The open source community has been that for me. Just wish I had more time to engage in it, especially face to face.
Ask HN: Resources for older developers?
21–30 of 229 posts
Re: Ask HN: Resources for older developers?
#22Strategies for dealing with ageism would be useful indeed. But otherwise, besides knowing shortcuts to increase zoom/font size for changing eyesight, age brings no special needs.
I think it's the social aspect that is what I am after - not so much specific tech side resources, although I always appreciate learning more.
The ability to freely discuss the pros/cons of the tech industry from a coder perspective with people that have been through a couple of industry cycles is both fun and therapeutic.
Re: Ask HN: Resources for older developers?
#23The tech landscape is infinitely wide at this point. Are you looking to up-skill in your current area or a new area? For me, I always look to younger people. They are always the future for a fast moving industry. In particular, I grew up in the era when you bought huge 500 page books to learn about new technology. In large part, that is dead. You can learn most things online, but not as deep. Is it possible to mentor…
I'm not sure I agree with learning from books being dead. Stuff online is extremely shallow and paid courses generally make me slower than a book.
Re: Ask HN: Resources for older developers?
#24Not to be snarky - you’re in one my friend right here. But something I noticed is as I get older there’s less coherent frameworks to grip onto in life. Instead my internal framework is what I have left, and when I trust it enough it is enough. I suspect this is how maturity works on a continuum. Where at one time the world was organized to lift you, at a point no one is there beside you, you’re the one reaching down to lift others up. You are creating the framework because you see where the holes are and where there needs support. As careers end not too far out from us, there’s just no one there reaching down.
I think agism is an interesting thing to dig into. It’s something that after a lifetime of being the youngest person on the team is starting to poke it’s head up. I suspect the answer lies in being picky about who you work with, avoiding the flashy places marketing to fill seats with bodies, and finding the places doing significant and advanced work without glitz. I also suspect remote work evens this field a bit, especially if you grew up in an irc / Usenet / mailing list sort of dev framework as I did.
Re: Ask HN: Resources for older developers?
#25Re: Ask HN: Resources for older developers?
#26What are your options for local Meetups? The tech focused Meetups in my area have a good turn out of people with a wide variety of experience. You have a good chance of meeting people who are approximately same age and experience level as you.
Re: Ask HN: Resources for older developers?
#27In my 20s I worried about losing my intellectual abilities in my 40s and 50s What you really just lose is patience for BS :) Sure, yeah, you lose 10% of your raw intellect if you stay healthy[1]. You probably more than make up for it in experience and wisdom. But hell the thing that demotivates me is the recycled insanity of large organizations, egotistical tech executives, hype cycles, and all the other BS. Eventual…
39 here. I'm significantly better than in my 20s. Much more knowledge and wisdom, a bit less raw brainpower.
But I know I can force myself through hard stuff (prolog, category theory, ML research papers) but only if I can kick out instant gratification for a while (reddit, hn, videogames).
I remember this week more than 10 years ago where my graphics card died, and had to go with this ancient card with zero acceleration, and no videogames. I was surprisingly productive that week.
Re: Ask HN: Resources for older developers?
#28Re: Ask HN: Resources for older developers?
#29I'm an older (than you!) developer, but I have no special resources related to that. But for what it's worth, here's my experience.
I've found that nothing is really much different being an older developer compared to being a younger one, aside from two things: I have a lower tolerance for bullshit, and I have a much better handle on what my time is actually worth to employers.
While ageism is certainly a thing that has to be taken into account, I personally haven't found that the problem is unmanageable. I handle it by ensuring that my skillset is up-to-date (same as we have to do throughout our careers anyway), and by recognizing that certain parts of our industry will never welcome older developers. I don't bother with those companies, but they are a minority limited to certain cultural "islands". I am certain that I have been passed over with certain jobs because of my age, but nonetheless have never had difficulty finding good jobs that pay what I'm worth.
I also have developed a standard comeback when younger devs make disparaging comments about my age: "take a good look at me, because you will be me sooner than you think".
Re: Ask HN: Resources for older developers?
#30In my 20s I worried about losing my intellectual abilities in my 40s and 50s What you really just lose is patience for BS :) Sure, yeah, you lose 10% of your raw intellect if you stay healthy[1]. You probably more than make up for it in experience and wisdom. But hell the thing that demotivates me is the recycled insanity of large organizations, egotistical tech executives, hype cycles, and all the other BS. Eventual…
[flagged]