5 ms·

There is something strange about the notion that programmer's ability declines with age. I am a bit over 30 now and I've only become better, as long as I'm moti

by ntoshev 18y ago

There is something strange about the notion that programmer's ability declines with age. I am a bit over 30 now and I've only become better, as long as I'm motivated (it was easier to stay motivated when I was younger). It seems to me that as long as you don't stop learning, you will only get better, and the experience of people like Steve Yegge seems to confirm it. I don't understand the whining about the workplaces either. At the end of the day, what makes Google a great place to work: the free soda and perks or the options to work on interesting things? If you choose the former, probably you are not really wired to enjoy programming as much as some of us are.

paddy_m 18y ago
I agree. I'm getting better by leaps and bounds every month ( I have been programming full time for about 3 years). I'm excited by how much I will know in 10 years. It is weird that you don't see a lot of really good programmers in their 40's and 50's I could see how, if I continue growing like I am now, most programming jobs I know of would be an easy coast. Why don't people do that. This is going to come off as pompous, but I wonder if its just that you don't see a lot of nerdy hackers continuing into their 40's. I can think of a bunch of programmers from DC who were in their 40's and 50's , they were mostly government workers and enterprise type programmers, I doubt those types continue pushing and exploring.
- arghnoname 18y ago
  Keep in mind that with most things the rate of improvement is much faster in the beginning and slows down as a greater level of mastery is acquired. I've been doing this for about 4 years. I'd program at work, and then I'd come home and read books on programming, architecture, etc. When I didn't feel like that, I'd be learning a new language. When I didn't feel like doing that, I'd be writing some software to do this or that. I want to continue to get better as much as ever, but now most of what I see, I've already seen. New things to learn come by less frequently than they did before. It's not that people in their 40's and 50's give up and just coast, it's that it's a case of diminishing returns. Once you know a decent amount of languages, you see the commonalities and the point of it begins to fade, and how many books can you read on OOP or functional programming? Good coding style? Project management? When you're at the phase when every sentence in the book is a worthwhile lesson it's easy to learn fast. When lessons come through slow experience, like lessons from maintaining a project for 15 years, things go more slowly.
- gaius 18y ago
  I doubt those types continue pushing and exploring Ageism is rampant in the IT industry. Can you blame people for migrating to "safe" jobs when they have families to support? I've often thought, if I ever start a company, I'm going to exclusively hire 50-somethings (I'm in my 30s now).
deleted 18y ago
[deleted]
yters 18y ago
Plus, don't you pick up things more quickly in programming the longer you are in?
- brl 18y ago
  Some things get easier, but that particular hill is as high and as steep as you want it to be. One thing that is true is that you need at least 10 years of full-time experience to become competent at the design and architecture of large systems.
brl 18y ago
I'm well into my 30s as well and I am currently learning faster than ever. At some point I went from believing that I knew everything about programming to realizing that I actually know almost nothing. That's when the real learning process begins.
huherto 18y ago
I would like to work at Google or such. Not because of the free soda but because I feel managers in those companies are very smart and technically oriented.

by ntoshev 18y ago

paddy_m 18y ago

I agree. I'm getting better by leaps and bounds every month ( I have been programming full time for about 3 years). I'm excited by how much I will know in 10 years. It is weird that you don't see a lot of really good programmers in their 40's and 50's I could see how, if I continue growing like I am now, most programming jobs I know of would be an easy coast. Why don't people do that. This is going to come off as pompous, but I wonder if its just that you don't see a lot of nerdy hackers continuing into their 40's. I can think of a bunch of programmers from DC who were in their 40's and 50's , they were mostly government workers and enterprise type programmers, I doubt those types continue pushing and exploring.

arghnoname 18y ago
Keep in mind that with most things the rate of improvement is much faster in the beginning and slows down as a greater level of mastery is acquired. I've been doing this for about 4 years. I'd program at work, and then I'd come home and read books on programming, architecture, etc. When I didn't feel like that, I'd be learning a new language. When I didn't feel like doing that, I'd be writing some software to do this or that. I want to continue to get better as much as ever, but now most of what I see, I've already seen. New things to learn come by less frequently than they did before. It's not that people in their 40's and 50's give up and just coast, it's that it's a case of diminishing returns. Once you know a decent amount of languages, you see the commonalities and the point of it begins to fade, and how many books can you read on OOP or functional programming? Good coding style? Project management? When you're at the phase when every sentence in the book is a worthwhile lesson it's easy to learn fast. When lessons come through slow experience, like lessons from maintaining a project for 15 years, things go more slowly.
gaius 18y ago
I doubt those types continue pushing and exploring Ageism is rampant in the IT industry. Can you blame people for migrating to "safe" jobs when they have families to support? I've often thought, if I ever start a company, I'm going to exclusively hire 50-somethings (I'm in my 30s now).

deleted 18y ago

[deleted]

yters 18y ago

Plus, don't you pick up things more quickly in programming the longer you are in?

brl 18y ago
Some things get easier, but that particular hill is as high and as steep as you want it to be. One thing that is true is that you need at least 10 years of full-time experience to become competent at the design and architecture of large systems.

brl 18y ago

I'm well into my 30s as well and I am currently learning faster than ever. At some point I went from believing that I knew everything about programming to realizing that I actually know almost nothing. That's when the real learning process begins.

huherto 18y ago

I would like to work at Google or such. Not because of the free soda but because I feel managers in those companies are very smart and technically oriented.