May 15, 2009 at 7:21 am
I jumped back into being an analyst/developer after about a 10 year break where I did very little IT related work. All told, I have 31+ years in IT, and started out as a mainframe programmer.
At 57 I think I am much better now than in my younger days for several reasons: 1. Obviously experience. 2. I am much more disciplined now. I actually RTFM now instead of pounding relentlessly at a problem for hours. (I actually read both the RUBY manuals all the way through!) 3. I talk less and listen more.
I have noticed that I don't grasp new concepts as quickly as I did in my younger days and now have to actually study and take notes. (Or, maybe I just have less tendency to go off half-cocked on a problem now.)
I also recognize and avoid brain burnout much better now than I did in my younger days, and force myself to take breaks. Along with that, I know when to force myself to focus, and when to drop an issue and go on to something else.
Has anyone else noticed a difference in their mental functions over the years?
May 15, 2009 at 7:23 am
Personally, I'd have to agree with David B, in that my role has been gradually shifting over time. While I consider myself a database professional for all 15 years of my career, I've seen my role shift from programmer (started in FoxPro for DOS in 94), to DBA (Oracle), to system administrator (Siebel)/database developer (Oracle/SQL Server), to a role now somewhere between DBA and database developer. I also have done more data modeling and data architect like work over time. My skills keep evolving. 😎
In general, what I've noticed, is that there seems to be more and more fads in the IS/IT world as time has moved on, or at least fads have become more popular. It happens at many levels too. When I say fad, I mean various movements in the IS/IT world that only end up lasting a few years.
At the processing level there have been fads of centralization of processing in a mainframe or mini-computer world, to the rapid decentralization in the 80's with the rise of PCs in the office, and then back to centralization with the rise of internet / intranet technologies, and now a move back to decentralization with rich internet applications. There have been numerous fads in development methodology, from waterfall models, circular models, top level down, bottom level up, RAD/JAD, now agile. There have been fads about IS being centralized vs. IS being split up and integrated into the various business lines and functions. There have been fads about how to manage projects, fads about what languages we program in, fads about which product is the "current trendsetter in the industry", fads about nearly every aspect I can think of.
I don't see my best years behind me, instead I look to help guide the businesses of now and the future toward what concepts are more consistant and have more lasting power than the latest wiz-bang technology or fad.
May 15, 2009 at 7:28 am
I still enjoy technology, but my interests have also shifted - mainly towards a focus on using technology to solve problems rather than just technology for the sake of it, but also to managing, coaching, networking, and developing others. The pace of change does seem at times to be a bit much, but often those same changes aren't that hard to internalize once we take the time to review them - experience pays off.
May 15, 2009 at 7:30 am
I don't think we ever have a truly accurate view of the past - we may feel like we learned faster, retained more, etc. but that's all through the lense of hindsight. We probably felt a lot different about the situations at the time.
Same old story - we're looking at the past through rose colored glasses.
May 15, 2009 at 7:31 am
I recently turned 40, so I'm pretty much in the middle of my working life (assuming I ever retire or anything like that). I'd definitely say that the only things behind me are the things that I don't care about any more. Oh, and the back of my chair, of course.
Interests change. Stuff I found fascinating as a kid just doesn't grab my attention any more. I don't think I could sit through Sesame Street these days, unless I had to. There are movies I absolutely loved when I was six, that I would certainly find annoying at 40. And there are things I find fascinating these days that would have been boring at 6.
I got into DBA/dev/architect work out of sales and marketing, from necessity. I found it interesting enough to stick with it for 9 years so far. Who knows what I'll find interesting five years from now.
So, don't knock your technical skills. You run a simply amazing web site. That's your job and at least part of your passion these days. Be good at what you do, not at what you did some time in the past. You're very good at what you do, and we all benefit from it.
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"Nobody knows the age of the human race, but everyone agrees it's old enough to know better." - Anon
May 15, 2009 at 7:32 am
I'm in my mid 40s and I think technologically I'm past my prime but professionally I'm at the top of my game. I don't have the time or energy for headlong dives into the Irrelevent But Interesting so I have to pick my spots. Last fall I was suddenly holding the short straw and made the SSIS developer for a big bundle of snarled legacy badness, so I plunged in. But ten years ago, back before my BI career and back in the PK years (pre-kids) ETL is something I'd have been monkeying with at home on my own.
On the other hand, there have been a lot of mentions of how fast the pace of IT has become and how many more technologies there are to learn these days, but I disagree. There's a lot of new stuff, but quite often it isn't so much new as "new". Which is to say, I learned a bunch of this at least one time already. I'm better than ever because I see forests and don't get distracted by details like trees, and that added context makes it easier to pick up new things because I have an idea what I'm trying to do with a tool or language. Knowing where you're going or what a tool is suited for is a huge help. When you find yourself driving a bulldozer from here to California you know to stop doing it (or get comfortable...)
Anyway, it seems most folks around here are in about the same place.
Good practices are often universal (ie testing, project scoping, managing customer expectations, etc), and scars from one incident can inform a whole rage of other experiences. As long as you don't completely ossify, your value within IT should stay as fresh as your attitude. Keep your chin up, Steve.
[font="Arial"]Are you lost daddy? I asked tenderly.
Shut up he explained.[/font]
- Ring Lardner
May 15, 2009 at 7:44 am
So what we are seeing is that the true answer to the question of "when are your best years?" is, "It depends." In terms of technical wizardry and growth, the young programmers are having their hayday. In terms of applying technical skills effectively to meet the needs of our clients, us older folks are probably in our hayday.
The important thing is that to the organization, there is great value in both types of employees, and that the company really needs a balanced blend of both types of people. This is good because it keeps us older types employed, and give the kids out of college a reasonable chance of getting hired!
