Are Developers TOO OLD at 50?

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Are you too old to be a developer when you hit 50? Some have suggested that at that point, your brain just can't take it anymore.
Short answer: no.
I know several developers who are still doing great at 50yrs and older. In fact, a developer with that kind of experience is highly respected in many areas.
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Thanks!
Stef
#webdevelopercareer #developerover50

[@StefanMischook]

Hey! Check out my courses ... you will probably love them! school.studioweb.com/store

[@amanieltekie5873]

Thank u

[@itsabovemenow1016]

I was in a low level tech support job and I got laid off in the 2009 recession. I was 54, broke, and thought my life had hit rock bottom. I had no job but I had a computer and nothing but time on my hands, so I taught myself to code and I learned SQL. The ageism is real in tech. You’re dead at 40. Finally a company hired me to do a contract to update a legacy Visual Basic program that was an annoyance to them. I guess they thought “Old code so get an old guy to do it.” I knocked their socks off. As an “old guy” I was less social, so I was more productive. I could write 10 hours a day non-stop. Now I’m 66 still coding, making six figures and working from home. My boss is young enough to be my son and he calls me “sir”with sincere respect. Life is sweet.

[@StefanMischook]

Great story! Thanks for sharing!

[@sharathcg4697]

This real story so pleasant🙏🙏. Kudos to you sir for such an inspiring journey for the youth

[@denniszenanywhere]

My father is still coding at 78. Works 8 hours a day like everyone else. And I was so inspired that I started coding at 50.

[@Marva123]

Never too old to code!!!

[@pesthlm]

WOW Then you have a good teacher near by :-)

[@TKnuckles333]

That's great to hear! Your pops is a smart man. I've never understood the concept of "retirement". Am I expected to just stop coding one day, and hang out on the beach? Nah, I'll pass.

[@denniszenanywhere]

@@TKnuckles333 Very smart, too bad didn't inherit his intelligence. LOL. But what I lack up there, I make up for being a lifelong learner. Our family suffers from Alzheimer's and he is sharper compared to those in the clan who have retired earlier. Our brains need to remain active, not idle, no matter what age.

[@denniszenanywhere]

It helps that he's Asian, so people have a hard time figuring out his age.

[@synen]

Im 53 feel sharper than most Millennials. Peace of mind and good health are key.

[@LordHasenpfeffer]

Same!

[@toddboothbee1361]

Same here at 50. I stay fit, 20 pull ups, 50+ push ups, HIIT cardio, etc.. If at 25 you're smarter than most 25 year-olds, you'll still be smarter than most 25 year olds when you're 50. You don't suddenly grow demented just because of the change of digits.

[@LordHasenpfeffer]

@@toddboothbee1361 Yeah, but good luck convincing a 25 year old to believe that! LOL

[@yt-sh]

exercise, sleep, diet and practice coding are also major contributors I guess?

[@conorm2524]

You're probably 100% more emotionally stable than millennials too.

[@jqlvisualaccounts]

I'm 63 and still coding. Still learning new languages. Still enjoying it even after about 40 years!

[@marct4588]

As a 52 yo returning to the industry after being a stay-at-home dad who home schooled my son through high school, the greatest challenge is not about the programming but is going to be patience and perseverance towards the job hunt. The skepticism over "mental capacity" is an ignorant excuse to be ageist(by the way...studies have shown active, analytical pursuits, such as programming could be key to staving off brain dysfunctions such as Alzheimer's and dementia). I go into this next years job hunt with understanding that it is going to be a long process. By process...I mean process. Everyday I code. Everyday I push out resumes, that's what I do...no wishful thinking or expectations. This is the hill I've chosen to die on. I will be passed on. I will be ghosted...a lot. That's the way it is...period...get over it. If a company doesn't want me due to my age...I REALLY don't want to work with them. As my 80 year old neighbor says, "That's OK...they'll be old someday". NEXT!!!

[@3polygons]

and also, offers you, this situation, an extremely great moment to make freelancing. :)

[@marct4588]

@@3polygons Indeed...also part of my process in the new year...developing a brand(freelance, blog, vlog, tutorials, etc). This is long process as well, compared to which, I think getting a job is a short term goal.

[@3polygons]

@@marct4588 Totally ! But... it's also fun, or it has usually been, for me.

[@silversolver7809]

Marc, you probably have one huge advantage over young coders from a freelancing POV, and that's domain knowledge. Leverage the in-depth knowledge you've acquired, contact people in those domains and they'll be thrilled to have a coder who actually understands their business and its quirks, foibles, gotchas etc. That's priceless.

[@toddboothbee1361]

Why don't you freelance, or does that sound like a nightmare?

[@TraversyMedia]

As long as you are still interested and still willing to learn, age does not matter. I do think ageism exists in corporate culture, but that should not stop anyone from doing what they want to do. There are obstacles to get around everywhere

[@jover4653]

I am 62 yrs old. I started freelancing as a web developer at 60 yrs old.

[@adante407]

What do you freelance in?

[@toddboothbee1361]

My father's cousin was a heavy-duty coder for a large software company well into his seventies. True, he was also a runner (his hobby was to run in marathons across the US). He'd often code when on vacation, on paper and in his head (his wife made him leave the laptop at home). I suspect that his staying fit and not drinking booze were two important factors in his mind working well. Same with my grandfather, who worked in labs and as a lecturer and professor at universities as a biologist and MD into his early nineties. Fitness is important.

[@petert3853]

I retired at the age of 54 from a management job. I hadn't programmed for twenty years. I'm now 60 and got myself a part-time job. What do I do? Program in C. I'm having a blast.

