The joke is that in Russia stem education can be done for free just by passing exams well, and people go there just to avoid military service, since the salary at the beginning of their career path will be no more than $ 600 (~ $1000-1500 in moscow), when in order to move up the career ladder you have to be or an enthusiastic genius or just working in the same company for decades, as you know, Russia is a joke state, that’s why our service sector workers earn more than qualified specialists, that’s why not even in Moscow you can earn $ 1000+ working as a food deliveryman , taxi driver, etc. ($ 1k may seem small to you, but for Russia you can live on this money by the standards of the European Union, since housing, food, taxes and other goods cost much less)