The scary thing I have observed is that few of my friends from my childhood really went anywhere successful in their lives. Even the ones I can think of that have good paying jobs still smoke weed constantly. I suspect they want to numb themselves as much as possible in order to endure their work.
I didn't wind up in some amazing career (I worked a lot in the IT sector during my 20s and that was enough) but I can absolutely say for certain I am happy and lead a fulfilling life. So you've made some excellent points and don't bully yourself into thinking you 'should have' known these things during your 20s.