[@AbdAlhaleemBakkor]

I’m learning c++ and want to seek a career using it , if you want and can help me I’d appreciate it a lot . Thanks

[@HLB512]

Old post but I'll ask anyway.....where or how did you get yourself a part time job coding?

[@noelkelly4354]

The problem is finding someone who will employ you, over 50. Over 40, takes longer to find a job. You need to be running a business selling something.

[@f1aziz]

I worked with British devs in Germany who were in their late 50s and mid 60s had over 30 years of dev experience, they were doing mainframes in the 70s, now they were doing Spring Boot with Angular, LoL. Their insights into situations and how to deal with them was phenomenal. I learned from them that you can't put a price tag on experience.

[@dorbie]

Ageism exist in the industry but you can certainly code well beyond 50. You have to stay curious and keep refreshing skills.

[@orangemancometh]

Don’t make jokes about being 150 years old and don’t exclusively reference bands from 50 years ago. Be chill about your age and it often won’t be an issue in the least.

[@Gigusx]

You're going to be relevant as long as whatever value you're offering is relevant.

[@dorbie]

Orangeman Cometh That’s rather far removed from how it works dude. I’ve worked many places, most of the ageism is in the hiring process, and the occasional idiot who makes assumptions.

[@dorbie]

Adrian yup, but that does not immunize you from bias.

[@Gigusx]

@@dorbie or from praise and appreciation. Anyway, people are always biased, if not towards age, then different things. What does it matter, really? Focusing on your own output is much more important than considering how others perceive you. That's how you get the greatest ROI on your time. That's beside the point, I know, just wanted to mention that.

[@netrunner1987]

I am a 50-year-old programmer. I feel like a programming dinosaur. Started with visual basic 3.0 and moved on the Classic ASP and now C#. I feel kinda stuck in my career and scared of change of a new job.

[@psc93krp]

Hi Mike. I m.sure.someone with your experience can move.to.a different job. Keep learning in your free time snd don t be discouraged by the interview process, it s partly luck too. You cannot showcase everything about you in 30 min.

[@Evan490BC]

I can highly recommend learning a functional language (at your own pace), and start adopting functional patterns in your work. It will completely change your approach to programming! Since you seem to work in a .NET environment you can use F#.

[@tonybp]

No, the best coders I know are 40 and above. However, when it comes to getting hired at that age it is a problem. Age discrimination is everywhere but for some reason it's more prominent in the development and creative industries, like programming and graphic design. There seems to be this attitude by companies that the younger they are the "sharper and more creative" . It's ridiculous. At this age freelancing should be the better option.

[@itsabovemenow1016]

I’m 66. I taught myself to code at 50 and struggled five years to find work as a coder. But there’s a bright side to it because in those five years my skills just got better and better. When I got my first job I was really appalled how badly these college educated millennials wrote. I had problem keeping up. In fact, in the end, they had to keep up with me. Nothing tops experience in coding.

[@DennyWygant]

I started out on a commodore vic-20. Coder for life.

[@g2bam]

Snap! So did I. 58 now, working for govt and public sector clients in UK. No sign/desire to give up, love coding, even if/when I retire such is my quest for building and testing/prototyping I will still be coding if I still have a working mind/body. Power to the aged! Never, ever dismiss a worker/colleague based on their age alone, unless it’s a physically demanding job they’re doing.

[@LordHasenpfeffer]

It was a TRS-80, Timex/Sinclair 1000 and then Commodore 64 for me. Still coding! Although it took Linux for me to find anything about the "PC" platform that had even a remote similarity to the personality of my ol' C64.

[@GorillaDevFB]

Have been an Apprentice for around 6 month at my current job and was an intern at another company for about 4 months prior to that. Graduated college in May 2019. I'm 31 years old. Unfortunately, I do have student loans, a car loan, and a few smaller accounts I have to take care of before I can start saving but I'm thinking once I finally get promoted to a full on dev this shouldn't be too bad. Looking forward to getting 100% out of debt, start building savings, building some passive income, and I've already started building my 401k. Awesome video Stef!

[@pad788]

A japanese women started coding at 80 and has successfully published an app in App Store.

[@gustavomouraodiniz8782]

Good stuff man, I'm literally starting to learn at 36. Cheers. Since is a recommendation coming from you, I'll give killersites a try. Thanks.

[@rogfromthegarage8158]

As my 80-something mother says, "my mind is still 20". There is a lot of truth to that. I am approaching 60 and have been coding for 30+ years. I was only unemployed for a few months, total, over 30 years. However, I have been "shaking the bushes" to see what other jobs are out there. I get emails from recruiters almost daily, and can get to an interview quite easily, but no offers. I am not sure why. My skills are current and I know my stuff. But I suspect that the people doing the hiring would rather work with younger people, perhaps closer in age to them. It has happened too many times to be coincidence. Ageism is truly out there. Now, as Stefan says, I've made lost of money and if I lost my job tomorrow I would be ok. I just enjoy creating applications and solving problems. It's a shame that the younger generation seems to think they invented programming and know how to do it better.

[@kawan5851]

The best programmer in our Team is 47 years old. He can beat us in quality code every day. In my view age does matter in the industry, but if you keep on learning and improve yourself then age does not matter.

[@silversolver7809]

"if you keep on learning and improve yourself" Yes, exactly. That plus health is what matters, not if you're 20, 40 or 60.

[@pesthlm]

I wrote my first application 1977 on a PET 8032, for invoicing, which then was fully operational until 1984. I´m soon 60 yrs and still love coding, still love data architecture, solutions and logic. It´s just running in my blood.

