I think the biggest reason this reputation exists is that the industry has grown so quickly and the industry itself is still so young relatively. This naturally causes the median age to skew younger, as there just hasn't been enough time for the larger, newer cohorts to age!
Is software development really a dead-end job after age 35-40?
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Re: Is software development really a dead-end job after age 35-40?
#12I'm in my 40s and still doing well.
If you still have the passion for development and for learning/improving you should be able to keep going.
It seems no one is 100% safe from layoffs or companies making bad decisions.
I would encourage everyone to explore creating products/SaaS if those things are interesting to you. There no better job security than running your own business.
startupsfortherestofus.com is a great podcast to learn about this. Rob details his rise from consultant, to small successful sites to a $XXM exit. Amazing story.
And this is inspiring, still my favorite talk @DHH Startup School: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CDXJ6bMkMY
"Calling your own shots, running at your own pace, that’s pretty great."
Re: Is software development really a dead-end job after age 35-40?
#13The answer is pretty reasonable in the Quora post (Answer: no). In my experience, people who get something more out writing software than a salary tend to stay in software development, at some level, for their entire career. That said, if you're a software developer and you're also good at communicating and managing people, seriously consider moving into management. While I think the stories of the '10x' developer ar…
I also think a good manager can double or quadruple the effectiveness of their entire team
Another way of thinking about this: Managing people really well is really hard. Most managers are not the best managers. Average managers often end up doing things that reduce the output of their group in the interest of things not going horribly wrong. The Pareto distribution rears its ugly head, once again.
Re: Is software development really a dead-end job after age 35-40?
#14Software is being added to light bulbs, garage door openers and coffee makers.
It's actually quite the opposite. Older software designer/developers can better support our needs on healthcare and mobility of an aging demographic.
Re: Is software development really a dead-end job after age 35-40?
#15I'm 35.5 years old and I just started a masters in CS program(have a BS in CS already), so fuck I hope not
Re: Is software development really a dead-end job after age 35-40?
#16Rumour is, in Silicon Valley they take you out back and knife you after your 35th birthday. I hear autonomous smart-knives are in development.
Re: Is software development really a dead-end job after age 35-40?
#17I'm 48 and I'm doing better than ever. The key is to do what you enjoy and to keep developing yourself.
And I happen to enjoy programming, I liked it 35 years ago when I learned how to program and I have a feeling that I will still like it 35 years from now when I'm 83.
Re: Is software development really a dead-end job after age 35-40?
#18Definitely not, but you should steer clear of the baseline jobs at large corporations. They usually have generic titles like "Software Developer" or "[Technology] Engineer" (iOS Engineer, Android Engineer, Front-End Engineer, Node.js Engineer, whatever). Those jobs are designed to be filled with recent graduates who will be doing rote implementation work using a specific technology. They'll give you a pointless whiteboard interview where you're quizzed on things that you learned at college but will have nothing to do with the actual work.
Don't be pegged down to a specific technology box, because at 40 you've probably already seen plenty of them come and go. Use that experience to an advantage. Either get into consulting or work with startups that need a wider perspective.
Re: Is software development really a dead-end job after age 35-40?
#19Depends where exactly you live and what kind of companies you work for. I see older programmers and developers around. It tends to be expected that you work more independently including communication with other departments/customers.
A lot of people leave on their own before they get old through. Some burn out due to bad luck or wrong choice of employer. If you buy into believe that development must be late night thing, then you are likely to burn out and then seek different profession instead of just different employer.
Many many guys actually seek non-development positions that are sort of "infected" with a bit of tech. So they become managers, analysts, those architects that do just documents etc. This is where most people seem to leave. That sort of work creeps into your job more and more regardless as you age, simply because less experienced people often can really do it and it tends to be critical.
Re: Is software development really a dead-end job after age 35-40?
#20Currently mid-40's and hope to keep going at it.
Never stop learning, even tech you might dislike may provide a path to keep you relevant.
Also work on your soft skills.
A developer that can jump between technical meetings, discussing with users, other department, understands architecture and domain knowledge is much valuable than someone that just codes all day long.
When all else fails, you can always try to go consulting on the domains you love.