Pay your dues through mid-to-late-20s, then get into the startup world as quickly as you can. Even if the startup fails, the experience will push you to the nex

Pay your dues through mid-to-late-20s, then get into the startup world as quickly as you can. Even if the startup fails, the experience will push you to the next level and the contacts you make will help you land. As difficult as programming feels right now, it is an absolute cakewalk to pursuing, building, funding, running a startup of any kind--even self-driven freelance. The truth of the matter is that your skill with language X will get you pretty far, at least until X is no longer relevant. But the experience you would gain through operating your own group are the skills that really matter. Those are the skills that will get the ultimate big bucks and guarantee future opportunity. Would YOU hire YOU? (Edit, maybe people think I am being condescending with that question, I'm not--it's an existential question I suggest to be asked)