&gt; The plan B is always saving enough money to bail early on employment and retiring at 50-55.<p>Or 35-40, which is not that hard in this field.  Live like a college student, earn like a professional, and you&#x27;ll be able to retire pretty quickly.  Which doesn&#x27;t mean you need to retire at that point, but it means you <i>can</i>.<p>See <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;networthify.com&#x2F;calculator&#x2F;earlyretirement" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;networthify.com&#x2F;calculator&#x2F;earlyretirement</a> and <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.mrmoneymustache.com&#x2F;2012&#x2F;01&#x2F;13&#x2F;the-shockingly-simple-math-behind-early-retirement&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.mrmoneymustache.com&#x2F;2012&#x2F;01&#x2F;13&#x2F;the-shockingly-sim...</a> .  The number of years you have to work before retiring depends entirely on what fraction of your income you save.