Most software developers are in their 20s and 30s, so what does that mean for anyone approaching 40? In this video, I share how to continue developing like a pro into your 40s and beyond.

The Digital Builders Bulletin: https://tomgregory.com

My book: https://tomgregory.com/internetbook

Denis Bolkovskis

Anthropic

Community Picks is a section on daily.dev where our community members share the most interesting and valuable content they've discovered online. From insightful articles to handy tools, every post is a gem curated by our dedicated coomunity. To contribute to Community Picks, you need to have at least 250 reputation points, ensuring that only active and trusted members can share their finds.

Community Picks

As software developers age, there are misconceptions about their place in the industry. Over 40, the author emphasizes that it's important to stay updated with evolving technologies, be open to new tools, and maintain a healthy lifestyle to combat natural cognitive decline. They encourage exploring new programming languages and varied projects to stay relevant and effective. AI tools and continuous learning play a key role in enhancing skills and productivity.

Should software developers quit after 40?

Been writing code since I was 10 years old. Writing the best code of my life at 50 and I’ll continue doing this until my fingers can’t type anymore - at which point it will be time to check out of this hotel. Perhaps by then, someone will have developed a “Dragon Dictate” that doesn’t suck horribly 8^)

Sure, I could have quit at 40 and just taken all my experience with me.
What a dumb premise for a VLOG.

Back in the day (insert old man voice here), I was coding games on my Commodore VIC-20, saving data on a trusty tape deck. Back then, we only had ones and zeros – and half the time, we didn’t even have zeros! So count your blessings, you young’uns.
Fast forward to now – I’m in my late 50s, fluent in over 20 programming languages, and still smashing out code 12 hours a day. According to my son, I’ve got “God-Tier Coding Mad Skillz.” Honestly, half the stuff he says sounds like it needs its own instruction manual, but hey, I’ll take the compliment.
I’ll keep coding until the day I’m pushing up daisies. As for those who don’t believe in themselves or think coding isn’t for them? No worries – not everyone has to live and breathe it. But if you’ve got the passion, give it a go. You might just surprise yourself!

It’s hard to truly be a great developer with less than 10 to 15 years of experience.
Between mastering various patterns, languages, etc., and what actually makes a developer great—introspection, the ability to evolve, etc.—considering the average starting age for developers entering the job market is between 25 and 30, it means that one might only truly excel after their 40s. This could explain a potential gap in the market: a lack of genuinely senior developers.
Even with the rise of AI, which accelerates learning by eliminating the downtime of waiting for answers or spending hours stuck on problems, it doesn’t change the unavoidable truth about the time required to achieve mastery—regardless of intellectual capacity.
So, I’d actually argue that 40 is still too young, just to start to seriously working as dev.