I'm Ben, I'm a developer, and...
I'm old.
Fuller disclosure, please!
Well, according to developers on the Internet, I'm old. I'm actua...
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Came here because of a like of you on one of my posts. Really great post. Look forward to the next ones. :)
Thanks :)
I directly hit like and unicorn when I read this line!
Awesome reading... thanks Ben!
Companies that "promote" developers to management positions as a reward for being good developers are dumb, and deserve to fail
I live and breath with this quote :-) The past 5 years people are keep trying to get me promoted, but I still refuse. I am 41 btw. Maybe when I get 50 Ill reconsider.
Management is a topic I feel quite passionate about right now. Mainly because I am on the verge of moving full-time into management, not because it is a career PROGRESSION, but more of a career CHANGE. A lot of companies blur the lines between the two when actually they are completely different careers. Currently, I am stradling both, but I would rather do one or the other.
On the subject of age, my old man is pushing 60 and still a developer for a damn good company. Age doesn't matter as long as you keep your knowledge updated.
Great article Ben 👏
"If you finish the work quicker than everyone else, it could be a sign that you're a rock star ten times ninja emoji developer. Except you're not, you just missed something out."
This made me laugh! Whenever I finish way earlier than expected, I think I'm amazing and the best dev ever - until I find what's broken the next morning. Ooooops!
Love that sentence... there is soooo much truth in it!
I am 41 and I love what I am doing! I cannot imagine myself, sitting there as a Team Director or such and not code anymore. Some go into "Architecture" and think about concepts, writing Word-Documents or PowerPoint-Presentations ... but when I think of an architecture and the (software-) design to it, my fingers itch and I want to make it happen.
Yes, yes and YES!
I'm 43 and still relevant (well, at least still getting paid for writing code). I know plenty of developers older than me that I wish I had a fraction of their knowledge and skills (and I've been working as a developer for over two decades now - so believe me when I say I've learned a thing or two). In fact, when I think about it, I can probably count on one hand the number of younger developers I know that I really respect professionally (so, probably less than 32 of them).
Younger developers do have their advantages, don't get me wrong - It is easier to learn new tricks when you're young, it's easier to adjust to changes, it's easier to work long hours and it's easier to work for less money.
But IMHO, that's not enough to compensate for the lack of experience.
Been into management and thought to myself, how about learning serious coding even when am 40. This article gives me hope that my management experience can bring something to the table.
I was promoted, even though I had only been coding a month or so, and got no training. I was eventually laid off. And now I'm becoming a junior dev! So even though it's a bumpy road, it's the right one. I know there is age-ism and I will do the best I can with it.
Love this post. I am also turning 45 next month, and find a bit annoying jobs ads looking for young people. because yes, mostly they mean cheap. and startups want people with no family and no life which are happy to work overtime for the cause, and just have a kicker and free beer in the evening.
I also laughed at being put to pasture about template literals because i had the same feeling - and i wrote a post about that afterwards dev.to/dvddpl/a-simple-thing-i-lea...
very good point about management career progression. i find myself at this crossroads, not yet sure if I want to give up coding, even though i find Engineering Director and CTO position very appealing..
What I love about** this job is that - it literally keeps you young. ** you are surrounded by younger people, you do cutting edge stuff, you are way more ahead (in technology matters) of any other people of your age, and you learn constantly new things - so that your brain stays sharp.
thanks for sharing these thoughts
Re: management. I also think the wrong way to do it (for the kinds of teams I want to be part of) is top-down and/or micro-managing. Many people fall into this trap when they are promoted to management because it is the easier way to manage. You see, cooperative people will see the need to do something when the factors are explained to them. Even though it may be harder and take more time (than just commanding people to do tasks), the end result will be much better. The product will be more aligned with the executive vision and the technical team will be more engaged.
Also, a top-down structure makes it easier to hide malfeasance. So when someone is given a task that doesn't appear to make sense, there is always that question in the back of mind, and morale loss. Whereas when reasons are transparent and communicated, it keeps everyone more honest.
Also a relevant article on the subject of age: Research: The Average Age of a Successful Startup Founder Is 45
Is it even legal to advertise for a "young" developer?
It's definitely iffy.
This was very well written and enjoyable to read, than you
I found someone older than myself!
Like you, I believe that a management position is not necessarily a progress to a dev position.