I think there is something to be said for starting a company when you're younger and more risk-tolerant though. If you wait until you're middle aged and set for life you might never do it.
conversely, money early on in life is worth more than money later on in life. This can be especially true once you get into a house you're happy with.
Your housing expenses are likely to be your single largest (fixed) expense, so if someone can work hard for a few years and buy a place, it's a lot easier to coast on lower paying jobs.
Agreed from personal experience. And a huge component of housing is where you live.
I'd argue that the single most financially-beneficial choice you can make as a SWE is finding a remote or hybrid job, then leveraging that to live somewhere you enjoy that allows you to save much more money.
Your housing expenses are likely to be your single largest (fixed) expense, so if someone can work hard for a few years and buy a place, it's a lot easier to coast on lower paying jobs.