Public perception seems to be that software engineers get paid some 6 figure salary,even 100k.
Where as in reality it is even far higher than that. A lot of people are surprised when i said
that junior entry level engineers get paid 200k and they do they really do. By mid career, 3 or 4 years software engineers are doing 300k in salary, by senior they are doing about 400k; my last job in a tech firm i was at 500k and with sign on bonus about 600k income for 1 year of work. Software engineers get paid a lot, risks come when getting these 80 - 120k workers to companies.
These factors play an important role in your salary - 1. what company you work for and 2. where you do it. Geographies make a big difference. I read it seems most of teh world percieve sofware engineers as a blue collar work type. I would recomend looking for a company that has respect for software engineers as they generally will pay higher.