> The doctor at 40 doesn't seem to be worried about discovering that all his knowledge of the vascular system is about to evaporate in favor of some new organiz

> The doctor at 40 doesn't seem to be worried about discovering that all his knowledge of the vascular system is about to evaporate in favor of some new organizing theory. The same goes for the lawyer, the plumber, the accountant, or the english teacher. And the same is true of programming. There are still variables, arrays, syntax errors, IDEs and so forth - the underlying algorithms don't change that much. Lawyers and accountants have to keep up to date to keep their credentials, and doctors almost always do (but not actually always - just like some programmers don't update their skills). Fads come and go in teaching as well. I know less about plumbers, but there are few white-collar professionals where you don't have to keep on top of things throughout your career. From architects to engineers to social workers to pilots to biologists to meteorologists to managers, things change in your profession and you need to adapt. It's just that usually those changes don't have the ridiculous levels of hype and fanfare that they have in our bubble (management being an exception here as well, lest I draw the wrath of a six-sigma black belt!)