The beauty of high tech is that you can achieve financially independent within your mid-to-late 30s depending on how well you do. Conversely, I've seen those t

The beauty of high tech is that you can achieve financially independent within your mid-to-late 30s depending on how well you do. Conversely, I've seen those that "pursue their passion" end up being bitter and cynical when they don't make it. They end up working one dead-end job after another, hoping to one day become a famous writer/actor/singer/etc. Eventually they realize they don't have what it takes and are now stuck working into their 50s/60s. Sure some small pct end up being successful but the majority end up being in the same corporate trap that they originally eschewed, albeit with more debt and a more precarious financial situation.