When Do Programmers Retire? Is 35 the End?

What’s the End Game?

If you have read this far, you might be thinking, “are older programmers put out of their jobs forcefully after a certain period of time?” The answer is mostly no.

Let’s see what happens to them.

Management

As companies can easily hire young, energetic developers for less money, they use experienced developers in another important role, like first- or second-line managers.

Consultant

Youngblood can have many advantages, but it can’t be a consultant. Experienced developers become independents or hired consultants for companies. And they can really earn a lot by being a good consultant.

I know a consultant from the U.K. who earns millions per year.

Freelancer

Some of them want to work by their own rules by becoming freelancers.

Expert in a specialized area

Many become an expert in a specialized field. I’ve seen people specialize in very specific areas where there is a need, like big data for healthcare or Azure cloud architecture.

In some specific sectors, the experience will always have a great demand.

Early retirement

Many developers retire early and become a trainer for young developers.

Starting a startup

Many experienced developers use their networks and skills and take a portion of their savings to start a new tech company or startup.

Staying as a programmer

Yes! This is also an option, and a lot of developers still remain as programmers in their 50s or 60s. Their skill keeps them in the industry.

Last Few Words

Older developers face concerns about the stability of the roles they’re in. This can lead to heightened stress or even imposter syndrome. I think this can be avoided by taking early preparation.

New programming languages, frameworks, and libraries pop up all the time. Be updated all the time. I am saying this again and again because I have seen this. Skilled people often ignore this. But the reality is that skills can be out of date very soon in this sector.

Zoho’s CEO, Sridhar Vembu, experimented by hiring 17-year-olds directly out of high school. He found that within two years, the work performance of these recruits was almost the same as that of their college-educated peers.

Day by day the number of young programmers is increasing so fast. So is programming really becoming a young programmer’s game?

Though my personal opinion is that age is just a number as long as programmers don’t get locked in a time and have the mentality to learn more. What do you think?

Tell us your opinion in the comments. And please also share your workplace scenario regarding this issue.

from Hacker News https://ift.tt/2Ruaxs6