[@opensauce]

Stef has been coding for over 3 centuries and still sharp as ever.

[@charlie64x2]

He's a vampire

[@StefanMischook]

LOL! Funny, at the same time, the women think I look 32!

[@RameenFallschirmjager]

@@StefanMischook If you dye your hair and beard you look in your mid twenties! 😂

[@tommyowen529]

This video got my gears turning in lots of areas. A wake up call, so to speak. Appreciate ya. 🤙🏻

[@WestCoastAce27]

Great video. Another option for those who want to stay partially involved in the actual tech and not just be a manager - product lead or owner. You’ll be involved in requirements gathering - but can still get you tech by building an MVP, code reviews, and testing.

[@MenGrowingTOWin]

I worked as a software engineer for decades, saved and invested for retirement only to see the family court and its lawyers and barristers and solicitors and the ex wife take it all from me. You are better off building a business that can support you then relying on savings that can be taken from you.

[@SamKhan-kb3kg]

I am the kinda guy who likes going on. Still coding at 37 (soon to be 38). Started out as a .net dev then to Java, then to Javascript (yes I am a backend dev and my first interaction with JS was node, 4 years back) and now both Python (for AI) and Javascript (for everything else)

[@3polygons]

Mate, ur super young (47, here, still no bald signs either grey hair :D ). Due to medicine and other advances, besides how our society has gained in complexity, it's said that the 40s are the new 30s and so on. IMO, goes farther than that. As a rule, u can do all that you CAN do, not what others expect you to do... ;) . Unless you have some issue, you can code until 90. And heck, beyond. Some of the best pieces of a bunch of artists, writers, etc, happened in their 80s! As perspective is a huge part in knowledge.

[@SamKhan-kb3kg]

@@3polygons thanks for writing such a well thought out response.

[@3polygons]

@@SamKhan-kb3kg You are welcome! :)

[@MsOutback]

@@3polygons thanks mate, ur sentences motivates me alot! Im 38 now (near 39) and i started an education as programmer. Now im at the 4 month. I just hope to get a job in 2 years as one!

[@twenty3_co_uk]

Cheers for the video

[@jesseflanigan9008]

Stef, great video once again. Thanks!

[@StefanMischook]

Welcome!

[@ronaldronald8819]

This is interesting. I never at 52 asked myself that question. Your premise that the mental qualities ahh change. I found that i think more conceptual and let experience fill in the detail.

[@ardentglazier2867]

My father is 80 and is a PhD physicist still doing Fortran programming in numerical analysis and digital signal processing, though he says he has to leave more clues and breadcrumbs as reminders. At 52 I'm early retired after saving a lot like Stefan points out; right now I'm learning reverse-engineering with Common Lisp. When I was a working developer and an employer, I was much more concerned with hiring on an employee's 'niche skills' such as architecture, numerical analysis, modeling & simulation, natural language processing, UI/UX design process, etc, than a person's age. Niche skills and niche application areas (healthcare, defense, near real time, etc) make an individual highly paid and sought after well into your 60's since specializations tend to be rare. This is particularly true if one's had a security clearance.

[@MrUnix-cu9yy]

I simply love this guy. Thank you :)

[@Non-df9lx]

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻good advice stefan

[@charlesd4572]

Went to interview with a company once and they had some old dude in his 80s coding in the corner. I dropped out of the process because the package they were offering me was rubbish - perhaps that's why they employed older programmers. I think it depends what field you go into too. Embedded systems, enterprise and desktop productivity (particularly engineering and CAD) software will have a higher proportion of older programmers. Younger people prefer modern domains (website, mobile apps and web apps).

[@1flybyguy]

I'm 51 and retired. I never worked in the software industry but I can imagine the older one gets the more of the oddball one becomes. I also think getting in at an older age is going to be more about how you fit in with the workplace culture than your age. If you present yourself as a "stick in the mud" or "old fashioned" (that could mean 5 years ago) you're gonna be hard-pressed to even make it to an interview. I've programmed on and off since the 90s but never got past the novice level (in my mind) because of responsibilities with life and my real job. Now, instead of programming desktop apps it's all about mobile and web development and I'm back to square one with the languages and frameworks. My goal isn't a job in the industry, rather to fill a niche need on the web to generate passive income.

[@glowind5925]

Anders Hejlsberg is 59 years old and still coding (Creator of C#, TypeScript, others...)

[@toneallday5468]

Thank you very much!

[@StefanMischook]

You're welcome!

[@iain777uk]

I believe Ken Thompson was in his mid 60's when he started work on Golang. PS love the content and style of this channel.

[@brandontaylor2790]

I started learning BASIC on a TRS-80 in 1982. I'm now 45 and have no intentions of ever ceasing to be a software craftsman. I still have too much to learn!

[@rons.6683]

Thanks for the encouragement. The way I see it, I’ve got nothing-to-lose.

[@StefanMischook]

That kind of thinking, makes you formidable.

[@rons.6683]

Knowledge of Excel and PowerPoint is a plus, as well as subscribing to your channel. Yep.

[@glindaiserrobo8746]

Thank you very much. I learn a lot from you video's. May I give you a suggestion to do a video about Mendix i am curious what your thoughts are about Low code platforms.

[@pixel1120]

50+ is the best time to start learning Ruby

[@missionpupa]

@ilumix led lol, most programmers in NASA didnt study computer science, they were mathematicians, biologists, phycisists etc... In fact, if youre not a self taught programmer, you are a trash programmer, because they dont teach you programming in a compsci degree, most of what you need to know you have to learn yourself.

