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Is Programming a Dead End Job?

Posted by Cliff on from the only-if-you're-tired-of-it dept.

Embedded Geek asks: "There's an interesting opinion piece at Embedded Systems Magazine about [embedded] programming being a dead end job. The author cites burnout ('Pushing ones and zeroes around doesn't sound like a lot of work, but getting each and every one of a hundred million perfect is tremendously difficult.'), prestige, and skill obsolescence as big reasons for programmers to quit or to go 'over to the dark side' and join management or marketing positions. While the piece primarily addresses embedded programmers, the issue is rising for IT workers and other tech workers. When the age issue is combined with the export of jobs offshore, it makes me nervous just to be pushing 35..." Even though the market is going thru a rough patch, and the number of detrimental aspects to programming are increasing (ageism and so forth), I still do not feel that programming is a dead end job. Computers are going nowhere folks, and as long as they are around, programmers will be necessary. People who are in this career for the money or the prestige may not like it after a while, but the people who are in this for something else will tolerate quite a bit before deciding to opt out. The simple measure here: "as long as you love doing it, you'll keep doing it." Isn't this true for any career?

3 of 613 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Dead End Job by joeldg · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    hey, my wife wants to be on suicide girls...!! and guess what? I am a PHP programmer for a domain name registrar... maybe you should email me...joeldg@directnic.com

    --
    anime+manga together at last.. in real time.
  2. Re:why to go to the dark side.... by edrugtrader · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    FLAMEBAIT!! I'm 100% honest. this is criminal

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    MARIJUANA, SHROOMS, X: ONLINE?! - E
  3. BASIC versus C/C++ by MemeRot · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    A colleague commented the other day that he thinks the Basic family of languages (VB, VBScript, VBA, ASP, etc.) is winning the syntax war versus the C/C++/Java/JavaScript/Tcl camp (before you flame....I know JavaScript isn't Java, but it has that C-style syntax).

    I have to admit that I think Basic fundamentally has a better approach. Its english sentence like qualities sure make it easier to read. Obviously if you're a Java guru and have never touched VB then the C style syntax will seem like the 'right' way, but if you're familiar with both which is your preference?

    For intCounter = 0 To intMax...Next
    seems a lot cleaner than
    for (var i=0; i=k; i++){...}

    All the C derived stuff just seems to me like a holdover from the 70's when you might have had to program like that, but god why would anyone want to?