where do old programmers go?

[vodhner at cox.net]

Josh wrote, in an older thread:
>     I'm a programmer, and i'd like to know where old
>  programmers go. I'm wondering because I don't see
> a lot of 55+ programmers and I want to be prepared
> for the future.   Some might say I'm still young (30's),
> but now is probably the time to plan for the next 20-30
> years of my career.

Josh, I was programming when you were born, and I'm still at it.
There are a few working with me of similar age, though most are
closer to yours.

I tried being a manager for a few  years, but that was clearly not
what I'm good at.

Actually I'd like to move up to more people-oriented pursuits, but
I'm trapped by the money, we can't afford to stop earning yet.
I've tended to land in very friendly work environments, and it has
supported my "real life" pretty comfortably with a start towards
retirement.

Two programmers I know were full time musicians before they
decided to earn a living.  I was never a serious enough musician
to consider that kind of career, and anyway the schedule is not
very compatible with being a family man.  But musical and
technical talents often come together, and a lot of programmers
do music on the side for fun.

The tech field, aside from an occasional "death march" on a hot
project (I just finished one of those), can be very nice for those
who have random family emergencies, school or church activites,
etc.  YMMV of course, but that depends partly on your goals.

>  btw, no offense to anyone.  Old programmer and being
> old are not the same thing.

Sometimes they are.  But you're not old till you stop learning.

Of course the support equipment (bones and muscles) will
get old, but technology is not a bad field to be in as the
hardware unit starts to degrade.  I may not trade in this unit
for another 20 or 30 years, and currently plan to work full time
to age 70.  And in this field you can move on to part-time
consulting and part-time retirement.  They say that working
on new problems keeps the brain in shape.

Pushing a desk does not burn out the body like construction
or facilities maintenance for example.  Even musicians get
put out of business by arthritis, but you can keep hacking with
just two fingers if necessary.

I think some people get pushed out of IT because there is a
perception that seniority has to mean more money.  Your
value does increase with seniority, and you may have better
perspective, but this may mean that you have less to prove
and better resistance in the face of management panic.

So it evens out, and you may "top out" in your field.  If you
take that as meaning you're finished, then you may need to
move on; or you may settle into a role that fits you, and just
keep finding new challenges in that role.

Every development job becomes a support job once the app
goes online.  If you don't enjoy responding to people's needs,
maybe you won't stay happy in IT.  But if that's the case,
maybe you won't stay happy anywhere.

But there's nothing wrong with career changes either.  A lot
of folks find new things to do, either as new careers or as a
sideline.  I'm having a great time a few hours a week teaching
English (and one song each week) to immigrants.  I hope to
spend more time on that into the future.

So, while in IT, make money and put some aside.  I recommend
a stint in management if you can get it, because it helps you
to understand that side of the business.  But keep an eye on
what gives you satisfaction, and find a way to do that, whether
it's hacking or something totally different.

And watch the technology of course.  A lot has changed since
I entered the field years ago, and the nature of the opportunities
has changed.  IT is financially good but not the glory field it was
before.   Whole job descriptions have gone away.  Some software
challenges have been conquered many times over, but now we're
looking at some things we would not have thought of before.

Vic