[@normanlorrain]

Good timing. I'm turning 50 soon!

[@webistk3949]

Uncle Bob told it 'We should write code like adults'. His message is not understood by many. Governance skills happen after you've been there and done that, that is the age 40+. If it is not clear that you overcame being a programmer and become a developer. Then you are not there yet. You've dropped using inheritance, abstract classes and many other crap. You know design patterns are fairytales. You have better development model in your head and you do not chase framework manias. Just looking to code shouts to you what is wrong with it and you know either to touch or just leave it. You frequently ignore stackoverflow website because you do not even come into the problems they are solving there. You are able to keep your solutions simple, but not too simple. You've proposals for the language you are using, but do not feel to push it. Writing a new language appeals to you more, but you know your time is more worth to you. You know the the untold innovation stage of the system you are working on. The word interactive has a different meaning to you then ten years ago.

[@sexygeek8996]

The issue I often run into is that I am stubborn and I do most things the same way as I did 20 years ago. I have dismissed many of the changes since then as being stupid, useless or inefficient.

[@TKnuckles333]

I'm 53 and firing on all cylinders. The last 10 years were great, as an iOS mobile app dev. Now, I'm starting to move into backend data services on AWS. Although, I'm still doing mobile, but it's definitely good to expand your bag of skills. As for my age, I'm starting to see clients open up to bringing onboard older devs. Many hiring managers are starting to realize that the easily-distracted, "casual, saunter into work whenever I wake up", fragile, stare-at-the-phone, younger devs are costing them a lot of money. Companies ulitimately just want to get product out the door, on schedule. They are getting over the "we're young and hip" mentality. At least, some companies. Until Zuckerberg hits 40, Facebook will still be a "younger than 35" dev shop.

[@bobstrasser6221]

I agree. I moved into management but at age 65, I still code almost everyday because I love to code. Coding allows me to develop my own ideas and be creative AND test my ideas before I ask other people to spend their time and talent implementing an idea that doesn't fly.

[@bertreviews]

BEST beard in all of software development.

[@codezero6023]

Yep, at 50ish I am still going but considering freelancing. I keep up my skills and take time to get outside

[@rons.6683]

Just wrote my FIRST line of code at 62. It was gibberish, but it’s a start.

[@StefanMischook]

It's gibberish to everyone the first time. Keep going!

[@prosimulate]

I'm no data scientist I'm a chemical engineer and I find applications in my field all the time by studying examples and remaining curious. I'm not 50 yet but curiosity is key and having the vision for where an application can be used to make you stand out from the crowd👍.

[@simonty1811]

one thing I"m doing as I get older is to work in technologies that don't require too much mental overhead such as lower level languages - stick to the simple ones : python, javascript, go etc that allow you to create more and not get bogged down in details.

[@CyberAbyss007]

I'm 53 and still coding. Moving in to Cyber Security for the last 10 years of my career. Only management if I give up on being technical. :-)

[@richarddemeny611]

Hey Stef I must say that this was a great video. I’m 2 years into my coding career and already became a senior developer, now making the transition into architecture and management. It would be great if you could give some more tips on these two specific areas. Also I checked out your python course online and it looks decent, so please stop giving us freebies like this lame hosting one because it decreases the perceived quality of your product. You know what I mean?

[@zofe]

ALL the big names are old: Dr. Bjarne Strousrup, Walter Bright, Dr. Andrei Alexandrescu, Linus Torvalds (50), Dr. Bartosz Milewski, Prof. Donald Knut (81).

[@AK-wn5ri]

In my country there are hardly any developers who are on 50s. Normally they move to management from engineering. I worked with a 60 year old principal engineer who was a god of Unix, shell and Python. I mean the man could tell the problem by looking at obscure error codes. Also he was nice person, he liked mentoring people. I had written a shell script to automate a major task in my company, he gave pointers to present it better.

[@user-we3kd4yd1o]

Happy New Year Mr. Stephan. I have been enjoying your KZbin channel for quite a while. I have learned HTML, CSS, JavaScript and Vue from Udemy. I want to take your Interactive Package Course to refresh and learn some new things. However, I have quick question here before I decide to enroll. I have noticed that in your course, you teach PHP for backend, instead of NodeJS or Django. Are you planning to update your course in the near future or is PHP still marketable and relevant? And are you planning to add Laravel into your course if you stay with PHP? Many thank again for your inspirational channel.

[@StefanMischook]

If you are comfortable writing fullstack apps, then my foundation courses are likely not the best choice for you. My courses are designed to take total noobs, and turn them into money making developers. PHP vs other stacks: my method of teaching uses languages as a vehicle to teach programming ... you can then choose which language / stack, you want to use. My freelance course will help you understand the development process from the business end: school.studioweb.com/store/course/complete_freelancer

[@user-we3kd4yd1o]

Thank you sir. I am kind of comfortable with front-end. But back-end experience is very limited. I would like to enroll in your course to learn back-end.

[@taariqq]

BostonPHP meetup has a side-shoot, a meetup named 'Tech Over 50'. Check them out.

[@jronmorgan]

I am 62 and have been programming for 35 years. I am writing in after years of C, C++, and JAVA I now use mostly PHP on server side and build apps in Flutter.. Pretty much everyone I know that I ever considered a GOOD programmer is still doing it. When they move out, it has been almost always to move UP.. Personally, I am a Director but I spend most of my time either writing code or orchestrating the younger folks. Advantage of being old? There are few problems I have not solved in the past multiple times so generally I see a problem and know the solution without having to think much on it. I spend a lot of time solving performance issues for people and optimizing database queries/interactions. But that's boring.. Learning and solving new problems is what keeps me going and is pretty much the same for everyone I know that is still doing it at my age. But ya, employability? Unless I can find some managerial position..? Likely NOT GOOD. Doesn't matter that I am up on almost everything new.. Last time I looked, about 10 years ago.. I had to do contract for a while until a customer pulled me over to perm and put me in charge of their development group.. But that probably won't happen again.. So... I am about to start my own damned app development company.. :-P

[@BrewskaySA]

I dont think I will ever get tired of that beat at the end of his videos. I bet that beat goes hard!!! I got A-Hundit on it, Bet me!!!

