It's been years since I've been on here. Glad to see the community still alive and well. For once I feel like I'm not looking for advice on women but on my career.

Right now I am 25 and working for a large investment company. Making a good salary (total compensation about 70k in a lower cost big city) and have been moving up in the company at an above average pace since starting. Proud to say that with being pretty damn frugal and saving over the years (and this insane bull market) that I have over 6 figures saved in investment accounts.

While all this looks good on paper (and yes I realize in the grand scheme of things I'm in a great situation), I am questioning whether the corporate grind will be fulfilling in the long term. My salary will steadily increase along with my responsibilities and hours worked. As I look ahead it seems like I will always be chasing that next position, that next bonus, that next paycheck, etc.. no matter how high up in a company I go. I'm chasing this idea of financial freedom yet a large chunk of my money will be tied up in retirement accounts that I won't want to touch till I'm 65. I can't shake this feeling that I'm going down a dead end path that won't pay off until most of my life is behind me.

Obviously this is not the first time someone has had this dilemma, but I'm hoping to hear some anecdotes from some older men on here (30s,40s,etc). A lot of you seem to say life gets a lot better into your 30s with money as long as you take care of yourself. Are you able to find fulfillment and excitement in life while also grinding it out 9-5? Do you get increased confidence in your overall life as you take on more responsibility in the corporate setting? Is it worth it to lean into the corporate life to move up as fast as possible, or start planning an exit now on a more entrepreneurial path?

I honestly enjoy a lot of aspects of my job and develop awesome skills (coding/technology, data analytics) but at the end of the day I don't feel like I will ever be truly "wealthy" from these, which maybe isn't really a bad thing?