I say this to pretty much everyone with these kinds of questions: It will never be less risky than it is today. You will never have fewer responsibilities than you have today. As you get older, you collect responsibilities and obligations and expenses that can't be dramatically reduced (like children and medical bills). If you are single, don't have kids, don't have a mortgage, you are stupid for avoiding economic risk that presents high opportunity for gain. Now is the only time you have to take on extremely high risk opportunities.

Sure, you can get promotions as you age, and get cost-of-living wage increases, and you can do it all very safely and without ever having taken a chance on being out of work or having to cancel your cable and stop eating out. But, you'll never have another time when it will be less painful to make mistakes.

So, there's no question here. If you don't have responsibilities that prevent you from taking chances, why are you even asking? Get off your ass and make something of yourself. (And if you do have responsibilities, like a wife and kids, you shouldn't be asking us. You should be asking them, because only you and they can make those decisions.)

Don't be a coward. Your scary decisions are nothing compared to the risks our ancestors had to take to make it this far, so do something worthwhile.