My advice, don’t go to UCSD (at least not yet), work there!

The UC system is fairly notorious for not paying competitively (UCSD particularly), which you can use to your advantage. They have a hard time attracting the top talent, so often you can get in without the degree/experience that are required in the private sector.

Its a great campus and there are tons of fringe benefits, for example, if you live in/near Hillcrest you can take a free shuttle to upper campus! Thats worth 10k a year to me! Plus they offer flextime, telecommuting, decent vegan food on campus… tons of perks.

Some tips if you are interested…

Salt your resume with keywords from the job posting. The first round of review is automated.

Negotiate the highest salary you can when you come in, as raises are few and far between. Plan on changing jobs instead of promotions.

No need to work overtime, so consider getting a side gig/hobby that can generate some extra revenue.