It's pretty silly for commentators here to not recognize their current thinking rules their future selves out from any respectable employment and existence in the field because of the prejudice and massive assumptions about others their current selves hold. 1 or lets say even 10 out of 100 will strike it lucky, what are the 90 going to do. Retire at 35?

This is exactly like the 'temporarily embarrassed working class' supporting policies against their interests as they expect to be in exploiter roles 'soon'.

This kind of ideology tries to reframe software engineering not as a profession like others but some kind track and field with olympic stars dependent on youth working 100hr weeks to the exclusion of everything else. What happens to the majority for whom this does not pay off? This is self importance taken to delusion. This attitude will not only undermine your experience as you age but also directly reduce the quality of people entering the field as anyone studying now with options cannot logically choose a field where you are expected to work like a dog for long odds where experience does not count.

You reap what you sow.