At what level of experience did you start freelancing?

Can you name and list those things you'd not want to miss out on, ASAP? The quicker you can do that, the more control you'll have over outcomes.

You can replicate just about any FT experience you want by changing the structure of your freelance work. That's one thing people misunderstand about freelancing. If you're not enthralled by the freedom aspect and taking full advantage, you might quickly find that you hate it. It's not just glorified wfh.

Examples: Take any day off you want. Week off. Month off. Experiment to find the fewest hours you actually need to work each week. Select clients based on how respectful they are to you personally, and your boundaries.

Hire your own consultants who are excited about what you'll become, book attendance for yourself at interesting and relevant corporate retreats. Go out and drop $500 on books that interest you, because you recognize that interests and excitement are the engine for what you make of this opportunity.

Oh, and be so god-damned lazy it's ridiculous, right up until your good old ultradian-measured high-productivity window arrives between 3:30 and 5 pm. Accomplish more in that time slot than your clients are doing in a week with their internal teams, and enjoy the hell out of it.

It's more than just another job, it's your life, and it will probably be closer to owning your full life than many will ever get to experience.

Personally I started casual freelancing at 16 and serious at 21. IT background as well. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Zero years of professional experience, age 16. If you can do the work there is no reason to wait, assuming you've found customers.

Finding customers is a completely different skill set, though.

BTW: freelance or employee is not a mutually-exclusive choice, nor a permanent one.

Network is more important than experience imo. You can still grow experience-wise while freelancing, but you need the connections to get the work, ideally with little overhead. If you have those, no reason to delay unless there is a specific kind of experience you are looking to being to your clients that you don't yet have.