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Ask HN: Software development after 40, how do you keep the fire?

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Re: Ask HN: Software development after 40, how do you keep the fire?

#31

Post by awinder »

bgribble wrote: post #12

I'm 47 and got my first programming job at 19. I still love it and look forward to a good number more years. I have a few guidelines/principles that seem to have worked so far: * Do meaningful work, whatever that means to you. Maybe it's picking a domain that helps people or society, or maybe it's some other criterion. Ask yourself what meaningful work is to you. * Be mindful about your craftsmanship and always work…

If you don't mind me asking -- have you found trouble with staying in programming / development into your 40s? Or do you see trouble staying in programming into the "good number of years" ahead? I'm just curious as someone in their early 30's who feels the "pull" towards management as a career longevity move. But on the flip side, I love "soft/upwards management" and being hands-on way more, and without the massive doses of stress of actually being in management to boot.

Re: Ask HN: Software development after 40, how do you keep the fire?

#32

Post by overcast »

johnvanommen wrote: post #21
overcast wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Weird Al is essentially a comedian, and they only really get good after many years of life experience.

The other day, Norm McDonald noted something about Eddie Murphy that I hadn't considered - he was the most talented young comedian ever. It blows my mind that Murphy was performing at such a high level when he was just 20-21.

I think that was more a sign of the times. Like Andrew Dice Clay's filthy routine. That type of humor was needed during the 80s to distract people from the stress everyone was under. It wouldn't work today. A lot of Eddie's jokes were something that people never talked about or even heard of, like pre-nups, and wives taking half your cash today. I agree he was one of the early greats, but look how quickly his style wore off after that time period. I wouldn't consider him in the realm of timeless like Dangerfield or Carlin.

Re: Ask HN: Software development after 40, how do you keep the fire?

#33

Post by eksemplar »

johnvanommen wrote: post #25

As I see it, things balance out: 1) Young programmers are eager to try new things 2) As you get older, you figure out what works. This is good and bad. It's good, because you don't waste time implementing things which won't work. It's bad because you may not be willing to try something new that may be superior. If I managed a team, I would prefer to have both perspectives.

I don’t think age has anything to do with how open you are to try new things, it’s an age old throve, but it really depends on the person. Most of our IT staff is young, and they are extremely unwilling to try new things out. Mean while most of our developers and project managers are aged 35-55 and they are all open to new things.

I think you need to fit you team with the kind of people you want, in development you want risk-willing people, in operations you want to focus on stability.

I will say that a lot of young people often put more zeal and conviction into it, when they do try new things, but that’s rarely an advantage.

But actually trying new things? That’s not tied to age at all in my experience.

Re: Ask HN: Software development after 40, how do you keep the fire?

#34

Post by collyw »

dmitripopov wrote: post #5

I'm 39, still as excited about new ideas as 20 years ago. Or even more. It's so simple to implement new ideas nowadays, just pick a matching tool/framework and you are good. Back in 1998 you were forced to write a lot of things from scratch long before you get to your idea implementation and it was actually demotivating, at least for me.

Don't you find that most "new" ideas in tech are actually a rehash of something from 20 years ago at your age?

Re: Ask HN: Software development after 40, how do you keep the fire?

#35

Post by finnjohnsen2 »

brent_noorda wrote: post #24

I switched to nursing. At 55 I've now completed nursing school, have an RN, and am looking for my first job (at about 1/5 or less of what I could earn as a developer). Programming had become too easy. Now I'm doing something difficult again. Difficult is what, for me, keeps the fire burning.

> Programming had become too easy.

what do you meen?

Re: Ask HN: Software development after 40, how do you keep the fire?

#37

Post by jwhitlark »

m3mpp wrote: post #4
itamarst wrote: post #2

I'm 38, but started working young, so probably equivalent. 1. These days I care a lot more about what the software is for, what makes it useful. So I don't need to get excited about trendy technology, I get excited about e.g. building a completely new kind of gene sequencing device that will help disease research and diagnosis. (Write about this here: https://codewithoutrules.com/2017/08/07/do-something-useful/ ) 2.…

1. definitely a great advice, work on something greater than oneself. For 2 and 3, not so sure, it's so difficult to say, I've seen a lot of shitty things becoming successful, and some real good things never amounting for anything over the years, that I'm real cautious about doing any kind of prevision nowadays... The old "the more I know, the more I realize how ignorant I am" thing.

As a 40+, the first time someone mentioned "the tyranny of the random number generator" it had immediate resonance. It was in a gaming context, but is a useful life metaphor.

Re: Ask HN: Software development after 40, how do you keep the fire?

#38

Post by rootusrootus »

awinder wrote: post #31
bgribble wrote: post #12

I'm 47 and got my first programming job at 19. I still love it and look forward to a good number more years. I have a few guidelines/principles that seem to have worked so far: * Do meaningful work, whatever that means to you. Maybe it's picking a domain that helps people or society, or maybe it's some other criterion. Ask yourself what meaningful work is to you. * Be mindful about your craftsmanship and always work…

If you don't mind me asking -- have you found trouble with staying in programming / development into your 40s? Or do you see trouble staying in programming into the "good number of years" ahead? I'm just curious as someone in their early 30's who feels the "pull" towards management as a career longevity move. But on the flip side, I love "soft/upwards management" and being hands-on way more, and without the massive d…

As someone who went from development to management and then recently back, I strongly recommend that you avoid seeing management as a pull, or as a natural progression for your career. Management is 100% a different skill set, and going there from an engineering position is a career change, not evolution. It's not a promotion, either.

If you do decide to go into management, jump with both feet and give it 100%. And don't weep for your technical chops, because you just can't keep them up at the same level if you are committed to being a leader.

Re: Ask HN: Software development after 40, how do you keep the fire?

#39

Post by dukecitypal »

40+ embedded engineer here. Still yearning for working on a start up of something significant. Feel like I have the experience and skill to contribute significantly better than the young engineers I have had a chance to work with. Just hoping that the right opportunity will knock on the door some day.

Re: Ask HN: Software development after 40, how do you keep the fire?

#40

Post by mwyau »

I built a web-hosting site when I was 17, but I did not go to college for computer science, instead I studied physics. Then I went into scientific research in graduate school.

Now in the early 30s I am finally starting a career in software development. I am still excited to learn new things all the time, and I really enjoy the process. Just wondering what will be different if I started a software job 8 years ago instead of now, moneywise or not...

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