Java programmers happier and making more money than ever

....atleast according to the following article
http://www.fawcette.com/javapro/2002_06/magazine/features/salarysurvey/
"Go figure�in a year when the economy dragged, unemployment boomed, cutbacks reigned, and profits soured, Java programmers made more money than ever and worked less to earn it. No wonder they're a happy lot."

-- You've gotta be $hitting me!

I wouldn't take these kind of surveys seriously. They aren't done in even a remotely scientific manner. Notice they don't tell us how many respondents there were!

I could see thid being true numbers. However, what good it does to you and me? Absolutely nothing. Men in their 30-ies with 9 years of IT experience, at least Bachelors degree and at least 2.5 years of Java? Well, if these people don't make at least $80K doing Java, they are WORTHLESS! Especially since it says they've been with current employer for 3-4 years, with means they got a job in 1998-1999, when techies were treated like gods.
Hey, I know a guy right out of college (graduating in May) who's making $105K, doing C++; he was intern at Cisco for 2 years with C++, and his Dad is a solid IT guy with connections. This was 60% recruiter help, 20% skill and 20% luck.

This survey sounds like Sun marketing material.

Have to add, that since a lot of average Joes, who where making less impressive numbers, lost their jobs, the salary pool dilusionally went up.
Less people with higher salaries = impressive survey.
I want to see a survey of unemployed (or under- or miss-employed) programmers with under 2 years of Java experience.

IMHO, what we should read from that report is, its mostly beginners or young programmers with low annual compensation are the ones who got their pink slip last year. Something like that could actually increase the 'average' salary drastically. Also the age difference of 3 yrs - if it?s based on real statistics suggests the same. Feel free to correct me.
Cheers!