I think you and your parent comment are saying the same thing.

Well, if it is any help, the guy who made this forum once published a book with a collection of his essays. Various topics, including how to become a rich person, in what ways graduate studies are helpful in creating software. Might make sense of putting worldly things in this perspective.

I did so after college, had no money, parents were immigrants with no money but always told me to "follow my dreams". PhD payed enough to eat and live a decent life as a 20-something with no dependents. As I got older, I realized the financial burden I was taking, saw my family get into more and more financial trouble and I felt like a helpless selfish brat "chasing dreams" while my parents were trapped and fighting a losing battle... I finished as fast as I could and got a job in tech.

Those who are actually desperate to put food on the table are not going to spend extra years to finish as fast they can, they just leave. Or they don’t start in the first place.