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Do middle-aged non-ninja developers belong?

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Re: Do middle-aged non-ninja developers belong?

#21

Post by pc86 »

redmand wrote: post #20
pc86 wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm the same way in a lot of respects. I'd love to wake up every morning to tweak a product or SaaS business that I live off of but I haven't gotten that spark from anything yet. What language(s) do you work with?

Work with or are competent at? :) For the last 8 or so years, the jobs have been C#/.Net. Before that, Delphi. Before that, C and C++ (quite a while ago). There's also been a touch of Ruby, a couple days of PHP, and an odd smattering of x86 assembly.

I've been doing PHP since I started programming in middle school but have been gradually shifting to .Net (VB at my employer). Never had any interest in Ruby for whatever reason.

Best of luck in your search.

Re: Do middle-aged non-ninja developers belong?

#23

Post by JHof »

Redmand was 22 years old when he decided to become a successful programmer. He was 40 when it occurred to him for the first time that being a star developer was a young man's game and that people might object. To hell with that, he thought, and never worried about it again.

--"She was twelve years old when she told Eddie Willers that she would run the railroad when they grew up. She was fifteen when it occurred to her for the first time that women did not run railroads and that people might object. To hell with that, she thought—and never worried about it again." -Atlas Shrugged

I think if you just be you and do what you do with a little more confidence you'll find your way just fine.

Re: Do middle-aged non-ninja developers belong?

#24

Post by dylanhassinger »

laumars wrote: post #9
dylanhassinger wrote: post #3

> is there a job market for a middle-aged developer Yes, it's called entrepreneurship. You are a programmer. You can make value by wiggling your fingers. The solution: Build a micro product, turn it into a freedom business, and fire your boss. http://fourhourworkweek.com http://lifestylebusinesspodcast.com http://startupbook.net

I disagree with that advice as there's a whole plethora of people creating startups in the name of "entrepreneurship" who lose thousands. I think the golden rule for starting a business is "don't; unless your idea is really special". Too many people rush into business with half-baked ideas and a romanised vision of being their own boss, only to discover that their ideas were garbage to begin with. So I'd rather have…

you clearly did not visit any of the links i posted. but thanks for sharing

Re: Do middle-aged non-ninja developers belong?

#25

Post by dylanhassinger »

frostiebot wrote: post #4
dylanhassinger wrote: post #3

> is there a job market for a middle-aged developer Yes, it's called entrepreneurship. You are a programmer. You can make value by wiggling your fingers. The solution: Build a micro product, turn it into a freedom business, and fire your boss. http://fourhourworkweek.com http://lifestylebusinesspodcast.com http://startupbook.net

What if you're not entrepreneur material? Not everyone has the spark or drive on that level. I am ferociously dedicated - to an almost quixotic level - to programming, but in general I find that I literally have no compulsion to do any coding for myself outside of work hours. I'm almost in my mid-thirties and I took worry about the future where the need for codehorses like myself is thoroughly outweighed by the need…

i think you answered your own question. There is no job security any more, unless you make it yourself. Building a business is the ultimate safety net for everyone. No it's not easy, but it's easier for programmers (people that can create value) than for people with no skills.

Re: Do middle-aged non-ninja developers belong?

#26

Post by dsowers »

dylanhassinger wrote: post #3

> is there a job market for a middle-aged developer Yes, it's called entrepreneurship. You are a programmer. You can make value by wiggling your fingers. The solution: Build a micro product, turn it into a freedom business, and fire your boss. http://fourhourworkweek.com http://lifestylebusinesspodcast.com http://startupbook.net

Everyone makes it sound like it is so easy. Making money off a product is incredibly hard. I've released 4 or 5 now with no returns. I keep trying, but it's not easy.

Re: Do middle-aged non-ninja developers belong?

#27

Post by SomeCallMeTim »

unthunk wrote: post #10

> The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) protects individuals who are 40 years of age or older from employment discrimination based on age http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/age.html It may seem that "rock star ninja developers" are a young person's game and to some extent it is. Many people find that their life priorities change as they age. Many younger developers may value making a name for themselves and…

>It may seem that "rock star ninja developers" are a young person's game and to some extent it is.

I was an awesome developer at 22, and I'm a much more awesome developer at 45. I'm a bit more methodical now -- I could crank out (crappy) code really quickly when I was 22, and now it might take me twice as long to get things running but when they're running they're mostly DONE, solid, and reasonably documented. Also, at this point I tend to work ~30-40 hours a week instead of 60+, which could be why it takes me longer. ;)

Just saying that it's not really a "young person's game" to be a "rock star", unless you mean the "being underpaid" part, which I certainly was for years compared to my relative contribution almost everywhere I've worked. (I'm also not claiming to be famous, except for in one particular niche, but that's another story...)

But OP sounds like he was never an awesome developer, so yes, I agree that enterprise is likely the place for him to look.

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