The only problem for being a programmer in 40s and 50s is that it is really hard to find a job. This pretty much the only problem, but I guess that is a big problem :(
Yes I Still Want To Be Doing This at 56
31–40 of 60 posts
Re: Yes I Still Want To Be Doing This at 56
#32"Will programming still exist in 31 more years?"
Jeez, I hope we figure out an easier way of doing this by then. ;)
Re: Yes I Still Want To Be Doing This at 56
#33I'm 43. I concur Mr. Wulf that "large scale, high stress coding" is "a stupid person's game". Now, some people find a thrill in coding under pressure. More power to 'em. Yet we see too many developers accidentally ending up in high stress coding situations and thinking that is the norm and accepting it as their fate. There is no reason it should be this way. Professional programming should be and can be fun, enjoyable, creative. As Mr. Wulf states, our profession offers an unusually wide variety of projects, tools, teams, and working environments.
Choose poorly from among this variety and you'll burn out. Choose wisely and you'll have a long, enjoyable career with plenty of extra mind and body capacity for other interests. It's up to you.
Re: Yes I Still Want To Be Doing This at 56
#34> Every morning I read a number of websites devoted to technology and programming to see what is new.
I looked over at his sidebar hoping to see a blogroll. Remember when people used to do that ... about 5 years ago? I wouldn't call it irony, but reading about coding at 56 while getting nostalgic for 5 year old internet practices is a strange juxtaposition.
Re: Yes I Still Want To Be Doing This at 56
#35The only problem for being a programmer in 40s and 50s is that it is really hard to find a job. This pretty much the only problem, but I guess that is a big problem :(
That really depends. On the internet nobody needs to know that you are 40 or 50. Finding a permanent job at a SV company may be harder, but freelancing / contracting is not.
Re: Yes I Still Want To Be Doing This at 56
#36The only problem for being a programmer in 40s and 50s is that it is really hard to find a job. This pretty much the only problem, but I guess that is a big problem :(
Is this your personal experience?
Re: Yes I Still Want To Be Doing This at 56
#37Actually burning midnight oil is a myth. I mean we all know the myth: You grab your coffee, black as night and sweet as sin, you sit in front of your computer with your favourite IDE on. Then you code until the sun sets and you go home with a majestic smile on your face. Because, you - the lonely coder - has saved the day. Yet again. I mean I was really into this image when I was 20. Now, after had some experience in…
Actually, it is not a myth. I have done this, more when I was younger, but it still happens occasionally. One reason for the midnight oil is that the phone stop ringing, everybody else goes home, there are no distractions. Another reason is that the business demands it. Let me give you an example. There is a story that the folks at WordPerfect, which had (and still has, if my mother is any indication) fiercely loyal…
I agree, and I think the ramp up time plus the intoxication of total absorbtion almost mandates some degree of obsessiveness that makes programmers more similar to artists than other types of engineers - there has to be peace and quiet and you have to lock into the problem and once you are locked in it is difficult and unpleasant to disengaged.
I'm not quite sure about the long-term solution. Normal family life has never been something that many artists are capable of (i.e. Van Gogh), and perhaps companies need to be more accommodating of employees that work two 10-16hrs bursts a week, rather than the normal 9-5.
Personally, I am in the "at risk" category for leaving the industry for this reason -- it is both burn out and lack of interest. I don't know, I still think there is some great code left in me, but it needs more challenging problems then I am facing at present.
Re: Yes I Still Want To Be Doing This at 56
#38Actually burning midnight oil is a myth. I mean we all know the myth: You grab your coffee, black as night and sweet as sin, you sit in front of your computer with your favourite IDE on. Then you code until the sun sets and you go home with a majestic smile on your face. Because, you - the lonely coder - has saved the day. Yet again. I mean I was really into this image when I was 20. Now, after had some experience in…
An interesting thing I've noticed is that burning the midnight oil works really well if I haven't been coding all day. It can work marvelously - it's quiet, nobody bothers me, the internet is asleep and I have a clear focus. But if I've already spent the whole day thinking, then decision fatigue kills my productivity completely. Some might say I'm just tired, but it isn't related to how much sleep I'd had, just how m…
Or even worse, spent the whole day dealing with bureaucracy and mundanity and meetings and crisis management... Forget about getting any actual work done.
Re: Yes I Still Want To Be Doing This at 56
#39Yesterday's post was closer to the actuality of a programmer than this one. To reiterate what I said yesterday, when you are coding professionally, you don't choose what technologies to use, you don't pick projects that itch your creative side. You're just part of a production steam roll. Passion is irrelevant in this discussion. What matters is how fast you can deliver and whether you are more billable than the next…
Programing is power. Why do big tech companies pay $250k for basically a risk-free position to a good programmer? The key is knowing how to apply that power to making money.
When you are young you put in the hours to learn the craft. It's like any craft really, you need to put in a lot of time and effort to get good at it. At the same time you should be learning something about the world and how programming can solve problems in it. Maybe in business or something else. But at any rate, by the time you're 40 you should know how to make programming work for you. You definitely don't want to isolate yourself in a world of code without understanding how it succeeds or fails to provide ROI, otherwise you'll hit 40 and still stuck on the hamster wheel (or at best with a temporary nest egg).