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This is scary. I'm 30, and I can't imagine doing anything else with my life. I have no formal CS education, but coding is huge part of my identity. I would do i
by rsuelzer 8y ago
This is scary. I'm 30, and I can't imagine doing anything else with my life. I have no formal CS education, but coding is huge part of my identity. I would do it even if it meant being poor. Of the developers that I know that are older and went into management, most of them did so because they had children and family and didn't have the same level of free time to keep up with new tech or were just burnt out.
- djtriptych 8y agoOne thing I _would_ start paying attention to is your health. Sitting for long periods is a part of the job for most programmers but the health consequences can be devastating. I woke up a few years back (around 34) no longer able to sit comfortably for really any period of time. 4 years later after establishing a yoga practice and learning to stand comfortably I can get through the day, but I'll never have a 19-year-old spine again. Wish I had started counter stretching way earlier.
- djtriptych 8y agoHonestly I think programmers like you will be ok. If coding is your primary creative outlet, you're properly motivated to continue getting better and should continue to stay competitive. I'd spend some time learning technologies you think will be big a few years out. The industry moves on to new best practices pretty slowly (unless javascript) so you're still way ahead of the curve by learning, say, go or functional programming.
- softawre 8y agoPeople change. 20 years from now, you might feel differently. But I like your attitude and I think you'll be OK.