Hmmm ... this sure is a l-o-n-g thread for such an odd (and seemingly irrelevant) topic. But I can see some interesting points to it so ...
I'll be fifty in another year-and-a-bit. Hopefully, I'll be "well-established" in copywriting long before that.
Cheers -
Al
PS - Yes, I'm one of those late-starters. Heck, I was 43 before having a kid! He's 5 1/2, now. (Some days, he has me feeling 28 - other days he has me feeling 68.)
PPS - Tom, you don't look anywhere close to 50 in your profile pic!