After working as a programmer until age 30, one finally manages to climb from being a "code slave" to a white-collar worker, but can no longer keep going, and constantly faces the threat of unemployment. Thirty is an age that programmers cannot afford to be fragile. What tomorrow holds, where to go from here?

1. The 30-Year-Old Phenomenon

In officialdom, there was once a "59-year-old phenomenon," where officials at age 59 would grab as much as they could. Obviously, power expires and goes to waste; if they didn't grab now, they'd retire with no more chances.

In the programmer circle, there is also a “30-year-old phenomenon.” Of course, if you have an iron rice bowl, such as in a state-owned enterprise or government agency, then you cannot understand the feelings of the working class at the bottom. At the same time, congratulations on becoming a member of the system, where you can work worry-free until retirement.

Everyone understands the 30-year-old phenomenon, but defining it is not easy. Listing a few manifestations, perhaps you will feel a sense of recognition.

Facing a career bottleneck, unable to keep writing code, and difficult to move up.

Higher salary, less overtime, the younger generation catching up, facing unemployment pressure; life pressure has surged, not daring to change jobs.

It has become an industry unspoken rule to limit programmer recruitment to under 30, making job switching difficult.

The "30-year-old phenomenon" and the "59-year-old phenomenon" seem unrelated, but they actually stem from the same cause: depreciation of value. An official in office is like an emperor, but once retired, they become a commoner, and depreciation is only natural. Programmers are the same. The so-called "thirty and established" — once they reach around 30, because they face marriage and having children, on one hand they need a high salary to support their family, but on the other hand they can no longer devote themselves wholeheartedly to work as before, so their cost-performance ratio drops sharply. At the same time, a large number of cheap newcomers flood in, often using the latest technology, and the older generation of programmers can only gradually step aside.

2. Irreplaceability

The 30-year-old phenomenon arises, and the cause can only be found in programmers themselves.

Of course, we could also analyze from multiple perspectives such as industry, society, government, and institutions to identify shortcomings. These analyses may not be without reason, but they are certainly useless, because we cannot change them. As the saying goes, "If fate is bitter, you can't blame the government; if luck is bad, you can't blame society." Looking for causes externally will only fill us with complaints, making us feel born at the wrong time all day, miserable and unbearably distressed.

Look for reasons within yourself, and try asking yourself a few questions: "Why has my cost-performance ratio declined? Why would my boss hire me and pay me a high salary? What determines a person's value?"

You might be able to list a very long answer, but I think it can all be condensed into one sentence: "A person's value is determined by his irreplaceability." Irreplaceability can be understood as the cost your boss would have to pay to replace you.

Because you are highly replaceable, your cost-performance ratio declines. Conversely, because you are highly irreplaceable, the boss will offer you a high salary. Isn't that so?

There is a short story:

When a technician retired, he cautioned his apprentice: "Talk less, do more."

Ten years later, the apprentice also became a technician. He found his master and said with a bitter face: "Master, I have always followed your teachings, just burying my head in hard work. But those with worse skills than mine have all been promoted and gotten raises, while I still earn the same salary as before."

The master thought for a while and said: "Take a leave of absence. If a lamp is always on, no one will notice it..."

The apprentice suddenly understood. He indeed took a week off. When he returned to work, the factory director found him and said he would give him a raise. It turned out that during his absence, the factory director discovered that the factory could no longer do without him.

The apprentice was very happy. From then on, he would occasionally take a few days off, and every time after he returned, the factory director would give him a raise. One day, after taking leave, when he was about to go to work, the factory director told him: "You don't need to come to work anymore."

The apprentice went to his master in distress. The master said: "I hadn't finished my words that day. A lamp can occasionally go out once, but if it always goes out, the nature of things changes, because no one needs a lamp that is sometimes on and sometimes off."

In the story, the apprentice got a raise because he was irreplaceable; later, because other lamps lit up, he was replaced. The factory director no longer needed him, so he was fired.