[@StefanMischook]

Thanks!

[@dogma7911]

It's mental work. You're not hauling freight, cutting timber, or putting out fires. Keep mentally sharp and in the game.

[@RowlandOConnor]

I am an employer and would happily hire 50+.

[@justinryangeralde9780]

Hey my father is 55 and still coding in javascript, php and python

[@3polygons]

I remember my grandpa was able to calculate stuff faster than any one (including any young person) at 90... So, there u have it. :D Am 3 years from 50, and if anything, I notice I think faster and deeper than in my younger years...

[@Bm23CC]

Ageism isn't that pronounced at entry level but if you're in the industry a while your salary expectation may be an issue considering they could hire a few young people for the same wage.

[@chickendog3042]

My equation for what to do money goes like this. post required payments 60% - 70% investments 20% - %30 high-interest savings accounts then the rest is rainy day fund and spending on hobbies and that kinda thing. the percentage changes bases on how much I might have gotten that check or what have you.

[@tangleslong499]

I'm in my late 30s and working full-time as a call-centre agent which people often refer to as low-level unskilled job, earning low salary. I earn $1,500 a fortnight which is minimum wage. I really want to get out of this rut. I cant decide between IT or Accounting. But then on a second thought, I'm scared to invest more money on education. My highest qualification was a High School certificate, but I had attempted uni courses in the past, and dropped out of it, incurring a student loan of $25,000+ that I need to pay off. When I was young, I had high level of social anxiety. But I think I'm grown out from it, by working. Im not sure whether I should be like the older generation where they work any low-skilled jobs and saved extra hard, or invest in education to better my future. But by the time I finish a bachelor degree , I'd be in my 40s! What should I do?

[@huulucninh3712]

Great

[@sgs1402]

I am just 50 and still code for living and so excited about retirement because I finally get a chance to code for myself

[@chrisjaycle8924]

Only just started the mentorship program last week but up to now it's honestly the best teaching I've come across. Great investment up to now with a brilliant teacher. Get on it, get with it. This is the way!

[@StefanMischook]

Welcome aboard!

[@Jollyprez]

I just had to migrate a web application I first built in 2007, and tweaked in 2011. For various reasons, I had to update it. Mostly due to deprecated mysql_ calls in PHP. I'm a MUCH better engineer now than I was then. Not even close. I could write the same app today in 1/4 the code, with more features. Virtually all the libraries I used in 2007 have been abandoned ( anybody remember Adobe's "SPRY" library? ). I can do practically any complex web application now. I'm well north of 50.

[@Jollyprez]

@ilumix led Remember that such a question is divided into two parts: Server-side and Client-Side ( Browser ). Server-side, I prefer PHP because "It doesn't get in your way." It just works. You have full control, but you have to be self-disciplined to use it. That said, server-side, I pretty much just do REST, and all the other aspects are done in javascript in the browser. My preferred library browser-side is AngularJS ( 1.x ). There is a learning curve on that, but not too horrible. I do NOT like Angular 2+ which requires Typescript, and is, in my opinion, a overly-complex mess. I've also used NodeJS with Express, MeteorJS server-side. Going backwards in time, I've done C++, Java, Objective-C, C#, ColdFusion, and a dozen others I can't remember.

[@Jollyprez]

@ilumix led Right - PHP doesn't get in your way - it doesn't require you to follow somebody else's idea of a framework or class library. In addition, I've found that Slimphp is my favorite low-impact library that takes care of routing, which is about all I need from a framework

[@3polygons]

It's different, though the brain in general; other brain related capabilities are involved (specially in 3D, it's tied/linked to certain areas that are measured in intelligence tests), but my illustrations, drawings, 3D models, paintings, pixel art, (and even "some" web code), that I made in the 90s *DO* embarrass me. I wouldn't hire that 20s sth yr old guy with that quality output but would hire someone like me now (hehe). But today, many HRs would stop at the age field, and stop reading (but I ain't worried bout that). And I was extremely naive, no clue on how to sell work to clients and getting clients to start with, neither knew about productivity tricks, and mostly, I'd get often overwhelmed by stress, it was only at my 10th company when learned to overcome it (thick skin), as well as the capability to stand criticism from people not versed in the matters (often bosses). Neither was capable of both true team work and also real capability to take a full graphic department, and/or full projects by my own. So, IMO, ageism is mere stupidity... But the mass (stupidity) moves the world, often. IMO, is not our task to complain about it: One can only fight with quality. And if done well, triumph over it. 47, but I feel like at 20. :). Only thing is eyesight has gone worse... too much work... but seems to get solved with good glasses. :D

[@robburns7482]

.. but how does a 50+ y.o. get into the coding game? I'm 53, was in the web design/development game in the late 90's to 2004... Had to get out of it for personal reasons. Those reasons are no longer relevant and I'm trying to get back into it. I'm up on the new versions of my stack HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript es6, PHP7, MySQL. I keep my mind sharp developing apps and playing with the code but can't seem to catch a break and land a job. I could use some advice...

