3 ms·

This article touched a nerve for me. I haven't always been in computer science. I actually minored in English in college, and now I'm finishing up a MS program

This article touched a nerve for me. I haven't always been in computer science. I actually minored in English in college, and now I'm finishing up a MS program in CS (though I've always tinkered and programmed computers). I have a tendency, for better or worse, to constantly think about the future. I'm 26 now, and about to graduate and go to work for a well known tech company. Originally I was much more interested in starting my own company, but I spent so much time catching up in CS that I never had enough time to network at school (which I think is crucial for startup success). I could have taken a job with an existing startup, but I never found one that really clicked for me (which I also think is crucial for working at a startup). So I went with the big tech company. It helped that they offered a lot of money. But it also makes me worry. I'm not really worried about being unemployable, like the article suggests, because I doubt I'll ever be substantially worse of a programmer than I am now. But I do worry that I've hit some sort of ceiling. I'm pretty sharp now -- will I ever be twice or three times as sharp as I am now? Probably not. Assuming my pay tracks my ability (is this a valid assumption?), my current salary at 26 may be 75% or more of my lifetime max salary. In other words, I've already peaked. Admittedly, some people may enjoy the comfort in this, but I don't. I feel a bit like the proverbial "shark" in that if I don't keep moving, I die. I am happiest with a destination I am moving toward, and if jobs like this one turn out to feel stagnant, I'll have to quit. But if/when that time comes, will I still be able to break into the startup scene? Will I suffer from an age bias? Will I have too many other commitments, wife/kids, mortgage, etc., so that I won't be able to risk quitting my job? And what really scares me: is it true that after 35 your programming mettle starts to leave you?

tikhonj 14y ago
This is obviously anecdotal evidence, but I've met a bunch of older programmers who were very good. And this is across several specializations--all the way from developing drivers to virtualization software to enterprise Java development to compilers. I suspect that, right now, by pure competence the best programmers I've met have actually been older. (And this is ignoring my professors who tend to be exceptional as well as older.) So really, do not worry about becoming a worse programmer. Worry perhaps that younger people will be subconsciously biased against you, sure, but this is just a bias not based on reality. That said, nobody mandates startups to be started by younger people. My dad recently worked for a startup doing some very interesting low-level work (they concentrated on using SSDs to speed up servers) that got acquired by SanDisk recently. And he doesn't have a CS degree either--he got the equivalent of a Masters in Physics in Leningrad where they didn't even have CS in his time. (I gather they barely had computers at all.) And, most importantly, I've noticed that he has become much happier after working at the startup than he was while working at a bigger company (VMWare) before. So, ultimately, all that matters is that you are a good programmer--and I imagine you are. Perhaps it will take a bit more work for you to find a job at a startup, perhaps you will sometimes encounter bias against your age, but ultimately you should be able to do whatever you like.
kamaal 14y ago
>>And what really scares me: is it true that after 35 your programming mettle starts to leave you? Not exactly, but your expenses rise to a level where a programming job doesn't mach up to it. And the manager who doesn't know a grain as much as you will be making more than you.

tikhonj 14y ago

This is obviously anecdotal evidence, but I've met a bunch of older programmers who were very good. And this is across several specializations--all the way from developing drivers to virtualization software to enterprise Java development to compilers. I suspect that, right now, by pure competence the best programmers I've met have actually been older. (And this is ignoring my professors who tend to be exceptional as well as older.) So really, do not worry about becoming a worse programmer. Worry perhaps that younger people will be subconsciously biased against you, sure, but this is just a bias not based on reality. That said, nobody mandates startups to be started by younger people. My dad recently worked for a startup doing some very interesting low-level work (they concentrated on using SSDs to speed up servers) that got acquired by SanDisk recently. And he doesn't have a CS degree either--he got the equivalent of a Masters in Physics in Leningrad where they didn't even have CS in his time. (I gather they barely had computers at all.) And, most importantly, I've noticed that he has become much happier after working at the startup than he was while working at a bigger company (VMWare) before. So, ultimately, all that matters is that you are a good programmer--and I imagine you are. Perhaps it will take a bit more work for you to find a job at a startup, perhaps you will sometimes encounter bias against your age, but ultimately you should be able to do whatever you like.

kamaal 14y ago

>>And what really scares me: is it true that after 35 your programming mettle starts to leave you? Not exactly, but your expenses rise to a level where a programming job doesn't mach up to it. And the manager who doesn't know a grain as much as you will be making more than you.