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  3. Are we too old?

Are we too old?

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved The Lounge
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  • G Gary Wheeler

    I like that. I was once young and stupid and full of myself. At my current age, two out of three ain't bad. I was going to use the old standard, "age and treachery overcomes youth and skill", but I thought simpler was better.

    Software Zen: delete this;

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    MKJCP
    wrote on last edited by
    #40

    Somehow, I hadn't heard that one. Nice. I am getting older and wiser as "we speak".

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    • M MKJCP

      Somehow, I hadn't heard that one. Nice. I am getting older and wiser as "we speak".

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      Gary Wheeler
      wrote on last edited by
      #41

      I couldn't find an attribution for it; it seems to have been around for quite a while.

      Software Zen: delete this;

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      • G Gary Wheeler

        I couldn't find an attribution for it; it seems to have been around for quite a while.

        Software Zen: delete this;

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        MKJCP
        wrote on last edited by
        #42

        Sounds like a Roman politician could have said it once. In Latin, of course.

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        • M MKJCP

          Sounds like a Roman politician could have said it once. In Latin, of course.

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          Gary Wheeler
          wrote on last edited by
          #43

          Courtesy of Google Translate: "fraudis solertia vincit aetate iuventus".

          Software Zen: delete this;

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          • G Gary Wheeler

            Courtesy of Google Translate: "fraudis solertia vincit aetate iuventus".

            Software Zen: delete this;

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            MKJCP
            wrote on last edited by
            #44

            :thumbsup::thumbsup:

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            • Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter

              1. Desktop 2. Mobile (-46) 3. Mainframe (-14) Does it mean we are an old community, or that all the hype over mobile not real?

              Skipper: We'll fix it. Alex: Fix it? How you gonna fix this? Skipper: Grit, spit and a whole lotta duct tape.

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              trantrum
              wrote on last edited by
              #45

              I'm 74 and I just retired last year. I was 40 when I started. And I've done very well financially.

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              • Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter

                1. Desktop 2. Mobile (-46) 3. Mainframe (-14) Does it mean we are an old community, or that all the hype over mobile not real?

                Skipper: We'll fix it. Alex: Fix it? How you gonna fix this? Skipper: Grit, spit and a whole lotta duct tape.

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                VE2
                wrote on last edited by
                #46

                Made a living programming for 33 years - punch cards, Fortran, CDC, Cray, custom devices, Unix, C; retired 22 years ago. Now I code for my own amusement in C# on my windows desktop (most recently toying with the 9 square illusion) Am I too old? Yes, I am. Too difficult for my tired old eyes to spend a lot of time squinting at Mobile devices. But at 75 I still read Codeproject news!

                73

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                • T trantrum

                  I'm 74 and I just retired last year. I was 40 when I started. And I've done very well financially.

                  Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK Offline
                  Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK Offline
                  Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #47

                  At 40 today you should have a hard time to find job...

                  Skipper: We'll fix it. Alex: Fix it? How you gonna fix this? Skipper: Grit, spit and a whole lotta duct tape.

                  "It never ceases to amaze me that a spacecraft launched in 1977 can be fixed remotely from Earth." ― Brian Cox

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                  • S Slacker007

                    Mobile is real. If you are over 35, you are too old for this industry. Try having fun instead of killing yourself, "trying" to keep up with those that are younger, smarter, and require less sleep then you do. Yes, we are wise, but that really doesn't mean shit, now does it?

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                    MSBassSinger
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #48

                    Keep up with the under-35 crowd in software development? At 63, I still run rings around them.

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                    • S Slacker007

                      Mobile is real. If you are over 35, you are too old for this industry. Try having fun instead of killing yourself, "trying" to keep up with those that are younger, smarter, and require less sleep then you do. Yes, we are wise, but that really doesn't mean shit, now does it?

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                      Gary Huck
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #49

                      How many trips have you made around the Sun?

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                      • M MSBassSinger

                        Keep up with the under-35 crowd in software development? At 63, I still run rings around them.

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                        Slacker007
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #50

                        Sure you do. :~

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                        • S Slacker007

                          Mobile is real. If you are over 35, you are too old for this industry. Try having fun instead of killing yourself, "trying" to keep up with those that are younger, smarter, and require less sleep then you do. Yes, we are wise, but that really doesn't mean shit, now does it?

