The 50 year old programmer

[BrilloPad]

You are young enough to be Zeity's grandchild.

[uk contractor]

Similar age but not feeling it at all despite being on the bench a few months now. But I have many contractor friends who have had more than enough due to 1 too many bad contracting experience and would love to go perm again but as the wrong side of 40 pushing 50 are stuck in the same sinking ship many of us are clinging onto the life rafts of

I reckon about 5 years ago was the best time to get out of contracting unless you were in the high end rates wise. Now it seems like a race to the bottom every person for themselves. IT more than many other industries is very biased against you after a certain age as like you mentioned hiring managers are usually in their 30s so many will see an older person as a challenge to manage not an asset to exploit. That and agent perception are the biggest challenges AFTER even finding a suitable role you can apply for that is!

Look forward not backward is all you can do and hope the next role is better & try to convert to perm if its possible on a lower salary as that alone can reduce the stress-hassle factor!

[original PM]

Maybe it's the complete disconnect between millennials and somebody in their fifties?

I'm completely with the op on this one. For me it's more the whole Agile thing - 3 hour long meetings in which I have to have an active role after a 2 hour commute and 3 hours sleep.

I've avoided pair programming so far but I do enquire about it before accepting a role because pp in its purest form would be positively misery inducing. I once worked with a guy who told me at his previous client everything was 100% paired. Not only that, each day you would be moved to a completely different user story.

Shudder....

Is this because you prefer to completely over estimate the work and then be able to sit quietly in a corner doing feck all for 3 days out of every 5?

Because thats what my experience of your attitude means.

[NotAllThere]

Moved to General. It seems a better place.

Only a few months away now. I always swore I'd be retired by 50 but it's not looking likely. Still need the money, but my god am I losing the will. The thought of going through the motions for that next contract, being interviewed by people in their 30's (or less), fills me with dread, as does sitting down pair-programming with somebody young enough to be my son or daughter. Anybody else been through this?

Not quite 50, but getting there. Fortunately most of the people I'm currently working with are around my age. However, we always have a few students hanging around, and I'm working with a just doctored (?) Data Scientist. If the youngsters are any good they're aware of your experience - and they want to learn from you. Graduates are told by their professors "you are now ready to go out into the workplace". I tell them - er... no. You're not. You know nothing. Watch and learn. I've no problem with interviewers being (from my perspective) wet behind the ears - usually they're the ones who are nervous.

By the time you're 50, you've been there and one that. Nothing is new except perhaps the terminology.

I'm very happy to sit next to some young lady enough to be my daughter.

[milanbenes]

yes but NAT,

our business is _different_

our business is the one area of IT which respects longevity and knowledge of all versions of the product, mainly because customers rarely only have the latest version of the product and normally have a mixture of versions in their portfolio, versions which have generally evolved and share the same dna therefore bringing high value to longevity of experience and knowledge

Milan (age 44).

[Lockhouse]

I'm 55 this year. Need 2 more full time years for a comfortable retirement. Could quit tomorrow if I really had to.

I work with a niche product so plan to go down to a couple of days a week consultancy rather than totally quit.

Don't love what I do but I'm rather fond of the money.

[Big Blue Plymouth]

Is this because you prefer to completely over estimate the work and then be able to sit quietly in a corner doing feck all for 3 days out of every 5?

Because thats what my experience of your attitude means.

Nope.

I just don't enjoy endless meetings holding up tee shirt sizes, fibonacci series etc.

It bores the bejeezus out of me.

[FiveTimes]

Nope.

I just don't enjoy endless meetings holding up tee shirt sizes, fibonacci series etc.

It bores the bejeezus out of me.

sounds like its been implemented poorly.

[Paddy]

Only a few months away now. I always swore I'd be retired by 50 but it's not looking likely. Still need the money, but my god am I losing the will. The thought of going through the motions for that next contract, being interviewed by people in their 30's (or less), fills me with dread, as does sitting down pair-programming with somebody young enough to be my son or daughter. Anybody else been through this?

I’m past retirement age but I don’t solely rely on contracting. Any work I do is pure consultancy. I felt the same as you in my 50s. Although I don’t mind being interviewed by younger people, it becomes blatantly obvious then when they are wet behind the ears and clueless, they are not going to have a contractor with 30+ years experience working with them.

[SueEllen]

Nope.

I just don't enjoy endless meetings holding up tee shirt sizes, fibonacci series etc.

It bores the bejeezus out of me.

That's what mobile phone games are for.