I agree, it was pretty bad. At the time it was the only school within a few miles of where I lived and I couldn't afford a car, so I biked there. By the time I managed to get a car, I was most of the way to hiring mins at a regional and it didn't seem worth it to jump ship.

I see a lot of friends with smartphones, nice cars or even new ones, paying for their own apartment, etc. Many are taking on lots of debt though. I got a dumb phone that does texts and phone calls, a 10-year-old car that looks cruddy but has been reliable, and I share a place with several other guys for a few hundred a month. I really try not to spend money on frivolous things; my one vice is going out to the movie theater and getting a big tub of popcorn. You gotta live a little, right?

There's a very small trickle of income on the side from a Youtube channel I have (~$150 a year), and I'm fortunate to have parents who will help me out if I'm ever in a crunch. But mostly, just try to be frugal and live within your means as much as possible. The goal is to keep that up a few more years as pay slowly increases...