[@g2bam]

Go freelance, pick your clients, choose your jobs and name your price! There’s loads of freelancing web sites you can sign up to for potential employers/clients to find you. There is a world-wide shortage running to almost 40% shortfall in the western world, you have skills the world is desperate for, get out there and sell your wares regardless of your age.

[@StefanMischook]

Hosting pays for your training: www.killersites.com/blog/2019/webhost-company-pays-for-your-web-design-training/

[@slahomar1497]

I am mobil developer, is the freelancer course for me too, ot just to web developers?

[@Tonysmithmusic]

i’m 56 and no problems so far, also the IBM language i use, no youngsters want to learn so my skills are still sought after so it’s all good.

[@Ophelia11]

And here I am worrying about being a 37 year-old woman trying to transition into programming. Thank you for the video! Subscribed. :)

[@StefanMischook]

Ahhh 37, I remember my later 30's with great memories! It's a great age!!

[@RKO1988]

Women in tech are sought after bunch

[@willf.h6951]

Why would a company hire a developer to build a website when there are off the shelf options like WP, Wix etc? Isn't it easier, quicker and cheaper to get someone to bolt together one of these options? I'm curious before i commit to the lengthy learning process.

[@jimmythebold589]

i'm 53 and got hired to do a robotics project which involves coding, with no experience, unless you count my BASIC and machine code knowledge from when i was 7... kinda slow going, compared to how i learned when i was a chil.d

[@virgiliopalacio5196]

My ex boss told me that in coding after 50 you are done. So you have to start you own bussiness, so I listen to him, I started a software development company, at 52 I like to code and learn new techniques. It is a balance between technique, experience and entusiasm. There nothing near like coding in the old days.

[@_Code.Pilot_]

I have a professor who is at least 60. He's still a hard core C++/Java programmer.

[@_romeopeter]

Thanks Stefan. But I have a question regarding working remote. Is it possible to get a remote job with projects that are only on Github? The truth is I don't have the money to afford a hosting plan. This question is for anybody to answer, not just Stefan. thanks

[@charlie64x2]

I don't even have a portfolio or an updated github repo and I just got my second remote job at 31 years old. Hell I even failed some questions during the interview. It matters that you can communicate well and that you have a good attitude towards the job you want to have. The first job is the hardest to get, after that you're experience will get recruiters and managers to want to hire you.

[@3polygons]

I am a freelancer, I get certain number of freelance gigs. Yep, rarely about web coding, but not only because I only handle a few of the so called here "your core", but because I don't typically apply to those, as I am mostly a graphic designer. Look, I find MANY jobs, of course, but I have WAY MORE competition than coders have with coding gigs, as there are tons of graphic specialists, but very few offers for graphics. There are a TON of coders out there, but the need for code is WAY larger than for graphics. This ain't new, is as old as from the 90s, till where I can offer a reference. But it's now increasing, with all going AI, robotics, apps for everything, the society gone fully digital, and it's a lot more to come. I'd say what Stef is teaching is... huge. HTML, CSS, Javascript and Python. Huge, huge. What I mean... You need to engage, promote, approach people with a need for an app, or web, or who could need it. Besides making your own projects in the meantime (ie, an app you could end up selling, etc), if anything to not get rusted. About hosting. The issue with the site that you can mount in Github (as a website) is that it can't be dynamic ( I believe...as I have not used github other than at companies, for the code base...that it means no database/mysql/php allowed, but javascript and js files are allowed), is not allowed. So, that could be an issue. If ur code is already there as a site, I guess ur fine with that. That said, the lower, lower cost hosting places, "might" have worse reliability than Github, and you don't want to promote your url and that the visitors would find the site down. An error 503 or sth. Few things can damage your possibilities as much as that. There MANY options. Wix for free... nah, too limited, can't code your site and that's a big issue when promoting as a coder. Mostly, can't set ur own domain with it, big con, and I believe it yet imposes the Wix branding/link (and many more limitations when u go beyond basics). Blogger... in a past job, at a company, one of my many roles was to skin in code (adapting the css, html and special custom dynamic code/template that Blogger has (a bit hidden, but it's an option), and few to no one touch, dunno why). I used to make Blogger look AND act exactly like any hosted site. Folks wouldn't know they were not at the company's site but in blogger when they'd hit news, for example, and then back to the site when hitting other menu option. And still using the articles database functionality as a skinned news section. So, can be used so. Again, for someone looking for showcasing your pure HTML 5, CSS and JS skills, not ideal, but... Not too bad, if you are able to promote yourself well there. Still, handling Blogger to fully hide it's blogger branding (I believe u can't hide their new cookies warning, it'd be illegal...but... a lot of visitors are unaware, wont recon that as the warning from Blogger) and make a nice as from scratch site.. needs some deep learning, but can master it in one week, if are solid in your HTML, CSS and making graphics. There are places like www.freewebhostingarea.com . This one is... probably the only one I'd "kind of" trust, for a free and technically not limited (for what I'd code!) option. But it ads a tiny graphic badge (of the site, which links to it) in a bottom corner. For good promo as a freelancer, that ain't great. Of course, it gets removed if you use their paid option (having a paid option is often a chance of the free service being good). After A LOT or research, as my own hosting completely failed to maintain ( I don't blame'em, was a steal more than a bargain) the super huge offer I got (16 bucks per year for a quite premium solution), as per a decision about old coupons obtained for life" offers, and as right now all work I get is word of mouth, zero promotion, and yet so, am overbooked, I only want a site (not even mounted yet, lol, lazy as a coder...) well, for a bare and simple portfolio site. And even so, Linkedin and a place in Cargo sites (where sadly I can't edit the code (which I did not make) or change design, neither link my domain to that, so, unprofessional as heck, but don't need promo for now) do the job for now. But for getting gigs that'd be stupid. So, I researched quite as a conclusion that a good option would be one place called freewebhostingarea . Attending to some non suspicious review sites, is one (not the only one, there was one or 2 more, can't find 'em now) of the few free "reliable" (as reliable as a free site is...) allowing to set all your code and stuff. As... MORE reliable, by far, is Google Sites. sites.google.com . Which allows you NOW (b4, linking a domain was paid, I think), with the modern, new GoogleSites interface, to mount (graphically) a site that if you're smart and savvy with point and click and have good taste for design stuff, mount a site that does not shout anywhere "done with a builder", wix or stuff. But.... internally is extremely limited (also for graphic design purposes), you have many design constraints. But to mount a decent presence page... is "kindda" fine if you have low requirements. Beyond that, nope. And for coding... ONLY if wanna put just your name, links to works done, github page, email (protected from spam mail harvesters, ofc), some photos and little more!.. No javascript or own HTML/CSS really allowed (I believe u can put some snippets in "HTML objects", but I tried it and is immensely clumsy and limited. BUT... for an ultra basic presence, Google Sites can do. AND, importantly! Allows NOW linking for FREE to your domain. That's huge, as Wix and all those make u go to a hefty priced monthly subscription if want to link ur domain there. You have also one that reviewers seems to like, but I have too little feedback to form an opinion : infinityfree.net Not sure about that one, but besides uptime, reliability, consider (not saying this has that limit, but I remember I eliminated every other site but freewebhostingarea due to this reason, as I had left it 3 or 4 "finalists" in my personal research. This was in November, last month, not long ago) a relatively recent limit set in the most hidden parts of terms (TOS) documents in free sites. Related to number of views, instances done to an object, when they consider that a graphic, a js file, anything. And there's only few thousands of those instances allowed per month. That'd mean a hidden way to limit your site to VERY few visitors per month (just waaay worse than just unique IP visits per page!!) and once reached that limit, your site is down till next month. Like (well very different) what always happened with databases, now also applied to static sites. I know Google Sites, Github (site's page), Blogger, Weebly, Wix (free), and freewbhostingarea don't have this limitation. Or , will have sth in place for really abusive sites... like always. Or anyone with their space, bandwidth, database and/or CPU load needing really a VPS, or a dedicated private server, trying to put that heavy use in a free or even shared hosting. U find MANY complaints against shared and free hosting from people TRYING to do that, which is crazy, or people very non tech savvy persons, and really impatient people with support, so, when reading negative feedback, u need to weed out those, totally.

