I think it's important to note that when a 25 year old talks about their career, it's almost all 'beginning'. Even if they are precocious and got promoted, they have only barely made it into what other people might call the middle of their career, it's still the beginning for them (unless they settle). You talk to a guy who has been working for 50 years and 'most of his career' looks very different than most of your career, even if you follow the same arc. Because all of your career is just the beginning of his.

I feel like he is missing the part where if you're a relatively passive person and you keep saying no to everything, you end up alone, bored, and broke. If you are going to say 'no' to people, it's because they are offering you options that might not be the ones you'd choose or make for yourself. So you should demur and work to create your own options.

The best way to predict the future is to create it.