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Can you start a successful tech career later in life?
11–20 of 56 posts
Re: Can you start a successful tech career later in life?
#12I've been hacking since childhood but my formal education took longer than normal (becoming a teen parent meant I had to work full-time and go to school part-time). I had 2 technology jobs before starting my own companies. I've had my own startups/businesses since 2000 and I'm now in my late 30s.
My biggest fear career-wise is that, should my company go under or sell for non-FU money, I am basically un-hireable. I feel like I am a founder until death or retirement now. Most of me is fine with that because I love it, but part of me would like having the other option.
I even wonder if being an older founder makes it hard to hire young talent or raise money. Dave McClure even said on TWiS that they don't even want founders over 40 in their accelerator.
Fortunately, I've got plenty of skills, experience and I look younger than I am (I pluck the gray hairs out of my beard). We shall see ...
Re: Can you start a successful tech career later in life?
#13I think there is an additional question here, which is if you can return to a tech career that you started early on but abandoned when you forayed into management. But one day you realize that your hobby of programming is so much more satisfying. I am trying this right now, but it's not easy, especially since people think that you are moving downwards if you're going back into tech.
I spent about 6 months in management and it was the worst experience in my career. I will never do that again. I'm back to writing code. I don't know why anyone would want to be a manager.
Can you expand on why you thought your experience was so bad? I'm just curious.
Re: Can you start a successful tech career later in life?
#14damn this is like the complete opposite of me. I want to get out of the whole tech game once I make enough money to not have to work a 9 to 5 job. I wrote a quick rap verse about it. Jus trying to make a quick buck get outta this tech game but still no luck need to make it before i turn thirty before i end up old and dirty
So what do you want to do instead?
There are other things besides tech out there. I think too many people get caught up in the bubble.
I'd love to be able to make hip hop beats, or learn music production, or travel, or learn how to play the guitar. Those are all things that I think are more beautiful than programming or tech startups.
Re: Can you start a successful tech career later in life?
#15im in 30 and gonna lunch own accounting software middle or end of the year.got also few friend accountant in their 40 expert in excel macro and function.ain't to late
Re: Can you start a successful tech career later in life?
#16"Tech companies don’t require their engineers to be coding wunderkinds" - really? What tech companies advertise for mediocre, non rock star devs who can muddle through some tutorials?
Re: Can you start a successful tech career later in life?
#17I think there is an additional question here, which is if you can return to a tech career that you started early on but abandoned when you forayed into management. But one day you realize that your hobby of programming is so much more satisfying. I am trying this right now, but it's not easy, especially since people think that you are moving downwards if you're going back into tech.
I spent about 6 months in management and it was the worst experience in my career. I will never do that again. I'm back to writing code. I don't know why anyone would want to be a manager.
There is a creeping way from S/W engineering to being a staff engineer to being the software architect... Along that way you get dragged into meetings where you end up not having much competitive pressure - since the others are business people, but you end up shining and you get on the fast track. I enjoyed it very much, since I love doing tech-strategy and big picture planning. That said being a project manager - if this is what you mean - is not creative and unsatisfying.
Re: Can you start a successful tech career later in life?
#18Earlier quoted context omitted.
I spent about 6 months in management and it was the worst experience in my career. I will never do that again. I'm back to writing code. I don't know why anyone would want to be a manager.
Can you expand on why you thought your experience was so bad? I'm just curious.
It's popular to hate on being a manager!
It's similar to how you'll hear people in academia refer to "industry." It's a popular thing to put down.
Re: Can you start a successful tech career later in life?
#19damn this is like the complete opposite of me. I want to get out of the whole tech game once I make enough money to not have to work a 9 to 5 job. I wrote a quick rap verse about it. Jus trying to make a quick buck get outta this tech game but still no luck need to make it before i turn thirty before i end up old and dirty
Is the implication that >30 year olds are old?
Re: Can you start a successful tech career later in life?
#20I've been hacking since childhood but my formal education took longer than normal (becoming a teen parent meant I had to work full-time and go to school part-time). I had 2 technology jobs before starting my own companies. I've had my own startups/businesses since 2000 and I'm now in my late 30s. My biggest fear career-wise is that, should my company go under or sell for non-FU money, I am basically un-hireable. I fe…
You'd be fine. The most important thing is whether you have a portfolio to demonstrate that you can get stuff done. You do.