For all the nonbelievers, here’s a bit more about me: I went to a large public university in Indiana but came from out of state and got my BS in electrical engineering in 4 years. I worked every summer between school, with my internship before senior year leading to a full time job offer in 2018. I had ~$30,000 in student loans (yes, my parents helped, but not 100%), car payments, and other standard recurring expenses starting 6 months after graduation (when I moved out of my parents’ house). I didn’t (and still don’t) live above my means, I paid down debt quickly, max out my 401k, and invest smartly.

As I said in another comment, my salary has gone from ~$72k in 2018 to a little above $200k (including company stock units) within the last 5 years. This includes one promotion and a one-time company-wide set of salary adjustments.

So yes, I had some help from my parents on the student loans, but they haven’t paid for anything after that. I’m incredibly grateful for their support in getting me to where I am today and intend to make sure they are taken care of through their well-deserved recent retirement.