personally i think the situation is fairly exaggerated. anyone who gets through an undergrad program in CS can probably live like you if they are smart about de

personally i think the situation is fairly exaggerated. anyone who gets through an undergrad program in CS can probably live like you if they are smart about debt and adjust their expectations (ie, not living it up in NYC/SF). that said, the main thing that gets people is educating their children. a lot of highly desirable places to live as a single person or young couple have pretty bad public school options. the places with good public schools are genuinely expensive in a lot of locales. take a look at home prices in areas around you with good schools and/or look at private school tuitions and you might see how professionals with kids can start to get squeezed.