I totally agree. It makes a great work philosophy, but it doesn't guarantee or necessarily affect results at a given employer. There are too many unrelated factors that aren't being controlled for.

Is your company going through expansion or is it shrinking? You can work terribly hard on a sinking ship and still wind up with a lower salary and worse position than the average at your age.

Staying with the same firm in IT that long may be luck or it may even be harmful with the wrong employer.