What Else Could It Possibly Be

That's not really the case, though. They highest monetizing skills aren't the ones that benefit society most; they're just the ones that work with money the most. There are a host of completely necessary skills that won't ever be as marketable as, say, investment banking. "Deserve" and "earn" only go as far as to say "worked in a highly monetizing field" and does not imply effort, skill, or ability.