In May of 1963, I started my first full-time job as a computer programmer for Mitchell Engineering Company, a supplier of steel buildings. At Mitchell, I developed programs in Fortran II on an IBM 1620 mostly to improve the efficiency of order processing and fulfillment. Since then, all my jobs for the past 57 years have involved computer programming. I am now a data scientist developing cloud-based big data fraud detection algorithms using machine learning and other advanced analytical technologies. Along the way, I earned a Master’s in Operations Research and a Master’s in Management Science, studied artificial intelligence for 3 years in a Ph.D. program for engineering, and just two years ago I received Graduate Certificates in Big Data Analytics from the schools of business and computer science at a local university (FAU). In addition, I currently hold the designation of Certified Analytics Professional (CAP). At 74, I still have no plans to retire or to stop programming.
Ask HN: Am I the longest-serving programmer – 57 years and counting?
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Re: Ask HN: Am I the longest-serving programmer – 57 years and counting?
#2Congratulations! You're an inspiration!
Tell us, what is the secret to your longevity?
Re: Ask HN: Am I the longest-serving programmer – 57 years and counting?
#3No, probably not the longest-serving, though maybe longest-serving who is on HN.
Also: 74 - 57 = 17 years of age when you started as a full time programmer. How did you pull that off in 1963?
Re: Ask HN: Am I the longest-serving programmer – 57 years and counting?
#4Congratulations! You're an inspiration! Tell us, what is the secret to your longevity?
I guess not smoking, no drugs and regular exercise. I really enjoy what I do - the challenge of achieving an analytical objective with limited resources has always given me great satisfaction.
Re: Ask HN: Am I the longest-serving programmer – 57 years and counting?
#5I'm happy to see that you've kept up with new fields and changes in the industry. I've worked with several older programmers and they've usually been very set in their ways and shown little interest in developing new skills.
Re: Ask HN: Am I the longest-serving programmer – 57 years and counting?
#6No, probably not the longest-serving, though maybe longest-serving who is on HN. Also: 74 - 57 = 17 years of age when you started as a full time programmer. How did you pull that off in 1963?
I actually was only 16, but turned 17 right after I started. I had finished all the math and science courses in my high school in Mississippi and I had a lot of extra time in my senior year. As a junior, I scored the highest in the U.S. on an engineering aptitude test and got a write-up in the local paper. Mitchell Engineering was trying to get into computers but didn't know how to find people who could program. When they heard about me, they approached me with the idea of becoming a programmer. At the time, I had no idea what a programmer was, but they hired me and trained me on the job.
Re: Ask HN: Am I the longest-serving programmer – 57 years and counting?
#7I'm happy to see that you've kept up with new fields and changes in the industry. I've worked with several older programmers and they've usually been very set in their ways and shown little interest in developing new skills.
I know what you mean. Many of my contemporaries never got past the mainframes. I'll have to admit that it took me a little while to accept the PC to be more than any intelligent terminal. I was lucky in that I worked for Digital Equipment Corporation from 1976 to 1982 - they pioneered distributed computing.
Re: Ask HN: Am I the longest-serving programmer – 57 years and counting?
#8This is pretty cool. Definitely worth documenting I think.
Re: Ask HN: Am I the longest-serving programmer – 57 years and counting?
#9Congratulations! You're an inspiration! Tell us, what is the secret to your longevity?
I guess not smoking, no drugs and regular exercise. I really enjoy what I do - the challenge of achieving an analytical objective with limited resources has always given me great satisfaction.
How much exercise, and have you always been physically active?
[I'm more than halfway to your experience but definitely missing this aspect.]
Re: Ask HN: Am I the longest-serving programmer – 57 years and counting?
#10What’s your daily routine now and how has it evolved over the years?