The one advantage folks in their 20s have is time. I actually don't think software engineering is the best career (in financial / lifestyle terms) for someone

The one advantage folks in their 20s have is time. I actually don't think software engineering is the best career (in financial / lifestyle terms) for someone who might also excel in business, finance, law, or medicine. But there is one hack to our industry: You can make a good salary starting in your early to mid 20s, with only a bachelor's degree or less, while most of your peers will still be in school for years, then paying off loans, and finally beginning at the bottom of the corporate ladder. Now unfortunately, by 35 or so, most of your smart friends will have caught up - paid off their loans, and now be earning similar high incomes. And software engineers tend to hit a glass ceiling, run into ageism, etc. But having lived frugally while making over six figures for over a decade, you can have accumulated $500K - $1M, and if you forget about that money, can coast into early retirement by 50 or earlier, or take career risks that others can't afford. A million in net worth at 40 opens up a lot options.