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I'm in my 50s, but I'm learning to code, but I'm not exactly new to it. I just didn't do it for a long time and now it's a rather different world from doing For

I'm in my 50s, but I'm learning to code, but I'm not exactly new to it. I just didn't do it for a long time and now it's a rather different world from doing Fortran on 110-baud Decwriters. I got into an electrical engineering program, but dropped out when I discovered that the number of times they let you fail differential equations is finite. I ended up with a career in publishing. No regrets, really, but now publishing like other businesses becomes increasingly high-tech (I remember editing with a red pencil and doing layouts with waxers and x-acto knives). I push xml files around and write xslt and xquery scripts. I wrote our code specs for our ebook program. Now I'm developing a python app to supplement the terrible proprietary inventory system we use. I do not call myself an engineer.

papabrown 8y ago
Another 50+ guy here. I've been thinking about getting back into coding after a multi-decade hiatus. I taught myself to code in my early 20's. Coded through my early 30's and have been in management roles (involving software development or for technology companies) ever since. I went from Perl to Java (hated Java) to PHP and have played around with tons of languages (just enough to complete the project) in between. Right now, PHP is my go-to language for my own projects simply because I'm used to it. I still hack stuff. I run a few websites. I write plugins for WordPress. I write little PHP or Bash scripts to automate some stuff on my server. Recently, I've been diving into Swift. I hope to get good enough at that, that I can get a remote job and semi-retire. For me, working from home would be almost like working part-time. I don't mean that it's that easy, just that a lot of management and office politics is so soul sucking that it feels like you're working 24 hours a day. It's tough coming back. But, I've never strayed too far from coding to begin with. It seems the advantage I have is experience. I've been there and done that before, even if I wasn't the one writing the code. Even being in management, I still enjoy sitting in a room with engineers and white boarding solutions. And having worked in management, I have a better understanding of the "why" behind features and can suggest different paths to get to the same outcome. I guess I'll find out if you're too old to code when I start looking for jobs :-)
- workinthehead 8y ago
  Remote jobs can be tough too. It's hard to get paid what you're worth, and you have to do extra work to be visible to the non-remote employees so that you aren't perceived as the guy who does 2 hours of real work while wearing pajamas. I thought I had the perfect remote gig a little while ago, but the organization was so insipid and backwards that I had to leave. I found a job that's perfect for me and is a short commute and enjoy it way better.
  - papabrown 8y ago
    I'm not overly concerned about getting the best rate. If I wanted to make the maximum possible I would stay in management and ride things out until retirement. I have savings that I don't want to have to tap into so I can just let it grow for another 10 years or so. Really, I just need to make enough to cover my monthly expenses and have health insurance. Also, I've managed development projects across multiple continents (US, Europe, Middle-East, and Asia), so I'm hoping that I have a pretty good understanding of what management needs to make them feel comfortable. It's probably a little different for me because I'm not necessarily looking to advance my career the way someone earlier in their career might. Obviously, I want to do a good job and add value, but I could just as easily teach scuba diving or something. I code because I like it. It also pays better than average. A good combo.

papabrown 8y ago

Another 50+ guy here. I've been thinking about getting back into coding after a multi-decade hiatus. I taught myself to code in my early 20's. Coded through my early 30's and have been in management roles (involving software development or for technology companies) ever since. I went from Perl to Java (hated Java) to PHP and have played around with tons of languages (just enough to complete the project) in between. Right now, PHP is my go-to language for my own projects simply because I'm used to it. I still hack stuff. I run a few websites. I write plugins for WordPress. I write little PHP or Bash scripts to automate some stuff on my server. Recently, I've been diving into Swift. I hope to get good enough at that, that I can get a remote job and semi-retire. For me, working from home would be almost like working part-time. I don't mean that it's that easy, just that a lot of management and office politics is so soul sucking that it feels like you're working 24 hours a day. It's tough coming back. But, I've never strayed too far from coding to begin with. It seems the advantage I have is experience. I've been there and done that before, even if I wasn't the one writing the code. Even being in management, I still enjoy sitting in a room with engineers and white boarding solutions. And having worked in management, I have a better understanding of the "why" behind features and can suggest different paths to get to the same outcome. I guess I'll find out if you're too old to code when I start looking for jobs :-)

workinthehead 8y ago
Remote jobs can be tough too. It's hard to get paid what you're worth, and you have to do extra work to be visible to the non-remote employees so that you aren't perceived as the guy who does 2 hours of real work while wearing pajamas. I thought I had the perfect remote gig a little while ago, but the organization was so insipid and backwards that I had to leave. I found a job that's perfect for me and is a short commute and enjoy it way better.
- papabrown 8y ago
  I'm not overly concerned about getting the best rate. If I wanted to make the maximum possible I would stay in management and ride things out until retirement. I have savings that I don't want to have to tap into so I can just let it grow for another 10 years or so. Really, I just need to make enough to cover my monthly expenses and have health insurance. Also, I've managed development projects across multiple continents (US, Europe, Middle-East, and Asia), so I'm hoping that I have a pretty good understanding of what management needs to make them feel comfortable. It's probably a little different for me because I'm not necessarily looking to advance my career the way someone earlier in their career might. Obviously, I want to do a good job and add value, but I could just as easily teach scuba diving or something. I code because I like it. It also pays better than average. A good combo.