I dropped out of college and now earn $159,000 as a software engineer. Lifestyle creep left me $30,000 in debt.

Devonte Duncan, 27, is a software engineer based in Brooklyn, NYC. Business Insider A Brooklyn-based software engineer shares his journey from college dropout to earning six figures. Living in NYC, he faces rising costs, managing rent with his fiancée, and budgeting carefully. He faced lifestyle creep and debt, but now saves strategically for financial stability and growth. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation for our Cost of Living video series with Devonte Duncan, 27, a software…