[@3polygons]

REMEMBER, you CAN link your paid domain to Github!!! And among the free, is about the most reliable. I have never ever done so, - used a Github "web site" -, but from what I read, you are totally capable of configuring your domain with it, so you can have your whateverstuffsite. com showing the page you make in github as your web site. You can do so also with Google Sites. In both cases will look for most visitors as a regular .com site. It was paid before to do so in G. Sites, it became free some time ago. You can do the Blogger skinned site I mentioned earlier and make it look as a site done by scratch, and for free also, link it to your domain. Your can do the site with full HMTL, CSS and Javascript freedom in freewebhostingarea (but ANY free site is gonna be less reliable in uptime than those giants companies' options...u know, Google is google. Still.. a coder really needs to have site coded by him/herself, unless the focus is native, or Python (I mean, I kno there's Django and Python for the web) not web code... IMO). IE, prolly irrelevant if your stuff is C#, java or etc. So, in your case, if is all about HTML/CSS/JS, I'd gravitate to having a site fully coded in Github, domain configured/linked so it looks as a paid hosting, or in freewebhostingarea or infinityfree. For the reliability issue , I even thought on using cloudflare so that it'd switch sites by itself if detecting a site down, but that means paying (that feature ain't free) the premium Cloudflare service, then, we'd be paying, anyway, and the reliability of a good shared hosting, would be good enough for your purpose, if one is ready/able to pay anything. My best advice is go for hostmantis 2.3 bucks per month. I know about hostinger's 1 $ per month, but second years it goes to 2.x $, and anyway, I read mixed reviews about Hostinger, while mostly "good enough" about Hostmantis. If you buy a domain at namecheap, I believe is 12$, with the 27.48 $ cost per year at hostmantis , you set yourself for about 39 $ per year as your whole expenses related to your site. Now, that's a really small and affordable cost, but I stopped saying so when realizing that's a ton of money for certain countries (money exchange, their economy, etc), or even the situation of many citizens in 1st world countries. For me, personally is not significant, and it's worth it... IF I need it. Which I currently (believe) I don't. About free stuff... some people report to be doing well using certain other sites ... But I'd avoid ...well.... almost any other option out there. Too many stories read... Which brings me to the next point. Unless ur fully broke, you might want to spend about 2.2 to 5 $ per month (IF PAID YEARLY, that is, at the moment you contract, to be renewed (or not), yearly) for something REALLY solid. The two I have used more, and I REALLY like, and feel have a good uptime, are fast, and decent, having their owners attending claims in the major forums of the industry : Hostmantis for the best affordability/quality ratio that I have experimented, and hawkhost for a great respected name and great functionality. Serious people. (I don't get a freaking single coin, dollar, euro, or favor of any freakin' kind for anything said in this comment or anything I write in the entire internet and beyond, BTW. Wish I would, haha) . Hostmantis : www.hostmantis.com (their "web hosting" thing, of course, 2.29$ per month. The other 2 plans are more expensive) and HawkHost : www.hawkhost.com . I believe its cheaper plan is 5$ per month. About domains, u have namecheap and godaddy. I never liked godaddy for some of its practices, and deeply love Namecheap's reliability and functionality. But I believe any of the two will do, in the end. godaddy.com , namecheap.com . There are a lot more domain companies. IMO, the one thing u need to pay is a domain, is like from 10 to 12 $ a year or so. You can link it to any of the free systems to host your site that there are, before it was only possible by paying another service, but now is possible. By doing so, people can go always to that domain, have the name in their minds, bookmarked or etc. This is quite important yet, imo, despite social media having so much relevance. If only not to depend ( *ONLY* ...as having social media for your presence is IMO crucial, these days. And active ones. Posting less than one post per media per week... is worth nothing. And posting daily or 2-3 times a week.. well, the way to go) all your content and BIO on a platform's often erratic decisions. LinkedIn is a must, absolutely, IMO. For a coder, other places can be useful : Stackexchange, Scalablepath, etc. And yeah... Twitter, Instagram, facebook... despite all the cr4p. And... progress in your code. As that IS your product, imo. And as Stef says, your "people skills" are CRUCIAL. You gotta loose fears and shyness (if you have any : Am speaking generally, I don't know people here, lol), and approach every human or company on earth that could use your skills and service. Is a game of statistics; the more individuals and companies u approach, the more options. Just like when sending CVs and portfolios to getting a job as apart of staff. But do it smartly, never bug people, never spam, follow spam rules in communities, etc. Have several social media to promote that what u do : Twitter, Linkedin, facebook, Blogger/Wordpress/your site's blog, even you can get creative and use instagram in a certain way. A lot of people use the second search engine on earth and first video site (psst... youtube). But several. Not all eggs in one basket. I've seen even CODERS, be it a non visual thing, promote their coding skills in a streaming (mostly focused on games matters) place as Twitch.

