I'm 30 now (from time to time I feel that I've already lived enough and am mostly done), the idea of expecting at least 30 productive years ahead of me is intriguing.
Think about what "mostly done" means, assuming you're a software engineer.
I would have hired Doug, but...
31–40 of 244 posts
Re: I would have hired Doug, but...
#32I am 55 and have been programming computers since 1975 when I was 15 years old. Do the math, I have been programming now for 40 years. Recently, I had a conversation with someone else about this topic and I told them that I have never been so excited about my career, the field of computer science, and most importantly the opportunities that exist today in the field of technology. The excitement surrounding too many t…
I am 53 and started programming in 1977. I feel EXACTLY the same as you.
Me 3! 56, first prog job was in '87. Now I'm steadily employed in a dream job, working from home, writing mobile apps and exploring new "IoT" technologies. If this job ends, which all jobs do sooner or later, I'm hoping to starting my own company, finally, and ride that into retirement. But life continues to be an adventure and you never know what lies around the next bend in the road!!! Best of luck to you and to people of all ages in this amazing field.
Re: I would have hired Doug, but...
#33I am 55 and have been programming computers since 1975 when I was 15 years old. Do the math, I have been programming now for 40 years. Recently, I had a conversation with someone else about this topic and I told them that I have never been so excited about my career, the field of computer science, and most importantly the opportunities that exist today in the field of technology. The excitement surrounding too many t…
well, it is good that you like the things you do. at your age, we youngsters tend to expect you to be in the management level, not at individual contributor level.
from time to time, i would see our team hiring engineer with gray hair and requiring special mechanical keyboard, and we all thought "mm.. interesting."
Re: I would have hired Doug, but...
#34When I was a young man, a slightly older associate told me that "programming is a trap". What he meant is that if you are relatively smart, you can get a CS degree, get good at it, and go earn a fantastic income right out of school. I heard the words. I understood the words. I agreed with the words. Even now, 30 years later, I keep asking "is this a trap that I choose to remain in?" I still love programming, but it i…
You should quit now, and try working a multitude of other jobs. Come back to us and see if your definition of 'trap' has changed, or expanded.
Software engineering is such an entitled world, it is ridiculous. As someone who has seen the world of menial work, I will never, ever leave it. I feel blessed. You should too. You just don't know it.
Re: I would have hired Doug, but...
#35When I was a young man, a slightly older associate told me that "programming is a trap". What he meant is that if you are relatively smart, you can get a CS degree, get good at it, and go earn a fantastic income right out of school. I heard the words. I understood the words. I agreed with the words. Even now, 30 years later, I keep asking "is this a trap that I choose to remain in?" I still love programming, but it i…
Keep doing it if you love it! Sure, you have to learn new languages and tools every few years (at least), but your experience is still valuable - http://henrikwarne.com/2014/12/15/programmer-knowledge/
For the record, I've been programming professionally for close to 25 years, and I still love it - http://henrikwarne.com/2012/06/02/why-i-love-coding/
Re: I would have hired Doug, but...
#36Earlier quoted context omitted.
For me, the thing that gets a bit discouraging at times is the feeling of riding a slow-motion merry-go-round. Every 10 years or so you see the same ideas start to come around again, only with some new paint and landscaping. I have found myself more than once thinking that learning about some new trendy buzzword is just ultimately a waste of time, since I will barely have mastered it before it's been replaced by the…
I see the same thing, but feel much more optimistic about it: it's not, in my mind, that tech is effectively fashion, but rather that there are "futurist" ideas that tech keeps trying and which keep not getting adoption , because it's not their time yet—the state of the art isn't there to make the experience for the average consumer (or the average developer) justify the costs. An example of what I mean: the Apple Ne…
Not to be that guy, but
Apple Newton: 1993
Palm Pilot: 1997
Smartphones: ~2002
iPhone: 2007
Android: 2008
iPad: 2010
Re: I would have hired Doug, but...
#37"Unlike Engelbart, I have re-tooled. I now work in JavaScript in the browser and on the server. I had to walk away from the codebase that I loved. I understood that the price of relevance is to give up fighting at some point and settle for a partial victory. I think I was right in the development environment I created. But right doesn't mean the world uses what you created." Yep. That's the key to staying relevant: c…
I think I'm coming to grasps with this too. I'm over 30 and have spent most of my life building large desktop applications in C/C++. I want to eventually work remote, and looking at what's out there, there are very few opportunities with someone with my skillset. It's all modern frameworks and languages. So, I'm spending some of my own time learning some of this stuff.
Embedded programming is much more stable wrt languages and (often non-existent) frameworks. Nice for C/C++ devs.
Re: I would have hired Doug, but...
#38Is this the old people thread?
I'm 37. I think ageism is a very real problem and I hope people will consider doing more suing even if they don't have to. Some people need to be sued. We need some class actions.
Right from the top down of Silicon Valley ageism is rampant and in your face. For example, Sam Altman has publicly made explicitly agist remarks.
You kids may not think its a big deal now but give it ten years or so. You will see.
Of course in 10-15 years everyone will be in the same boat, being completely ignored by the ASIs.
Re: I would have hired Doug, but...
#39Earlier quoted context omitted.
I am 53 and started programming in 1977. I feel EXACTLY the same as you.
Me 3! 56, first prog job was in '87. Now I'm steadily employed in a dream job, working from home, writing mobile apps and exploring new "IoT" technologies. If this job ends, which all jobs do sooner or later, I'm hoping to starting my own company, finally, and ride that into retirement. But life continues to be an adventure and you never know what lies around the next bend in the road!!! Best of luck to you and to pe…
Let's make it an even 4!
Just turned 50 yesterday. Wrote my first contract program in 1982 when I was 17.
Today I teach teams how to rock-and-roll. I also keep coding, but mostly as a hobby. It has nothing to do with programming -- I simply have too many irons in the fire to do all of the things I love as much as I want to.
Re: I would have hired Doug, but...
#40I'm 30 and a senior programmer. What should I be doing to ensure I have career options at 50? Is management inevitable with individual contribution primarily reserved for scrappy youngsters?
By the time you are 50 the artificial superintelligences will be here and in order for anyone to be relevant they will need direct neural implants.