I agree with some of what Howcome have said and here're some fresh commentaries to that.

few things we tend to forget:

- the number of people earning that amount of money (little)

- the type of people earning that kind of money (high-profilers)

So when you hear a comment saying that I know people like them, and you hear the same from 20 other people, it is still highly probable we are talking about the same group of people.

Another thing about the choosing of industry. There's a limit on the number of finance students in the school. Not everyone are summa cum laudes as well. Most of the students will not be summas going into investment banking or consulting. However, most summas will not be be taking up 3.5k jobs as well. And there you go, the natural distribution of valuable jobs based on academic rankings.

Lastly, Howcome talked about being street smart and having networks. That is probably the most important point of all. People whom I know earning in excess of 5k a month have gotten their jobs or interview opportunities due to their participation in competitions, be it academic or sports. Some gotten them just because they frequent particular golf courses. Guess what, you may need to be financially equipped first.