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Only since 1989 -- my college co-op job (using VAX BASIC mostly  ). Did just plain old C with embedded SQL in the 90s. Then C# . Mostly using SSIS currently, but I still get to use some C# .
I've never had to work more than forty hours a week on a regular basis, and I like to think I would not take such a job. The occasional long day (like yesterday) or support at night or on a weekend is OK.
I hope to continue in software development for another hundred years or so.
You'll never get very far if all you do is follow instructions.
modified 17-Jun-14 12:54pm.
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_WinBase_ wrote: I still often put in 80+ hour weeks to meet deadlines
Whoa, slow down there... less meetings and you get all your work done by 5!
Kidding aside, I've been professionally programming for only a few years... just 12. I don't think I have ever worked a 60 hour week, and rarely more than 50. Now that I have kids and a family, it is a rare day that I am willing to work extra instead of go home and take care of what is the most important... those kids and my wife.
I don't keep pace (promotion wise) with my peers, but I do well enough to live an easy life and get along well with my co-workers. I can't complain, money isn't everything.
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Paid to code since 1986; almost always in industrial environments (food manufacturing, pulp and paper, now utilities).
Now, I don't 'code' so much as I do administer a data collection system (60+ installations in the organization). I do write .NET code as needed to process non-standard data, and I do miss coding, but I love what I do and am well paid... so, I'm happy...
Tim
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Whoa! 80 hour weeks? If I've got my math right, that's like 10 hours every day, for 8 days a week.
That's a lot of work.
I am salaried to 40 hour weeks and they get at least 8 hours out of me each 2 week paycheck. 
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newton.saber wrote: Whoa! 80 hour weeks? If I've got my math right, that's like 10 hours every day, for 8 days a week.
Perhaps! Or he could be working nine hours a day for nine days a week and taking an hour off early at the end of the week.
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Being paid to program since Nov. 18, 1991.
dBase III+ and Clipper
to C using BRIEF as an editor (still miss my Microsoft C 5.1 function reference, it was in 3 ring binder form. Pages always laid flat. BRIEF had a macro language like jEdit does it was kick-a$$) [in the Travel data arena]
to a job where I did VC++, Powerbuilder, SQL, network maintenance, etc. [pension calculation company]
to Delphi 6 [working for a US gov't contractor]
to another job in Delphi 6 that is transforming into Java projects. [back to travel data, funny how the world works]
Rarely put in more than 40 hours a week.
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_WinBase_ wrote: put in 80+ hour weeks
Well, I think we can rule out that you work in France...
The programmers I know that loved programming and solving problems then moved to management hated it. They also turned out to be very poor managers.
I've become complacent at times, but have discovered that there are plenty of different types of jobs out there. I have also found with many of them you really can work a regular work week. I have been reluctant to change jobs because I thought the money couldn't get any better, or whatever else. Basically the fear of change, but non of my fears have turned out to be true.
Hopefully you are working with a technology that you enjoy, and is somewhat sustainable. I would suggest to stay on top of the technologies that are used for the types of programming that you enjoy and whats relevant for that industry.
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Paul M Watt wrote: Well, I think we can rule out that you work in France...
Would you care explaining the causality behind this assumption? Because it does not seem directly obvious to me.
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who separate humankind in two distinct categories, and those who don't.
"I have two hobbies: breasts." DSK
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I'm guessing it's something along these lines[^] as to why the statement was made, it was a funny one though.
"the debugger doesn't tell me anything because this code compiles just fine" - random QA comment
"Facebook is where you tell lies to your friends. Twitter is where you tell the truth to strangers." - chriselst
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Oh yes, now I see. Funny as this 35-hours rules pretty did not change anything in the amount of hours most people work a week.
On quiet weeks, I usually work about 42 hours; but that can grow up sometimes (more often than that, in fact).
This has just set up some additional resting days (about 1.5 days a month) that we can take when we need; pretty useful as most administrations are closed on week-ends.
Thanks for your clarification 
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who separate humankind in two distinct categories, and those who don't.
"I have two hobbies: breasts." DSK
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When this was reported in the US, they presented it in a somewhat humorous light, making it seem as though the whole country was a bunch of slackers. However, I think it was really jealousy (at least I was jealous anyway). 
"the debugger doesn't tell me anything because this code compiles just fine" - random QA comment
"Facebook is where you tell lies to your friends. Twitter is where you tell the truth to strangers." - chriselst
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It's a reference to this demotivator from despair.com:
Effort[^]
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Ok, I didn't know this one.
