> you won't be left out to dry with your skills even if you > go do a startup, burn all your cash, and fail miserably.

That's true, but you might develop a distaste for 'regular' jobs. Not that those will be your only option, but it might be harder to go back.

> lots of young people will never realize that youth is working > capital that should be spent while they still have it.

I'm in my mid twenties too, and I'm sure I'll sound like an idiot when I say that youth is also social capital that shouldn't be wasted. I've spent most of my 20s with my head down on work, and I would take a lot of it back to do some more living. I'm not saying that your youth isn't working capital - it is. But always work smarter, not just harder and longer. There's no immediate prize for effort.