I'm 36 and after 18 years of being behind a keyboard, I'm just starting to be a decent programmer, so I hope not.
When Do Programmers Retire? Is 35 the End?
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Re: When Do Programmers Retire? Is 35 the End?
#32Retiring is about the money you have in a bank.
If you work in a top tech company like apple, microsoft,and etc. since you are 22 until 35 (probably end at a very senior engineer), you probably rack up millions of dollars in your bank and can easily retire.
Re: When Do Programmers Retire? Is 35 the End?
#33I don’t know where the idea that programmers are unemployable past a certain age comes from. It’s some kind of fix idea that seem to have gotten into to people and it’s not good for anyone. If anything, programmers with 10+ years of experience is the most employable there is. There is a certain maturity and wisdom that comes with experience.
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Re: When Do Programmers Retire? Is 35 the End?
#34I've been let go for "not being technical enough" yet I had the requisite current (mandated) certifications. So I don't buy their explanation. Actually I think it was culture fit. I was just "too" old and my boss was weirded out or needed/wanted someone younger. My hobby was FPGA, microcontrollers and general messing around along with hiking. I was also probably too fit for their view of how I should be. But in reality, who knows? I certainly didn't do an exit interview.
I got a job elsewhere doing elixir and nodejs programming (devops) and haven't looked back. I suggest that people, when told they're too old, just smile and get out of that horrible employer's reach. Life is too short. Plus now I can take my dog to work.
Re: When Do Programmers Retire? Is 35 the End?
#35I find it hard to reconcile the common complaint that software developers are often unemployable past 35 with my personal observations. This is pure anecdata, but I don't think I know a single software developer who was unable to continue in the industry past 35 as commonly claimed. On the other hand, I know tons of former financial employees who became unemployable in the industry at 30 or even earlier.
I can confirm that these statements just don't ring very true at most major technology companies; it may be a thing specifically for startups which I have little recent experience with. I know plenty of people in FAANG, Microsoft, Salesforce, etc. that are still ICs that are well over the age of 35. Ageism may be alive in startups, but in technology as a whole, it doesn't really seem to be a big deal if you are up to…
I think part of it may also be that us "older" folks are not fooled by the startup glitz, and would rather work somewhere with a little more stability and work-life balance.
I did the startup thing a bit, it was fun, but I'm mostly over it. I have other things in life I want to focus my time and energy on.
Re: When Do Programmers Retire? Is 35 the End?
#36Re: When Do Programmers Retire? Is 35 the End?
#37It can be difficult getting hired as you get older. In the 80's programming was a relatively rare skill. It is common now and mediocre talent can get by because better hardware that allows them to write workable mediocre code. Frankly I like working on projects that solve real problems, not ones that take advantage of evolutionary quirks that hold peoples attention for ad revenue. Maybe older programmers just don't like what is being offered and move on to other things. Intelligent people can learn and grow in new directions. Aside from AI or Quantum Computing the industry is rather mature and not all that interesting. BioTech is hopping however. Much like the computer industry was at one time.
Re: When Do Programmers Retire? Is 35 the End?
#38I don’t know where the idea that programmers are unemployable past a certain age comes from. It’s some kind of fix idea that seem to have gotten into to people and it’s not good for anyone. If anything, programmers with 10+ years of experience is the most employable there is. There is a certain maturity and wisdom that comes with experience.
I remember this being a big concern around 2010, give or take a few years. Back then I don't think many people expected the demand for programmers to increase as much as it has.
I'm in my 40's and still going.
Re: When Do Programmers Retire? Is 35 the End?
#39These headlines are so dumb. My dad has been a professional programmer continuously >45 years. I'm a 45 year old programmer.
Re: When Do Programmers Retire? Is 35 the End?
#40I work in a team where the average age is around 40. Everyone has 15-20 years experience in the field we're working on.
This is the greatest job I've ever had =) Everyone just knows their shit, no one has a need to pad their resume by using the latest tech. We do stuff the boring way, the way that works every time. Stuff is done well the first time, because no one wants to spend their free time fixing broken production code.
No one glorifies long working days or not taking vacations. People have families and other responsibilities and we take that into account.
I did spend the previous 10 years coaching fresh out of school coders, but it's fun not to be the most experienced one in the room for a change.