I think what I hear you saying is not to take a 30% cut on wages that have stagnated. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying you should take a swing at that $300k/yr 'elite' job, not the leftovers patronizingly displayed in the NY Times article. If you can do that job for less than $300k because you don't have $250k in student debt, that's what the free market calls a competitive advantage. You should be empowered to use your advantage, not discouraged like this article attempts to do.

Also, my Dad grew up on a shit farm, forced to work for free until he escaped as a teenager. I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth. Work hard, get smart, get rich, in that order.