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>> What I mean is, I’m 46. I’m not 96 and done. I have at least twenty more years of this left, and maybe fifty years No. Sadly no. This is not the way it work

>> What I mean is, I’m 46. I’m not 96 and done. I have at least twenty more years of this left, and maybe fifty years No. Sadly no. This is not the way it works.

Barrin92 4y ago
I'd say 50 is a little bit optimistic but if you're in your 40s you certainly have a few decades of hacking left if that's what you want to do. Nobody there to stop you.
- rufus_foreman 4y ago
  Age is there to stop you, in two ways. First in raw ability, you hit 50, it's leaving. And then in the motivation, I remember this Tom Waits song, "The higher the monkey can climb, the more it shows its tail". I'm old. I don't have to fucking lie anymore.
  - Barrin92 4y ago
    >you hit 50, it's leaving Your average working programmer isn't retiring at 50, and your brain works just fine at that age. Is this some Silicon Valley cult of youth thing? At my boring old German company I'd say a third of the devs is over 50 or close to it, they're gonna work till retirement like everyone else and they write good code. Hell, you're still physically fit at that age if you take care of yourself. You may not be able to pull five all-nighters in a row, but you're not decrepit just yet lol. Btw John Carmack is 52 already and the man seems to have the energy of an entire engineering team. I think some people really let age get to their own head.
    - rufus_foreman 4y ago
      >> Your average working programmer isn't retiring at 50, and your brain works just fine at that age I'm 50 and my brain does not work fine at this age. >> they're gonna work till retirement like everyone else 50 is retirement. I'm still writing code, but no. I'm ready to retire, this is a victory lap. This is why you save money if you're a coder. You won't listen to me if you're a young me, but I'm telling you, young me, save your money. This is the old you talking directly to the young you. But you won't listen. Barrin92 might still be able to hit it out of the park at age 50, I can't. I'm hanging on.
      - sixQuarks 4y ago
        I think it just depends on the person. I just LEARNED how to code a year ago, and I’m 46. I’m looking forward to many years of coding, I find it to be enjoyable and challenging. One big thing though, I only code for fun and only on my own projects. I could see how coding for a big company would not motivate me at this age.
      - cutler 4y ago
        Speak for yourself, mate. I'm 62 and just getting going after 22 years of programming. Now learning Kotlin, Swift and Go while developing my own app for mobile and web. Age is a state of mind so long is you keep minimally physically active. I discovered recently, whilst dieting, that eating once a day improves mental clarity and energy. Try it.
        rufus_foreman 4y ago
        >> Speak for yourself, mate That's exactly who I am speaking for, mate.
        jefftk 4y ago
        You started this thread by telling the OP that "I have at least twenty more years of this left, and maybe fifty years" was "not the way it works".
      - MexicanJoe 4y ago
        If you don't feel you can program anymore, then you can move into management, UX, or analytics. That's what I plan to do, I'm not 50 yet but I am starting to feel tired of programming, or at least the kind of programming I do at work. I am starting to move into management and focus on people both our developers and our users. Going that route also pays better if that is important to you. So there are many options even at 50 and beyond.
        rufus_foreman 4y ago
        >> If you don't feel you can program anymore, then you can move into management, UX, or analytics I would rather die. I write code for a living. If I can't do that, welfare. Management. UX. As if.
  - ChrisMarshallNY 4y ago
    I get more done, more quickly, and more better, than I ever have, in my life. God, I love writing software, and I’m thrilled at the new tools and platforms.
  - cbtacy 4y ago
    I think you speak for a small minority. I'm 60. I've been doing this since I was a kid hacking into VAX clusers. My motivation is as strong if not stronger than when I was in my 20s (despite doing four startups which were successful). As for raw ability... claiming that is declining is not something that anyone can prove or disprove. It's just your opinion. But more importantly, it's not relevant. Raw ability is talent, and what matter is the APPLICATION of that talent. Speaking from my advanced age... one of the great things about maturing is that you become far, far better at applying your talents. So if you are over 50, I'm sorry you feel this way. For the rest of us, this sh*t really does get better with age.
marssaxman 4y ago
What do you mean by that? I am also 46, and it's easy to imagine doing this for another 20 years. I'm not sure what else I would do.
- Throw6away 4y ago
  I turned 60 this year, and still program for fun. I started at 11 - it's a lifelong habit at this point, like reading before going to sleep. I don't think that I'll stop any time soon.

