Every comment you make just shows how disconnected from reality you are. > Top 25% among agriculture workers in Kansas? Top 25 across all us workers > The ne

Every comment you make just shows how disconnected from reality you are. > Top 25% among agriculture workers in Kansas? Top 25 across all us workers > The newgrad earning those 100k will have to live sonewhere in Northern California, where rent alone will claw 25k back for a crappy apartment Yes, I know. I lived as a new grad making 75k in a major city (Los Angeles, not bay area though). Rent is expensive and will likely take 1/3 of your paycheck or more. It's been like that for years though and that's not something that's changed recently. It also doesn't negate the fact that our industry still pays far better than most. > food expenses another 25k The fuck are you eating? If you're spending 2k a month on food you don't get to complain about money. I hate cooking and love good food and regularly spend $1500 a month on dining, but I'm well aware that if I needed to I could drop that by $1000. Spending $2k a month on food is choice you're making. > save for a 200k downpayment and 7.5k/month (is this the current rate?) mortgage payment. Who is saving 200k for a down payment? The days of 20% down are long gone and pretty much everyone gets PMI. Especially for your first home you can cut that in half. Also, why are you as a new grad buying a million dollar home? Where did you get this idea that a new grad's salary should allow you to purchase a long term home in a major city without making some financial trade offs? That has never been the case. Your expectations are completely disconnected from reality and you're comparing your situation to a reality that never existed. You can either wait until you're further along in your career and your salary is higher to buy, buy something cheaper (don't say this isn't possible, I know for a fact it is in), or move to an area with a lower cost of living.