My parents paid for my schooling, so I had a free ride of sorts too. This obviously changes the numbers a great deal, and should certainly factor into decision

My parents paid for my schooling, so I had a free ride of sorts too. This obviously changes the numbers a great deal, and should certainly factor into decision making. $25k a year is $12.50/hr. With proper job hunting, this shouldn't be too difficult to find with a high school education.