For me it was at 24, about 2 years after I started working. The first two years were exciting vanity-filled ride, because I was proving that to myself and others that I was really capable. I got quickly promoted to a project manager role (that was in a time and organization where PMs weren't just bureucrats, the role was exciting). Delivering my first project was hell of a ride (coffee and red-bull powered one), but after that, I saw that I'm just going to have to repeat that experience for the next 40 years. I gave my notice soon afterwards, and since then I look for jobs with best salary to effort ratio. Also, there are some kinds of jobs (management, enterprise architect), that are so annoying that I don't know how much I would have to be paid to do them again.
I'm nearing my fourties now. I have saved 27 years' worth of living expenses, assuming my current lifestyle (or longer, if I at some point decide to downgrade). Recently, I have given my notice. I want to finally try something else.
I don't like the "don't get unlucky" part. It would really suck if I indeed got unlucky around the age of 60 or 70, and then had to support myself working as a janitor till I die. In other words, I tend to be risk-awerse.
Why? Making money early saves you years of struggle later and gives you option that nobody else has through their 30s, after which starting new things becomes physically more difficult. Missing out on what everybody else is doing in their 20s, is by definition not something particularly novel. If money is a tool to buy us time, then making them early when u re most motivated and capable is the right strategy imho.
Or you could make disciplined by the books financial decisions throughout your 20s and 30s have it easier when you're in your 40s and 50s because you're not trying to quickly save for retirement.
Seek to carve out a niche in something that you truly enjoy, even if you like what you do, it (probably) takes time to turn that into something that you also can excel at as well.
When young with little in terms of responsibilities you can really push the envelope, you can also afford a couple of false starts.
