[GVIrish]

Honestly for someone in their 20's 50+ hours per week is not a prerequisite for getting to $100k to $120k. Find jobs that are using technologies that are in high demand for companies that respect your work-life balance. Temporary spikes in hours comes with the territory but working 50+ hours a week isn't required. Startup work may have that kind of grind but there are plenty of companies where you can advance your career quickly without sacrificing your work/life balance.

I think the key is learning technologies that are in demand and pay well and choosing jobs where you can build experience in said technologies. Bottom line is that if you spend 60+ hours a week at a job programming in Objective-C for 3 years you're unlikely to make significantly more money than the guy who has 3 years of Obj-C and only worked 40 hours a week. The quality of the experience is what will matter more.