I think the pay is high because it is challenging work with a lot of responsibility. But getting back to our thread starter ... the advice above is very true. If you pick a career by looking at the salary alone you are unlikely to be very happy.
I was thinking, starting 3 days ago, that my backup plan when I get fired might be to go get a second bachelors in Civil/Environmental engineering instead of an MBA. This idea is still half baked, but finance seems like a crowded field going forward, and Engineering is like learning a trade but more high brow. Im gonna ask my friends/relatives in the biz how things are rollin. Plus I miss skipping class and college girls.
I am a civil. It is the lowest paying of the engineering disciplines. Most of us work for the government.