4 years is not a long time in any career. 4 years might be a long time to hold your breath or take a shower. But so far as working goes 4 years is a pittance. It may seem long since youre 24 and thats fine I suppose. I'm 27, so not much older than you, and I'm really not trying to condescend. Try to think with some perspective. Also, try to be less sensitive.

When you try to take the high moral ground while doing the same thing you're deriding, it severely undermines your point.

A long time for a 24 year old, yes.

How long did you contract for before you quit and decided it was somehow easier to found your own company?

On and off for the better part of a decade.

And let me be clear, "founding my own company" wasn't "easier". It was infinitely harder, though ultimately more rewarding for me.

I'm contracting specifically so that I can allocate time flexibly in order to found my own company.

You're essentially scorning me for taking my own path towards what you did.

Baffling hypocrisy.

I'm not scorning you, whatsoever. I was just discussing why I came to the conclusion that being a contractor makes one no more or less "free" than being salaried, in practical terms anyway.