Recently, I’ve seen like dozen of different blog posts putting a lot of dirt and downgrading the computer programming career. IT sucks, programming sucks and all geeks suck. Well, this post actually forced me to agree with some points, and strongly disagree with others, and I believe this one is the most reasonably explained one. So, let's go ahead with my comments - starting with age differnce and experience. I do agree that computer programming job can be considered as _temporary knowledge capital_, but definitely it's not always true. Not necessary. Just in example, please imagine 27 years old 5-years-experienced guy, and 52 years old 27-years-experienced man, both with recent 5-years Java experience. Well, who is better? I should say, of course 27 years old, with only 5 years of experience. Because for me it's incredible stupid that so experienced mature man with 27 years of professional experience is still working as programmer. He can be lead, architect, consultant, but not programmer! But, if we are going to talk about other position, like senior developer, instead of just developer, I will prefer 52 years old one -- because he has an experience of taking part and solving situations which younger one probably never even had before. Surprisingly controversial, no?
Now low prestige thing... Well - I cannot say anything about it. I just do not care. Do you care?
I skip outsourcing argue, just because it can sound that it is a big bad thing for US employees, but there are too many points when outsourcing is bad and inapropriate, so I just think it's a whole new discussion point, which goes beyond of "computer programmer's career" topic. ;-)
And let's talk about project management. That's an absurd saying that it's only about planning and reporting. May be it _can be_ in a too many levels organisation with internal bueracracy and stupid executive management - but the most companies which I know are sucessful and have project managers they prove that project managers just _drive and lead_ the project. Project managers are and will be in demand for long time. It's also about people management, and is a very important thing why not _everybody_ can be manager.
Working conditions. Don't be silly. If company sucks and does not want to have best employees, they will crap their working conditions for IT or anybody else. But does Google do that? :-) It's just a question of what you want from your employees, and how do you see them - long-term, or short-term.
Did I finish? Not yet. There is a small follow up also. I do not think it's much there to say, but I can just stress that I do agree on the following statement:
"The billionaires [mentioned] are people who were once programmers but who became entrepreneurs."
That's absolutely right - you are the boss of your life, of your fortune and your goals.
To crown it all - programming is just an entrance into IT world. You cannot be good in managing team of developers without knowing deep deep level. This is my opinion, and I see that project manager grown from junior developer is much more professional and goal oriented and succesfully than many book-worms-project-managers-right-away. It's the way it is! Althought, even if you can be a sucessfull business owner without being programmer, but at least you need to have a clean vision to know how _software helps people_ - and that's pretty a lot from IT. ;-)
P.S. Being a lawyer is nice, but it's not the silver bullet.
P.P.S. Computer careers do not stink that much as a lot of people are trying to show it.