Your zip code tells people where you live, not how far you can go.

Where you grew up shapes what was nearby and what got assumed about you, and that is real. It is not a cap, though people will sometimes treat it as one, and the worst version is when you start treating it that way yourself. An address describes a starting location, not a range.

Notice when you are ruling something out for a reason that is really about geography. Then find one person from somewhere like yours who ended up doing the thing you want. An existence proof is worth more than encouragement.