It's hard to speak for my dad, but I think what's kept him in the field is his willingness to adapt.

Brenda

It's funny, I got this post via a link that says: Is programming a "young man's game?" It's neither a young person's game nor a man's game! :) My dad is developer at age 60 and has been in development for nearly 40 years. I'm a developer as well (31 and female). In college, my courses were predomiately male, but in my professional experience, I've worked with as many women as men and of every age group. For the most part, the older developers I've worked with are as highly skilled as the younger. I think the reason many developers choose to switch is that it's not easy to keep up on new technologies along with best practices and the increasing demand for IT services in a given business. Some people get overwhelmed and some thrive. I think it's the nature of the person rather than their age or gender. I personally find technology infectious and can't imagine not doing development.

Brenda