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Ask Slashdot: Where Do Old Programmers Go?

Posted by BeauHD on from the hide-and-seek dept.

New submitter oort99 writes: Barreling towards my late 40s, I've enjoyed 25+ years of coding for a living, working in telecoms, government, and education. In recent years, it's been typical enterprise Java stuff. Looking around, I'm pretty much always the oldest in the room. So where are the other old guys? I can't imagine they've all moved up the chain into management. There just aren't enough of those positions to absorb the masses of aging coders. Clearly there *are* older workers in software, but they are a minority. What sectors have the others gone into? Retired early? Low-wage service sector? Genuinely interested to hear your story about having left the field, willfully or otherwise.

10 of 481 comments (clear)

  1. The Assumption by PopeRatzo · · Score: 3, Funny

    Old programmers become ascended masters like St. Germain and live forever in the shadows, controlling the world. Or, they become greeters at Wal-Mart. Sometimes both.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  2. Old programmers don't die by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    They just get commented out.

  3. old programmers never die. they just branch to a . by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 4, Funny

    ... different address.

    -eom-

    --
    Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
  4. Re:Easy by ISoldat53 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Anywhere I can. Usually five times a day.

  5. And they never die by Okian+Warrior · · Score: 3, Funny

    Old programmers become ascended masters like St. Germain and live forever in the shadows, controlling the world. Or, they become greeters at Wal-Mart. Sometimes both.

    Old programmers never die... they just smell that way.

    1. Re:And they never die by pr0nbot · · Score: 4, Funny

      Old programmers don't die, they just RETURN.

  6. Re:Great Question by rogoshen1 · · Score: 4, Funny

    does working with node and react make your soul burn; even just a little?

  7. Re:They don't go anywhere by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 3, Funny

    They don't Go anywhere, instead they Rust?

    --
    Ezekiel 23:20
  8. Grow pot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Seriously, if you are a halfway decent coder you can easily learn to grow some amazing weed.

    The ROI is pretty incredible also.

  9. The come to work at my company by TsuruchiBrian · · Score: 2, Funny

    And torment me by stubbornly refusing to follow software design standards.