In some ways your comparison proves his point. As a developer with a degree and over 15 years of varied and international experience, I'd rather be regarded as a professional than just another office worker. Most of my friends are in professions where their experience is both respected and rewarded with steadily improving pay and conditions. Taking just 3 examples - how many skilled civil engineers, optometrists and hydrogeologists have to deal with new graduates or having their work outsourced to India?
The low barriers to entry in IT are both a blessing and a curse. It's great in your 20s, but by your 30s the gap with most other technical professions that require similar levels of intelligence and skill becomes obvious. That decade of experience doesn't count for as much as a lot of it is now outdated and irrelevant. For those of us who love the technical, creative side of developing and don't desire moving "up" into management, I can understand the sentiment.
The low barriers to entry in IT are both a blessing and a curse. It's great in your 20s, but by your 30s the gap with most other technical professions that require similar levels of intelligence and skill becomes obvious. That decade of experience doesn't count for as much as a lot of it is now outdated and irrelevant. For those of us who love the technical, creative side of developing and don't desire moving "up" into management, I can understand the sentiment.