it's not that much more than a good middle class livelihood in this fashion.

Given the amount of taxes one pays, one still has one home, some nice cars and vacations. I don't believe the disparity is enough to cause depression.

I understand the issue you're describing, but a college student making a lot for a few years and then coming down to reality is different.

If you were saying someone's making 10MM and then must come down to a nice middle class income, that would be more comparable.