Agreed.
I would love to be able to pay consultants only $100/hr. Average consulting engineers charge $150 or so. $100 is for entry level. The top guys in the world can make over $200. These are the guys who help make life-or-death decisions on multi-billion dollar projects. Yes, engineers make life-or-death decisions, all the time.
We think we want the best and smartest doctors to provide our medical care? Think about what kind of engineers we want the next time we drive over a bridge, get in an airplane, or go to work in an office building.
Hack divorce lawyers around here make $300-$500, easy. Compare their relative worth to society to the engineers who build the world around us.
Do you know why divorce is so expensive? Because it's worth every dime.