Not my personal experience, but that of some people I have known: Accruing status typically also means accruing wealth and / or connections. At any point in ti

Not my personal experience, but that of some people I have known: Accruing status typically also means accruing wealth and / or connections. At any point in time, you have options. You might have a legacy of influence you have spread. It is easier to focus and work harder when you are younger. Getting a new career off the ground when you have kids is easier if you've built up a nest egg, which is easier if you've moved up the chain early. Marching to your own drum, deviating from society's expectations might leave you with a legacy of "he went to various places, looked at the things there, and made short term friends along the way" can, at a certain point in your life, feel quite unfulfilling. You end up having passed up the opportunities to put away for the future, or failed to establish a longer term network. At the end of the day, there are both extremes, and everything in-between, and then some more. Every choice comes with trade-offs.