May 15, 2009 at 7:52 am
bob.willsie (5/15/2009)
Has anyone else noticed a difference in their mental functions over the years?
I certainly have. I find myself not wasting time on chasing the latest fad and trying to be an expert in all things. I am certainly more comfortable and confident in my role and abilities. I don't worry about the details so much and I more easily delegate the tedious development tasks that I used to enjoy doing.
Like I said before, I see all of this as a sign of maturity not only personally but professionally.
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May 15, 2009 at 7:58 am
Not by a long shot. My goal was always to be the technical guru, the person that everyone else comes to when they are trying to figure out a solution to their technical problem, the one masterminding the overall architecture and connecting the dots between all the different systems to get them to work together as a cohesive unit. I have no interest in management aside from driving the technical decisions and I actively stay on top of the new technologies, whether or not I decide they are right for my projects. Hopefully I can continue in the same vein for a long time to come. If not, I'd rather divert down the business analyst route than the middle management route. I used to dream of entrepreneurship - until I owned a company and realized that I like having free time 😀 so that is no longer in my long term plan.
--
Anye Mercy
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"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." -- Inigo Montoya in "Princess Bride"
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May 15, 2009 at 8:08 am
Steve - you and I are cut from the same cloth, my friend. I've been allowing a lot of those same thoughts to creep through my approaching-50 year-old brain for some time now.
And a quick side note: A broad smile of satisfaction has spread across my face upon reading all the posts on this thread from the (incredibly market-valued, experienced and technically-seasoned) technologists who have passed the 30-something mark!!!
Although I agree with you - that at any age, if you're not challenged with business problems that push your personal knowledge-base to its limits in a variety of technology sub-disciplines - you begin to feel "rusty", it's easy to forget the value that raw experience and maturity bring to anyone who would employ your services. We lack objectivity when we self-evaluate. It's hard to look inward and see the value you bring to the table from having simply been through and seen so much over all these years. When a business problem arises, you react with a calm and calculated instinct and in many cases will recall a similar challenge and how it was solved. You simply can't put a price on that and it's something that many employers recognize and value greatly.
It is certainly true that the technology our industry uses is an ever-expanding realm, and that if you're not constantly learning you're falling behind. Microsoft is making sure of that by constantly molding its product stack to add cool new features and meet market demand (and ensure old-version obsolescence!). But the fact that you have personally seen and created solutions for so many real-world business problems in your tenure adds a value that no flux in current technology or slowing in your ability to "keep up" can take away from you.
The boys of summer will always come through with a zeal and fresher grasp of a wrote-learned cutting edge feature or technology. But the breadth and width and deeper understanding of your personal SQL knowledge base will always be more valuable.
You're still a rock star, Steve...just an old, decrepit rock star! 😛
May 15, 2009 at 8:31 am
Very interesting discussion.
I am 44 and female-very content with my job, company and coworkers.
Personally-I find that I am continually expanding my skill set out of curiosity (reading here with no immediate opportunities for application), exploring where the professional path might be leading and to keep a finger on the pulse of the industry; or at least the pulse within my field of interest (development).
That said I have also found that my attitude regarding time value has shifted dramatically since 40, I have "enough" to be content with life and my interests have simply changed-though no less passionately. There are SO MANY other things I want to do, see and experience and plenty of others that have a passion for maintaining the latest and greatest software, etc. that I choose not to immerse all of my energy into learning new systems unless there is a business need.
Dev
May 15, 2009 at 8:39 am
Thanks for the kind words. I was definitely a little melancholy the day I wrote this one.
Kind of funny that as I read the comments here I'm installing W2K8 and Hyper-V on a new machine so that I can more easily test some new technologies 😀
I'm glad you like the site, and I'll keep running it as long as I can (and they pay me). I'll still learn things, and maybe I am doing better than in the past. It just seems that I look more at the "big picture" these days than tweaking a few I/Os or cycles off of some query.
In any case, sounds like most of you are in great places, and that's good to hear.
May 15, 2009 at 8:49 am
I've been a "brainer" almost all the time. I've done a lot of stuff alongside. Been doing the development thing for over 3 decades. Best days: Those are the days you can still get up and get it done. Are those ahead, behind, or right now? For me, all three.
Someone mentioned retaining things. I forget who. 🙂 To me the value is in knowing what to retain. I was a WYLBUR expert. I've done TSO and CICS. I've more letters under my belt than a can of alphabet soup. Just none after my name. Not yet. I've also seem the death of a lot of technology. Eight inch floppies, 5-1/4 inch floppies, 3.5 inch floppies, floppies in general. Punch cards, mag cards, punched tape.
There is less of a call, in this economy, for mid-level management. Consultants are struggling. The folks, like me, who keep cranking out this stuff are being recognized as the "bread and butter". We are productive and creative.
I'm looking forward. I still have my rear and side mirrors.
ATBCharles Kincaid
May 15, 2009 at 9:00 am
I just started!!! But I do feel that the amount of information I have to learn it so much that sometimes I just don’t know where to start. I became the DBA for the company I work for because there was no buddy doing that job and I saw it as an opportunity to do something that I thought was needed and could help me become more productive and important in the company. I wasn’t wrong, I realized a DBA was really needed when I started reading and learning and found out that none of the company’s database servers where correctly configured. Now I'm working to solve that and gaining the respect of my co-worker.
May 15, 2009 at 9:10 am
Steve,
On the days you are feeling old just remember that there are always people older than you. Of course, at some point, they may have a dratically altered metaphysical reality. But, don't worry, maybe when our time comes they/we will have the technology to push the reboot button and download from backup, and we'll be good for another 100 years! 😛
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