[Tutor] A slighty off topic question/rant for the experienced.

[Sean 'Shaleh' Perry]

On Tuesday 17 December 2002 14:26, Scot Stevenson wrote:
>
> There is one difference that I must admit I find puzzling: In medicine,
> older doctors are considered better, because they have all of this
> experience. In the computer industry, they seem to try to kick everybod=
y
> out when they have to start shaving once a day. However, C doesn't seem=
 to
> have changed that much over time, and Unix certainly hasn't. What's wit=
h
> this Youth Cult you guys got running here?
>

because programming is itself still young.  There is also this craziness =
in=20
the profession that unless you are working 11+ hour days you are not real=
ly=20
working.  That gets hard on the older folks (and it aint easy on us 25 ye=
ar=20
olds either).

On top of this computers are still about constant change.  $199.99 multim=
edia=20
ready machines exist today that do more than machines did 2 years ago for=
 4=20
times that.  We routinely write 100 line Python apps that would have been=
 10x=20
that in C.  Young people just respond better to change, they are maleable=
=2E

How many coders have you met who have a few stock answers to every proble=
m?  I=20
seem to run into one or two at every job and it seems the older the coder=
 the=20
more likely they are to fall into the behavior.

However the "old timers" are the people who companies call at 3 in the mo=
rning=20
to fly across the country.  Experience is still valuable.

I think part of the "programming is for young people" is due in part to t=
he=20
fact that the young people make more noise.  We chat on irc, mailing list=
s,=20
slashdot, etc.  Look at the output of a college student vs. someone 10 ye=
ars=20
older.  Hell in the last 2 years I have cut my output by 2/3s so my home =
life=20
has some meaning.  This seems to be the big factor.  Young, single people=
=20
(let's not leave the ladies out (-:) have all the time to chat, code, thi=
nk,=20
and bullshit.  Me, I have to be home by 6 to help get dinner on the table=
=2E =20
They eat quickly and code until 3am while I hang out with my wife.
In the end coding takes time.  The younger they are the more time they ar=
e=20
willing to set aside.