> I’d go with Cambridge for the experience alone

He didn't ask which experience is better. He said his goal is flexibility and money in the long term.

> Letting this AI stuff shake out some more is also a bonus... There will be corporations waiting to employ people the rest of your life

These two are contradictory. No one knows how this AI stuff will play out. Putting things on hold for 2-3 years right now is incredibly risky. It's one thing if you get a few years experience and then have to pivot to whatever programming has become, but coming in to the industry as a new grade 2-3 years from now is very uncertain.

Going back to school is a lot "harder" later in life because it's a bad deal, you have too much to walk away from. What school has to offer is much less than just staying in place. So I don't think you're making the point you think you are.

School is fun, but apart from a few career paths, graduate school is unnecessary, not to mention a huge money sink. Computer science isn't one of them. I've hired programmers before and never was anyone impressed or even asked about a graduate degree. It's actually often a negative signal (at least at the places I worked) because if someone is too academic they'll have trouble fitting into the corporate culture.