I'm in my early 40s. When I first learned programming it felt like I was breaking into some kind of cool subculture, with its own counterculture folklore and cu

I'm in my early 40s. When I first learned programming it felt like I was breaking into some kind of cool subculture, with its own counterculture folklore and customs. 'Programming culture' seems to have shifted from 'Hack The Planet' to MacBooks and the Ivy League. I work with a lot of people half my age, and I have a lot of trouble relating to them. It seems like there's fewer SWEs who love tinkering with technology for its own sake, and more people who would be just as happy paving roads if it paid as much.