21–30 of 151 posts
I've found programming is one of those disciplines that (often) doesn't feel like work to me .. and for that I'm eternally grateful.
There will always be someone who is 'better' than you.
> You only see top programmers who started as kids and probably won some Olympiads and programming competitions, and this continued in their 20s and maybe kept their skill up till 30s but that's about it. Where do you get this idea?
Be open also for changes, we went from desktop applications to the web. Learn the technologies involved.
You need people with different backgrounds on the field though, just because I started very early, it doesn't mean that I don't respect or take to high regard somebody that would start coding on their 30s, but the opposite, they are important and valuable to have in a team. Developing software is much more than only programming and much less related to maths or olympic medals lol.
Nowadays there are so many materials and courses that makes getting into programming so easy, I had to go through many phases you just don't have to.
I've spent countless hours configuring servers in a way that nobody does anymore, using programming languages that almost nobody does, text editor configurations nobody use and so on. You'll never need to waste time with that. But once you are working 10+ years in the field, it will be expected from you that you learn new things.
I don't see starting early as being an advantage, its not like golf or whatever. Curiosity will get you further than precociousness.
--I don't think progressing in mathematics is only for young people, fields medal winners are typically in their late 30s, early 40s. I guess whether or not that is "young" depends on you.-- Nope. See child comment. Anecdotally, my best experiences have been with older programmers. I worked with a guy in his 60s who had some absolutely incredible personal stories to tell (he hitchhiked from Europe to India in the 70s…
Fields medal is for mathematicians under 40 years of age.
Software development is different than competitive programming, and while it's true that there's performance degradation with years it's either not meaningful enough for the average software project (or as meaningful as they think), or it's counterbalanced with experience, because there's more to developing software than writing code. But I'm a career switcher (waiter to software developer) who made the switch when I…
One can manage their expectations from programming by aiming to learn to code and only work with high level languages and develop software than do low level coding.
I think the one advantage you have as a "young man" is that you have abundant spare time to hone your skills. If I were to pick up programming now (or any hobby that requires determination), I doubt that I would have the time required to fully immerse myself in it. But I am much older than you and fully occupied with job and family life, so not all hope is lost for you.
In some ways, programming is like learning a musical instrument, but in others it isn't. You don't need to fine-tune your brain synapses for amazing finger coordination. But like with almost everything, the more you practice the better you get.
Finally, I really wouldn't worry so much about whether or not it's a young man's game. If you're curious, programming is probably one of the easiest things to get into: no special gear required other than a computer and an infinite amount of resources for learning available for free online. Plus, you have online communities to find answers to common questions like StackOverflow.
Don't overthink it, just dive in.
Errrr. It has nothing to do with age. You can start programming at any age. What matters is not having youthfully crackling synapses, but motivation, curiosity, hard work. Though a youthful memory certainly would be a help, it’s nothing more than an enhancement to your capabilities. Experience counts for more. 30 is still young to start programming. At 30 you can still spend 30 years programming till retiring at 60.…
If you want to be the best in the world it does help to start young.
But if you just want to be really good, you can start any time. In a pursuit like programming there is some benefit to being young, having those 'crackling synapses' which help you think fast.
But there's also some benefit to being old - the longer you work the more you build up a library of solutions in your head. Every time you solve a problem it gets easier to solve it (or a problem like it) again.
Which is the bigger advantage? Hard to say. But programming isn't like basketball. No programmer peaks in his 20s. So maybe that's your answer.