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On finally learning to program at the age of 40

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Re: On finally learning to program at the age of 40

#111
post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

learned to code at 30 here after a previous life in finance. doing well 4 years on. if i can help anyone in this thread just reply!

Do you code professionally? My gf wants to get a job as a programmer and is about 30 too

my initial couple jobs were as a software engineer so yes. these days I do a blend of coding and marketing, as a developer advocate at AWS. good luck to your gf, pls feel free to send more qtns I think my email is in my profile.

Re: On finally learning to program at the age of 40

#112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I learned to code at 28 and have been doing it professionally for 10 years now. Coding is easier than it used to be. I don't think an age limit applies.

Yeah, I'm not worried about learning to program but about companies not hiring her as a junior/trainee because of lack of experience at her age

30 is still fine, ageism exists but 30 is hardly old

Re: On finally learning to program at the age of 40

#113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Over time it can cause damage to the ventral what pathway to the point of complete speech impediment, memory loss and even Alzheimers. This sounds like complete guff to me. Citation sorely needed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expressive_aphasia Speak to a neuroscientist if you don't believe me.

> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expressive_aphasia Speak to a neuroscientist if you don't believe

Your source doesn't support your assertion. It lists the more common causes as:

* Stroke or brain anoxia.

* Brain tumor

* Brain trauma

And is shows less common causes as:

* Autoimmune disease

* Paraneoplastic syndrome

* Micrometastasis

* neurodegenerative disorders

* Certain infections (e.g., Bartonella henselae[19])

* Metabolic disease (e.g., hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state[20])

Re: On finally learning to program at the age of 40

#114
post #110

Yeah so first off - great! It's a super rewarding skill to have and I'm grateful to be a programmer myself. Turning that skill into your profession is going to be tough. I say this because I've been programming professional for 20 years or so and I'm currently interviewing. The process of getting a coding job has gotten extremely hard and demanding. 5-8 years back it was solely based on the interview; if you knew you…

It's still reasonable in the enterprise world. There is a life outside of Silicon Valley.

I like a lot of other enterprise devs know if I studied for a few weeks for the interviews I could get a foothold into that universe, but it's just... meh. Not worth it. I like my life.

Re: On finally learning to program at the age of 40

#115
post #48

I'm in this boat. Finally started programming in 2018 at age 38 after a lifetime of playing around with computers as a hobby (thanks, dad!) and a first career in a completely unrelated field, as an attorney. The linked article is about learning for pleasure, but there are also challenges associated with trying to enter the field as a second career. The technical complexity, of course, and the scale of what needs to b…

If you don't mind me asking, why would one give up a cushy, well paid attorney career and choose software engineering? Software engineering compensation _tops out_ below where an experienced attorney compensation _begins_. The least I've ever paid a lawyer was $250/hr.

Software is a cushy, well paid job too.

And keep in mind there are a lot of people who enter fields like law because it's the "default" thing to do if you're a good student who doesn't know what they want out of life yet.

Lots of lawyers out there who are at best bored, and at worst filled with revulsion about their day job. That's not a dig on law, but societal expectations.

Re: On finally learning to program at the age of 40

#116
post #63
post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you don't mind me asking, why would one give up a cushy, well paid attorney career and choose software engineering? Software engineering compensation _tops out_ below where an experienced attorney compensation _begins_. The least I've ever paid a lawyer was $250/hr.

IANAL but just to point out a couple obvious points: - the lawyer doesn't receive the full 250, half of it(?) goes to business/partnership - afaik many lawyers under-bill their hours, i'm not sure why (beyond "competition") but it's a common practice - the job itself may not be enjoyable at some point and you may desire more creative pursuits

- Sounds about right. Few friends (Engineering/Tree Lawyers) say you can get a bit more depending on your niche.

- Many Lawyers under bill for fear of losing/surrendering their license [1] or squeeze in their Model Rule 6.1 hours [2]

- I'm seeing more lawyers amass some wealth, get burnt out, and then jump over to more creative or altruistic endeavours with less stress; can't blame them.

[1] https://www.thelawforlawyerstoday.com/2019/12/4739/

[2] https://www.americanbar.org/groups/legal_education/resources...

Re: On finally learning to program at the age of 40

#117
I started programming when I was a wee lad, and never stopped. Speaking as one of those insufferable "whiz kids" of the 80s, I say this: any path to discovering the wonders and joys of this technology is equally good. If you aren't a programmer, no matter what your age or background, now is a great time to start.

Re: On finally learning to program at the age of 40

#118

There's something about games as your motivation for learning to code that is quite unfortunate: Games, especially the popular ones, are monstrously difficult to write. And I say this as a C++ HFT guy who's written a load of programs for all sorts of other things. - Games will break your OOP tutorial learnings. If you're starting out with a game, it is gonna get mighty difficult to fit whatever it is into a set of ob…

I was tinkering around in the Minecraft code and man, I have no idea how people use inheritance when designing complex games without completely losing their minds.

I know composition vs. inheritance is a nuanced debate, and there are people who can tell me exactly how to do inheritance the right way and why they feel it's better -- but after I learned how much cleaner composition feels I went with it and never seriously looked back.

Re: On finally learning to program at the age of 40

#119

I'm having a difficult time believing that someone picked up coding and is proficient in doing so at 40 years old unless they had prior experience in something that was similar. It takes years to become proficient in coding to the point where you don't utilize massive amounts of executive function (which we have a finite amount of in any given day). In addition the act of reading and writing code does a ton of damage…

I started programming at 39 1/2. (well except for a year or two of BASIC when I was a teen). I've been doing it professionally for 9 years now and I turn 50 next spring. No brain damage noted yet.

> No brain damage noted yet

I'm assuming you haven't dabbled in the modern JS ecosystem then.

Re: On finally learning to program at the age of 40

#120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Over time it can cause damage to the ventral what pathway to the point of complete speech impediment, memory loss and even Alzheimers. This sounds like complete guff to me. Citation sorely needed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expressive_aphasia Speak to a neuroscientist if you don't believe me.

I’m fairly confident thinking alone (without duress or chemical stimulants) doesn’t cause brain damage beyond a temporary headache or insomnia - though if you can find something specific I’d be interested.
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