I think we grew up in a similar level of a family and our first jobs were also quite similar. My first job was also for a big hardware chip maker for slightly l

I think we grew up in a similar level of a family and our first jobs were also quite similar. My first job was also for a big hardware chip maker for slightly less pay. (not in Silicon Valley) I felt rich and set for life. I'll say though, the SF Bay Area has a way to make you feel poor. It's not even keeping up with the joneses type stuff with your software engineer peers. It's just normal living expenses. Six figures salaries don't feel rich unless you enter the "2"+ territory. $1xxk doesn't feel much more than the $60k first job outside of the bay I had in the mid-00s, even high $1xxk, especially with a family to raise. After years of living like that, it makes more sense that people want to maximize their earning potential.