So, in the final analysis, we still have to improve our own irreplaceability. Otherwise, once the boss thinks that you can be replaced at a lower cost, you will face the danger of possibly losing your job.

Three. Where is the way out?

So how can a programmer improve his irreplaceability at age 30? Do we intend to be programmers for a lifetime? Where is the road?

As someone who has been through it, a senior programmer, I think there are several directions to choose from:

(1) Become a tech guru.

Actually, there is nothing wrong with being a programmer for a lifetime. What matters is that you must become an irreplaceable programmer, that is, you must become a technical guru who can solve problems that ordinary programmers cannot solve. There are two versions of technical gurus:

First, the enhanced version of a programmer. You are still a programmer, but you are an awesome programmer. Thanks to years of accumulation, you are by no means an ordinary person in terms of both breadth and depth of knowledge. From assembly language to Java, you are proficient in everything. You care about data structures and algorithms, have unique insights into system optimization, know design patterns like the back of your hand, and you also have a complete toolbox and your own dedicated class libraries. In fact, the enhanced programmer has very unique value. Unfortunately, this type is rare in reality, because for any company, talent is always scarce. The boss's eyes are sharp; how could he ignore a technical expert like you? Before you even become a true guru, you would have long been appointed as a system architect, project manager, or an even higher position. Therefore, if you want to guard your own small plot of land and leisurely be a guru, it is often impossible.

Second is the programmer upgrade path. Although your inner self is still a programmer, your position has already been upgraded — you become a systems analyst or systems architect. This is a very natural and realistic choice. There is no chasm between a programmer and a systems analyst or architect; just one step and you can drive from a rugged mountain path onto a wide highway. But this step is not easy. It takes several years of continuous thinking, learning, and practice before the cocoon can transform into a butterfly.

(2) Become an industry expert.

The industry expert is also an indispensable role in a company; they know the company's industry knowledge, business processes, and details like the palm of their hand. Industry experts are generally not supermen recruited from outside who only understand business but not technology; they are often programmers who have grown through years of trial and tribulation. As an industry expert who grew up from a programmer, you often also carry the duty of a systems analyst. In a company, there are many people with a general understanding of the business, but very few at the expert level. For the next 30 years of your career, you must become an expert.

(3) Develop in the direction of management.

The first step toward management is generally being appointed as a project manager. In most IT companies, the project manager is the smallest management position. You may not feel too many surprises, and your salary won't rise much, but this transition can be said to be one of the most important transitions in your life.

Don't underestimate the project manager. Some say that project manager is an ancient profession. Others say that the 21st century is the century of project management. In fact, project management has existed since humans began to organize. In the past, the project manager might have been a tribal chief; a collective hunt or an assault on a city could all be considered a project. The knowledge of project management can be applied to every aspect of our lives — from the implementation of a moon landing program to the organization of a family gathering, none can do without project management.

An excellent project manager needs not only high intelligence but also high emotional intelligence. It is no exaggeration to say that if you are competent at project management, you are competent for all management positions at the tactical level, and even the quality of your family life will be elevated to a new level.

However, becoming an excellent project manager is not an easy thing. It can be said that a certain amount of talent is required. Some people learn it without a teacher, while others can never learn it. Programmers belong to a high-IQ group but often have insufficient emotional intelligence, which predestines that only a few programmers can grow into project managers, and those who become excellent project managers are very rare.

If you feel that none of these paths is suitable, you still have a few ways out:

The first is to simply muddle along contentedly.

Tell the truth, be an honest person, do honest things, and earn an honest salary. Companies also very much need this kind of employee, who generally won't face the fate of being fired. The second is to switch careers or start a business.

Because this industry no longer suits you and no longer has much room for growth, you can only switch careers. Switching careers is not necessarily a bad thing; perhaps in a new environment you can unleash stronger energy and create a career of your own. As for starting a business, that is even more challenging. I suggest that before starting a business, you should already have become an excellent project manager. Think about it: if you can't turn a project around, how can you turn a company around?

Source: OSCHINA