Thank you for making me feel young in this crowd! Started in 1974, still at it.
Ask HN: Am I the longest-serving programmer – 57 years and counting?
41–50 of 555 posts
Re: Ask HN: Am I the longest-serving programmer – 57 years and counting?
#42Where do you work now? And also, I've heard that at Google for example, there is prejudice against older programmers? Have you experienced anything like that?
I think the age discrimination comes from the mostly younger staff, not so much the company. Works out the same, of course, when you’re told you aren’t a “good cultural fit.”
Re: Ask HN: Am I the longest-serving programmer – 57 years and counting?
#43Curious what is your salary? Can you share?
Re: Ask HN: Am I the longest-serving programmer – 57 years and counting?
#44Congratulations!!. What made you stick to Programming and not go the path of leadership? Are you on linkedin ?
Re: Ask HN: Am I the longest-serving programmer – 57 years and counting?
#45Could you talk more about what you remember from your time at Mitchell Engineering Company? You worked on order processing and fulfillment...what was lacking in their process that they wanted to computerize? Was your project deemed a business success? Were you happy while you were working on it? Was it just you or a team?
Just briefly, then I have to hit the sack - I'm on the east coast. I developed a set of programs to allow them to map out the design of a steel building, and my programs would calculate all the pieces they need to load on the truck to build it. Mitchell was very progressive in this area - this type of computerization enabled them to have the building up in record time. A Civil Engineer worked with me and used the computer to design the main support beams. Between the two of us the entire process was automated.
Re: Ask HN: Am I the longest-serving programmer – 57 years and counting?
#46given the numerous posts about age discrimination on hn, i'm delighted to hear your story and wish you many more years of happy programming. as a whipper-snapper 40-something developer, it gives me hope and motivation.
while not as old as OP, I personally know several programmers in their 50s and 60s and all said they had no problem finding work.
I think if you're a top-tier developer (which OP seems to be!) age discrimination may not be as much of a factor? If you're decent but not amazing (most of us honestly) you may find it easier to find work at 35 than at 55.
Re: Ask HN: Am I the longest-serving programmer – 57 years and counting?
#47Congratulations! I hope it's okay this has turned into an AMA :D. Feel free to not answer!
What do you think the biggest shift for day to day programming was for you in your 57 years?
Re: Ask HN: Am I the longest-serving programmer – 57 years and counting?
#48Knuth was being paid by Burroughs to implement an Algol-58 compiler in 1960. He’s still programming, and seems to have advice for others on the subject. But I don’t expect to see him here.
Congratulations on being in that company, and may it long continue.
Re: Ask HN: Am I the longest-serving programmer – 57 years and counting?
#49Congrats! I love reading inspiring posts on HN!
There are probably many of us who will probably follow in your footsteps. Provided that Stack Overflow continues to exist, I have no plans to ever stop programming either.
Re: Ask HN: Am I the longest-serving programmer – 57 years and counting?
#50My father-in-law retired from a software engineering position at age 75. I'd be 57 years in the industry if I retired then. It seems doable; I know a couple of software types approaching or over 70 now.
This would be convenient because the 32-bit signed time_t apocalypse is in early 2037. :-)