Your single point of annecdata doesn't mean it's not possible. As a counter-point, my brother started working as a full-time software engineer at 27 and is curr

Your single point of annecdata doesn't mean it's not possible. As a counter-point, my brother started working as a full-time software engineer at 27 and is currently on track to be able to retire at 40. I've made the financially dubious choice of taking a government R&D job (and started even later), so I certainly won't be retiring that early, but I'm still well on the way to a comfortable retirement. That's two millennials that are having not trouble at all making it work.