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Man, with all the responses I feel like a kid around here.
I started learning programming in 1999, but started doing it professionally since 2007.
Heck I wasn't even born when most of the other guys started.
Anyways, I've noticed that whenever I feel my passion for it dying out a bit, if there is someone that I know personally that I can teach stuff to or that I consider as "competition" I try harder and learn more stuff, do more of it in my spare time and my passion lights up even brighter than before.
One thing to note is that 80+ hrs a week of ANY SINGLE THING and I'd be sick of it pretty quickly, heck, even videogames which I also love.
My suggestion is that you try and cut down your hours to the normal 40 a week or even just like a part time job (maybe 20 - 30 a week), if possible of course. Then you could use the spare time to try and mentor some young mind on this road, try new IT/programming (maybe get an Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Beaglebone?) related stuff or just get a different hobby altogether (Woodworking? Working on cars? Hunting?).
Think of what would you do if money was never gonna be an issue, then save money, and go do it.
If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right - Henry Ford
Emmanuel Medina Lopez
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Quote: I feel like a kid around here.
Don't worry about it, kid!
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
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Emmanuel Medina Lopez wrote: what would you do if money was never gonna be an issue
Tending bar in a third-world cantina.
You'll never get very far if all you do is follow instructions.
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Prefer the cantina in Star Trek V -- with the triple-breasted cat woman. "The closest thing to Paradise."
You'll never get very far if all you do is follow instructions.
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So ... just how many hands do you have? 
A positive attitude may not solve every problem, but it will annoy enough people to be worth the effort.
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PIEBALDconsult wrote: Tending bar in a third-world cantina.
They can still find you there. At least that is what Hollywood has taught me. 
There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
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I started learning in 2003 in college. I was always into computers and taking them apart and rebuilding, but never was coding.
I begin professionally in 2007 as well, so for 7 years as a profession now.
I normally put in 40 hours at work and then 10 to 20 with at home projects and part time work. It is more like 10 hours with family stuff, but sometimes get up to 20.
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I've been programmatically converting O into CO2 since 1971. I've been doing it ever since and I love it. <Deep breath.> Other than that, I've dabbled in Basic, Delphi, Visual C++, and Visual C# for ten years and then left (almost eight years ago) since it wasn't my degree and never did any of that as a kid. I still debug code, script a lot, and write math programs for fun, but that's the extent of my programming experience. I'm an analyst by nature and haven't found my true calling yet.
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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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