Thats similar to my story. I started in high school, with no job, just racing for the fun of it and only buying things when I absolutely needed them. Then I finished high school and when to university, and found I kinda needed some cash to do things.
I had to leave racing for a while as my job was the same night as racing, but now I'm back as loving it as much as a did when I first started. As many people have said, I think people are only leaving because they have lost the passion for the hobby.
Ben