the career is right for you.
Test the shortage behind the number
Choose one well-paid field you have dismissed as “too competitive.” Examine several current vacancies and record the capabilities employers repeatedly struggle to hire for. Then identify one small project, course, or work assignment that would let you test whether you can build one of those scarce capabilities before ruling the field out.
Episodes that teach this
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Follow Your Passion is Terrible Advice and Here's Why - FutureIQ
· explained at 2:10
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"The fact that their salaries are high means the demand for them is high. The world does in fact need more of them."