[unimportant]

20k is barely liveable in London and if you get laid off before you make significantly more, then you'll have a serious problem if you don't qualify for welfare yet. 30k is already on the high end. In SF, which has similar rents, entry level devs mostly make 70-80k USD, with 60k being rock bottom.

[iolothebard]

There are no "entry level" devs in SF. Either you're hired at a big firm/company (google/twitter/facebook) and you start off in the 150-200k/year range or you have experience.

All the entry jobs are filled by H1b, and most the non entry jobs as well.

Worked as a consultant/contractor in the Bay Area for ~3 years and GTFO. I made over 100 but less than 150 with 15 years experience.

[marrs]

But it's plenty liveable elsewhere in the UK, and there are plenty of descent tech companies looking for devs. And the point is, that's money you're earning, not money your borrowing as a student.