I'm not trying to make light of the exceptional challenges you face and the opportunities and luck I had but I didn't have it particularly easy.

In my childhood, I'd generally get new shoes when the old ones had holes in the bottom. After high school, I worked painting restaurants and refinishing furniture while I went to community college, then got a pell grant and a student loan to go to state university. I took the bus or rode a $500 street legal dirt bike with a cracked frame to work after I graduated. I was living in a small 3 bedroom house with 4 other roommates at the time (one of whom lived in the garage). I needed a few more university courses to get into a professional training program for my career. It took me a couple more years to complete those pre-reqs and each of those classes cost me about $1000, which was nearly all the money I could save up each year. Eventually, I got through the training program, obtained a professional license and was able to get a job which would, after about another 10 years of work and promotions, eventually become rather high paying.

As you all have guessed, I'm over 40.

I agree with you if you suggest that the system is rigged in favor of the rich and connected or that everything is fucked for people just entering the job market. But also, it's on you to figure it out.