>> What I mean is, I’m 46. I’m not 96 and done. I have at least twenty more years of this left, and maybe fifty years No. Sadly no. This is not the way it works.

Barrin92 4y ago

I'd say 50 is a little bit optimistic but if you're in your 40s you certainly have a few decades of hacking left if that's what you want to do. Nobody there to stop you.

rufus_foreman 4y ago
Age is there to stop you, in two ways. First in raw ability, you hit 50, it's leaving. And then in the motivation, I remember this Tom Waits song, "The higher the monkey can climb, the more it shows its tail". I'm old. I don't have to fucking lie anymore.
- Barrin92 4y ago
  >you hit 50, it's leaving Your average working programmer isn't retiring at 50, and your brain works just fine at that age. Is this some Silicon Valley cult of youth thing? At my boring old German company I'd say a third of the devs is over 50 or close to it, they're gonna work till retirement like everyone else and they write good code. Hell, you're still physically fit at that age if you take care of yourself. You may not be able to pull five all-nighters in a row, but you're not decrepit just yet lol. Btw John Carmack is 52 already and the man seems to have the energy of an entire engineering team. I think some people really let age get to their own head.
  - rufus_foreman 4y ago
    >> Your average working programmer isn't retiring at 50, and your brain works just fine at that age I'm 50 and my brain does not work fine at this age. >> they're gonna work till retirement like everyone else 50 is retirement. I'm still writing code, but no. I'm ready to retire, this is a victory lap. This is why you save money if you're a coder. You won't listen to me if you're a young me, but I'm telling you, young me, save your money. This is the old you talking directly to the young you. But you won't listen. Barrin92 might still be able to hit it out of the park at age 50, I can't. I'm hanging on.
    - sixQuarks 4y ago
      I think it just depends on the person. I just LEARNED how to code a year ago, and I’m 46. I’m looking forward to many years of coding, I find it to be enjoyable and challenging. One big thing though, I only code for fun and only on my own projects. I could see how coding for a big company would not motivate me at this age.
    - cutler 4y ago
      Speak for yourself, mate. I'm 62 and just getting going after 22 years of programming. Now learning Kotlin, Swift and Go while developing my own app for mobile and web. Age is a state of mind so long is you keep minimally physically active. I discovered recently, whilst dieting, that eating once a day improves mental clarity and energy. Try it.
      - rufus_foreman 4y ago
        >> Speak for yourself, mate That's exactly who I am speaking for, mate.
        jefftk 4y ago
        You started this thread by telling the OP that "I have at least twenty more years of this left, and maybe fifty years" was "not the way it works".
    - MexicanJoe 4y ago
      If you don't feel you can program anymore, then you can move into management, UX, or analytics. That's what I plan to do, I'm not 50 yet but I am starting to feel tired of programming, or at least the kind of programming I do at work. I am starting to move into management and focus on people both our developers and our users. Going that route also pays better if that is important to you. So there are many options even at 50 and beyond.
      - rufus_foreman 4y ago
        >> If you don't feel you can program anymore, then you can move into management, UX, or analytics I would rather die. I write code for a living. If I can't do that, welfare. Management. UX. As if.
- ChrisMarshallNY 4y ago
  I get more done, more quickly, and more better, than I ever have, in my life. God, I love writing software, and I’m thrilled at the new tools and platforms.
- cbtacy 4y ago
  I think you speak for a small minority. I'm 60. I've been doing this since I was a kid hacking into VAX clusers. My motivation is as strong if not stronger than when I was in my 20s (despite doing four startups which were successful). As for raw ability... claiming that is declining is not something that anyone can prove or disprove. It's just your opinion. But more importantly, it's not relevant. Raw ability is talent, and what matter is the APPLICATION of that talent. Speaking from my advanced age... one of the great things about maturing is that you become far, far better at applying your talents. So if you are over 50, I'm sorry you feel this way. For the rest of us, this sh*t really does get better with age.

marssaxman 4y ago

What do you mean by that? I am also 46, and it's easy to imagine doing this for another 20 years. I'm not sure what else I would do.

Throw6away 4y ago
I turned 60 this year, and still program for fun. I started at 11 - it's a lifelong habit at this point, like reading before going to sleep. I don't think that I'll stop any time soon.