I agree, individuals need to evaluate the opportunity costs for themselves based on their own circumstances. For a policy discussion, the average or median is

I agree, individuals need to evaluate the opportunity costs for themselves based on their own circumstances. For a policy discussion, the average or median is relevant; and you are an outlier. The median income for 25-34 with just a high school education was $25K in 2009[1].Average work week is internationally around 40 for 25-34 year olds (post-industrial) [2] 1. http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=77 http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=77 2. http://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?QueryId=9694 http://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?QueryId=9694 [EDIT] I am terribly average, hence my personal experience above serves as a humanizing tale to convey the statistical average.