Location still matters, though. At a Silicon Valley software company you&#x27;d expect around $100k starting salary with a bachelor&#x27;s degree and you could get a modest place to live. Working in the mid-west or the south you&#x27;d almost cut that figure in half and would end up living in a larger house with a nicer car. I graduated with the highest starting salary that I know of out of anyone in my class but I still ended up living in a very &quot;low-class&quot; area and struggling to make ends meet. I lived far more comfortably before with less than half the income while paying my own tuition in a different state.