How sure of that are you? I don't have a lot of data points, but 3.5 years of experience got me a 270k offer from Google. I find it hard to believe it was _that_ much higher than average.

You referred to "choice" jobs. Those aren't jobs for people with a few years of experience. Think 5-10 years.

Furthermore, I can assure you that a huge number of people at Google clear $200k per year in total compensation, which includes a high salary, stock, and bonuses. I know people at other companies I've mentioned who do so as well, with less than 10 years of experience in the industry.

There are also plenty of homes that cost less than the median -- in fact, half of them do...

I'm not going to argue that's a reasonable set of requirements to get a house, but it's possible.