I don't see things this way, either ^^ But I get how it is seen from outside.
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who separate humankind in two distinct categories, and those who don't.
"I have two hobbies: breasts." DSK
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Which is a reference to French being work-shy?
Bastard Programmer from Hell 
If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]
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Paul M Watt wrote: moved to management hated it ... very poor managers
I've worked for a couple of bosses who had been developers and wished they still had the time to develop. But they didn't appear to hate it and weren't bad at it.
It sure beats working for someone who has no idea what development is all about -- those can be some bad bosses.
You'll never get very far if all you do is follow instructions.
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PIEBALDconsult wrote: It sure beats working for someone who has no idea what development is all about -- those can be some bad bosses.
But the worst of all bosses above all Chupacabras, scarier than all Yeti, more fearsome than all Sasquatch are the bosses who know very little coding, but believe they know very much. Then when your 'splaining why something doesn't work they respond,
"Oh, blah, blah, yeah, I know all that. And obviously you are lying about the way that Microsoft component works, because there are no bugs in Microsoft components. So, what's the real reason you are behind on your project?"
I suggest you provide the following answer to this boss, after jumping on top of the conference room table:
"Your mother!" 
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Paul M Watt wrote: Well, I think we can rule out that you work in France...
As a French, I'd be interested in knowing what stereotype your are meaning here ?
~RaGE();
I think words like 'destiny' are a way of trying to find order where none exists. - Christian Graus
Entropy isn't what it used to.
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The joke was a reference to this demotivator from Despair.com:
http://www.despair.com/effort.html[^], which I should have included with the original post.
It seems that I have struck a nerve based on a few of the questions regarding this post. I didn't intend any malice with the comment, and I am sorry if I offended anyone, except disaffected college students.
This may also explain why this poster is on the list of Retired Demotivators[^]:
along with these others that reference countries:
Discovery[^]
Mediocrity[^]
Freedom[^]
Achievement[^]
And Americans, or at least our government, is also represented in this list:
Bailouts[^]
Congress[^]
Government[^]
Finally, I do fear that this one does ring with quite a bit of truth in America:
Knowledge[^]
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It seems both of us have come across the same questionnings 
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who separate humankind in two distinct categories, and those who don't.
"I have two hobbies: breasts." DSK
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despair.com is one of the really great places on the net - highly recommended. Every year I buy their calendars with the new selection of demotivators.
Unfortunately for the rest of you, a couple of my favorites are on the retired list. Among them, "Loneliness. If you find yourself struggli9ng with loneliness, your're not alone. And yet your are alone. So very alone" - with this picture of the very lonely tree on a snowy hill. Loneliness[^]
Or, "Individuality, Always remember that your are unique. Just like everbody else" - where the 'photo' makes a subtle twist: It shows a handful of snow crystals, but only those who are observant will notice that all the snow crystals have five arms! Individuality[^]
The despair.com photos are excellent. The wisdom is great, and usually it carries far more truth than the more common "motivators" do. The parody is far better than the original.
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The first lines of code I wrote were in Basic on a Texas Instruments TI99-4A; we then were in 1983, and I was 10.
But I only code seriously since 10 years now; I've merely known only .NET languages (a litlle bit of VB6, but I quit it quickly).
Edit: I forgot to mention that I studied Prolog during the last year before graduation. I remember we had a project, a nice program that allowed us to check every fact about greek deities genealogy.
From this language, I forgot almost everything, though.
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who separate humankind in two distinct categories, and those who don't.
"I have two hobbies: breasts." DSK
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Ah, the TI99-4A. Not a bad little machine as I recall. A bit different to all the others. Did you have the speech synthesizer that plugged into the side? That was cool.
Regards,
Rob Philpott.
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No, unfortunately I didn't.
I did have the Extended Basic cartridge, though.
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who separate humankind in two distinct categories, and those who don't.
"I have two hobbies: breasts." DSK
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Started as a senior in high school in '68, then got a summer job with the traffic court in Chicago. I've been programming full time since then, except for a (roughly) 2 year break to be a blacksmith. Unfortunately, while I'm a decent smith, I'm terrifyingly bad as a salesman. I look forward to retiring in perhaps 4 years; probably will continue doing some programming and working part time in my wife's piano store.
One advantage of my longevity is that I can call everyone else in my department 'young whippersnapper' and get away with it - because it's true. 
According to my calculations, I should be able to retire about 5 years after I die.
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