[@JS-jh4cy]

How do old programmers get into solo coding jobs or business?

[@limaceaae]

I’m a retired pilot from Brazilian Air Force. I’m 53 now and just started to learn front end. I’m really willing to pursue this new career.

[@StefanMischook]

Cool! Check out my mentoring program: unclestef.com.

[@rookie7413]

I wrote some C code with a guy more than twice my age. It was a great experience.

[@KostasOreopoulos]

If you "leave it" it "leaves you". If you are a "good" (and I mean knowledgable) at coding, you have a wide range of knowledge and it is much easier to adapt. You certainly lose in stamina over the years, but you gain on efficiency so there is nothing special there. Of course, it is hard to be a coder and a business owner as you say. You have to choose

[@michaelspencer2688]

Anything can be done if it’s technically possible and wanted bad enough

[@substance1]

The biggest issue that developers will face today is burn out. With the Darwinist development methodology used today, it can be brutal.

[@sinord5288]

54 still coding but I’m mainly a QA. The young coders in my office are noticeably quicker, but i work smarter.

[@tatendamunenge8784]

i was mentored by a 50+ year old programmer however i think the tend to drift into consulting

[@tonym5857]

Sadly in my country after 35 years old Software Companies guest you are not able to code anymore and if you lose your coding job your destination will be either Project Manager (bored) or selling software solutions. After 20 years I feel good learning new stuffs like Asp.net, Android, I.A. and IoT. Regards.

[@frstchan]

I have a feeling software developers in other countries makes much higher salaries... I have worked for 5 years in Sweden as a dev and I get around 2500 USD after taxes each month. Roughly half goes away in rent/food. I dont expect my salary to even double by the time I hit 65 (35 now). And my taxes at that point will be close to 60%

[@StefanMischook]

I am under the impression that in Sweden you have big government benefits that people say in the US don't have. So for example, is your medical free? How about other insurances and social safety net services?

[@jimdart8219]

So does this mean at 68 it's ok to keep going as well? I don't really care what the verdict is I'm gona keep going anyway. HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone.

[@StefanMischook]

Indeed. Keep at it because it is good for your mind as well as your bank account.

[@shantanushekharsjunerft9783]

Either you can code or go into product management. You will get laid off in any other situation. With cloud computing, developers are taking over the roles of network engineers, database admins, and Linux admins. You cannot hide from coding unless you are in product management.

[@RameenFallschirmjager]

I’ll have a double cheeseburger, fries, and a large Diet Coke. What?! You don't sell cheeseburgers here?! What do you mean I'm senile?! I'm just 49 years old!😂

[@donjindra]

I'm 65. I may not be as quick as I was in my 30s but in many ways I'm a better developer than ever.

[@amanieltekie5873]

When is to old to learn coding...college grad BA in liberal arts , working in the food & beverage manufacturing industry...want to change career as a coder...thanks

[@StefanMischook]

Never too old IMHO.

[@DuneKraftwerk]

Indeed. Save and invest wisely and at 50 you can retire if you want and code for your own pleasure. I did it and it is very nice!

[@krishreal2024]

Started going to Centennial College and just turned 52. Left programming 10 years ago - mainframe.

[@mduffor1]

50 certainly isn't too old to code. But your comments about how many times median salary a programmer can earn seem a bit off. Median income in the US is $60k/yr. Median income in the county I live in is around $95k/yr. I'm certainly not making multiples over the median income of my county, and most programming positions I see listed are at or slightly below my county median. And I'm being paid pretty well compared to the other programmers I know.

[@chessmaster856]

I dont think coding itself is a problem at old age. But you get under valued. People into management get higher salaries at young age with or wthout experience. That is the issue.