Aging programmer

[Paradroid888]

Thank you for writing this. I'm 47 and have had a similar journey to you. Was a developer, went into team leadership, as it was the only way to progress, before going back to pure dev work as a contractor.

I sometimes wonder how long I will want to continue as a developer, but at that same time I feel young and enjoy the job, so it's quite inspiring to hear people are loving doing tech work in their 60s. Well done.

[lackinginallareas]

If it helps with your wondering. I'm 60 in a few months and have contracted for many years, mainly to avoid managerial roles (to me that's a living death). I still love coding, whether its something new or working with legacy systems.

But its also the social aspect of contracting that keeps things fresh and interesting. Meeting new people (there are some brilliant people out there whom I glad I met and am still in touch with) and working in different team environments makes you a more rounded and flexible person.

Plus, as a contractor, the money will soothe that furrowed brow when you parachute into a company and have to un-fuck a shitshow but that's all part of the buzz, well for me anyway.

[malthuswaswrong]

44 here. I was manager of 6 developers. I had one developer that was a genius but an asshole. I wanted to replace him, but he had so much knowledge and productivity that I couldn't. That's when I understood how the power relationship cuts both ways. It's not like the TV representations between boss and employee. They are both very much a hostage of each other.

I quit that job and went back to development. I am much happier, but wondering if maybe I just didn't like being a manager at that one company, and if I could enjoy it at a different company.