<p>Lots of people pay bills on $35,000 per year. Not that I’m recommending that income, but you don’t have to be rich to pay your bills. You just have to make choices about what you spend.</p>
<p>The job I’m taking after grad school starts at GS-9 ($52k) and gets promoted to GS-11 ($62k) after one year, with only smaller step increases after that. That is a solid middle-class income but certainly no one’s idea of wealthy. And I couldn’t care less, because I’ll be working in a beautiful place and serving our shared natural heritage - America’s national forests.</p>
<p>Quality of life is about many things other than money.</p>