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                          molesworth
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #51

                          Nonsense! I know a lot of people working on mobile development (mostly games) and at least half of them are over 35. It's not all about "crunch", although that was one of the reasons I got out of games dev* (in my 50's). And it's most definitely not the case that younger means smarter, especially when it comes to doing clever optimisations to squeeze out the last bit of performance or to reduce memory usage. [ * when I say out, I mean professionally - I still do indy development at home, including mobile stuff... ]

                          Days spent at sea are not deducted from one's alloted span - Phoenician proverb

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                          • S Slacker007

                            Sure you do. :~

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                            MSBassSinger
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #52

                            Most, but not all, of the 35 and under developers I know are great at memorizing and churning out code. But often with little thought to how manageable the code is, how brittle it is, or how OO it is. There is so much more to software development than coding, though coding well is definitely a must at any age. What I notice lacking the most is the ability to see, design, and code efficient, reusable, maintainable solutions to the business goals in a given software project. Just code something quick and dirty, throw it out there, hope it passes QA, and then hope you have moved on before the hack you did becomes a maintenance or extension problem. That seems to be a common problem with the 35 and under developers. But fortunately, not all.

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                            • S Slacker007

                              Mobile is real. If you are over 35, you are too old for this industry. Try having fun instead of killing yourself, "trying" to keep up with those that are younger, smarter, and require less sleep then you do. Yes, we are wise, but that really doesn't mean shit, now does it?

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                              SeattleC
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #53

                              Wow, someone's got up on the wrong side of bed. * Starting wages have risen faster than top wages, so your young colleagues make as much as you did with 5 years' experience. * The more senior you get, the higher the expectations, not just in terms of experience, but in terms of IQ. Companies try hard not to hire senior people unless they are unicorns. * Companies don't want to spend money on training. They you will get the hint and leave, once your skills need an update. This is what causes the developer shortage. Sigh. So yeah, I guess I did too.

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                              • L Lost User

                                You don't know what old is. I learned to program my first computer in 1966, pure machine code keyed in instruction by instruction on the front panel.

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                                PNutHed
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #54

                                I can't make a claim that far back but I can say my first professional software was in COBOL on punched cards. My debugger was about 6-8 inches above my shoulders. Today I work embedded C and love every minute, even the crunches. I cringe at these new wonder tools that crop up about once a week that do everything that once required discipline. I imagine these are for kids who need to keep one eye on their phone. Where will you be when something goes wrong or when that tool isn't there? "Never happen", the young one will say with complete confidence and unearned arrogance. Youth is wasted on the young.

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                                • P PNutHed

                                  I can't make a claim that far back but I can say my first professional software was in COBOL on punched cards. My debugger was about 6-8 inches above my shoulders. Today I work embedded C and love every minute, even the crunches. I cringe at these new wonder tools that crop up about once a week that do everything that once required discipline. I imagine these are for kids who need to keep one eye on their phone. Where will you be when something goes wrong or when that tool isn't there? "Never happen", the young one will say with complete confidence and unearned arrogance. Youth is wasted on the young.

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                                  Lost User
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #55

                                  Oh yes, didn't you just love writing out all those DATA DIVISION picture statements?

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                                  • L Lost User

                                    Oh yes, didn't you just love writing out all those DATA DIVISION picture statements?

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                                    PNutHed
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #56

                                    Ha! Yes, the pic clause, casting out all ambiguity. Did we even do type casting? If we did, I don't even remember. And the other three divisions (and of course the sections within), sure. I haven't seen that language in decades and often wonder what it morphed into. I remember considering myself "advanced" when I embraced the 'perform ... depending on ...'. Seemed so elegant.

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                                    • G Gary Wheeler

                                      Slacker007 wrote:

                                      If you are over 35, you are too old for this industry

                                      Agist prick.

                                      Software Zen: delete this;

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                                      Slacker007
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #57

                                      Interesting, I am 46 years old. How does that work? Am I an agist prick if I am under 35 and just a prick if I am over 35?

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                                      • J Jeremy Falcon

                                        So we either adapt or get left behind too poop in our adult diapers.

                                        Jeremy Falcon

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                                        Slacker007
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #58

                                        Yes.

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                                        • S Slacker007

                                          Interesting, I am 46 years old. How does that work? Am I an agist prick if I am under 35 and just a prick if I am over 35?

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                                          Gary Wheeler
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #59

                                          Your comment states that if you are over the age of 35, you have no place in this industry. I disagree. I am 56 years old. I have been on the receiving end of age-based prejudice in this field more than once. I no longer tolerate it.

                                          Software Zen: delete this;

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