Had this same exact thought as an undergrad like 3 years ago! I kinda gave up due to the massive barrier and difficult financial burdens faced by phd students. This feels nice to know i wasn't crazy.
In my opinion, that is the thing with theoretical computer science. Many of the ideas are comprehendible. And if one has the opportunity to do the work: you may get the result.
I genuinely don't understand why we allow papers to be published on computer science, with graphs plotted of the supposed efficacy of research (i.e. not just a theoretical paper), with no code attached.